GROTHE

Variations of the Theme of a Nervous Breakdown

What happens when you document the activities of a food starved graduate student/freelance writer in a cramped studio apartment (where he maintains the entire building) and find out what happens when his undergraduate party monster tenants stop being polite (they never were) and start getting real imbecilic. 

Someone pinch me.

Take a seat and enter my life.

So I am walking to the trash disposal area of my building on Wednesday night; its pitch black outside.  The trash disposal area is located towards the anterior of the building, there is a cemented path that connects the back-door to the disposal area.  Four bags of trash greeted me as I stepped outside the door and one raccoon-ravaged bag by the disposal door.

Undergrads can be extremely disgusting and wasteful.  I peer inside the area to find a mountain of recyclable material pizza boxes, beer bottles and soda cans galore as well as UPS, USPS, and FedEx boxes.

I was shocked to see each canister overflowing with debris.  I emptied all ten of the 8 gallon cans on Sunday night.  So from Sunday night to Wednesday night they were over-filled with trash. I decided to take care of it in the morning.

This morning, I walk to the shed and two maintenance guys are hovering over the trash. Bad sign.

I walk back into my apartment and check my voice mail. I received a
message from the head maintenance supervisor. He wanted a report about how often I remove the trash from the shed. Unbelievable.

There are no recycling bins in the trash area yet it is a mystery that (at the end of the semester) the trash area is filled with school paper, pizza boxes and television sets.

I spent an hour removing trash from the shed and was almost late for my other glamorous day job.

The life of a on-line reality blogstar.  This is it!

Finanicial News: 17 ways to save on energy

1.	Get a home energy audit every couple of years with your power company to find ways to cut costs.
2.	Check with your utility company for rebates whenever you install energy-saving equipment.
3.	Add more energy-efficient insulation to your attic, preferably with a resistance rating of R-21 to R-30.
4.	Turn down your home thermostat two degrees and save 24 kilowatt hours a month. It might not sound like much, but it adds up.
5.	Buy a programmable thermostat, especially if your home is vacant most of the day. Set it to turn on a half hour before anyone arrives home.
6.	Adjust your thermostat to a comfortable temperature and wait. Turning your thermostat up or down dramatically wastes energy and increases your heating costs.

7.	Lower your hot water thermostat 10 degrees, but no lower than 120 degrees. You'll still get all the hot water you need and save 25 kilowatt hours a month.
8.	Fix leaky faucets -- one drip a second is 20 kilowatts a month.
9.	Invest in weather-stripping kits if you've got drafty doors.
10.	Trade your standard candescent bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs. They are more energy-efficient, last for years instead of months, consume little power and generate little heat.
11.	Turn off your computer when not in use, or use the energy-saving "sleep" mode.
12.	Seal energy leaks. Caulk over cracks and small holes around windows and exterior walls. Look carefully around plumbing pipes, telephone wires, dryer vents, sink and bathtub drains and under countertops.
13.	Participate in your power company's special energy-saving program. Some programs shut down electric appliances for short bursts of time during peak hours. You hardly notice the difference -- except in your bill.
14.	Buy major appliances that sport the "Energy Star" sticker. That shows the appliance meets or exceeds standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
15.	Consider a front-loading washing machine. They use 50 percent less energy and one-third less water. Plus, they remove far more water in the rinse cycle, and that translates into big savings in dryer time.
16.	When building a home or replacing a roof, select a roof based more on energy efficiency than on how it looks. Light-colored roofs, such as white, galvanized metal or cement tile, do the best job of reflecting the sun, and cool quickly at night.
17.	Landscaping with the right mix of trees and shrubs can lower your energy bills by blocking winter winds or the summer sun.

Copyright Bankrate News

How Private Social Security Accounts Affect African Americans

Social Security, which celebrates its seventieth anniversary this year, is regarded by many as the most successful domestic program in our nation’s history. Social Security has provided guaranteed retirement security for generations of Americans and protected the American dream for millions of families. Unlike private retirement plans, however, Social Security also provides financial security and insurance to spouses and dependent children in the event of a worker’s disability or death.

