Thursday, June 25, 2009

Good Bye Michael We Will Miss You.







It has happened... what those of us in our late forties and early fifties who were fans of Motown and Michael Jackson dreaded, the death of our hero has come Michale Joseph Jackson died today on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles at the age of 50.

We are of course bombarded with information regarding the negative issues that he had to confront in his later years , and now the word Icon will be over used by every news cast on television but he was much more then just an Icon.

The Michael Jackson that we knew was the little boy who revolutionized the way America and the world respected and recognized young black talent he and his brothers put the sounds of black youth on the map.

Michale Jackson of the late sixties and the seventies captured the hearts of America and especially black America , Black Americans didn't have many celebrities on television then, and if a person of color was on television momma would get on the phone and make a call to family and friends to tell them the Jackson 5 or Diana Ross and the Supremes were on television.

The Jackson 5 were the first R&B Soul group to have their very own cartoon and the first black cast cartoon. Michale Jackson was was a lighting bolt of energy and talent that had not been seen since Sammy Davis Jr to whom Michale paid homage shortly before Davis death in 1990.


Thriller Album Sold 26 million



Bad Album Sold 8 Million

I can go on with the same info that the news casters or Wikipedia can offer but I choose to remember the positive gifts that Michael brought to the world , such as his USA for Africa humanitarian out reach and many other philanthropic charities he has been apart of for many years.

It is hard for me to continue writing because of the sorrow that I feel , and I am in a state of shock it is hard for me to take in.

I will miss him forever.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Iran Showing Signs of Possible Progress




As hard as it may seem to believe even with the reported seven dead and numerous people who have been injured in the alleged voter fraud uprising that this may be a sign of possible progress for the middle east. After President Obama's Cairo Egypt speech it was questioned as to how it would play out across the Muslim countries in the region now we see that there are those who want the same democracy that the west enjoys and some have credited Obama as being the western leader who is affecting change.

The right wing extremist in our country has tried to use this to their Obama hating advantage even to the point of saying that it is Obama's fault with exception to any thing that would be a positive out come...then of course the right will take the credit, even now Ari Fleischer former Bush White House Press Secretary is setting up some wacky response by stating that (only if it is a positive outcome) that it was Bush's hardliner approach to Iran that caused this voter uprising.

Ari Fleischer emailed fellow Post reporter Glenn Kessler before any results had been issued in Iran’s hotly-contested presidential election to give credit to his former boss for the “reformists’ surge” there. “[O]ne of the reasons there is a substantial reform movement in Iran — particularly among its young people — is because of George W. Bush’s tough policies,” Fleischer wrote. Direct quote from Think Progress Web Blog By Ben Armbruster on Jun 15th, 2009.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/15/fleischer-bush-spin-iran/

Accusing George Bush of being one of the most disliked men in the Muslim world would not be far fetched, he is despised by many in the Mid east region.



Sunday, May 31, 2009

Republicans Show Their True Colors....Again



In an article from the online web site/blog "Think Progress " there is a description of the attacks on president Obama's recent selection of Judge Sonya Sotomayor as his choice to replace the retiring justice David Souter on the supreme court. Supreme Court Justice David Souters April 30,2009 announcement of his retirement opened a door of multiple possibilities as to who would replace him on the court, political pundits of all sorts weighed in with their opinions as to whom the president would choose and it is Judge Sonya Sotomayor who is the first Latina to be nominated for highest judiciary in the land.


