A lawyer for the parents of a 7-year-old boy who died after contracting West Nile virus from a transfusion of tainted blood asked the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday to restore an $8 million jury verdict against a blood bank.
The case, though, has wider implications. The justices have been asked to decide whether all blood banks are covered by Florida's medical malpractice statutes, which include special procedures and limits on damages and attorney fees, rather than general negligence laws.
Gov. Crist today issued a written statement congratulating FSU football player Myron Rolle, who has been awarded a Rhodes scholarship.
Here is the full statement:
“I want to congratulate Myron Rolle for his selection as a Rhodes Scholar. This is a prestigious honor, one that Myron has worked hard for at Florida State University while juggling his achievements on the football field. As a graduate of Florida State, and on behalf of all Seminoles, I wish him great success moving forward in his studies. Myron is the second Rhodes Scholar from Florida State in the past two years, and I am so proud of our state universities for what they are doing for students like Myron."
My response:
Every time I mention Myron Rolle or Rhodes Scholar my son rolls his eyes at me. He is sick of the subject. But I don't care because the message that I have for both my children is "No excuses. Black folks can do anything." I said it before but it bears repeating. I'm so proud to be a Seminole and yes, I'm proud to be black in this great country, America.
Go Noles!!!!!
Read the rest.
We won tonight and it was a nice win. 37-3!
More important, however, is the news that FSU football player Myron Rolle was named a Rhodes Scholar just a few minutes ago in Birmingham, Ala.
Rolle becomes the fourth student in FSU history to earn the prestigious post-graduate scholarship, joining Caroline Alexander (1973), Garrett Johnson (2006) and Joe O'Shea (2007).
I'm so proud to be a 'Nole tonight. You know, our country just elected it's first Black President and a black football player is a Rhodes Scholar.
I don't know about you but I'm kinda feelin' like there is no room for excuses. The sky is the limit to what we can have as long as we acknowledge God and allow Him to direct our paths.
Ain't God good?
More about this wonderful young man later. I'm tired.
Cross burnings. Schoolchildren chanting "Assassinate Obama." Black figures hung from nooses. Racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars.
Incidents around the country referring to President-elect Barack Obama are dampening the postelection glow of racial progress and harmony, highlighting the stubborn racism that remains in America.
From California to Maine, police have documented a range of alleged crimes, from vandalism and vague threats to at least one physical attack. Insults and taunts have been delivered by adults, college students and second-graders.
There have been "hundreds" of incidents since the election, many more than usual, said Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate crimes.
One was in Snellville, Ga., where Denene Millner said a boy on the school bus told her 9-year-old daughter the day after the election: "I hope Obama gets assassinated." That night, someone trashed her sister-in-law's front lawn, mangled the Obama lawn signs, and left two pizza boxes filled with human feces outside the front door, Millner said.
She described her emotions as a combination of anger and fear.
"I can't say that every white person in Snellville is evil and anti-Obama and willing to desecrate my property because one or two idiots did it," said Millner, who is black. "But it definitely makes you look a little different at the people who you live with, and makes you wonder what they're capable of and what they're really thinking."
Potok, who is white, said he believes there is "a large subset of white people in this country who feel that they are losing everything they know, that the country their forefathers built has somehow been stolen from them."
Grant Griffin, a 46-year-old white Georgia native, expressed similar sentiments: "I believe our nation is ruined and has been for several decades and the election of Obama is merely the culmination of the change.
"If you had real change it would involve all the members of (Obama's) church being deported," he said.
Change in whatever form does not come easy, and a black president is "the most profound change in the field of race this country has experienced since the Civil War," said William Ferris, senior associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina. "It's shaking the foundations on which the country has existed for centuries."
"Someone once said racism is like cancer," Ferris said. "It's never totally wiped out, it's in remission."
If so, America's remission lasted until the morning of Nov. 5.
The day after the vote hailed as a sign of a nation changed, black high school student Barbara Tyler of Marietta, Ga., said she heard hateful Obama comments from white students, and that teachers cut off discussion about Obama's victory.
Tyler spoke at a press conference by the Georgia chapter of the NAACP calling for a town hall meeting to address complaints from across the state about hostility and resentment. Another student, from a Covington middle school, said he was suspended for wearing an Obama shirt to school Nov. 5 after the principal told students not to wear political paraphernalia.
The student's mother, Eshe Riviears, said the principal told her: "Whether you like it or not, we're in the South, and there are a lot of people who are not happy with this decision."
Other incidents include:
_Four North Carolina State University students admitted writing anti-Obama comments in a tunnel designated for free speech expression, including one that said: "Let's shoot that (N-word) in the head." Obama has received more threats than any other president-elect, authorities say.
_At Standish, Maine, a sign inside the Oak Hill General Store read: "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool." Customers could sign up to bet $1 on a date when Obama would be killed. "Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count," the sign said. At the bottom of the marker board was written "Let's hope someone wins."
_Racist graffiti was found in places including New York's Long Island, where two dozen cars were spray-painted; Kilgore, Texas, where the local high school and skate park were defaced; and the Los Angeles area, where swastikas, racial slurs and "Go Back To Africa" were spray painted on sidewalks, houses and cars.
_Second- and third-grade students on a school bus in Rexburg, Idaho, chanted "assassinate Obama," a district official said.
_University of Alabama professor Marsha L. Houston said a poster of the Obama family was ripped off her office door. A replacement poster was defaced with a death threat and a racial slur. "It seems the election brought the racist rats out of the woodwork," Houston said.
