former_detroiter's Blog

Kilpatrick May Stay in Manoogian
Last Update: 2:03 pm DETROIT (AP) - Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his family may remain in the official mayoral residence after he leaves office later this month.

A spokesman for Detroit City Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. told The Detroit News on Friday that the Kilpatricks may be able to stay in the Manoogian Mansion for a while.

Cockrel is set to become mayor Sept. 19. Kilpatrick resigned on Thursday as part of a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice and pleaded no contest to one count of assault.

The Detroit mansion's operations are paid for by taxpayers. A 2005 review of records by The News found expenses including $4,900 for Christmas decorations in 2004 and $1,000 per month for cleaning services. Requests for more recent records have been rebuffed.

http://view.break.com/565864 - Watch more free videos

They want the trees to know they care.

But like most environmentalists, they don't care so much about humans. The Chilling Effect has some background on these Earth First! folks:

Earth First! (EF!) is a "warrior society" that takes a "by any means necessary" approach to "defending mother earth." The group declines to participate in the democratic process, preferring instead to damage, disable, and destroy the property of its ever-growing list of enemies. EF! targets include, but are by no means limited to, loggers, ranchers, and farmers — especially those who grow genetically modified crops. Earth First!ers' crimes include assault, arson, and untold acts of sabotage.

Before he quit in the late 1980s, the driving force behind EF! was a man named Dave Foreman. His book Ecodefense: A Field Guide To Monkeywrenching is a how-to for environmental saboteurs. It includes nine chapters of instructions on subjects ranging from tree spiking to destroying roads, from disabling equipment to making smoke bombs. Rodney Coronado, an Earth First! zealot who was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison following a string of arsons, calls the book "our bible."

I wonder what his book/bible was printed on??????

 

Kudos to Earth First! for being so sincere. The more sincere moonbats are, the easier it is for others to see that they are evil and insane, and be warned away from their depraved ideology.

On a tip from Rob Banks. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.

First off this is a tongue in cheek blog......lol

Sarah Palin is being touted as a wonder woman who can do and have it all. Governor, sports woman, athlete, mother of five, beauty contest runner up - all in the ruggedness and wilds of Alaska. So why has she made such a cruel decision which is exposing one of her children to global ridicule and shame? We all know her daughter is pregnant and unwed and 17. John Mccain knew before he picked her as his VP running mate. They both knew the intense examination this would cause........but still they moved ahead with this cruel, cruel humiliating decision. Then after trying to announce it at the height of Hurricane Gustav - an attempt to lessen it`s impact - they acted outraged because some chose point out the obvious.........her daughter was indeed preggo and it didn`t reflect well on Palin as a mother, nor on Mccain and his wisdom in choosing a running mate. Guess the Mccain/Palin ticket wanted to have their cake and eat it too? So we now have eveyone harping on how dare anyone pick on children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What about the parents who willfully chose to have their child exposed to be picked on globally because of their selfish political ambitions?  If Palin truly loved her child..........I`ll let you finish this one........lol

Excerpts from Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's speech Thursday night:

"I still believe and will always believe the highest calling of service is public service. It's the greatest endeavor that a person can commit their life to. Moreover, true public service is bigger than one individual. Public servants should be accountable to the people that they serve.

"Therefore, after much deliberation with my family, after numerous prayers, fasting, I have made a difficult decision -- I believe the most difficult decision of my life -- to step down as the mayor of the city of Detroit. However, my resignation should not stop the continued progress of the place that we all love, Detroit.

He had to fast and pray to realize he had to tell the truth and step down......this man supposedly has a college degree......

"I want to emphasize tonight that I take full responsibility for my own actions, for the poor judgment that they reflected. I wish with all my heart that we could turn back the hands of time and tell that young man to make better choices, but I can't. My challenge now is to put the anguish and turmoil of the recent months behind us and join in a common cause to love our city, to love one another and to move forward together.

No, your challenge is to serve your rather light sentence in County and remove yourself and your family from Detroit afterwards.

"I've often said that you have to stand strong for the city of Detroit. I always said I would stand strong for the city of Detroit. But sometimes standing strong means stepping down.

Standing strong for the city........using it`s funds for romantic get aways with your mistress`s and fancy cars for your wife and paying off a lawsuit to cover your affairs......don`t think we could have stood much more of your "strength".

I'm stepping down because the new spirit of this city, the new expectations and standards that we've set for excellence in the past 6 1/2 years has been tangled up in what I believe is the pursuit of many people's own political ambitions,

He`s not stepping down because he is a criminal, he `s repentant or he`s ashamed.......it`s because others tore him down. Sorry I just spit my coffee at the monitor here.......lol Love his definition of excellence........anyone for strawberries and a massage?

even our governor, Jennifer Granholm, who I wish well. Rather than focusing on finding solutions to the huge issues that are facing our state, the record home foreclosures, the lack of affordable health care, and record unemployment in our state, Kwame Kilpatrick was at the top of her list.

Ummmmm if I recall City Council brought her into this. She was doing her job. And you put yourself on the top of everyones list by refusing to step down all of these months.

"Unfortunately, after the headlines of today have passed away, and they will pass away, those same issues -- of Detroiters paying higher insurance rates than anyone else, health care, homelessness, foreclosures -- will still be issues that we must engage together here in the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit and I wish her well. ...