African Americans greatly benefit from the current Social Security system:

    • Without Social Security, 60 percent of African American seniors would live in poverty
    • African Americans are less likely to have retirement income from employer-sponsored pension plans or private savings
    • African Americans have lower earnings and benefit from Social Security’s progressive benefit formula
    • 45 percent of African Americans receiving Social Security benefits are disabled workers, their spouses and children, widows, or survivors, and not retirees

SOCIAL SECURITY PROVIDES A CRUCIAL SAFETY NET TO MILLIONS OF FAMILIES.

Typically associated with retirement, Social Security is actually a comprehensive family insurance plan that protects families of deceased workers, families of disabled workers, and retirees from poverty. More than 156 million workers are covered under Social Security and approximately 47 million Americans, including 3 million under age 18, currently receive Social Security benefits. (Social Security Administration, “Young People and Social Security,” September 2004, “The Future of Social Security,” May 2004):

    • 69 percent of recipients are retired workers and their dependents
    • 16 percent of recipients are disabled workers and their dependents
    • 15 percent of recipients are survivors of deceased workers

BUSH PRIVATIZATION PLAN INCLUDES A DRAMATIC TAX ON
PRIVATIZED ACCOUNTS.

Under the Bush privatization plan, in addition to cuts in guaranteed Social Security benefits, those who risk their benefits in a privatized account would face a steep “privatization tax” which could wipe out most, or even all, of the account. In combination, an average worker born in 2000 who retires in 2065 would receive 50 percent less in benefits than are currently guaranteed under law. (White House Office of the Press Secretary, Background Press Briefing on Social Security, 2/2/05; CBO, “Long-term Analysis of Plan 2 of the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security,” 7/21/04; CBPP, “An Overview of Issues Raised by the Administration’s Social Security Plan,” 2/7/05)

WITHOUT SOCIAL SECURITY THE POVERTY RATE OF AFRICAN
AMERICANS WOULD INCREASE DRAMATICALLY.

Without Social Security, 60 percent of African American seniors would be in poverty, compared to 24 percent of African American seniors with Social Security. (Social Security Administration, “Minorities and Social Security: An Analysis of Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Current Program,” 1999)

AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE LESS LIKELY TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF RETIREMENT INCOME:
    • 40 percent of African Americans rely on Social Security as their only source of retirement income. (Social Security Administration, “Hispanic Americans and Social Security,” September 2004)
    • 78.2 percent of African Americans over the age of 65 rely on Social Security benefits for 50 percent or more of their total income while over half (52.8 percent) rely on Social Security for 90 percent or more. (AARP Public Policy Institute, September 2003)
    • 81 percent of African Americans over the age of 65 receive no income from private pensions and annuities, and 71 percent receive no income from assets. (Social Security Administration, “Income of Population 55 or Older,” 2000)

Compiled from Senate Democratic Policy Committee Report "Privatizing Social Security: Benefit Cuts and Increased Debt for African Americans"

Rep. John Lewis Secures $16 Million to Ease Atlanta Traffic and Pollution

Over $16 million in federal transportation funding has been allocated to the 5th District in legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. This funding will:

• Ease traffic congestion and provide infrastructure improvements to Memorial Drive, Northside Drive, the I-75/Windy Hill Road interchange, and the Buckhead corridor;
• Support MARTA’s efforts to acquire clean fuel buses; and
• Help Cobb County implement its Smart Technology programs and Facilities Improvement initiatives.

This funding will also support an Alternative Analysis and Preliminary Engineering Study for the proposed Atlanta Beltline/C-Loop public transit project. The 22-mile beltway would encircle Atlanta approximately one to three miles outside of the downtown area. It will also provide easier access to many of Atlanta’s cultural institutions and other area attractions allowing citizens to avoid downtown or major highways. The new transit line will be adjacent to more than 2900 acres of underutilized property suitable for residential, mixed-use housing, and transit oriented development as well as new parks, greenspace, and biking or walking trails.