_Black figures were hanged by nooses from trees on Mount Desert Island, Maine, the Bangor Daily News reported. The president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas said a rope found hanging from a campus tree was apparently an abandoned swing and not a noose.
_Crosses were burned in yards of Obama supporters in Hardwick, N.J., and Apolacan Township, Pa.
_A black teenager in New York City said he was attacked with a bat on election night by four white men who shouted 'Obama.'
_In the Pittsburgh suburb of Forest Hills, a black man said he found a note with a racial slur on his car windshield, saying "now that you voted for Obama, just watch out for your house."
Emotions are often raw after a hard-fought political campaign, but now those on the losing side have an easy target for their anger.
"The principle is very simple," said BJ Gallagher, a sociologist and co-author of the diversity book "A Peacock in the Land of Penguins." "If I can't hurt the person I'm angry at, then I'll vent my anger on a substitute, i.e., someone of the same race."
"We saw the same thing happen after the 9-11 attacks, as a wave of anti-Muslim violence swept the country. We saw it happen after the Rodney King verdict, when Los Angeles blacks erupted in rage at the injustice perpetrated by 'the white man.'"
"It's as stupid and ineffectual as kicking your dog when you've had a bad day at the office," Gallagher said. "But it happens a lot."
She writes:
"While watching the evening news it was reported that a student received a warning because she was wearing an Obama tee shirt. At that moment, I decided that as Chairman of the Duval County School Board I needed to share my disappointment at how such actions depict our school district locally and nationally. I have three facts that I wish to share with all DCPS employees:
1. On November 4, 2008 the Presidential election ended. Candidate Barack Obama was elected to serve as President of the United States of America.
2. Regardless of DCPS staff members' presidential choice the facts show that the President elect can be held up as a standard for ALL students because of his educational achievements: Harvard Law grad (#1 in his class), college law professor, editor of the prestigious Harvard law review, and excellent oratory skills. Moreover, by all accounts, this election was historic.
3. It is absolutely astounding to me that in 2008 our district is having to make 'rules of engagement' because those who did not support the President elect may be upset, or violence may breakout, or hard feelings may result among students and between adults. Did these same type of rules and heightened scrutiny occur after other Presidential elections? We know that the answer is 'No'.
I refuse to believe that DCPS employees are incapable of moving forward because of the hue of Obama's skin and I refuse to believe that DCPS adult employees are incapable of moving beyond an election. Instead I choose to believe that this attitude is not representative of the majority of our DCPS employees, and that the district can relax these 'rules of engagement' because our employees will do what is right and that they understand that diversity is our greatest strength!
Our country is turning a page and all youngsters can see possibilities. As Chairman of the Duval County School Board, I trust that employees of DCPS are turning the page also. :
Thank you,
Betty Burney,
Chairman
Duval County School Board
Ebony Magazine, which was visited by the president-elect at its Chicago offices in the Michigan Ave. headquarters building of its parent, Johnson Publishing Co.
That Obama would give his first magazine and photo session to Ebony seems fitting. The magazine was a pioneer in publishing in much the way Obama's a trailblazer in politics.
Evolved from Negro Digest, which was founded in 1942 by John Johnson, Ebony for decades was one of the few periodicals African-Americans could turn to for images and stories about black strivers and movers and shakers rarely ever seen in the mainstream media.
A black person who made it to Ebony's cover had really made it in the larger sense. Obama is the ultimate African-American striver.
Also, the company's present chairman and chief executive Linda Johnson Rice, the founder's daughter, has long been a member of Chicago's black business and political aristocracy into which the Obama's have vaulted in recent years.
So all told, not a surprising choice that Ebony got Obama first.
The following is from Ebony's announcement of its coup of its interview yesterday:
The exclusive interview and cover shoot, held at the headquarters of Johnson Publishing Co. in Chicago, will be the centerpiece of Ebony magazine's January 2009 commemorative issue, which goes on sale nationwide Tuesday, December 9. President-elect Obama spoke to Ebony magazine editorial director Bryan Monroe on a wide range of issues, including his historic election and international reaction, the future of America and how he hopes to tap the enthusiasm of the millions of supporters who have been mobilized by his election.
"I'm very humbled by the fact that I stand on the shoulders of all the people who made these incredible contributions to lift this country up," Obama told Ebony on Thursday.
A Southside grandmother says pride for her new president nearly turned in to punishment for her granddaughter.
Karen Peoples says an administrator at Kernan Middle School told her granddaughter if she wore her Obama t-shirt to school again, she's be written up.
Peoples says several kids in her granddaughter's 6th grade class got the same warning. The kids say the administrator told them they weren't allowed to show "political favoritism."
But Peoples says the Obama win is cause for celebration in her family, and she's upset the school is not recognizing that. "We were trying to explain to them the good about the new presidency, the historical moments," says Peoples. "Now she doesn't understand this whole political thing. Is it a good thing? Or what is this? It's confusing."
We asked the School Board if wearing political t-shirts was against the dress code. The School Board said no. It says it asks teachers to remain politically neutral, but students can support whoever they like, as long as the t-shirts are not offensive.
The Priniciple [sic] of Kernan Middle School sent a[n] email to all school employees asking who may have made this statement and why.
The school district says it would like more parents to come forward if and when situations like this arise so it can be handled immediately.