They pay higher insurance rates because your former city is unsafe Kwame. Nice spin attempt though. A few things you didn`t mention.... when was the Governor ever convicted of felonies, when did she cheat multiple times on her spouse on the state dime, when did she pay 9 million dollars in state money to cover her multiple affairs and have her mama stand up screamin` we don`t care how much it costs the city we will appeal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is her whole family being investigated by the Feds too?..........well Kwame?????? You may think these headlines will pass, but you are entitled to dream.......

"And with that, the same harkening commitment, the same type of focus, I want to ask all of Detroit, as many people around this region that will listen, to support Ken Cockrel Jr., who will assume the office of mayor on an interim basis Sept. 19, 2008. It's a big difference between City Council and the mayor's office. He's going to need our prayers."Thankfully, I think that he inherits a city that's in much better shape than the city that I inherited seven years ago.

Before you inherited......geez inherited.......lol........yes, before you inherited we had 9 million dollars, Tiger Stadium, The Tunnel not under threat, The Mounted Patrol, no racist Farrakhan receiving LOVE awards and interferring in elections errrrr helping in elections and we had our pride.........

"Many of us can turn our attention to healing in the city. I've been hearing that so much that we need healing. I'll turn my attention to the healing that I need to do in my family. We can turn our attention as a city to the healing that we must do in our city. Detroit, you need to know that through your prayers and through you getting on your knees and praying for my family, my wife and I are closer now than we've ever been. My children wake up every single day and they're proud of their dad and their mom, they're proud to be who they are. I've never seen God work like he's been working with us, throughout this whole storm.

You`re only turning your attention because the Governor was gonna "get you" twit.

"My grandfather is here. My grandfather has lived in this city since before he was 10 years old and he's 89 years old today, and he has watched the city go up and down. He's watched mayors come in and come out, and sitting on the porch with him the other day was an incredible experience for me, because I truly know who I am, I truly know where I come from. And, Detroit, I know whose I am, and I know because of that there's another day for me.

Not if we have anything to do with it baby. No day for you......! And with all of your grandfathers aged wisdom..how come he didn`t tell your silly butt to step down and act like a man and quit raping Detroit for your own gain?

"And people have asked me throughout this, 'How can you be strong through this? How can you stand?' Because these people rooted me in something that is more, more special than a thing. They rooted me in a fabric, in a soil that I knew that whatever happened to me in my life, if I get some water, some good words, some seeds, I can grow again.

How can you be strong in this? Get a clue. You`re not supposed to be strong. You`re supposed to be honest, repentant, contrite and humble......You`re not supposed to get water and seeds for a come back.........you`re supposed to learn a lesson. The only thing you have in common with your agricultural analogy is the stench of cow pies and manure wafting in the air.

"And last but certainly not least as I close, the strongest woman that I've ever met in my entire life, the person with the most beautiful spirit, she could be a soldier one second and absolutely endearing the next. Someone who took a wretch like me and said that I am standing by you through thick and through thin, and so all those that tried to tear this up, I just want to tell you, you only made us stronger.

You`re the only one who was tearing your relationship up honey. Strawberries and champagne, massages, posh resorts making love........to others.......diddling in Christine`s office.........yep, that would tear up a relationship big time. lol You may have Carlita bamboozled.......but we`re not all dependent on you and your family`s ill gotten gains for our livlihoods either......Carlita will believe what she has to for her own survival.

"The quintessential American author, F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that there are no second acts in American lives. The great writer that he was, F. Scott Fitzgerald was not a Detroiter. Because we fall, but this city always gets up.

Quit acting like your so sophisticated name dropping.......F. Scott Fitzgerald won`t be in County with you. Funny you should quote a writer who wrote The Great Gatsby.......a novel about illicit affairs, extravagant parties and wealth........is this all you know? And Gatsby ended up dead at the end.......

"Nick reflects that just as Gatsby's dream of Daisy was corrupted by money and dishonesty, the American dream of happiness and individualism has disintegrated into the mere pursuit of wealth. Though Gatsby's power to transform his dreams into reality is what makes him “great,” Nick reflects that the era of dreaming—both Gatsby's dream and the American dream—is over."

Here`s some literal name dropping for you though......

" In the wake of his resignation, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's name will be taken off the water tower at the Detroit Zoo. 

Zoo spokeswomen Patricia Janeway says Kilpatrick's name will be taken down over the next few days."

"I want to tell you, Detroit, that you done set me up for a comeback. God bless you."

Yep, ghetto speak always convinces and makes an elegant closing.........."you done"...........Yaws boi!!!!!!!!! Detroit hasn`t set you up for anything. Detroit and the whole region is sick and ashamed of you and your MTV Hip Hop posse. All you could think of before you resigned was passing out outrageous raises to pad the pockets of your cronies and writing your deluded farewell/campaign speech.

Your sick priorities truly amaze us. Your posse`s enormous ignorance amazes us even more........wildly cheering and applauding on tv for what? Lies, adultery, race baiting, a sick man with a messiah complex, a man who takes a mistress to a prayer breakfast weekend? Or their huge raises?  

