Hearing it from the Man Who Knew Osama bin Laden

Dr. Wilmer Leon speaks with the journalist who knew Osama bin Laden well.

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Technorati Tags: dr. wilmer leon,black scholars,african american scholars

Why Would Osama bin Laden Try to Recruit Black People?

Dr. Wilmer Leon and Dr. Boyce Watkins discuss the allegation that Osama bin Laden once tried to recruit disgruntled blacks to be part of his revolution.

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What Your Probably Don’t Know about bin Laden, Pakistan and US Foreign Policy

With the killing of Osama bin Laden, Americans remain woefully ignorant of what our government does overseas in the name of the United States. 

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Osama Planned to Use Disgruntled Blacks to Attack the United States

Reports say that Osama bin Laden planned to recruit disgruntled blacks to engage in widespread attacks on the United States.

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Giving Bush Credit for Bin Laden Means Giving Him Credit for EVERYTHING

by Dr. Wilmer Leon 

After releasing the long form of his birth certificate President Obama said, “We’ve got some enormous challenges out there… We’re not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers.”

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“Birthers” Replaced by “Deathers”: Don’t Believe Bin Laden is Really Dead

by Brook Griffin, Your Black World 

Last week, when President Barack Obama released his long-form birth certificate, he silenced many of the critics, birthers, who didn’t believe that he was born in the United States.  Now, the birth certificate controversy has been replaced by another one:  whether or not Osama Bin Laden is actually dead.

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Technorati Tags: barack obama,black politics,deathers

President Obama Heads to Ground Zero

 

Washington (CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will visit New York's ground zero Thursday, days after a nighttime raid in Pakistan led to the death of the terror leader behind the attacks that toppled the twin towers.

Obama's visit will include a wreath-laying ceremony, the White House said. He does not plan to deliver a speech.

50th Anniversary of the Freedom Riders: Thank You For All You’ve Done

Dead NFL Player Dave Duerson would Not Have Qualified for Full Disability Benefits

By ALAN SCHWARZ  Published: May 4, 2011

BOSTON — As the football world absorbs Monday’s news that Dave Duerson had the football-related brain damage he suspected before fatally shooting himself in February, an overlooked detail has emerged: had Duerson reached out for help via the N.F.L.’s disability plan, which he helped administer, his neurological injuries would not have qualified for a high level of benefit, if any at all.

Obama Refuses to Release Bin Laden Photos

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama has decided not to release photos of Osama bin Laden's body as evidence of his death, an administration official briefed by the White House told CNN Wednesday.

The decision settles the debate over whether to release the images, though Obama's choice is sure to garner criticism.

Earlier, two top senators involved in national security said the photos of bin Laden's corpse should be released.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, who chairs the Armed Services Committee -- and who has not seen the photos -- said the United States should wait to allow the emotions of people around the world who may be sympathetic to bin Laden to cool down.

"I'd let a little time pass so we that we don't play into the hands of people who want to retaliate with what obviously will be a sensational picture. I would not want to feed that sensation so I'd wait days or weeks," he said.

 

 

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Bishop Desmond Tutu Announces Changes in South African Aids Policy

Your Black World Reports

Desmond Tutu -- former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa -- says South Africa should not be embarrassed about its policies to combat AIDS. 

"For many years we were embarrassed in international gatherings for what we were not doing in fighting AIDS. We therefore thank the Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi, for the change in policy....It is a very rare privilege and honor for us the older ones to say we are passing the baton to you the young to carry on with the fight against this pandemic."  - Desmond Tutu

How does the Bin Laden Assassination a Impact the Obama Presidency?

Dr. Boyce Watkins,  YourBlackWorld.com – Scholarship in Action 

I spoke to noted political scientist, Dr. Wilmer Leon from Howard University about the recent killing of Osama Bin Laden and what this means for the Obama Presidency.

Glenn Beck Says “Let’s kill Obama, I mean Bin Laden”

Dr.  Boyce Watkins, Your Black World

In yet another interesting Fox News public gaffe, Glenn Beck recently made a comment about killing President Obama, by mistakenly making reference to the president when discussing Osama Bin Laden.

During one of his monologues, Beck was arguing that President Obama came off as arrogant in his speech about the death of Bin Laden, and that he doesn’t deserve as much credit as the troops who’ve been looking for Bin Laden since 2001.

