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If you haven’t had the opportunity to soak up this inspiring tale, don’t feel bad; detractors are working around the clock to keep the public bullhorns pregnant with anti Barack Obama rhetoric—rhetoric I believe is engineered for the express purpose of accentuating the differences between the Senator from Illinois and the average American, and not the voluminous number of similarities.

The abridged version of the story is about a kid named “Barry,” who was raised by a single parent (and grandparents) since the age of two, and like millions grew up without his biological father. It’s about a teenager who struggled to “reconcile perceptions about his multiracial heritage,” grew detached and admits to using marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol during high school to cope. And most importantly it’s about a man named Barack Obama who turned his life around 180 degrees, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, became a U.S. senator, and miraculously achieved the pinnacle of United States politics as the first African American (aka “black”), man to ever win his party’s nomination for president.

But that’s not the fantastically inspiring American journey the fear inducers, closet bigots, ignorants, and mainstream conservative media want us to be discussing with our kids. They don’t want us focused on the incredible number of similarities between Barack Obama and so many millions of Americans who face the same exact hurdles in life. They don’t want us focused on the family man who overcame stacked odds against him, achieved the American dream, and recently celebrated his 16th wedding anniversary to his Harvard educated wife. No. They want us to focus on sound bytes and outrageous theories from those who want us to believe Barack and Michelle Obama are dangerously DIFFERENT, and even pose a threat to the quality of American life.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER. It’s the oldest trick in the book. Here’s one such divisive commentary, easy to find with a simple Google search:

“Barack Obama is a mulatto. Several dictionaries define mulatto as: “The offspring of one white parent and one black parent; a person whose ancestry is a mixture of Negro and Caucasian.” This designation isn’t used much anymore because for a long time, a mulatto was cruelly shunned by both races. Obama seems to have a problem figuring out which race he wants to belong to…” * -Devvy Kid

Are we Americans supposed to be “proud” of ignoramuses like these who have no desire whatsoever to discuss the ISSUES? Why should Obama have to choose which race he belongs to? Isn’t it the choosing of races that has been largely responsible for perpetuating racism? Isn’t the mark of a great leader his or her ability to identify with and INCLUDE as many people as possible? Given the extraordinary diversity in our country, wouldn’t Barack’s mixed race make him an ASSET to our country, not a liability? Heck, in this age of diversity, multi race should be a prerequisite to becoming president!

I confess I am not surprised by ignorance dominating the dial. Imus and Richards, among others, have proven time and again that bigotry is still sadly a huge part of our cultural landscape. There are actually still people who believe our country belongs to the white man, and everyone else should go back to Mexico or Africa or Asia and leave them to their hard-earned country. I mean, forget the fact that the country was built on the backs of black slaves and they’ve never been given a dime for their work, or the inconvenient truth that the white man stole the entire country from the Indians.

Barack’s wife Michelle, referred to as Obama’s “Baby mama” on Fox News (!), recently stated she hoped people would just “focus on the issues.” Sacramentans know first hand that issues are not important to the media. Follow the money; issues don’t sell newspapers or jack up Nielsen ratings. Michelle is now finding out the hard way that and her husband’s goal of making the country better is NOT congruent with the gossip-hungry media’s goal of mere survival in the digital age—-and that plays right into the paws of bigots and good ol’ boys everywhere. ‘

I guess this alarming brand of ignorance explains the preposterous rumors being spread about Obama–preposterous in both scope and intensity (see link below). Maybe it’s still just too hard for some people to get their minds around a BLACK person in the WHITE house.

So forget the fact that Obama is the first presidential candidate who could truly identify with both whites and blacks and quite possibly bridge the racial divide more effectively than any president in recent history…. or that he is first black male role model in a LONG TIME and has inspired young black men to model themselves after him… or that he is a Harvard Law School magna cum laude graduate and expert communicator… or that he was among the first to prophetically blast Bush in 2002 over the war in IRaq on the grounds that it was a dangerous idea and would result in untold bloodshed and voted against it… or that his rise to the top of the political ladder proves in aces his ability to influence people and overcome extraordinary odds..

Just forget all that unimportant stuff, and listen to those conservative, “Christian” (?!) voices that are desperately trying to convince us Mr. Barack Obama is “scary” anti patriot swine not worthy of the office of president.