To quote the Governor in PROPER English.........Godspeed Kwame.......buh bye.

MONROE, Michigan (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama said firmly that families are off-limits in the campaign for president, reacting to news that GOP running mate Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant.

Sen. Barack Obama campaigns in Monroe, Michigan, on Monday.

 "Let me be as clear as possible," Obama said. "I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor or her potential performance as a vice president."

Obama said reporters should "back off these kinds of stories" and noted that he was born to an 18-year-old mother.

"How a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn't be the topic of our politics, and I hope that anybody who is supporting me understands that's off-limits."

Kilpatrick supporters have been notorious in their protests that KK`s private life shouldn`t matter. Rather it is the "great job" he does in office that should be the focus of our concern. Doesn`t matter that his mistress was his Chief of Staff paid by the tax payers and enjoyed many romantic romps and perks on the public dime or that his wife enjoyed her Escalade on the public dime for a time. His private life constantly crossed over into the public arena and vice versa. He didn`t seem to be able to separate the two at all. But his supporters expect us to? Hogwash!

Now we have Obama declaring candidates families are off limits. Says who? Are Obama/Biden and McCain/ Palin running as four individuals without a history? Do they really think that their domestic track records don`t speak volumes about their character, integrity and abilities? If you can`t properly run and control your own household or yourself in private how can you possibly run America`s properly? Keyword is properly.

It`s rather insightful that McCain and Palin decided to announce Bristol`s pregnancy at the height of Hurricane Gustav........it`s an old news trick called burying news. McCain knew when he picked Palin her daughter was pregnant. They didn`t just find out. She is 5 months pregnant. Yes, let Gustav take center stage and temper the shock. lol Question is....... what else will they attempt to bury if they are elected?

 

 

Just a couple of excerpts from a Detroit News article from today....

 

Battle Creek preps for Obama visit Charlie Cain and Gary Heinlein / Detroit News Lansing Bureau

BATTLE CREEK -- Enthusiastic and sunburned supporters -- some of whom lined up nine hours before the gates opened -- are awaiting Barack Obama's first Michigan appearance since he officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president.

It is to be the first of three Michigan stops over this Labor Day weekend in Michigan, a state he well knows he can't afford to lose in November.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, are to be joined by his running mate Sen. Joe Biden and Biden's wife, Jill, on a platform on the infield of an aging ballpark where the semi-pro Battle Creek Bombers play their games.

Obama, who made history last week when he became the first African American to accept the presidential nomination of a major political party, also is to speak before tens of thousands expected to take part in organized labor's annual parade and rally in downtown Detroit Monday.

Obama and company are in the midst of a bus tour across the critical battleground states of Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, selling their message of change for America.

At the Battle Creek stop, Jackie and John Buchanan of Kalamazoo lined up at 8 a.m. with their 3-year-old daughter, Zyen, and said they're convinced the long, sweltering wait will be worth it.

"It will be a lifetime experience for my daughter," said John, a 34-year-old girl's basketball coach at Kalamazoo Center High School.

Added Jackie, 32: "He gives all African Americans a new hope and my child can see a presidential candidate who looks like her." ( hello???? She`s 3 yrs old out in the sweltering heat.......she will never remember seeing Obama! LOL )

After Monday's rally with unionists, Obama is to attend an early afternoon picnic at Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 671 in Monroe.

Obama will resurrect an old Democratic tradition by attending the Labor Day observance in Detroit. ( nice cover story for coming to reward Kwame Kilpatrick with a visit seeing as KK couldn`t make it to Denver. After all Obama is in the DC Black Caucus with Mama Cheeky and J Conyers.....I`ll scratch your back......... )

The Democratic nominee's tradition of attending Detroit Labor Day observances began Sept. 6, 1948, when Harry Truman kicked off his re-election bid with a speech from the steps of old City Hall, following a parade down Woodward Ave. Among the dignitaries on hand was labor legend Walter P. Reuther, who was still recovering gunshot wounds sustained from an assassination attempt.

Adlai Stevenson's Sept. 1, 1952 speech from City Hall was televised on The Detroit News' WWJ-TV. Labor leaders launched a "Come Downtown" campaign in an effort to draw as big a crowd as possible. It didn't help -- Stevenson eventually lost to Republican war hero Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Stevenson returned to Detroit on Labor Day 1956 to launch his second presidential campaign. His speech in Cadillac Square touched on themes that are familiar to modern Democrats: Stevenson blamed the GOP for policies that led to "ugly patches of poverty and insecurity," and he said Republicans were in part responsible because "230,000 workers in the auto industry have been laid off."

Stevenson, who would again lose to Eisenhower, also decried the fact that 14 million Americans were still earning less than $1,000 per year.

John F. Kennedy drew more than 100,000 people to Cadillac Square in 1960.

But by 1966, parade attendance dwindled to barely 6,000 in 1966. Workers spent the three-day holiday enjoying backyard barbecues, boats and summer cottages: the fruits of their victories.

Jimmy Carter in 1976 decided to skip launching his presidential campaign because Michigan was the home state of his opponent, President Gerald Ford. "In the interests of good grace, good manners, we will begin the campaign elsewhere," Carter's press secretary Jody Powell said.