All of these funds were appropriated through H.R. 3, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU) , which was passed this year by the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation still has to be considered by the Senate before becoming law, but it is expected to pass without a problem. H.R. 3 provides a total of $284 billion nationwide in federal highway, transit, and road safety projects through 2009. It is a $4.5 billion increase over last year’s appropriation passed by the House.

Congressman John Lewis
Georgia's 5th Congressional District

analogous rhythms

In Plato's literary work, Allegory of the Cave, humans represent immobilized prisoners in a cave that seemingly unintelligent.  Physically unable to move their heads, the reality that they perceive is the cave wall, enlarged shadows and echoes cast by concealed objects.  The mysterious shadows, like any direct stimulus, occupy the prisoners full attention.  The prisoners become complacent with their microcosmic surrounding.

Even though true reality is hidden from the prisoners, it is in reach.  When prisoners are freed from their shackles, they can fully move their limbs and see the real objects casting shadows on the wall and transcend from the primitive existence of the cave to move into the realm of enlightenment (true reality).

The Allegory of the Cave was a required reading assignment for my Introduction to Philosophy course in undergrad.  I reread the text and reread the text and researched it on-line until I comprehended the message, "man must awaken from constructed reality to find a true reality and identity."

The Philosophy assignment contained two parts: reading  Allegory of the Cave and an article discussing how to cultivate and rehabilitate prisoners lives through a humanities education program.  One of the main components, of the program, focused on the prisoners reading and understanding the Allegory of the Cave. The author of the article and originator of the program, Earl Shorris, received acclaim for starting the enrichment program as means to reach out to the poor; the program has been replicated in over 25 cities (including Vancouver, Seattle and the Yucatan in Mexico).

What processes or techiques can we start that are analogous to turning our heads and seeing the real objects being cast on the cave wall? How can we as African-Americans reach self-actualization?

In a world of cyclic poverty, economic division, ill-equipped hip-hop music conferences that miss the point, and BET's dominance over Black youth's and adults, what steps can we take to eradicate our community issues.

Grothe's Remedy For Freeing Black people of B.S.

1. Destroy your television sets (The Revolution will not be televised on UPN and definitely not BET)

2. Remove negative energy from your life (start with relatives, they are the easiest)

3. Invest in meaningful music (start with my morning remix: Dead Ni**a Blvd. (Part 1)  - Meshell Ndegeocello; Get By - Talib Kweli; Children of the Night  - Cassandra Wilson; Get To - Amel Larrieux; Goodbye - Lizz Wright; So What - Miles Davis; Corcovado - Stan Getz;  Cherish the Day - Sade; Throw It Away - Cassandra Wilson; Swept Away - The Roots; Heaven - Nas; Lost Ones - Lauryn Hill)

4. Talk more to more Black people (Silence is a subtle violence that is obliterating the Black community)

5. Listen to National Public Radio (Check out Ed Gordon's new show News and Notes)

6. Read more insightful literature (start with my NERD remix: Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America - edited by Herb Boyd and Robert L. Allen; Miseducation of the Negro - Carter G. Woodson; The Bluest Eyes - Toni Morrison; Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man? - Charles Barkley; Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison; The Known World - Edward P. Jones; Race Matters - Cornel West; Joe Turner's Come and Gone - August Wilson and Topdog/Underdog - Susan-Lori Parks)

7. Join a Black professional association or networking group

8. Continue learning after you finish your education (a Bachelor's degree is the equivalent of a high school diploma)

9. Mentor a young Black child or get a older mentor

10. Become apart of the Grand Revolution

 

Congress Overhauls Bankruptcy Laws

by Brian Naylor

The House of Representatives approves an overhaul of the nation's bankruptcy laws Wednesday, in a vote of 302 to 126. The bill, which passed in the Senate last month, will make it more difficult to get rid of debts by filing for bankruptcy, forcing tens of thousand of people to work out repayment plans instead.