Or don’t.

When I was in the Army I visited Korea multiple times. On one occasion I visited the demilitarized zone with my fellow soldiers. As we stood on the DMZ facing the North, we could hear a booming voice over a PA system barking what we were told was propaganda engineered to coax South Koreans into defecting to the North (i.e. “Come to the North where life is wonderful!”). Someone asked our Korean tour guide to translate what they were saying. He turned to us and nervously joked, “We don’t listen to the voices.”

Obama campaign FIGHT THE SMEARS web site

Sources:
Zimbio.com

Newswithviews.com

Thanks to whomever created this video. I saw a link on CNNSI and grabbed the code from the page source. I tried to look it up in Youtube but I can’t find it to give the author proper credit. Anyways… thanks!

“Stern can shout from the top of the Manhattan skyscraper that houses the league’s headquarters that none of Donaghy’s allegations are true, but the real problem for the NBA is that hardly anyone would be surprised if they were.” -Phil Taylor, CNNSI.com

SOurce: New article on scandal-plagued NBA

I can’t make this stuff up. Today it is being reported that the much ballyhooed series between the Lakers and the Kings in the 2002 Western Conference Finals (in which the Kings lost in game seven, after being penalized like a drunken hockey team for six games prior), was FIXED! That’s right: a Pete Rose special!

Who says? The same scarlet letter NBA referee, Tim Donaghy, who resigned in disgrace after admitting to betting on and influencing the outcome of many NBA games. He has pretty much stated under oath that NBA brass was behind the Lakers victory. in that series. Ok yeah, this is the same guy who tried to run his postman off the road for bumping into his garbage can, but will you humor me here for a minute? Can I just say one thing before you call into question the witness’s credibility?

In my best Chris Farley voice: I K N E W I T!!!!!

Hey, if this proves to be true, and it comes out that Cal Expo Arena architect and NBA gestapo NBA fun-sucker commish David Stern is complicit, he needs to be prosecuted right alongside Donaghy. As an added bonus, he should be made to pay restitution to Mark Cuban for the $1,565,000 in fines he has made Cuban pay for—GET THIS—bad mouthing NBA officiating!

Stern is the same headmaster that banned players from wearing hip hop style clothing when they are not in uniform at games.

This is an OUTRAGE!

To many people, the California Supreme Court’s recent ruling in favor of gay marriage signifies an official end to the so-called traditional family in America. Forget the 50% divorce rate, drug abuse, alcoholism, and keep-up-with-Joneses-materialistic obsession  that dominates our culture; I’m sure none of those things have anything to do with the decay of the “traditional family” model.

(183766) 6/7/08 (Friday night/Saturday morning) @ 1:08 am @ the Center Court Restaurant.
Center Court was at capacity with a DJ on the patio. They ended up turning away about 200 people due to being at capacity. Several fights eventually broke out in the parking lot and also inside the club. Officers called for cover ….It took about 30 minutes to clear the crowd. [The Sacramento Police Dept] is working with the management of the club to make sure this doesn’t become a routine issue.

Robberies:
(181132) 6/4/08 @ 2:40 pm, Brynmar Ct. (Natomas Park)
Male Black Suspect (17 to 21 yrs. old), 5’7″, 140 to 150 lbs., White long sleeve hoodie. Female victim arrived home and parked in her garage. Suspect entered garage armed with a handgun. The suspect attempted to get victim back into her car, but was unsuccessful. He ultimately took the victim’s purse from her car and fled on foot.

(184521) 6/7/08 @ 2:30 pm, 700 block of Turnstone Dr. (Northgate/Gardenland).
similar suspect description and armed with a handgun. Suspect approached victim as she was attempting to get her small child out of the car. He attempted to get her back in the car and again was unsuccessful. The suspect ultimately fled south on Turnstone with the victim’s purse.

DUI Checkpoint

6/6/08 (Friday) from 9:15 to midnight, officers conducted a DUI checkpoint at Del Paso Rd. and Park Place South (Natomas Park). Officer arrested 3 drivers for DUI (two of which already had suspended drivers licences). They also towed 3 cars.

If Prozac was the military’s “secret weapon,” isn’t any longer; the article goes to great lengths to expose the atrocities of the “theater” of far east combat, and its bone-jarring effects on our brothers and sisters who are starring in this unrated horror flick. Many Sacramentans (myself included), know troops or have loved ones who have served at least one “tour” in Iraq. It doesn’t take a genius to understand how devastating the effects of war can be to one’s psychological welfare.