Subsequent Democratic presidential nominees Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton and John Kerry did not pick up the Detroit Labor Day tradition.

DETROIT (AP) -- A newspaper says lawyers for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick have proposed a deal in which he would plead guilty to two felonies, make at least $100,000 in restitution and serve five year’s probation. Kilpatrick is charged with 10 felonies in two cases and faces removal proceedings before Governor Jennifer Granholm. He`s promised not to run for office for 2 years as well and lose his law license.

Not trying to be unmerciful, but what exactly will this teach a man whose only reason for plea dealing is because he knows the Governor is the only one who can "get him" now? Up until she came into the picture he was more than happy to keep playing his very expensive and childish catch me if you can games. His mama and friends will pay the money, 5 years probation would be a breeze ( as long as he kept his temper in check ), 2 years out of public office is nothing he could stay in the limelight in other ways to make sure no one forgets him. He never used his law license before - has never practiced one day. Mama will make sure he has a good paying job somewhere with all of her connections.

So how will this so called punishment teach him anything? It won`t. Two or three years from now if this plea is accepted will see the thug back in the thiick of the action again.

Just an aside.....anyone else thinks it`s odd Obama is having a rally at Hart Plaza on Monday? Why is he attempting to reward Kilpatrick with a visit? To make up for KK not being able to come to Denver? He already has the majority of the black vote, so he can`t be coming here for that. And he could have had his rally almost anywhere here - we`re a battleground state......not city. Get ready to hear the sound of major booty kissing downtown on Monday......smoochie, smoochie baby!................................

There have been so many comments since Clinton was in office stating we don`t care what a man does in his private life just as long as he does a good job in his career. What kind of asinine reasoning is this? Clinton has proven himself to be a joke on both sides of the fence. Closer to home KK has proven he not only was a nasty scroundrel in his private life, but in his public dealings as well. You can`t separate nastiness, lack of integrity and honor. You`re either a stinkin` rat or you`re not.

John McCain.........broke up his first wifes marriage to marry her. ( granted he couldn`t have done that without her permission and participation ) Then went off to war and became a POW. He returned home saw she was not the beauty he had left behind ( she was disfigured in a car accident and gained a lot of weight  while he was a POW ) and started fartin` around with quite a few ladies and then met young and wealthy Cindy. He married her one month after his divorce was final. Then it`s alledged that he has farted around on Cindy with a 40 yr.old lobbyist and who knows who else.

The man is a serial adulterer and liar. What makes anyone think he won`t cheat, lie and screw over the American public as well. Some twisted warped code of "ethics" that somehow magically gets switched on and off when he crosses the bedroom or hotel door thresholds?????? If he can lie to and manipulate multiple women with ease - and at least two women mind you who were supposed to be the nearest and dearest people in his life........he`s not going to do the same politically to you as well? Think about that the next time he claims to LOVE America. His idea of love leaves a lot to be desired.

A couple of opinions by others on McCain. 

Ted Sampley, who fought with US Special Forces in Vietnam and is now a leading campaigner for veterans’ rights, said: ‘I have been following John McCain’s career for nearly 20 years. I know him personally. There is something wrong with this guy and let me tell you what it is – deceit.

‘When he came home and saw that Carol was not the beauty he left behind, he started running around on her almost right away. Everybody around him knew it.

‘Eventually he met Cindy and she was young and beautiful and very wealthy. At that point McCain just dumped Carol for something he thought was better.

‘This is a guy who makes such a big deal about his character. He has no character. He is a fake. If there was any character in that first marriage, it all belonged to Carol.’

 Ross Perot, who paid her medical bills all those years ago after her accident, now believes that both Carol McCain and the American people have been taken in by a man who is unusually slick and cruel – even by the standards of modern politics.

‘McCain is the classic opportunist. He’s always reaching for attention and glory,’ he said.

‘After he came home, Carol walked with a limp. So he threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona. And the rest is history.’

KK LOVES Detroit too. We`ve heard that over and over and over. Even has a LOVE award program.  Loved her so much he stole 9 million dollars from her and his mama said she didn`t care how much more they needed to take.........   LOVE  Let me count the ways....... When will both Detroit and America wake up and stop acting like an abused spouse who accepts any form of affection the abuser throws their way?

 

  I have my own award I would like to hand out to these men.........

 Mayor Resigned to His Fate
  As the mayor and his lawyers meet to hammer out the details, we’re getting word on when and why Kilpatrick came to grips with the reality this whole ordeal will not have the ending he wanted.

Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick/January 31: I would never quit on you. Ever.

That was his promise seven months ago but now we’re learning his about face occurred about two weeks ago. That was about the time, you’ll remember, that it was announced that attorney James Parkman was off the legal team. From the mayor’s inner circle, we’re told “Parkman sent packing back to Alabama” just week before last was the signal that the mayor finally abandoned hope of beating the wrap at trial in favor of getting the best plea deal he could get. And why did he do that? The mayor, we’ve learned, concluded that Governor Jennifer was someone who could get him—and he believed she would.

And even church leaders who had never before forsaken him, even they were either calling on him to quit, or withholding their public support. When Dave Bing called for him to quit and suggested he might run for mayor, Kilpatrick was said to be stunned.