My response:
I hate Duval County School Board. They are a bunch of incompetent idiots who do nothing but pontificate about nothingness. I don't understand why the principal of Kernan Middle had to sent out an email to ask who made the statement. That is clearly a CYA move. If you want to know who made the statement, here's an idea...ASK THE CHILD! Stupid.
I am so mad right now I want to spit. This administrator needs to be disciplined and disciplined severely as he or she has obviously abused his or her position of power.
Betta be glad it wasn't my child...
Standing barely 5 feet tall, Geraldine Watson hardly resembles a power broker.
Her soft-spoken, gentle demeanor oozes Southern lady.
When she saw her neighborhood in East Bartow crumbling beneath the burden of litter and crime, she grabbed a trash bag and some neighbors, and began walking the streets. Five years later, the Eastside Positive Action Committee, her brainchild, is working side-by-side with police to attack the neighborhood's crime problem.
"Geraldine is very persistent," said Ken Riley, who's co-chaired the EPAC with Watson. "She kept everybody interested and excited about what we were doing, and she made sure the city knew about our concerns. She's a great lady, and we're lucky to have her."
My response:
She's a classy, classy lady. The kind you don't appreciate until you get older. The kind that you rarely see any more. She was tough, but she was compassionate, and she had a hand in making me want to be a woman of excellence.
I remember one day I was in her typing class and I was dragging my feet while I was walking and popping my gum which I always had in my mouth. LOL. She told me to spit my gum out and pick up my feet. I rolled my eyes at her and cursed under my breath.
Shaking my head. We were so silly back then.
But I want to thank her because she took me outside and let me have it, in that sophisticated lady, "I mean business" kind of way. I didn't try that ever again.
I aspire to be as classy as she.
"It is unfortunate," Schwarzenegger said. "But it is not the end because I think this will go back into the courts. … It's the same as in the 1948 case when blacks and whites were not allowed to marry. This falls into the same category."
Ummm...Excuse me? It is NOT the same thing and gay rights activists will have a lot more success if they would get that straight...no pun intended.
I voted Yes on 2, which is parallel to California's Proposition 8 here in Florida. After it passed in Florida, and I saw the protests behind it, I began to feel like maybe I'd made the wrong decision. After all, who am I to judge who anybody chooses to love? I wanted a do over.
But now, I'm starting to get ticked off.
First of all, I've read and heard where gay activists are blaming black folks for why gay marriage bans passed. Well, let me help you out...black folks do not now, nor have they ever had that kind of power. Don't let the Obama presidency fool you.
The fact is that numerically MORE WHITES and other non-blacks voted to ban gay marriage so go and protest in the suburbs. Stop using us as your scapegoats.
Secondly, yelling, shouting, and and screaming nigger to the top of your lungs is not going to make me sympathetic to your cause. That's gon' get your ass kicked.
Third, your struggles ain't like mine so stop trying to piggy back off of a movement that has nothing to do with you. Civil Rights was about black people being treated as humans, not about a piece of paper.
Fourth, and I can only speak for myself on this. When I voted "Yes on 2" I wasn't trying to take away your rights. I was voting my conscience. I was voting my beliefs. I believe in the Bible and I believe that marriage is meant to be between man and woman. I do realize, however, that at the same time, I am forcing my beliefs on you. For that, I am sorry.
Now, I'm trying to be understanding. If I were a lesbian and I fell in love, I'm sure I would want to express that love by getting married. Maybe. Because let me let y'all in on a little secret. Marriage is not all that. Trust.
So I'm trying to put myself in your shoes, but understand something. You can never walk in mine. There is merit to the gay struggle, but there is no merit to placing that struggle on equal footing with the struggles of Black Americans. It is NOT the same thing.
Let the hateration begin. I ain't scurred.
Tickets to the 56th Inaugural Ceremonies will be provided free of charge and distributed through Members of the 111th Congress. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies does not provide tickets to the public. Members of the public interested in attending the Inaugural Ceremonies should contact their Member of Congress or U.S. Senators to request tickets.
The public should also be aware that no website or other ticket outlet actually has inaugural swearing-in tickets to sell, regardless of what they may claim. Tickets will not be distributed to Congressional offices until the week before the inauguration and will require in-person pick-up.
“Any website or ticket broker claiming that they have inaugural tickets is simply not telling the truth,” said Howard Gantman, Staff Director for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. “Tickets for the swearing-in of President-elect are all provided through members of Congress, and the President-elect and Vice President-elect through the Presidential Inaugural Committee. We urge the public to view any offers of tickets for sale with great skepticism.”
This message was sent from a South African law student and passed on to FSU law students. It reads:
"Congratulations on the elections...u guys made history. I must confess, i wanted the Clinton Administration, so i was a bit skeptical of Obama. I guess and hope that he will bring change to the world. We all need it and people have pinned hopes on him. I will pray that you give him the support he needs to effect the change that he promised.
As u all know...when America catches flu, we here in Africa catch pneumonia. Africa is excited at the prospects of having the first black American president. I'm not yet and i'm still waiting for his foreign policy and see what it brings for us in Africa.
However, i must concede that watching the whole thing...right from the projections on CNN, Aljazeera, BBC...to McCain and Palin conceding and to the message by McCain and to Obama claiming Victory, it was a memorable expirience. Seeing Jessie Jackson crying topped it all.
Through Obama, America has spoken and as the President Elect said, 'it is a milestone from the times when one was denied to vote because of the colour of skin. He also said that you have shown that America is not all about the weight of your wealth but rather your country is based on ideals, democracy. I cudnt agree with him more.