Chisholm Commission on presidential Accountability Gives Its Assessment of the 2012 Budget

The Shirley Chisholm Presidential Accountability Commission

Assessment of President Barack Obama’s 2011 Budget Address

Institute of the Black World, 31-35 95th Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11369

www.ibw21.org Email: info@ibw21.org 718-429-1415

President Obama’s recent address concerning the budget and fiscal crisis facing our nation has been the focus of much reflection and thought. After extensive discussions among members of the Shirley Chisholm Presidential Commission (SCPAC) and consultations with national organizations and agencies keenly interested in the interest and aspirations of Black America the Commission has formulated the following response.

Donald Trump Congratulates President Obama on Bin Laden Killing

Your Black World Reports

In the video below, “The Donald” congratulates President Barack Obama for killing Osama Bin Laden.  Twitterers had been joking that Trump would now begin asking to see Bin Laden’s death certificate as official proof that President Obama has actually killed him. 

How are Black Women Affected by Not Having a Father in the Home?

 

In the conversation below, I interview Squeaky Moore and Ashley Shaunte, two aspiring filmmakers who’ve been able to make fatherless homes into a viral topic on the Internet.  Their short public service video on the topic has drawn hundreds of thousands of viewers, primarily because the idea of being without a dad has such a profound emotional impact on us all.

 

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Rush Limbaugh: “Thank God for President Obama”

 

Your Black World Reports

It looks like even Rush Limbaugh is seeking to give President Obama credit for killing Osama Bin Laden.  On his radio show, Limbaugh had this to say:

Out-of-Work Mom Explains Why She Broke the Law

 by Goldie Taylor – TheGrio.com

 

I lost my job.

For the next few months, we got by on small consulting contracts and what was left of our savings. It will get better, I told myself, as I picked up boxes of food from a local church.

It didn't.

Day turned to night, and soon we lost our home. My children and I moved into a small, rodent infested apartment. I put the kids to bed, scrubbed the walls, fixed the toilet, taped the windows and patched the holes in the baseboards with steel wool and duct tape. It had to be enough.

In a post 9/11 economy, there were few opportunities for an out of work communications executive. It didn't matter that I had cut my teeth as a vice president with one of the world's largest public relations agencies. A bevy of stock options earned in Silicon Valley weren't worth the paper they were printed on.

Four months later, I sat in the middle of the living room floor clutching an eviction notice. The electricity had been shut off. I started to pray. The tears became sobs. Then, there was wailing. I shouted at a God I swore either didn't exist or didn't care that we had no food, no place to go. "If you are who you say you are, you wouldn't do this to them!"

We left almost everything. Our dog, Claire, was taken to a local shelter.

 

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Detroiters Protest NAACP Giving Award to Confederate flag-waving Kid Rock

Your Black World Reports

A group of protesters met outside the Cobo Center in Detroit to protest the NAACP’s decision to give an award to Kid Rock, an entertainer who flies the Confederate Flag during his concerts.  Adolph Mongo, head of Detroiters for Progress, spoke to the group.

"Do you know what that flag stands for? It stands for hatred, bigotry, racism, murder," he said.

NAACP President Wendell Anthony defended giving an award to Rock.

Russell Simmons’ Open Letter to President Obama: Don’t Forget Our Plight

Your Black World Reports

 

I listened to your speech last week at Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network's 20th anniversary dinner, talking among friends and close supporters. This was an annual African American dinner, a very important one. While I know that any Democrat would have fulfilled their promise to come back if they had won the '08 election, I also know the significance, and the special burden it poses on you, as the first African American President, at the same time.

Still, I woke up the next day feeling uneasy, not because you didn't take issues of direct significance to the black community head-on -- like the fact that one in three black children go to jail once in their lifetime or that black people have an unemployment rate double the amount of white people -- but because nowhere in your deep and thoughtful remarks did you talk about the elephant in the room that affects ALL Americans, irrespective of color: the growing ranks of poor Americans, Americans struggling not just to meet their mortgage payments but to eat, sleep under a roof, educate their kids and pay their basic bills.

My Personal “WTF Moment” – 4/30/11

You never know what you’ll see walking through a random antique store.  I’m speechless

President Obama Meets with Participants in the 1968 Sanitation Strike

“The President invited the living participants in the Memphis Sanitation Strike to honor their courage, and their fight on behalf of all workers for safe conditions, respect in the workplace and a better life for themselves and their families. As workers across the country continue to face challenges to their rights, the issues for which these men fought continue to be relevant  and the President remains committed to the causes for which they marched.” – from the White House

Oil Companies are Making Less Gas but Much Higher Profits

 

 

Gasoline prices are skyrocketing — and so are oil company profits.
Exxon Mobil Corp. earned nearly $11 billion in the first three months of the year, a rollicking 69% increase over its performance for the same period last year. That's on sales of $114 billion.
It's the same story for the other big oil companies. Royal Dutch Shell turned a profit of $6.3 billion in the first quarter, and BP — despite lingering costs from the Gulf Coast oil spill— made $7.1 billion.