With fewer and fewer exceptions, support in the business community was clearly eroding. For instance, another source close to the situation says business tycoon Tony Soave took the mayor and his family off the frequent flyer list once we exposed how Soave repeatedly allowed the first family free travel on his corporate jets.

To confidants, His Honor voiced more headaches:

• He was choking on mounting legal bills,

• facing those new felony assault charges, a case not as murky as lawyers might spin the whole text message scandal,

• clinging to hope it’d never happen, he was constantly warned his one-time mistress Christine Beatty might save herself by testifying again him;

All the while, he knew the clock was ticking, even as his lawyer publicly scoffed at the state’s offer to drop one felony charge if he’d only resign.

So Parkman, the litigator who believed he could win, was replaced with three local lawyers assigned to use their contacts to hammer out the best deal they can get for the mayor. But if he did resign, what would he do then? He apparently thinks he’d lie low for a while and then make a Marion Barry- style comeback.

While Mayor of Washington, the FBI caught Barry with crack in a hotel room. Barry went to prison, and got out to win re-election. Kilpatrick is said to believe Detroiters will either forgive his transgressions, or forget them after a while.

The mayor is also said to believe when the Synagro scandal explodes with what is widely expected to be federal indictments, the public’s attention will be on the city council and others. That’s why nearly two weeks ago he decided he could stomach pleading to one or more felony charges and forfeiting his state license to practice law. But Kilpatrick still clings to the hope that unlike Mayor Barry, he will avoid even one more day in jail.

It may be nothing more than a pipe dream to prosecutors. Their deal on the table reportedly includes 90 more days in the slammer for the Mayor even if he agrees to become a felon unlicensed to practice law.

The Governor could get him........Detroiters will forgive or forget eventually.

Step down because he did wrong, it`s the right thing to do and he is sorry? NO! Because the Governor is the only one who could "get him". He wants to run again too hoping time will turn Detroiters into amnesia victims. This is KK`s true character. He`s sorry all right.........sorry he got caught. What a pathetic excuse of a leader.

 

Sen. Barack Obama made a "big mistake" when he passed over Sen. Hillary Clinton, the most anticipated speaker at Tuesday night's Democratic convention, for Sen. Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate, Rudolph Giuliani said Tuesday.

"The normal political thing to do, in terms of the best decision to make to win, would've been to pick Hillary Clinton," Giuliani, former mayor of New York, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

"It is a no-brainer. She got 18 million votes, Joe got 9,000 votes," Giuliani said, referring to their showings in polls during their failed bids for the Democratic presidential ticket.

"She commands about 45, 48 percent of this convention."

I have to disagree with Rudi. The normal political thing to do is not always the right or sane thing to do. Why would Barack Obama want to willingly invite friction into his campaign? Bill Clinton has been a loose cannon throughout his wifes campaign and at times appeared to be the one running. He talked more about himself and his past accomplishments than anything. He couldn`t control himself for his wifes sake. Entering the convention he had a fit because he wanted to make his speech about economics and not follow the game plan set out for him by the Obama team. Just today he made subtle digs about Obama in public.

Then we have Hillary. Many news sites are focusing on Obama`s long march to the convention. He is still campaigning and will be there on Thursday. Ms. Hillary in the mean time has been orchestrating her own even looooooooonger march to the convention. While other candidates have long since dropped out and moved on there she is hanging on for every last shred of camera time she can. Obama has been more than gracious accommodating her in her quest to be a bigger footnote in the history books.

Now seriously who in their right mind would want these two glory hogs as partners for the next 4-8 years? Do you think their nonsense would stop on Inauguration Day and they would just slide into second billing without even a whimper? Bill of course would no longer run around touting his greatness and Hillary would just fade off to an "undisclosed location" and behave herself? C`mon! lol There would have been two rival courts in DC.

Why do you think a former President rides or flies off into the sunset on Inauguration Day? He is symbolically transferring the reins of power to his successor. It is no longer his realm and he leaves in subdued dignity. The Clinton`s behavior during this campaign and even when exiting the White House destroying things a few years back, makes it painfully obvious they have never mastered dignified exits or subdued dignity.  They would have attempted to outshine and upstage the Obama`s at every turn.

Many people also seem to have forgotten a certain Geraldine Ferraro who was the first woman to put cracks in the Executive Branch`s glass ceiling when she ran for Vice President on the Mondale/Ferraro ticket. After losing  the general election there were no long drawn out farewells, indulgent tribute videos or grasping efforts to cement her place in history. And more importantly she achieved that "first" without riding her husbands coat tails.

Obama made a very wise choice.

So Detroit Schools Superintendent Connie Calloway is off in Korea to study school systems in other countries. Her own schools are not ready for opening day here, but she feels it is more important to study others at this crucial time. She says she is using her own personal vacation days for this trip...........whose money is paying for it though? If you`ve read my blog on 21st Century Schools this is just another prime example of fad junkie education. Educators who`ve given up on old fashioned basics running hither and yon to find the latest and newest band aid fixes. Why is it they can`t read reports of other school systems and models? Why the need for expensive international trips? With todays technology.........video conferences and vitual tours are just a mouse click away.........oh wait you cant go sightseeing and get gourmet room service doing that though. lol  Sorry, my bad. LOL

Governor Granholm Statement on Latest High School Graduation Rates:

“To be competitive, Michigan needs the best educated workforce in the nation, and the fact that one in every four high school students is failing to graduate on time is totally unacceptable,” Granholm said. “That is why we have fought for programs like early college and small high schools that will help students, specifically minority and economically disadvantaged students where the problem is most severe.”