President Bush is expected to sign the bill, which opponents say will hurt the economically vulnerable.

About the Bankruptcy Bill

Compiled from Associated Press and NPR staff reports:

Supporters in Congress and the financial services industry say the changes in the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act will end the practice of people abusing the bankruptcy system. They say bankruptcy is often the last resort for gamblers, fathers avoiding child support, and multimillionaires seeking to shelter assets from creditors.

But opponents said the bill will hurt those who can least afford it -- low-income working people, single mothers, minorities and the elderly -- and would remove a safety net for those who have lost their jobs or face crushing medical bills.

Means Testing:

Taking effect six months from enactment, the measure will set up an income-based test for measuring a debtor's ability to repay debts. Those with insufficient assets or income can still file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which, if approved by a judge, erases debts entirely after certain assets are forfeited.

Those with income above the state's median income who can pay at least $6,000 over five years -- $100 a month -- will be forced into Chapter 13, where a judge will then order a repayment plan.

The U.S. average for median household income was $42,654 a year for 2001-2002. State median incomes range from $29,752 in West Virginia and $30,761 in Mississippi to $53,791 in Connecticut and $55,525 in Alaska.

Under current law, a bankruptcy judge determines under which chapter of the bankruptcy code a person falls -- whether they have to repay some or all of their debt.

Accommodations for the Military:

The bill allows for special accommodations for active-duty service members, low-income veterans and those with serious medical conditions in the new income test for bankruptcy applicants.

Child Support:

The bill gives top priority to a spouse's claims for child support among creditors' claims on a debtor in bankruptcy.

Credit Counseling:

The legislation requires people in bankruptcy to pay for credit counseling.

Homestead Exemption:

Supporters of the legislative overhaul say bankruptcy is often abused by multimillionaires who buy mansions in states with liberal homestead exemptions in order to shelter assets from creditors.

Kansas, Texas, Florida, Iowa, and South Dakota have unlimited homestead exemptions. That allows wealthy people to file for bankruptcy and keep their mansions in those states sheltered from creditors.

The new bankruptcy bill restricts a state's homestead exemption to $125,000 if the person in bankruptcy bought his or her residence less than three years and four months before filing.

Investment Firms:

The bill gives Wall Street investment firms the right to work for a company both before and after it files for bankruptcy, a provision opposed by Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman William Donaldson.

Fewer Filings Expected:

New personal bankruptcy filings edged down from 1,613,097 in the year ending June 30, 2003, to 1,599,986 in the year ending June 30, 2004, breaking an upward trend of recent years.

Between 30,000 and 210,000 people -- from 3.5 percent to 20 percent of those who dissolve their debts in bankruptcy each year in exchange for forfeiting some assets -- will be disqualified from doing so under the legislation, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Asset Protection Trust

The new law leaves intact an increasingly popular loophole called asset protection trusts. These trusts allow people to protect substantial assets from creditors even after filing for bankruptcy.

Setting up these trusts can cost many thousands of dollars. Maintaining them and paying an in-state trustee can cost thousands more. That rules these trusts out for people of modest means, making them an option mainly for the wealthy.

Until 1977, these trusts could only be opened offshore. But since then, eight U.S. states -- Alaska, Delaware, Utah, Nevada, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Missouri -- have passed laws exempting assets held in the United States from federal bankruptcy laws. People opening one of these trusts don't have to be a resident of the state, but merely establish the trust through a financial institution located there.

Copyright 2005 NPR

When Winter Finds Us

There is a certain unexplainable calmness about ending.  The ending of an educational experience, the ending of a season of regret, the ending of literary accomplishment.  Now that classes are over for the semester, I find myself bursting with opportunities. Ready to read the books that I have yet to read.  Writing the essays that I have yet to write.  Ending the winter solstice of laughter. Where will you find me? Leapfrogging off words and squirreling fallen leaves. 

