Today’s video of the day is “Come and Talk To Me” by Jodeci. This takes me back!!!

Marc Lamont Hill

Down from the Tower

This week, George W. Bush continues his final major trip to Africa. Unlike the United States, where his status varies from irrelevant to anathema, President Bush is a rock star in many parts of the Motherland. Why? Because he’s donated record amounts of money to AIDS relief. This week, Bush pledged an additional $30 billion in funds. Like all things Bush, however, his philanthropy has come with a huge string attached: one-third of all spending must go to abstinence-until-marriage programs.

For the rest of Marc’s post, click here. 

Melissa Harris-Lacewell

Down from the Tower

It is really hard for me to refrain from teasing you about being a 20-something bachelor who is both opposed to abstinence-until-marriage as a public policy and suspicious of it as a human possibility. But I won’t go there. There is no doubt that Bush’s policy in Africa is rooted in old assumptions about the hypersexuality of “native peoples,” who must be civilized through missionary imperialism. Nation-making and sex have been intimately linked for two centuries.

For the rest of Melissa’s post, click here. 

Policy proposals are not enough to save the economy. Candidates, take note.

Subprime Is Really SubCRIME: America’s Deeper Financial Crisis
By Danny Schechter

At long last, the Democrats are talking about the economy and the need for serious relief and reforms. The reason is simple. The people are feeling the squeeze.

Reports the Baltimore Sun:

“Since January alone, the public’s perception about the state of the economy has plummeted — with just 17 percent calling the nation’s economy excellent or good — down from 26 percent last month. The percentage rating the economy poor has grown from 28 to 45 percent.”

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama now have their instant 10-point plans and programs. They have dipped into John Edwards’ tool chest for ideas on fighting poverty and listened to policy advisors who have come up with a laundry list of proposals for stop-gap measures from hikes in the minimum wage and middle-class tax cuts. All of these proposals will take time to implement and probably will be forgotten by the time one of them becomes president, if they do.

Meanwhile the economy is collapsing because of crimes and irresponsibility on Wall Street, and no one is really talking about that. An inequality gap and structural crisis compounded by profiteering in high places goes on and is largely ignored.

The media is not investigating the profiteers and, in fact, continues to contribute to the problem by accepting millions for dubious ads for more loans that end up getting more Americans in debt. Prosecutors are not prosecuting wrong doing. No fundamental new regulations and oversight are being proposed.

For the rest of the story, click here. 

Kosovo Independence Rankles Nations

The news of Kosovo’s secession from Serbia has been met with concern by countries such as China and Spain. What do you think?

Jason Madden,
Steamroller Operator
“If Kosovo becomes independent, Taiwan might follow and then China would only have 3.68 of its current 3.7 million square miles.”

Terry Plumber,
Plumber
“Though I know very little of their politics and current world view, I’m going to trust my sense memory of the word ‘Kosovo’ and assume this is bad.”

Maxine De LaForcade,
Train Conductor
“I just knew things would go to hell when they removed Milosevic from power.”

Today’s photo of the day comes from the Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest newspaper, which posted following cartoon in response to a proposed Afrocentric curriculum. Of course, many people are outraged at the image. What do you think?