What happened in ur country is democracy in the true sense of the word. I wish here in Africa we were like that. That is why doing a Masters Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa is important to some of us. To teach our fellow Africans that 'yes we can.'
I hope you all, contribute, as Obama has asked, to change the image of the United States of America and its attitudes/ policies towards the rest of the world. Because, this is not going to be easy for the man who is inheriting an economy that is in a deficit running into trillons.
I myself will be watching the space. After finishing the Masters (in seven days time), i will become an academic and i will track whether Obama is bringing change to Africa.
Im happy that i lived to see this day. I hope that you guys are proud to be part of this history..if u didnt vote for Obama, then as he said...he is going to be your president and he needs your support.
Congratulations Guys."
My response:
The underlined statement ticked me off. "I will track whether Obama is bringing change to Africa?"
I wrote this back:
"...thanks for sharing this comment from your friend in Africa. I do, however, take issue with his inquiry of what Obama will do for Africa. Honestly, it pissed me off. Obama is the President of the United States, not of the world. Not to say that we should not reach out to our Mother Continent, but Obama's first priority is America. Everything and everybody else takes a back seat. So, perhaps the better question is what will your friend do for Africa. Ya know, since he's geting his Masters Degree and all."
Antigua's prime minister wants to rename the island's highest mountain peak "Mount Obama" in honor of the U.S. president-elect.
"Boggy Peak," as it is currently known, soars more than 1,300 feet (396 meters) over the island's southern point and serves as a transmission site for broadcast and telecommunication providers. It also is a popular hiking spot.
Political analyst Avel Grant says the name change could draw more tourists to the island.
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer announced the plans Wednesday in a congratulatory letter to President-elect Obama.
Attorney General Justin Simon said Thursday he will research if parliament needs to approve the name change.
Barack Obama's election as the 44th president Tuesday broke political and racial barriers in the Sunshine State.
Obama was the first Democrat to win a statewide race in a dozen years, when former President Clinton won Florida.
He's the first northern Democrat to win Florida since Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Obama also became the only black candidate to win a statewide race in Florida, outside of Reconstruction.
His election marks a change in politics, but in society as well.
"A lot of boys will pull their pants up," said state Sen. Tony Hill, a Democrat from Jacksonville. "They have a role model now. No longer will black males have any excuse. . . . Tuesday night Sen. Obama took all the excuses off the table."
Republican Peter Boulware didn't gain enough votes from ballots counted Friday to force a recount in a race he lost by 430.
Rehwinkel Vasilinda won with 48.6 percent of the vote and Boulware got 48.1 percent. John Shaw, who ran with no party affiliation, got 3.3 percent. Here's the final vote count:
Rehwinkel Vasilinda: 41,362
Boulware: 40,932
Shaw: 2,808
In the final tally, Rehwinkel Vasilinda and Boulware were separated by 0.5053 percent. State law calls for a recount when the difference is under half a percent. Boulware missed a recount by 10 votes.
My response:
I probably shouldn't say this because Peter is a fellow 'Nole but he lost and I say goody for him. He's arrogant, conceited and sooooooooo stuck up. I offered to help him with his campaign and his response to my sincere offer was, "Just vote for me as he walked away without even looking in my direction."
Ass.
I'm sure he thought he had this election in the bag because he's the great Peter Boulware who used to be an FSU and NFL star. Let this be a lesson to you, Pete. Nobody cares who you used to be. We care about who you are. Bet you wish you'd accepted a little more help on your campaign now, huh?
That's what you get.
Next time, don't be so arrogant. Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
"I'll keep my guns, freedom, and money. You can keep "the change!" Vote Sarah Palin for President in 2012! The Liberal Media wants you to think that Sarah Palin held John McCain back. We all know that John McCain's campaign surged ahead because of Sarah. She's a rising star in the GOP and could easily defeat Barack Obama in 2012! The Palin Revolution is about to break out and you can be on the cutting edge with this clever new bumper sticker! This 2-PACK includes one for each of your vehicles, whether it's your gas guzzlin' SUV, pick-up truck, or "hockey mom" minivan!
My response:
No, it's not a joke. They are actually serious. SMH....
A young man that I went to law school with sent me the following message.
What's up, friends at FSU!
Congratulations with your new president of the USA, Barack Obama. This is history in the making.
In some way he's also the president of the world (for example 88% of the people in the Netherlands would vote for Obama if they could).
At 6 am (CET) yesterday I woke up to hear his acceptance speech coming out of my alarm clock radio. That's one cool way to start the morning, is it not? My brother told me he literally shed tears of joy when he turned on the TV and heard the news.
I'm 200% sure that people from out of the USA will have a whole different look at the USA......plus with him as the president I don't have to be scared to visit the States the next 4 years.
Serious, I would have to avoid the States if 'Mr. Magoo' was elected as the next president, *lol*
I can't wait until Obama comes to The Hague/the Netherlands for a State visit.
Greetings,
Luciano
(P.S. I wonder when the Netherlands will have the first black Prime Minister in the Netherlands. Maybe I make myself a candidate, who knows.)
That P.S. made me cry...again.