 

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President Obama Picks a New Defense Secretary

 

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama will name CIA Director Leon Panetta as his nominee to succeed Robert Gates as defense secretary, a senior defense official and another U.S. official said Wednesday.

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, will be named to replace Panetta as CIA director, a senior defense official said.

CNN Kills the Birther Movement Once and For All

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, YourBlackWorld.com 

Let’s hope that the Birther Movement is on its way out the door.  If it isn’t completely out the door, it’s on its death bed.  CNN has engaged in an all-out assault on the Birther Movement by doing a detailed investigation on whether or not President Barack Obama was born in the United States.

In the video below, the network goes to the extreme to settle the question once and for all.  Personally, I found the investigation to be quite compelling. There are others, however, including Donald Trump, who’ve spent all of their time engaging in their own investigations and coming to “very interesting” conclusions.

Your Black News – 4/25/11

 

• 3 bombs in northeast Nigeria city, deaths reported
• Bloomberg to Trump: Drop 'birther' issue
• Getting past the 'birther' myth
• Rap music inspires Libyan rebels to defeat Gadhafi
• Ohio governor looks to expand minority business share
• Bishop Long sends message to accusers during Easter sermon
• NY mom who killed 3 kids in Hudson is laid to rest
• When MC Hammer talks, Silicon Valley startups listen
• Report finds banks neglecting REOs in minority neighborhoods
• NYC officials defend choice to cuff first-grader
• President Obama suffered racist abuse, says biography
• Who owns the rights to African genomes?

 

Technorati Tags: black news,african american news,black politics,african american politics

25% of All Americans Don’t Believe President Obama was Born in the United States

 

From CBSnews.com

A quarter of all Americans incorrectly think President Obama was not born in the United States, according to a new CBS News/ New York Times poll.

Among all Republicans, 45 percent believe he was born in another country, as do 45 percent of Tea Party supporters, the poll shows.

Since the start of Mr. Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, rumors have existed that he was born outside of the United States. The"birther" myth has steadily persisted through Mr. Obama's presidency, in spite of overwhelming evidence he was born in the United States -- including his 1961 birth announcement, printed in two Hawaii newspapers.

Businessman and television personality Donald Trump has pushed the issue into the spotlight in recent weeks, insisting that he is unconvinced of Mr. Obama's origins. While Trump has used the issue to bring more attention to his possible Republican presidential bid, other Republicans are trying to tamp down the "birther" talk.

Congo in Harlem

The conflict raging in Democratic Republic of Congo is the deadliest humanitarian crisis since World War
II. It has taken nearly 6 million lives since 1996, most of them women and children. But despite the vast
human toll, most Americans are still unfamiliar with the conflict, and even less so with Congo’s vibrant
culture and traditions.

During the month of October, the Maysles Cinema presents Congo in Harlem. Congo in Harlem a
month-long series of film screenings accompanied by special events, panel discussions, performances, and
receptions. Congo in Harlem will provide audiences with more than the traditional movie-going
experience -- it will offer opportunities to discover Congolese culture, learn about the ongoing
humanitarian crisis, engage in dialog, and get involved.

October 18th - 24th marks International Congo Week, a worldwide initiative to join in solidarity with the
people of Congo in breaking the silence about the conflict. Congo in Harlem will coincide with this
initiative, and offer a critical venue for reflection, discussion, and action.

The films programmed in this series are intended to educate, inspire, provoke, and entertain. They present
a broad range of subjects and experiences from important and often underrepresented voices. There are
historical investigations of Congo’s heroes and despots (Lumumba; Mobutu, King of Zaire; and
Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death); intimate accounts of the current conflict (Lumo,
Women in War Zones and Reporter); rare glimpses of the colonial era (Matamata/Pilipili and
Pygmy Thrills); celebrations of Congolese artists and musicians (Jupiter’s Dance and Afro@Digital); and films made by established and emerging Congolese directors (La Vie Est Belle and Yole!Africa Shorts Program). Most screenings will be accompanied by panel discussions, featuring the filmmakers, experts, and activists.

Selected evenings will feature receptions with Congolese food, drinks, live poetry, dance, and musical performances. Proceeds from the events Congo in Harlem will benefit various organizations working inside Congo.

Throughout the month, a digital of slideshow of A Congo Chronicle: Lumumba in Urban Art, will be projected in the cinema’s community space, courtesy of the Museum for African Art. The space will also be used for the sale of Congo-related books, DVDs, crafts and clothing.

