A piece of my soul dies every time Roy Jones fights. Why can’t he just let it go?

Today’s video of the day comes from Geraldo, where we discussed Louis Farrakhan’s recent comments about Barack Obama. Of course, the right-wingers are already jumping on his words. Sean Hannity’s going to have to stretch for this one!

Today’s Embarrassing Negro Moment goes to Souljah Boy. When asked to name an historical figure that he most hated, Souljah Boy failed to respond. Toure, the interviewer, tried to prompt him by saying  “Others have said Hitler, bin Laden, the slave masters … ” At this point, Soulja Boy offered the following:

“Oh wait! Hold up! Shout out to the slave masters! Without them we’d still be in Africa. We wouldn’t be here to get this ice and tattoos.”

As an unabashed critic of Barack Obama, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about his victory over John McCain. Although I always hoped that he would defeat John McCain, whose policies represented an even sharper turn toward neo-liberal fascism, I could never fully jump onto the Obama bandwagon. There were too many doubts. Too many disagreements. Too many unanswered questions. Still, after hearing that Barack Obama had secured enough votes to be elected President of the United States of America, I couldn’t help but well up with tears. I was happy. But, more importantly, I was proud.

I am proud that Obama ran the most efficient and disciplined campaign in American history. I am proud that he didn’t throw words like “philanderer,” “Keating  Five” and “G. Gordon Liddy” with the same lethal intensity that “terrorist,” “Jeremiah Wright” and “William Ayers” were hurled at him. I am proud that America has had 21 months of access to a black man who hasn’t hurt anyone or scored a touchdown. I am proud that youth across race, class, gender, and geography took their frustration to the ballot box. I am proud that my academic colleagues left their ivory towers and got involved in real world issues. I am proud that my mother, whose Farmville, Virginia high school was closed to avoid integration, was able to watch her home state choose Barack Hussein Obama to be its commander-in-chief. I proud that Jesse Jackson, who watched Martin Luther King get cut down by assassin’s bullets, was standing in the crowd crying with joy and ecstasy. I am proud that people from France to Kenya are inspired by the most unlikely of stories.

Of course, I remain deeply skeptical of the upcoming Obama Administration. He is inheriting a devastated economy with structures that guarantee inequality. Obama’s stances on global trade, public education, single-payer health care, gay marriage, and Palestine are still far from a truly left-wing agenda. Worse, the cult of personality that has developed around his presidency promises to undermine grassroots black leadership and principled left-wing critique. Over the next four years, I plan to constantly challenge Obama and his supporters on all of these issues. But today, I am happy. More importantly, I’m proud. Not just for Barack Obama, but for all of the possibilities that lay ahead of us.

Study: Autism Linked To Rainfall

A study from Cornell University has found a correlation between higher levels of precipitation and incidences of autism. What do you think?

Ryan Boelter,
MRI Technician
“If you had to stay indoors all day, you’d probably get pretty bored and decide to develop autism, too.”

Eric Stadtmiller,
Snowplow Operator
“How ridiculous. That’s like saying excessive sunshine causes cancer. You can’t believe studies like this.”

Brandi Seaver,
Projectionist
“That’s it. I’m never going to force my kids to stand outside in the rain again.”