>Think Progress on line refers to Judge Sotomayer as possessing a brilliant legal career after being raised in a South Bronx public housing project by parents who moved from Puerto Rico. Sotomayor graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude, edited the Yale Law Journal, then served as a "fearless and effective" New York City prosecutor and corporate lawyer before being appointed to the bench by President George H. W. Bush in 1992. "Since joining the Second Circuit in 1998, Sotomayor has authored over 150 opinions," only three of which have been overturned by the Supreme Court's conservative majority. During her time as an appeals judge, "her influence has grown significantly." Public reaction to the nomination of the first Latina and third woman to the nation's highest court is "decidedly more positive than negative." Former Bush adviser Mark McKinnon remarked, "If Republicans make a big deal of opposing Sotomayor, we will be hurling ourselves off a cliff." However, "the same right-wing extremists who drove the country into the ground," Salon's Glenn Greenwald writes, "continue to attack Sonia Sotomayor with blatant and ugly stereotypes." Right-wing pundit Pat Buchanan called Sotomayor an "affirmative action candidate," and Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes claimed she "has benefited from affirmative action over the years tremendously." As hate-radio extremist Glenn Beck described the nomination: "Hey, Hispanic chick lady! You're empathetic ... you're in!"Think Progress by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Satyam Khanna, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, Ali Frick, Ryan Powers, and Brad Johnson


What Would Rush Do ?

"If you tell a lie long enough , someone will eventually believe you"

Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, have all called Judge Sotomayor a racist, some have made an attempt to use language such as troubling,or concerned about her stance on particular issues, will she be a an activist judge ...these are buzz words for her race being an issue.

As stated earlier George H. W. Bush in 1992 appointed Sotomayor to the District Court for the Southern District of New York. Bill Clinton appointed her to the 2nd Circuit in 1998.

It does not come as a surprise that she is being called a bigot and reversed racist by those who are themselves a mouth piece for some of the most racially insensitive comments and statements ever made in recent times by a politician , pundit, or talk show host. As reported by the Huffington Post Website and blog.. five current Republican Senators voted in favor of her nomination then: Sens. Collins, Gregg, Hatch, Lugar, Snowe. Among the no votes were current Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, current Minority Whip John Kyl and Sen. Jeff Sessions, currently the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee.

Keep it on the Down Low

According to the Web Site " The Hill" in a post titled "Gun-shy Gop urges attacks on nominee by Alexander Bolton, In public, Senate Republicans have kept their distance from conservative attacks on Sonia Sotomayor — but behind the scenes, they have encouraged activists to keep their crosshairs trained on the Supreme Court nominee.

Bolton's article continues the description how conservatives have blasted Sotomayor for a range of statements and rulings, such as her off-hand remark that the “Court of Appeals is where policy is made” and a speech suggesting that a “wise Latina” has better judgment than a “white male who hasn’t lived that life.” Some have claimed that President Obama nominated her primarily because she is a Hispanic woman and others said she would be biased against the wealthy. The question that must be explored is if Sonia Sotomayor had been a white male with the same back ground would he have been labled a racist or a bigot or would he have just been called a socialist.


http://pr.thinkprogress.org/2009/05/pr20090529

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gun-shy-gop-urges-attacks-on-nominee-2009-06-03.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/26/sonia-sotomayor-10-things_n_207724.html

Friday, May 22, 2009

" Lets Do It Again "

Who ever said there is not enough time in the day was right in more ways then one.

I have recently discovered that the hard part about blogging is keeping up with your blog. When you are busy working , going to school and raising a family can take it's toll on your personal time.

Examples

My Son is about to finish high school while my daughter just received her drivers license ( Whew !)and is finishing her second year of college all with parental help and guidance of course.

The combination of work and traffic result in long tedious hours day after day when all that is left is the weekend and of course we are loaded down with all our weekend chores that are not possible during the week, and lastly the pursuit of a graduate degree at the same time creates even more pressure on the weekly schedule.

So When Do I have Time To Blog?

It is a discipline that requires reading and writing as time permits such as lunch hours, breaks , or late in the evening or early in the morning.

Bottom line

you have to treat the blog like another part of the family or your baby , especially if you truly believe you have opinions and ideas that can be best expressed as a communicator online with others who share your thoughts or those who have differing opinions.

So I have decided that I will Pursue the art of blogging again with out long months in between each post, and make every effort to assure that "The True Clarion Call" stay current with the issues of politics, entertainment, social concerns, pop culture and more.