By Brandon Brice
My fellow Republicans, Independents and Democrats, we are witnessing in the Republican Party a severe identity crisis. Conflicts exist amongst moderate and conservative members of the party, and a lingering stereotype of Republicans only caring about the almighty dollar. There are stigmas of greed, corruption and lack of compassion for everyday hard working Americans. Throughout the election as I interviewed New Yorkers on the streets of Harlem on 125th, the common theme and description was that a typical Republican is typically old, white, wealthy and believing in a free market system, only for personal gain. As we witnessed in the 2008 election, the Democrats have now taken control of the White House, and previously in 2006 have taken control of the House and Senate, which should be a warning to the future of this party.
First, I believe in the original ideals of the Republican Party, or what was once the “Grand Ole Party,” which is less government, a strong military, equal opportunity, an emphasis on self sustainability and a concentration on family values. What we must wake up and realize is that the issues of yesterday are but a mere dream. For this party to survive we have to accept and adapt to the issues of today. The Grand Ole Party is just that, it’s old and outdated. The Republican Party must face the realization that America is changing, as we witnessed with the election of our first African-American President, President Elect Barack H. Obama.
As I watched the cheers and praises in the streets of Harlem on election night, it dawned on me that we are in a severe identity crisis as a political party. The Republican Party’s leadership, whether it be in the White House, in the House, or in the Senate must reflect and look like the rest of the United States of America.
The Grand New Party, which has been created out of the absence of the Grand Old Party, which frankly has died as of Nov. 4th, 2008 should be a party that believes in equal opportunity, shows compassion for its citizens and believes in a responsible approach towards utilizing our armed forces. As a party we must spread the message of equal opportunity and small business investment in our inner cities, where much of the Republican Party has abandoned. Ultimately, we need to restore the history and grandeur of the Party, by once again gaining the respect of the American people, and opening up to a new diverse form of leadership for the party’s future.
I am a Republican because I believe in a prosperous capitalist system, but I believe in a system that is accountable for its actions as well. The Grand New Party’s issues should be that of integrity, accountability and equal opportunity for all. This “Grand New Party” should target issues such as high taxes, guaranteeing that hardworking Americans receive the bulk of their check. There must be a focus on fiscal responsibility and governance in Washington. The Party should lead in creating a health care system that ensures the best in quality and access for all Americans. Finally, Republicans must support an education system that puts the child first and not unions. This is the start of a new Republican Party moving forward, “The Grand New Party”.
My response:
I like the sound of that but the question is, will it happen? You know, I've been toying with the idea of changing parties again because I am highly disappointed with the Republican Party. And, you know, Bush is not popular but he had a lot to do with why I became a Republican. I bought into his message of being "Compassionately Conservative." That was something the Republicans, in my opinion, did not have. They touted all of these moral ideals but they were so mean spirited. In fact, the message was dead on but it was delivered with such a nasty attitude that I couldn't support it.
I don't know what I am going to do but I do know that I am ready to go to work to keep the momentum of CHANGE going.
Check Brandon out at hiphoprepublican.com
O'REILLY: All right. Are you worried about Obama? Are you worried about this man?
ROVE: Look, I think…
O'REILLY: Come on, tell me the truth as an American, not as a pundit, not as a…
ROVE: Let me tell you what I feel as an American. First, as an American, I love my country and I want my president to succeed.
O'REILLY: So you want him to succeed…
ROVE: I want him to succeed.
O'REILLY: ...even though he's in the other party.
ROVE: That's right. Look, I was there when a president came in whom a lot of people in this country said, we don't think he's president, we will never accept him as legitimate. And I saw how bad it was for the country.
O'REILLY: The Bush haters.
ROVE: The Bush haters. And so I don't want to be one of those. I want to be a person who says I want our new president-elect to succeed. When he takes that oath of office after January 20, it's the obligation of every American to give him a chance. And we agree with him when we think he's right. We hope he's open to persuasion if his mind is open and not made up. And when he's wrong, we do have an obligation to say with all due respect we disagree...
O'REILLY: All right. So you still have questions about him.
ROVE: And look, but here's the point. Now he's got the job. And we got to — every American hope that he is and pray for and support him in being up for the job.
Read the rest here.
Former U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell on Wednesday hailed Barack Obama's U.S. presidential election victory as a historic day in race relations but played down the likelihood of joining Obama's administration.
"President-elect Obama is going to be a president for all America," Powell, one of the most prominent black Americans who served in the military and government for 40 years, told reporters in Hong Kong.
He praised Obama for running an inclusive campaign that had cut across ethnic, income and age lines and described his victory as an historic occasion.
" ... the fact that he is also black just has turned America on, it's very emotional," Powell said of Obama, who becomes the first black U.S. president.
Powell, a retired U.S. general and former secretary of state in Republican President George W. Bush's administration, endorsed Democrat Obama in October, calling him a "transformational figure" who could be an "exceptional president."
Powell however played down the prospects of being part of the new Obama administration with slightly different comments to those he made last month, when he said he was not looking for a job but would have to consider it if asked.
"I am not interested in a position in government, nor have I been offered one, I don't expect to be offered one," he said.
"Should he call me for advice I'd be more than happy to give it, but I cannot expect to be going back to government," he said.
Powell spoke of Obama's victory while describing his own struggle in overcoming racial prejudice when he first joined the army soon after former President Harry S. Truman had desegregated the military.
"In 50 years I have seen my country move so dramatically toward a dream that our founding fathers had," Powell said.
"It says a lot about who we are as a people and emotions you see in the United States ... that's the America we remember, that's the America we want to see, that's the America that's always been an example to the rest of the world," Powell said.
He expected an Obama administration to reach out to America's potential adversaries as well seek a greater engagement with its allies.