Antiwar.com recently reported “Between 8 and 10 percent of nearly 12,000 soldiers from the war on terror, mostly from Iraq, treated at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany had psychiatric or behavioral health issues,’ according to the commander of the hospital, Col. Rhonda Cornum.”

Antiwar.com also estimates 33,000 (rumored to be way more, but the govt. does not track reliably), men and women who have been WOUNDED (as in had their limbs blown off), in the Afghanistan and Iraqi “theater.” Add the 4,094 body count to the casualty spreadsheet, and you’ve got a mass of U.S. casualties equal to the population of Benecia, CA.

And it gets worse! “Operation Iraqi Freedom” has ripped holes in the very fabric of our country, and its citizens. This war invasion has sucked $500 BILLION dollars out of our federal bank account. From a regional perspective, it is said Sacramento’s share alone could be as much as $500 million. This at a time when we’re laying off teachers and cops, closing schools, and proposing a sales tax increase to fight record high crime in our own streets!

This is an outrage. Bush’s puppets have continually justified this invasion as a stop-gap measure to prevent terrorists from taking their war to America. Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is swearing to fight this “war” until we can declare victory (hey didn’t Bush already do that once?).

You don’t need to go overseas to find terrorists, John! Our own citizens are going wild murdering, raping, robbing, and molesting their countrymen right here at home! Dude, I can’t even take my family out to dinner and not worry about some group of kids shooting at each other in the parking lot. Where are the terrorists again John?

I recommend all Sacramentans call for an end to this bloodshed by supporting The Sacramento Coalition to End the War, and/or our congresswoman Doris Matsui, who is also calling for a cease fire.

Enough is enough.

Click here to make a donation directly to US families of soldiers impacted by the war

I remember wondering the same thing as I watched the movie for the first time. Out on the front porch, the Heathers seemed so docile, sweet and innocent; but in the backyard out of view they cultivated a garden of contempt, intimidation, and jealousy that would inevitably spiral out of control, and lead to their downfall.

Ok, granted Sacramento’s Heather is not the weapon-toting wacko Winona Ryder was in the movie, I get that. BUT, given the shameless way she has conducted herself in the past month or so, I think most people find themselves impelled to ask our Heather the same question, “What’s your damage, Heather?”

Be specific, Joe. Ok. I’m referring to Fargo’s:

• Silence in the face of the vulgar printed and online attacks against Kevin Johnson’s personal character.
• Abuse of mayoral position and power when she and Rob Fong unilaterally decided to enlist police to RE-investigate a case they had closed a year ago.
• Her divisive, non-consensus-building approach to conflict resolution that has clearly pitted one city official against another, and enabled the town newspaper to publish inflammatory articles about her opponent that have led to further unchecked smearing of him in the newspaper’s comments section, where users are allowed to call him a pedophile, pervert, sicko, and other vulgar things with no repercussions whatsoever.

“OK Joe, maybe you’re right. But wait!” you shoot back. “There is another side to Heather you are neglecting to talk about!”

“Yes, I realize she has at least two sides, but please continue,” I reply.

“Maybe Heather does play dirty, and maybe she hasn’t used the best of judgment this election season, but don’t forget her 19 years of experience in the city government. Heather is a seasoned politician who loves our city dearly.”

Look, I readily acknowledge Heather’s love for her Downtown Partnership lobby, and the pursuit of a centerfold spread in Forbes greatest cities list, but I think the neighborhood by neighborhood voting results reflect she cares little about the urban sprawl areas such as N Natomas (which she used to call “The New Sacramento,” but now only calls “ugly”).

I also fully acknowledge Mrs. Fargo’s marathon run in the city council, but even the dimmest among us (me included), question the value of that experience given her alarming naivety about Sacramento crime, and outrageous statements about the $58 million city deficit.

Have a close look at a recent statement she made in response to a rhetorical question KJ posed about the deficit during their KCRA debate….

Johnson: “Who do we hold accountable for the city deficit? The mayor? The city manager..?”
Fargo: “What happened is that because of the mortgage crisis and other issues, we’ve flat-lined in terms of our revenues…We saw this coming last fall – we put our hiring controls in place. We’re aiming to reduce the number of city employees by 500 – we have about 100 left to go.”