"Get Ready Get Ready Get Ready"
TD. Jakes (cir) 1996

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Welcome To Our New Commander in Cheif


Barack Obama, joined by his wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia, takes the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts to become the 44th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol. (Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)

On this historic day our nation has started a journey on the road to redefining itself as a true nation where all things are possible if one dares to work hard and dream. Our newly elected president has challenged our nation to grow up into the country the founding fathers established
One nation of the people, for the people, and by the people.


Gerard Thomas

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

YES WE DID !

Barack Obama is now our 44th President!

Thank You to all the citizens who got it right.
Thank You to all the citizens past and present who sacrificed
their time , and lives to work for the betterment of our nation.
We need to constantly be prepared to be ready to support our newly
elected President and Vice President. We the citizens who cast our
vote for President Elect Obama should always remain...

"Fired Up and Ready to Go" !


Kevin Gerard


Monday, November 3, 2008

*The Kitchen Sink

With only one day to go, before the final vote is cast for a long hard battle for change. Millions in our nation will be posed to witness history being made before their eyes. democratic senator Barack Obama IL could possibly be the first African American to be elected president of the United States of America.

The Changing Tide

One factor that has led to this history changing event is the strong performances by senators Barack Obama IL and Joe Biden DE in their televised presidential and vice presidential debates, which all reliable polls agreed both candidates defeated their republican rivals. the second major factor in their possible success is the strong ground work from the campaign staff (paid) and (volunteers.) These factors have been the major catalyst that has helped the democratic ticket continue to maintain a significant lead in the polls over republican rivals John McCain AZ and Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin.

Forget The Issues ...Attack , Attack , Attack !

The McCain campaign has unleashed an all out assault on Barack Obama personally calling Obama a Socialist, a "Re distributor" of Wealth , also making comments such as "He Pals around with Terrorist" these comments among many others have been considered low ball tactics political negative ads which by some accounts has now reduced the GOP to a new level of abasement.

The McCain Attack has garnered the assistance of The Republican National Committee, Swift Boat 527 ads, Fox News, right wing talk radio, and the negative deceitful Drudge Report, along with the limited information and poor questionable journalism within the main stream media.


The Prophecy Comes to Pass

Senator Obama warned voters to be prepared for the barrage of coming attacks that will try and paint Senator Obama as " Every thing... but a child of God" The latest 527 ads are now using Reverend Wright ad attacks nation wide, is a last ditch effort to try and sway voters and discredit Obama. Now that John McCain is behind in the polls he has decided to allow otherorganizations like the National Republican Trust Pack to unleash hell.

Any person who has kept up with his campaign from the beginning to this last day know and must realize that Barack Obama and his family has had to endure a litany of lies and deceit to get to where he is now at the pinnacle of a history making moment.

He has been called A Racist, Muslim, Terrorist,Liar, Re distributor of wealth,Socialist,Communist, Monkey, Nigger, Quotes from McCain/Palin Rallies " Kill Him" "Murderer" "Baby Killer" "One Man Terror Cell" and more this does not include the constant threats on his life or the life of those whom he loves. His enemy list is a who's who of the right wing talk show circuit.

Senator Obama's Composer

It was stated often that under the greatest attacks in the debates with Hillary Clinton , and John McCain, Senator Obama did not let the other rile him. He confronts these attacks as par for the course not trying to hit bellow the belt but allowing the attacks to roll off him and stay on point. This is a skill that takes years of experience to develop and because he is assure of who he is and that as Dr. King once said " He has right on his side " he does not attack back in the same old politically charged manner. He communicates This sense of calmness could have never been more apparent as to how Senator Obama reacted to the financial crisis on Wall Street and Washington.


" With Malice Towards None "

Tomorrow it all ends briefly because now that he has captured the attention of the world and if by Gods ordination he is chosen to be the forty fourth president of the United States he will have to endure four more years of attacks nationally and internationally but one thing is certain unlike our out going President he won't have to bare the burden alone but he will have millions of citizens who will be willing to come to his aid when ever needed.


Kevin Gerard