"Its easy to talk to a friend, sometimes it is a little more difficult to talk to adversaries, but they are the ones you need to talk to, and talk to them, not just place demands and demand an outcome of negotiations before the negotiations are held," he said.
Powell urged Obama to reach out to China politically and economically to further bolster Sino-U.S. ties. "I do not expect him to adopt protectionist policies," he said.
As the two-hour wake for her mother, brother and nephew came to an end, Jennifer Hudson approached their coffins and spent a few moments with each.
She paused at the casket of her 7-year-old nephew Julian, then moved on, gently touching the body of her mother. Composed, the 27-year actress and singer, leaned down to kiss her mother goodbye. She paused again before her brother's casket before taking her seat.
The three-hour funeral reached an emotional peak when American Idol Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino sang a gospel classic, "Your Grace and Mercy". Calling the Hudsons "my family," she walked off the stage and into the aisle where she took Jennifer's hand and sang directly to the actress.
"I think it healed Jennifer's soul just then," said family friend, Lisa Allison.
Read the rest because I still don't have the words.
In DIXVILLE NOTCH, New Hampshire. Anybody ever heard of them?
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama emerged victorious in the first election returns of the 2008 presidential race, winning 15 of 21 votes cast in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.
People in the isolated village in New Hampshire's northeast corner voted just after midnight Tuesday.
It was the first time since 1968 that the village leaned Democratic in an election.
Obama's rival, Republican John McCain, won 6 votes.
A full 100 percent of registered voters in the village cast ballots. And the votes didn't take long to tally.
The town, home to around 75 residents, has opened its polls shortly after midnight each election day since 1960, drawing national media attention for being the first place in the country to make its presidential preferences known.
However, since 1996, another small New Hampshire town -- Hart's Location -- reinstated its practice from the 1940s and also began opening its polls at midnight.
The result in Dixville Notch is hardly a reliable bellwether for the eventual winner of the White House -- or even the result statewide.
While New Hampshire is a perennial swing state -- with 4 Electoral College votes at stake -- Dixville Notch consistently leans Republican. The last Democrat it picked was Hubert Humphrey over Richard Nixon in 1968.
Sen. Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died following a bout with cancer, Obama and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, said Monday.
She was 86.
At a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, Monday night, the Illinois senator said "she has gone home and she died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side."
"I'm not going to talk about it long because it's hard to talk about," he added.
Obama remembered her as "one of those quiet heroes we have across America, who aren't famous ... but each and every day they work hard. They look after their families. They look after their children and their grandchildren."
In a statement released Monday afternoon, Obama and his sister said that Dunham was "the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility."
Sen. Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died following a bout with cancer, Obama and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, said Monday.
May she rest in peace...
Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain in six of eight key battleground states one day before the U.S. election, including the big prizes of Florida and Ohio, according to a series of Reuters/Zogby polls released on Monday.
Obama holds a 7-point edge over McCain among likely U.S. voters in a separate Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby national tracking poll, up 1 percentage point from Sunday. The telephone poll has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.
Obama heads into Tuesday's voting in a comfortable position, with McCain struggling to overtake Obama's lead in every national opinion poll and to hold off his challenge in about a dozen states won by President George W. Bush in 2004.
The new state polls showed Obama with a 1-point lead in Missouri and 2-point lead in Florida, within the margin of error of 4.1 percentage points. But Obama also holds leads in Ohio, Virginia and Nevada -- all states won by Bush in 2004.
The five states where Obama is ahead have a combined 76 electoral votes. Along with states won by Democrat John Kerry in 2004, they would give Obama 328 electoral votes -- far more than the 270 needed to win the White House.
Obama also leads by 11 percentage points in Pennsylvania, which McCain has targeted as his best chance to steal a state won by Kerry in 2004.
McCain leads Obama by 5 points in Indiana and by 1 point in North Carolina -- both states won by Bush in 2004.
"Obama's lead is very steady. He could be looking at a big day on Tuesday," said pollster John Zogby. "These are all Republican states except Pennsylvania, and that does not look like it's going to turn for him."
In Florida, the biggest prize being fought over on Tuesday with 27 electoral votes, Obama leads McCain by 48 percent to 46 percent. The two were running dead even at 47 percent one week ago.
OBAMA LEADS IN OHIO
In Ohio, the state that decided the 2004 election with a narrow win for Bush, Obama has opened a 6-point edge. He also has a 6-point lead on McCain in Virginia and an 8-point advantage in fast-growing Nevada.
Obama leads McCain by a statistically insignificant 1 point, 47 percent to 46 percent, in Missouri. McCain has the same 1-point edge in traditionally Republican North Carolina.
McCain has a solid 5-point lead in Indiana, which has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964. Obama has worked to put Indiana in the Democratic column, and plans a visit there on Election Day to try to help turn out the vote.
In the national poll, Obama leads by 15 points among independents and by 13 points among women, two crucial voting blocs in Tuesday's election. He leads by 1 point among men and among all age groups except those between the ages of 55 and 69, who favor McCain by 1 point.
McCain leads among whites by 13 percentage points but is only attracting about 25 percent of Hispanics. In 2004, Bush won more than 40 percent of Hispanics.
Both independent Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr were at 1 percent in the survey, with about 2 percent of voters still undecided.
The rolling tracking poll, taken Thursday through Saturday, surveyed 1,205 likely voters in the presidential election. In a tracking poll, the most recent day's results are added, while the oldest day's results are dropped to monitor changing momentum.