Click here to view schedule of films and other events during Congo Week.

MCKNIGHT IS DOING THINGS RIGHT!!!

 

When R&B crooner Brian McKnight first hit the charts and radio waves in 1992, music fans were not only impressed with his vocal ability, but also his songwriting talent, and his skills as a multi-instrumentalist (he can play nine instruments). Clearly marked as his modus operandi, McKnight has maintained his music career by multi-tasking.

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Technorati Tags: brian mcknight,black celebrity gossip,black celebrites

Afghanistan/Pakistan, Where Empires Go to Die - II

by Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

Under the pretext of responding to the September 11, 2001 attacks in America, the United and States and Great Britain invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 under the banner of Operation Enduring Freedom. President Bush 41’ told the American people that the US strikes were,

“…designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations, and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime…we will make it more difficult for the terror network to train new recruits and coordinate their evil plans. Initially, the terrorists may burrow deeper into caves and other entrenched hiding places…At the same time, the oppressed people of Afghanistan will know the generosity of America and our allies. As we strike military targets, we will also drop food, medicine and supplies to the starving and suffering men and women and children of Afghanistan… ”

During the 2008 presidential campaign, candidate Obama promised to immediately withdraw troops from Iraq in order to bolster the forces in Afghanistan in order to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda. “It’s time to refocus our attention on the war we have to win in Afghanistan.”

I believe that this tactic was taken by the Obama team in order to placate the anti-Iraq contingent of the American electorate on the left while not leaving himself vulnerable to the “soft on defense” hawkish argument on the right. As a campaign tactic this approach proved to be successful. In reality, this may prove to be one of the greatest miscalculations President Obama has made. The real question here becomes, what’s the best tactic to accomplish this end?

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EX GIANT PLEADS GUILTY

 

NEW YORK(AP)—Former New York Giant Plaxico Burress(notes) pleaded guilty Thursday to a weapons charge and agreed to a two-year prison term for accidentally shooting himself at a Manhattan nightclub.

The ex-wide receiver pleaded guilty to one count of attempted criminal possession of a weapon, a lesser charge than he initially faced. Under a plea agreement, he agreed to a two-year prison sentence and two years of supervised release.

Burress was indicted earlier this month on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of reckless endangerment. He faced a minimum sentence of 3 1/2 years if convicted at a trial.

Technorati Tags: football,black men,balck gossip,athletes,giants

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BLACK MAN DIES IN POLICE CUSTODY

Technorati Tags: black male,Tennessee,police,death

Investigators in Tennessee are looking into how an 18-year-old man died while in police custody.

The Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro reports that Andron Reed died after officers arrested him Friday night. They say it all started when Reed led them on a high-speed chase.

It eventually ended in a crash, but authorities say Reed did not have any apparent injuries.

Reed's brother, who was with him at the time, told a Memphis newspaper that he could hear Reed being beaten at the jail.

Reed was later found unresponsive and died.

Investigators say he put up a struggle with officers when he was arrested, but they're not sure if that's what caused his death.

"We do know that he was fairly combative, that officers had to use some restraint to get him under control, these are things that we know right now," said TBI Spokesperson Kristin Helm. "Whether or not he was beaten or died from natural causes, those are things that will be determined as a result of the autopsy and the course of our investigation."

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VICK WAS SICK IN PRISON

NEW YORK (AP)—Michael Vick(notes) says he cried in prison because of the guilt he felt about being involved in dogfighting, and was disgusted with himself for allowing it to happen.

In an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday night, Vick said the day he walked into prison he realized “the magnitude of the decisions that I made.

“And, you know, it’s no way of, you know, explaining, you know, the hurt and the guilt that I felt. And that was the reason I cried so many nights. And that put it all into perspective,” he said.

A three-time Pro Bowl pick during six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Vick served 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring and was reinstated last month by the NFL after being out of action since 2006.

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Minister Farrakhan's Wife Featured in National Women's Magazine

 

Chicago, IL (BlackNews.com) - There is a saying that "behind every good man, is a good woman," however, in the case of The Honorable Minister Farrakhan, the leader of The Nation of Islam and the convener of the Million Man March, "behind every great man is a phenomenal woman."