Diversifying Your Contacts Means More Business Opportunities

How many times have you gone to a function and all of the African-Americans were clustered in a group? The number one rule of social interaction is that people seek out those with whom they share a common bond. African-Americans are no different. While 'clustering' is harmless enough in our personal lives, it can have a serious impact on our ability to build productive business relationships. As business people, we need to make every effort to nurture and establish a diverse network of contacts because it provides us with greater exposure to resources.

Gaining access to groups outside of the African-American business community requires reaching beyond comfort zones and exploring different environments. There are many settings outside of work to diversify contacts such as mainstream professional or trade organizations, civic groups and continuing education classes. Actively participating in these environments will highlight your skills and expose you to new experiences.

George Fraser is a well-respected authority on the subject of networking and building effective relationships. According to Fraser, "As African-Americans in business we cannot afford to limit ourselves in any way. We need to seize every opportunity to nurture and develop a diverse network of resources because it is critical to business survival. While the success of our community as a whole dictates that we effectively work with and through our own people, we must also remain open and receptive to all people and opportunities."

Fraser offers the following tips to help diversify your contacts:

* Let Down Your Guard. Establishing connected relationships can only happen if you are open to the experience. People outside our community often perceive African-Americans as unapproachable. Be mindful of your attitude and body language in diverse environments. If your objective is to meet new people you need to mingle and work the room. Recognize similarities and use them to promote dialogue. Remain focused on being a part of conversations rather than just answering questions. Be engaging by elaborating on topics with colorful examples and anecdotes. Realize that the other person wants to feel like they have made a connection just as you do.

* Say It With A Note. Simply exchanging business cards is not enough to make a memorable impression. A simple follow-up note on nice stationary is an ideal way to say "nice to meet you" and solidify a connection that you have made. E-mail is less personal, but also an option. Be sure to include the name of the event and the date so the person can easily remember you. Follow-up with a phone call within a week to set up another time to meet. Everybody loves to eat and drink! So, don't be shy about inviting someone out for breakfast, lunch or coffee. Be sure to follow through on any promises and next steps you outline.

* Build It Before You Need It. Do not expect to begin diversifying your networking the moment you need a job or other resources. Connected relationships should produce reliable resources so when you need them they already exist. What's more, most people are more inclined to help those with whom they already have a history. Keep in mind, sharing resources is critical in developing solid business relationships. It is also a good way to demonstrate your knowledge, expertise and willingness to be a team player. Expanding your contacts can be challenging but small steps can lead to big rewards.

FraserNet, Inc.'s mission is to produce products and services that teach and promote excellence and effective networking. FraserNet publishes SuccessGuide Worldwide-The Networking Guide to Black Resources. FraserNet Chairman & CEO, George C. Fraser, is the best-selling author of Success Runs in Our Race and Race for Success. In 2005 the Ford Motor Company and FraserNet will present PowerNetworking 2005: Get Motivated. Get Busy. Get Connected. This is the fourth annual professional growth and development conference to be held June 8-12 in Cleveland, Ohio.

For more information, call 216-691-6686 x330 or visit www.frasernet.com

Copyright by Blacknews.com

Know Your Right-Wing Speakers: Ward Connerly

If you’ve heard Ward Connerly speak, chances are you’ve heard the story of a plucky kid growing up poor and pulling himself out of poverty. Back in 1957, he was an ambitious college student, one of only 50 African-American students on a campus of 2000. He was the first to pledge the all-white Delta Phi Omega fraternity at Sacramento State. He was elected student body President. He was the outspoken leader of the student committee against housing discrimination.

Fast forward to 2005: Ward Connerly is a millionaire businessman and the leading African-American opponent of affirmative action (or maybe tied with Justice Clarence Thomas). He is well-funded, especially by those monsters of conservative wealth and power, the Bradley, Scaife and Olin foundations. His tireless efforts have helped the right wing make great strides in the battle against what many African-American leaders from Colin Powell to Al Sharpton say is still necessary to level the playing field for people of color in education and employment. NAACP Chairman Julian Bond has said that Connerly has made “a lucrative multi-million dollar career fighting fairness.”