Governor Granholm fought for and won funding in the fiscal year 2009 budget to create the 21st Century Schools Fund to help school districts replace large, failing high schools that have low graduation rates, with small high schools that engage students in learning. The first schools to be created through the 21 Century Schools Fund are expected to open next September. They will be based on research-proven designs that emphasize strong personal relationships, rigorous academics, and relevance to the world of work.

Well it looks like Connie Calloway ( Detroit Public Schools Super ) and Jenny had lunch once or twice. Remember these small specialized high schools were part of her grand vision for Detroit schools just a little while ago?

"to help school districts replace large, failing high schools that have low graduation rates, with small high schools that engage students in learning."

Well why weren`t the large failing high schools engaging students in learning in the first place? They got paid to do that right? How will shrinking them engage students in learning if they couldn`t do it the first time around?

"They will be based on research-proven designs that emphasize strong personal relationships, rigorous academics, and relevance to the world of work."

So they didn`t have rigorous academics, strong personal relationships and relevance to work. OK, what were these large schools doing all of this time then with our tax dollars and why weren`t the big wigs keeping tabs on them and allowed them to fail instead? lol And these large failing schools..........who has the stats on falling and low enrollments? No mention of them. They`ll have just enough students to fill smaller high schools is what the truth is.

Same thing happened here in Royal Oak. Enrollment has been plummeting for different reason over the years. I remember an elementary school my kids attended and walking the halls or attending school events there were hardly any kids there! They eventually restructered going from having 2 high schools to 1. Shutting down a number of grade schools, combining the 2 jr highs into one in the vacant high school. So they now have "small specialized schools" as well! Wow what a slick PR way to cover the fact we`ve lost so many students and don`t know what to do! They tried open/out of district enrollment to remedy the situation before the closings, but all that did was bring in more problems. They were then faced with a significant portion of the out of district enrollees who were rowdier students that didn`t know how to behave themselves because they came from more violent and aggressive environments. There were articles in the local news addressing this new problem.

I realize times have changed. When I was in school we didn`t have the crack babies, high rate of single parent homes, wide spread gang culture, childrens and educators rights exalted above parental rights,  etc. What we did have was God still somewhat recognized in the schools though. When we kicked him out for once and for all..........well you can figure it out for yourselves what happened and actually see it being played out before your own eyes. You don`t diss God and go unpunished and that extends to your children as well. 

But even beyond that we became rabid fad junkies in education. Every hair brained theory, latest psycho babble "discovery" and even the Russian/socialistic school model became the latest and greatest "must have". Today though many districts have adopted methods from the business world and yes, have even borrowed from communism as the latest and greatest fix its. You know the team mentality? No more individuality. All for the state!.........errrrrrrr I mean school. lol Teams of students now transverse through blocks of core classes each day. (  High minded speak for basic classes ) They have counselors leading what I like to call the John and Yoko Lennon classes. You know, get in touch with your feelings sessions. They go under names like Connection Hour, Advisor/Advisee class and whatnot. Pretty much fluff classes designed to fill time and break down natural barriers between students with their psychological class exercises.Others are just disguised homework catchup class periods.

Now we have Jenny and her 21st Century smokescreens. People are fleeing my state and my leadership she really cries!!!!!!!!!! How do we cover our gross incompetence and stupidity now???????? Call forth the study teams, the researchers, post haste!!!!!!!!!! Throw in a few psycho babblers while your at it........they always add an air of authenticity! Look at Dr Phil! He has done mucho well and everyone believes him!

I`m looking forward to the sequel of "Honey I Shrunk The Schools"........

 

 

Look at me! I`m 65 and runnin`. Yep, I can still run.... here I come! LOL   Sat Aug 23, 5:29 PM ET

Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) takes the stage after being introduced by Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) as his vice presidential running mate at a campaign event at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, August 23, 2008.

    Gimme some sugah! LOL

 

Okay let`s switch.....

 

Yeah well, Gimme some sugah now......lol

 

 

Jill: I`m just sooooooo excited I can`t stand myself!!!!!!!

 

Yep...puff puff I`m stiill a runnin` here!

 

 

awww I want some sugah too girls!

 

 

Hahahahaha look at him runnin`!

 

 

almost there.puff puff.....

 

 

Is he still runnin`? Yep, we`ll catch him next time....

 

I wish people would stop calling these whack jobs Muslims. Do real Muslims believe a mothership is orbiting the earth with powerful weapons to wipe out whitey? Do they believe some dead con man from Detroit is their Messiah and Savior? Do they believe only blacks have evolved into humans? Why isn`t the media calling these people what they really are...........racist, self deluded nut jobs? Their leaders life like Sultan`s sucking the lifes blood out of their followers. Is this is the only "business" KK can attract to Detroit............? 