Mother Khadijah Farrakhan, wife of The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, is featured on the cover of the current issue of Virtue Today Magazine, an inspirational new women's magazine out of Raleigh, North Carolina, that focuses on uplifting women. Mother Farrakhan is featured along side Michelle Obama and Winnie Mandela for the cover story: Black First Ladies. Mother Farrakhan is the First Lady of The Nation of Islam

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2009 El Salvador Elections: " Si, Se Puede "

As an international observer at the 2009 Presidential elections in El Salvador, I was so astonished to witness history in the making. At the end of the election day, hundreds of voters cheered the campaign slogan in the streets, “ Si, Se Puede.” because for the first time, true democracy has finally won victory over the strongest right wing party. Farabundo Marti National Liberation (FMLN) candidate, Maurico Funes defeated National Republican Alliance (ARENA) party candidate, Rodrigo Avila in a tight race. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) reported that President Maurico Funes won majority vote of 51.23 percent over 49.1 percent for Arena party.

In January, the presidential campaign exit polls showed that FMLN party’s potential unprecedented win could possibly beat ARENA’s four consecutive presidential election winning streak at a close margin. In order to lessen corruption, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal approved over 4,000 registered international and national observers. Under my program, the 8th Center For Exchange and Solitary International (CIS) recruited up to 265 observers from 11 foreign nations to observe in 28 different municipalities. Our monitoring team was assigned in Ilabasco, Cabanas (pro-Arena party area), which is a municipality located northeast part of El Salvador.

On Election Day:

My assessment of the electoral process corroborated the marginal state of El Salvador’s democratic institution. On election day, acting as a complete impartial bystander was the biggest challenge for me. Although I was not authorized to participate in the elections, its was very difficult to not intervene due to the transparency issues. Consequently, I’ve recorded over a dozen irregularities; ranging from violations in voting privacy, the usage of invalid citizenship identifications, senior citizen assistance, and counting duplicate ballots. Other than procedural issues, logistical implications was also a problem. The voting tables occasionally formed lines wrapped around the booths, which caused traffic in the middle of the center. The voting booth equipment was somewhat mistreated. Several voting tables were missing issued curtains. Also, there was a huge unbalanced of Arena party colors surrounding the voting center. The ARENA campaigners distributed food and beverages, did not remove hung up party flags on nearby buildings and transported distanced voters to the voting centers.

Despite fraud, the election process performed better than what we expected. Our finalized report asserted that there were no major incidents held during the elections. The report stressed other implications, such as circulation of anti-party propaganda, bribery votes and attempt votes from voters from neighboring countries (Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala). In conclusion, there is still room to rectifying the legality of the voting process. This new era will provide the electoral system a better chance in providing free and fairer elections in the future. This historical election ended two decades of strong conservative and corruptive rule. Under President Maurico Funes’s leadership, the country can be more committed to achieving sustainable democracy. In retrospect, high levels of longevity corruption and oppression crippled the democratic system. The country suffered from severe socio-economic losses under the ARENA party. Overtime, poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and human rights violations exacerbated in poorer communities. The growing pains within poor communities ended up polarizing the country between the military and the ex-guerilla Marxist rural rebels.

With this new victory, The FLMN party can rebuild a new and prosperous democratic institution. President Maurico Funes’s platform focuses on the implementation of policies that will benefit the majority of the people, which will guarantee freedom of expression, human rights protection and equal participation in the free market and investment climate. In doing so, the new administration must first establish reconciliation with ARENA party in order to work with the legislative majority, which is an excellent approach in reducing the income disparity, ensuring civil liberties and strengthening domestic security.

Still yet, President Maurico Funes faces intensive criticism from the ARENA party. ARENA political opponents believe that President Maurico Funes’s win in the executive power will exercise Venezuelan socialist influences. Also, critics argued against President Funes foreign policy decisions. Many argue against President Funes’ support to re-integrate stronger relations with the U.S and fear that he will be one of U.S‘s bully puppets. Since Post-Reagan administration, the U.S-El Salvador relation has been very controversial in the country. Many anti-American critics have expressed deep concerns focusing on El Salvador’s involvement in the Iraq War, CAFTA, and the usage of U.S. dollarization as El Salvadorian currency.

President Funes advocated that his change reform will reshape El Salvador’s foreign policy. His platform does not represent the old leftist school of thought nor advocates Chavez, Oretga and Castro influences. Instead, President Funes is a true proponent in establishing a different tone to El Salvador’s global image by resetting relations, especially with the U.S. and Latin American countries. El Salvador can not afford to repeal against CAFTA and U.S. dollarization. This course of action would debilitate the country’s economic security during the current global financial crisis. At The 2009 Summit of the Americas, President Funes proposed that El Salvador must strengthen relationships by respecting those existing global trade-military agreements but ensure that those future decisions represent the interest of the people. El Salvador looks forward to further cooperation with U.S. if only the Obama administration is willing to listen and not to impose power on the country.