Since the words “affirmative action” were first uttered by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 with regard to civil rights, the term has endured a long history of debate and controversy. After years of efforts by Connerly and his allies to fight affirmative action in the courts and legislatures, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 2003 landmark decision, ruled that affirmative action in university admissions is not only constitutional, but encourages ‘cross-racial understanding,’ serves to break down racial stereotypes, and strengthens our economy and society. Many business leaders, military leaders, and others had urged the court to uphold affirmative action. But Connerly remains adamant in his bitter opposition.

Connerly’s transition from campus civil rights supporter to the man he is today began soon after he graduated from college. Connerly’s views veered sharply to the right, and as other young African-Americans raised their fists in black solidarity, Connerly was wooed by the rhetoric of Barry Goldwater. He became outspoken on the need for blacks to assimilate, or, as he later put it, “Reveling in blackness—black is beautiful, black power, black consciousness—just creates an invisible wall of difference that sets us apart.”

Not long after his Goldwater conversion, Connerly was launched into the lucrative real estate business with help from Pete Wilson, the future governor of California. In 1968, when Wilson was just a young legislator from San Diego and the newly appointed chairman of the Assembly Committee on Urban Affairs and Housing, he made Connerly his chief consultant. It was in this role that Connerly is accused of having gotten his leg up out of his own poverty by pushing others deeper into theirs. As one respected African-American journalist has said of Connerly, “If Ward Connerly attacks a program or institution, you can be assured that it is serving a valuable purpose for African Americans.” In this case, the institution Connerly attacked was public housing – Connerly worked with Wilson on a plan to give low-income tenants ownership of their blighted public housing developments, and in so doing, turned them into their own slumlords. The plan allowed the city to increase its tax base and renounce its obligation to provide low-income housing, and the tenants, without adequate support, were saddled with maintenance, insurance, and upkeep of the tear-downs.

By 1973, on Wilson’s advice, Connerly decided to abandon his government employment to open his own consulting and land-use planning company. It thrived, and he spent the next 20 years building his fortune and his political cause.

In 1993, Connerly’s connections (and over $70,000 in donations to Wilson’s campaigns) paid off and Connerly was appointed to the Board of Regents of the University of California. It was during his tenure on the Board (from which he stepped down in January 2005) that Connerly first took on affirmative action with both barrels loaded. His mission was to rid the university system of preferential treatment for minorities. In 1997—on the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. – Connerly announced the establishment of the American Civil Rights Institute . Serving as chairman of the California Civil Rights Initiative campaign (Proposition 209), he led the effort that overturned affirmative action in California state government.

Connerly has publicly patted himself on the back for the great success he has achieved all on his own – his is the glory of a self-made businessman; he is living, breathing proof that affirmative action is superfluous. That is, of course, until you dig a little deeper to find that because of certain laws and regulations, Connerly has from time to time certified his company as a minority business.

On a power high from his victory with Proposition 209, Connerly helped put Proposition 54 on the California ballot in 2003. Titled the “Racial Privacy Initiative” and hyped with deceptive promises of “eliminating racial discrimination,” Prop 54 would have actually banned the state from collecting racial data, effectively making it impossible to prosecute racial discrimination claims in California. It also would have made it impossible for the state to collect racial data for determining health treatment, which caused three former U.S. Surgeons General to oppose the bill; ultimately, it was defeated.

Connerly often garners criticism for distorting the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. in seeking to lend credibility to his own misguided platform. Connerly frequently touts Martin Luther King’s quote “judge me not by the color of my skin, but by the content of my character” as a statement against affirmative action. Connerly has sifted through King’s entire philosophy for a single quote taken out of context and then used it to push his own agenda, almost always to the detriment of the constituency King represented.