The state surveys also were taken Thursday through Saturday with a sample in each state of between 600 and 605 likely voters. The margin of error in all eight states was 4.1 percentage points
Charlotte, N.C. – There has been a lot of speculation that Barack Obama might win the election due to his better "ground game" and superior campaign organization.
I had the chance to view that organization up close this month when I canvassed for him. I'm not sure I learned much about his chances, but I learned a lot about myself and about this election.
Let me make it clear: I'm pretty conservative. I grew up in the suburbs. I voted for George H.W. Bush twice, and his son once. I was disappointed when Bill Clinton won, and disappointed he couldn't run again.
I encouraged my son to join the military. I was proud of him in Afghanistan, and happy when he came home, and angry when he was recalled because of the invasion of Iraq. I'm white, 55, I live in the South and I'm definitely going to get a bigger tax bill if Obama wins.
I am the dreaded swing voter.
So you can imagine my surprise when my wife suggested we spend a Saturday morning canvassing for Obama. I have never canvassed for any candidate. But I did, of course, what most middle-aged married men do: what I was told.
At the Obama headquarters, we stood in a group to receive our instructions. I wasn't the oldest, but close, and the youngest was maybe in high school. I watched a campaign organizer match up a young black man who looked to be college age with a white guy about my age to canvas together. It should not have been a big thing, but the beauty of the image did not escape me.
Instead of walking the tree-lined streets near our home, my wife and I were instructed to canvass a housing project. A middle-aged white couple with clipboards could not look more out of place in this predominantly black neighborhood.
We knocked on doors and voices from behind carefully locked doors shouted, "Who is it?"
"We're from the Obama campaign," we'd answer. And just like that doors opened and folks with wide smiles came out on the porch to talk.
Grandmothers kept one hand on their grandchildren and made sure they had all the information they needed for their son or daughter to vote for the first time.
Young people came to the door rubbing sleep from their eyes to find out where they could vote early, to make sure their vote got counted.
We knocked on every door we could find and checked off every name on our list. We did our job, but Obama may not have been the one who got the most out of the day's work.
I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the "big things."
It's not about taxes. I'm pretty sure mine are going to go up no matter who is elected.
It's not about foreign policy. I think we'll figure out a way to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan no matter which party controls the White House, mostly because the people who live there don't want us there anymore.
I don't see either of the candidates as having all the answers.
I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways.
My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors. But this time, not because it was her idea. I don't know what it's going to do for the Obama campaign, but it's doing a lot for me.
Well, folks, it's the night before the Election and I am so excited! So optimistic! So filled with joy...and trepidation. I'm not comfortable...not yet. Who knows what tomorrow may bring.
I voted last week. I thought I would cry but I didn't. It was strange because there was no jubilation or rejoicing like I thought it would be. People were so tense and guarded. Nobody would look at each other. Not even the black people. It was a little unsettling for me. I mean, I didn't look at the white people because I didn't know if they were friend or foe. Are they here for Obama or McCain? And if they are here for McCain then they've got to be a bunch of racists because what person in their right mind would vote for McCain unless they were simply voting AGAINST Obama. So we were quiet, guarded, suspicious of each other.
This morning, I pulled out of my driveway and noticed that my neighbors had put up a McCAin/Palin sign. Immediately I got an attitude. I said to myself, "That's why that heffa didn't speak to me the other day. She mad about my Obama sign." She was on my list.
Not to be outdone, I went and got more Obama signs and put them everywhere. I have about ten Obama signs in my yard. She came out while I was putting them up and to my surprise, she was chit chatty. I just came out and asked her, "Why are you voting for McCain? I'm Republican and I'm not voting for him." She said, "Well, I'm democrat and I'm not voting for Obama." I wanted to slap her.
But then she began to explain why she wasn't comfortable voting for Barack. She didn't like his health plan and she disagreed with him on his tax plan. What she said made sense. I disagreed with her but I understood why she felt the way she felt. So I took her off the list.
And then I felt ashamed of myself. I realized I'm prejudiced. Yeah, I love white people...especially white men. (Note to self: call my favorite "Something New" Ben Smith) LOLLLL. I still bear some of the scars of my youth and the pain of feeling that I will never quite be good enough in the eyes of white people. But this is supposed to be a new day and a new time. Things are changing. And people have a right to vote any way they want to and we should not assume that white people are voting for McCain simply because he's white. Neither should people assume that black people are voting for Obama simply because he's black. That's insulting.
Some of my Republican friends have accused me of being a traitor. Whatever. Black folks said the same thing when I became a Republican. Whatever to them to. Nobody tells me what to do. I am led by my own convictions. NOBODY tells me what to do.
Anyway, I've ranted enough. If I can hang, I will be celebrating the making of history at the Moon tomorrow night. But tonight, I am in prayer for the country, for my children and for Obama. To anyone who feels they can't vote for Obama because he's black...vote for his white half! :-)
Let's make history!
Balfour's mother tried to get crunk with Nancy but you know Nancy don't play dat mess. This was foolishness and that's all I will say until more facts come out.
Calling him "arrogant and defiant," a Wayne County Circuit Judge on Tuesday sentenced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to four months in jail with no early release under the terms of a plea deal.
Kilpatrick pleaded guilty last month to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.
In imposing the sentence, Judge David Groner harshly criticized Kilpatrick for his conduct, particularly for a televised speech that aired hours after he entered his pleas.