Muslim leader brings convention to Detroit

Last Edited: Thursday, 21 Aug 2008, 10:57 AM EDT Created: Thursday, 21 Aug 2008, 10:57 AM EDT   or just enabling jstl so that we can just write ${bean.property} and jsp takes care of the new lines. -->
DETROIT (AP) -- The leader of one of the largest Muslim groups in the U.S. and son of the Nation of Islam's longtime leader is bringing his annual convention to Detroit.

Imam W. Deen Mohammed will deliver a lecture Aug. 30 and keynote address Aug. 31 at Cobo Center during the WDM Ministry convention, whose theme is "Have a winning spirit for success."

Mohammed moved his followers toward mainstream Islam after the 1975 death of his father, Elijah Mohammed. Louis Farrakhan rebuilt the Nation of Islam and led its convention last year in Detroit.

W. Deen Mohammed and Farrakhan have had a long, difficult history. They embraced on stage in 2000 after years of discord, but Mohammed last year condemned the "hate rhetoric" of some Nation leaders.

• Hillary`s concession speech before the media cleaned it up and sanitized it......
• 
• • Hillary Clinton
  • guardian.co.uk,
  • Saturday June 07 2008 22:00 BST
  • Article history

This is a transcript of Hillary Clinton's speech on suspending her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Click here to watch a video of the full speech.

Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company.

And I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you, to everyone who poured your hearts and your hopes into this campaign, who drove for miles and lined the streets waving homemade signs, who scrimped and saved to raise money, who knocked on doors and made calls, who talked, sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors, who emailed and contributed online, who invested so much in our common enterprise, to the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, "See, you can be anything you want to be."

To the young people, like 13-year-old Anne Riddell from Mayfield, Ohio, who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World and decided to use her savings instead to travel to Pennsylvania with her mom and volunteer there, as well.

To the veterans, to the childhood friends, to New Yorkers and Arkansans, who traveled across the country, telling anyone who would listen why you supported me. And to all of those women in their 80s and their 90s - born before women could vote - who cast their votes for our campaign. I've told you before about Florence Steen of South Dakota who was 88 years old and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside. Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot.

She passed away soon after and, under state law, her ballot didn't count, but her daughter later told a reporter: "My dad's an ornery, old cowboy, and he didn't like it when he heard mom's vote wouldn't be counted. I don't think he had voted in 20 years, but he voted in place of my mom."

So to all those who voted for me and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding.

You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives. And you have humbled me with your commitment to our country.

Eighteen million of you, from all walks of life - women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African American and Caucasian - rich, poor, and middle-class, gay and straight, you have stood with me.

And I will continue to stand strong with you every time, every place, in every way that I can. The dreams we share are worth fighting for.

Remember, we fought for the single mom with the young daughter, juggling work and school, who told me, "I'm doing it all to better myself for her."

We fought for the woman who grabbed my hand and asked me, "What are you going to do to make sure I have health care?" and began to cry, because even though she works three jobs, she can't afford insurance.

We fought for the young man in the Marine Corps tshirt who waited months for medical care and said, "Take care of my buddies over there, and then will you please take care of me?"

We fought for all those who've lost jobs and health care, who can't afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible to their president these last seven years.

I entered this race because I have an old-fashioned conviction that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their dreams. I've had every opportunity and blessing in my own life, and I want the same for all Americans.

And until that day comes, you'll always find me on the front lines of democracy, fighting for the future.

The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States.

Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him.

And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.

I have served in the Senate with him for four years. I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months. I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates. I've had a front-row seat to his candidacy, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit.

In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American dream, as a community organiser, in the state senate, as a United States senator. He has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized. And in this campaign, he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.

Now, when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity and progress. And that's exactly what we're going to do, by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.

Now, I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic party is a family. And now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.

We may have started on separate journeys, but today our paths have merged. And we're all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around, because so much is at stake.

We all want an economy that sustains the American dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries, and still have a little left over at the end of the month, an economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.

We all want a health care system that is universal, high-quality and affordable, so that parents don't have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead-end jobs simply to keep their insurance.

This isn't just an issue for me. It is a passion and a cause, and it is a fight I will continue until every single American is insured, no exceptions and no excuses.

We all want an America defined by deep and meaningful equality, from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights, from ending discrimination to promoting unionization, to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families.

And we all want to restore America's standing in the world, to end the war in Iraq, and once again lead by the power of our values, and to join with our allies to confront our shared challenges, from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming.

You know, I've been involved in politics and public life in one way or another for four decades. And during those 40 years, our country has voted 10 times for president. Democrats won only three of those times, and the man who won two of those elections is with us today.

We made tremendous progress during the 1990s under a Democratic president, with a flourishing economy and our leadership for peace and security respected around the world.

Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years if we'd had a Democratic president. Think about the lost opportunities of these past seven years on the environment and the economy, on health care and civil rights, on education, foreign policy and the Supreme Court.

Imagine how far we could have come, how much we could have achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House.

We cannot let this moment slip away. We have come too far and accomplished too much.

Now, the journey ahead will not be easy. Some will say we can't do it, that it's too hard, we're just not up to the task. But for as long as America has existed, it has been the American way to reject can't-do claims and to choose instead to stretch the boundaries of the possible through hard work, determination, and a pioneering spirit.