Last FALL?!

OK granted, I am not an economics major, nor do I listen to Tom Sullivan as a rule, but how could ANY conscientious public official living in California miss the tidal wave of analyst warnings about the real estate bubble in Sacramento? As early as 2004 (probably earlier), the voices of doom were all but guaranteeing an eventual “price correction” of epic proportions. How many times did we see national publications citing Sacramento as one of the most volatile markets due to its staggering housing prices that were—at one time—40% higher than their actual values?

Then again, Fargo’s startling confusion over the economy and its effects should come as no surprise given her “Spending was consistent with revenue” answer when a reporter asked her to explain the budget deficit. Yikes. My 10 year old son is a better saver, and his piggy bank has a hole in the bottom. Apparently Rancho Cordova and Elk Grove are, too. Rancho just announced a $35,000 SURPLUS and Elk Grove is giving their entire city staff a pay raise. Apparently these cities got the news about the housing bubble earlier than Fargo.

Back to my question: Is Fargo a pitbull politician, or sincere public servant? I say neither. And I don’t think she is of the “nuts-and-bolts” variety media commentators paint her as either (which is complete fallacy). In my opinion, she is pie-in-the-sky idealist administrator type who let the position of mayor, and the allure of magazine cover recognition for her pet projects, go to her head (“I may not be a cover girl, but my city sure is!”). And while I will refrain from the psycho-analysis part where I wax psychologically about her propensity for playing house with downtown, I will submit that her record reflects her lack of devotion to all the diverse people in Sacramento, especially in the urban sprawl areas outside the jurisdiction of her beloved Downtown Partnership organization.

Heather has showed us her damage, It’s everywhere you look. I see it every day at Truxel and I-80. She herself takes responsibility for the nightmare that is the Wal Mart Walk Smart Shopping Center in Natomas. When a reporter asked how the center was ever approved in light of its dangerous pedestrian/accessibility shortcomings, she responded, “I’m embarrassed about this one, I should have caught it, but when you’re the only council person, and the plans are coming at you so fast..”

Everything comes at Fargo too fast——-except syndicated news about the economy and public safety.

Sources: ALL quotes attributed to Fargo have appeared in Sacramento Bee articles and Youtube videos that are easily accessible with a simple Google search.

PS: Facts about Fargo and council’s failed commitment to N Natomas here

Two weeks and untold dollars later, The City of Sacramento (OUR city of Sacramento), has released Police Chief Rick Braziel’s “Final” memo regarding his department’s investigation of a teen’s allegation of hand-sliding against Kevin Johnson. The title of the document says it all: “Johnson_Final_Memo.“

If you recall, Team Fongo (Mayor Fargo + Councildude Fong), demanded the chief review his department’s handling of the Johnson “case,” shortly after a wandering pack of so-called “female civic leaders” (The Bee’s words, not mine), showed up on local TV expressing outrage over WHAT THEY HAD BEEN READING IN THE SACRAMENTO BEE about the handling of the Johnson case. Unfortunately, some people DO believe everything they read.

When the local media pressed Heathers on her reasoning for demanding Chief Braziel’s review she sputtered, “I want people to know this is not about politics. If a crime happened on my watch, I have a responsibility to investigate.”

When the hysterical laughter subsided, and after Fargo was accused of violating both the city charter AND the Federal Hatch Act, the chief actually forged ahead with the review, and even enlisted his colleague at the Sheriff’s office to review his review. One can only imagine how many hours of our chief’s days were wasted. How many calls Sgt. Matt Young had to field from local media… while REAL criminals continued to pound away at our quality of life in earnest.

The chief’s “final” memo closes quite emphatically: “I would like to re-emphasize that the Detectives assigned to this case conducted an impartial investigation of the allegations made by the mandatory reporter against Kevin Johnson. During the investigation, no special treatment was afforded Mr. Johnson. The statement from the mandatory reporter and the female juvenile involved is similar as to the manner in which Kevin Johnson touched her. While the touching made the student uncomfortable, it was not criminal.”

You happy now Fargo? Fong? Shiroma? Ortiz? Rudin?

Thanks for wasting more taxpayer money on unauthorized Fargo trips.