Quotes:

"Supporting segregation need not be racist. One can believe in segregation and believe in equality of the races." CNN’s “Wolf Blitzer Reports” 12/13/2002

“Let us not put ointment on the wound of race, let us cut it out of the body politic like the cancer that it is.” 1/2/2003, in a column defending Trent Lott’s infamous Strom Thurmond quotes

"The terrible truth is that the black establishment has become intensely partisan, intolerant, self-centered, power-crazy, vindictive, mean-spirited. This establishment must be confronted, not accommodated." 12/18/2000

“Blacks are the only voters in America who stoutly defend race preferences and who apply a litmus test to candidates on the basis of that issue. But Republicans never pass muster with blacks anyway—so what have we got to lose?” (Ibid.)

“When more black people recognize that the quality of their children’s education and the bite of their taxes are far more important than the remote possibility of being the victim of a ‘hate crime,’ they will seriously consider the Republican party.” (Ibid.)

“Every day that I speak out as an ordinary citizen, I do so as a product, a disciple, of that Reagan revolution — a revolution that produced a band of citizens at Americans for Tax Reform, American Enterprise Institute, Empower America, Claremont Institute, CATO Institute, Heritage Foundation, Manhattan Institute, Hoover Institution, the Young America’s Foundation, and a host of other think tanks, talk show hosts, and activist organizations dedicated to making America better by completing the Reagan Revolution.”
-Remarks at the Reagan Presidential Library, 3/23/2000

“In California, this is no longer about race … It’s about ethnicity, and those of Mexican descent will soon be a majority … They don’t want to see those categories go … They want to see affirmative action policies remain so they can take advantage of them. They want to claim minority status when, in fact, they will soon be a majority in California. They want to hide behind the term ‘Latino’ and ‘people of color,’ but most of them check the ‘white’ box [on the census form] anyway.” -7/8/2003

© Campus Progress 2005

Rush Limbaugh Sexes It Up

When it seems that Rush Limbaugh's inappropriate and misguided attempt to comment on culture has left him defunct, he lashes out from the grave irresponsibly and unabashedly to the chagrin of right-minded citizens.

On his April 12 show, in a fit of “unbridled passion, Limbaugh referred to former Vice President Al Gore’s new television network, Current, as the "blow job network."

"Starting Aug. 1, Current will replace News World International, which is available in almost 19 million U.S. homes--12 million from DirecTV and about 5 million on Time Warner's digital-cable service. Current acquired News World International from Vivendi Universal Entertainment for an undisclosed sum last May," according to Richard Shim, Cnet News staff writer. 

Current Television Network, offering an innovative form of news distribution, is intended for the 18-34 year old audience.  Programming for the network is configured into "pod" segments and subscribers are encouraged to upload personal video content to the network's queue to shape the news programming that they receive.  It is intended to "reflect the point of view of young people."

"Promising a slate of programming that's smart, fun and fearless (as a truly independent network), Current seeks to cater to the Internet generation's need for choice and control. Reflective of its name, it will serve up the most current information on the people, places and happenings of interest to [young] viewers, a demographic that no longer relates to traditional news," according to PRNewswire.

In response to the unveiling of the network, Limbaugh lambasted: "What the hell is that, Al?" Limbaugh asked. "What the hell is the point of view of young people? Blow jobs, that's what they're doing out there. They're out there getting oral sex all day long, that's what they're talking about."  Limbaugh also attributed former President Bill Clinton for popularizing oral sex as "the number one sport in high school today. "

Limbaugh stated that "I never apologize for what I say, but if some of you were offended by a graphic term involving actions committed by Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, that have now spread to America’s high schools, I apologize."

This is not the first time that Limbaugh has sparked controversy.  In recent years he has been publicly ridiculed for his jarring remarks against Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb (which resulted in losing his job at ESPN) and for his very public addiction to Oxycontin yet being a political "Drug Warrior".