It is this belief, this optimism that Senator Obama and I share and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard. So today I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes, we can!

And that together we will work — we'll have to work hard to achieve universal health care. But on the day we live in an America where no child, no man and no woman is without health insurance, we will live in a stronger America. That's why we need to help elect Barack Obama our president.

We'll have to work hard to get back to fiscal responsibility and a strong middle class. But on the day we live in an America whose middle class is thriving and growing again, where all Americans, no matter where they live or where their ancestors came from, can earn a decent living, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.

We'll have to work hard to foster the innovation that will make us energy independent and lift the threat of global warming from our children's future. But on the day we live in an America fueled by renewable energy, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we have to help elect Barack Obama our president.

We'll have to work hard to bring our troops home from Iraq and get them the support they've earned by their service. But on the day we live in an America that's as loyal to our troops as they have been to us, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.

This election is a turning-point election. And it is critical that we all understand what our choice really is. Will we go forward together, or will we stall and slip backward?

Now, think how much progress we've already made. When we first started, people everywhere asked the same questions. Could a woman really serve as commander in chief? Well, I think we answered that one.

Could an African-American really be our president? And Senator Obama has answered that one.

Together, Senator Obama and I achieved milestones essential to our progress as a nation, part of our perpetual duty to form a more perfect union.

Now, on a personal note, when I was asked what it means to be a woman running for president, I always gave the same answer, that I was proud to be running as a woman, but I was running because I thought I'd be the best president.

But I am a woman and, like millions of women, I know there are still barriers and biases out there, often unconscious, and I want to build an America that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us.

I ran as a daughter who benefited from opportunities my mother never dreamed of. I ran as a mother who worries about my daughter's future and a mother who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows.

To build that future I see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and their mothers, and that women enjoy equal opportunities, equal pay, and equal respect.

Let us resolve and work toward achieving very simple propositions: There are no acceptable limits, and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century in our country.

You can be so proud that, from now on, it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories - unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee, unremarkable to think that a woman can be the president of the United States. And that is truly remarkable, my friends.

To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.

Always aim high, work hard and care deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.

As we gather here today in this historic, magnificent building, the 50th woman to leave this Earth is orbiting overhead. If we can blast 50 women into space, we will someday launch a woman into the White House.

Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it, and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.

That has always been the history of progress in America. Think of the suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could cast their votes.

Think of the abolitionists who struggled and died to see the end of slavery. Think of the civil rights heroes and foot soldiers who marched, protested and risked their lives to bring about the end of segregation and Jim Crow.

Because of them, I grew up taking for granted that women could vote and, because of them, my daughter grew up taking for granted that children of all colors could go to school together.

Because of them, Barack Obama and I could wage a hard-fought campaign for the Democratic nomination. Because of them and because of you, children today will grow up taking for granted that an African American or a woman can, yes, become the president of the United States. And so, when that day arrives, and a woman takes the oath of office as our president, we will all stand taller, proud of the values of our nation, proud that every little girl can dream big and that her dreams can come true in America.

And all of you will know that, because of your passion and hard work, you helped pave the way for that day.

So I want to say to my supporters: When you hear people saying or think to yourself, If only, or, What if, I say, please, don't go there. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.

Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be. And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Senator Obama is our next president.

And I hope and pray that all of you will join me in that effort.

To my supporters and colleagues in Congress, to the governors and mayors, elected officials who stood with me in good times and bad, thank you for your strength and leadership.

To my friends in our labor unions who stood strong every step of the way, I thank you and pledge my support to you.

To my friends from every stage of my life, your love and ongoing commitment sustained me every single day.

To my family, especially Bill and Chelsea and my mother, you mean the world to me, and I thank you for all you have done.

And to my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters - thank you for working those long, hard hours. Thank you for dropping everything, leaving work or school, traveling to places that you've never been, sometimes for months on end. And thanks to your families, as well, because your sacrifice was theirs, too. All of you were there for me every step of the way.

Now, being human, we are imperfect. That's why we need each other, to catch each other when we falter, to encourage each other when we lose heart. Some may lead, some may follow, but none of us can go it alone.

The changes we're working for are changes that we can only accomplish together. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights that belong to us as individuals. But our lives, our freedom, our happiness are best enjoyed, best protected, and best advanced when we do work together.

That is what we will do now, as we join forces with Senator Obama and his campaign. We will make history together, as we write the next chapter in America's story. We will stand united for the values we hold dear, for the vision of progress we share, and for the country we love.

There is nothing more American than that.

And looking out at you today, I have never felt so blessed. The challenges that I have faced in this campaign are nothing compared to those that millions of Americans face every day in their own lives.

So today I'm going to count my blessings and keep on going. I'm going to keep doing what I was doing long before the cameras ever showed up and what I'll be doing long after they're gone: working to give every American the same opportunities I had and working to ensure that every child has the chance to grow up and achieve his or her God-given potential.

I will do it with a heart filled with gratitude, with a deep and dividing love for our country, and with nothing but optimism and confidence for the days ahead.

This is now our time to do all that we can to make sure that, in this election, we add another Democratic president to that very small list of the last 40 years and that we take back our country and once again move with progress and commitment to the future.

Thank you all. And God bless you and God bless America.