"That night, the community expected to hear a message of humility, remorse and apology," Groner said. "Instead, we heard an arrogant and defiant man who accused the governor, among others, for his downfall." 
Watch the judge issue the sentence »
While a presentencing report submitted to the court said Kilpatrick accepts responsibility for his actions, Groner said he questioned the former mayor's sincerity.
"Many defendants have stood before this court. However, this case is different, and you are not the typical defendant," the judge said. "... You were expected to lead from the front and set an example."
Kilpatrick was accused of blocking a criminal investigation into his office and firing a police deputy to cover up an affair with his then-chief of staff, Christine Beatty. When that deputy, Gary Brown, filed a whistle-blower suit last summer, Kilpatrick and Beatty denied under oath that an affair had taken place.
Groner noted that after a jury found in Brown's favor, Kilpatrick publicly vowed to appeal, only to do a "180-degree" turn after he found out the plaintiffs were in possession of text messages that gave evidence of the affair. Brown then urged the City Council to approve settlements, which cost the city $8.4 million -- closer to $9 million after legal costs.
In January, the Detroit Free Press revealed the text messages that contradicted Kilpatrick's and Beatty's testimony.
After the text messages were made public, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged Kilpatrick and Beatty with multiple counts of perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office. The most serious charges would have carried a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison upon conviction.
Beatty resigned her post after the text messages were made public, but the case against her remains pending, Worthy said. The Free Press reported Beatty has rejected several plea deal offers, the last of which would have required her to serve 150 days in jail.
Worthy told reporters after Kilpatrick's hearing that she was satisfied with the result, but could not comment extensively on Kilpatrick's case. "We have another defendant to try," she said. "I don't want to step over that line."
Kilpatrick must also pay the city of Detroit $1 million in restitution, Groner ordered, and forfeit any future pension.
He initially refused to resign, and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm had called a hearing on whether she should remove him from office at the request of the Detroit City Council. Granholm adjourned those hearings after Kilpatrick pleaded guilty and agreed to resign.
In the speech after he pleaded guilty September 4, Kilpatrick told reporters Granholm and city officials should work for the people of Detroit as hard as they did to get him out of office.
He told the crowd his marriage is better than ever, and kissed his wife to resounding applause when he concluded his remarks. He said he decided to step down so the city could move forward.
Groner also ordered Kilpatrick to sign an order of revocation regarding his law license. Because of a pending complaint against Kilpatrick, he could not surrender the license, but instead had to agree to revocation -- something his defense attorneys argued vehemently against. Groner told them the issue could be raised on appeal if necessary.
Read the rest here.
He so stupid. I am so disgusted and disappointed in his dumb behind. I used to love me some Kwame. Lawd...
Academy Award-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson stood again in the Cook County medical examiner's office, clutching the hands of loved ones as they identified the body of yet another slain relative -- her 7-year-old nephew, Julian King.
Even before family members arrived at the morgue Monday, they had been told that the three-day search for the 2nd grader had ended when his body was found slumped in the back seat of a sport-utility vehicle parked on a West Side street.
Amid visibly shaken family members in the medical examiner's office, Hudson bowed her head as if in prayer, then looked up.
"Yes, that's him," she told medical examiner officials as the family stood with her in an adjoining room and looked at a video monitor showing the boy's face.
Federal prosecutors charged two men with plotting a "killing spree" against African-Americans that would have been capped with an attempt to kill Sen. Barack Obama while they wore white tuxedos, federal officials said Monday.
The U.S. attorney's office in Jackson, Tennessee, said Daniel Cowart, 20, and Paul Schlesselman, 18, were self-described white supremacists who met online through a mutual friend.
Both men have been charged with illegal possession of a sawed-off shotgun, conspiracy to rob a federally licensed gun dealer and making threats against a presidential candidate.
The men planned to kill more than 100 African-Americans, including 14 who would be beheaded, according to the affidavit. But federal law enforcement sources said there was no evidence Cowart, of Bells, Tennessee, and Schlesselman, of West Helena, Arkansas, had any details of Obama's schedule.
"We take this very, very seriously but we see no evidence these guys have the ability or the wherewithal to pull off what they say they wanted to do," one law enforcement source said.
According to an affidavit from the federal agent who questioned them, Cowart and Schlesselman planned to charge at Obama with a car, firing from the windows as they went. They would be dressed in white tuxedos and top hats during the attempt, the affidavit states.
Cowart and Schlesselman were arrested outside Jackson, about 75 miles east of Memphis, Tennessee, after an aborted robbery attempt last week, according to court records.
Though they told investigators they would be willing to die in their mission, the men backed out of their October 21 attempt to rob the gun dealer after spotting two cars and a dog at the home, the affidavit states. The men also shot out the window of a church on their way back to Cowart's grandfather's home, where they were arrested the next day.
Cowart and Schlesselman made their initial appearances before a federal judge Monday and are scheduled for a bond hearing Thursday in Memphis.
Obama, an Illinois Democrat, is the first African-American nominee to lead a major-party ticket and was placed under Secret Service protection in May 2007, far earlier than other candidates.
Campaign spokeswoman Linda Douglass said, "We never comment on security matters."
Threats against Obama have led to arrests in two previous cases. In one, federal prosecutors concluded that the three people arrested with drugs and weapons in a suburban Denver motel posed a "true threat" to the candidate.
In the second, a Florida man was charged with threatening bodily harm against the candidate in August. He has pleaded not guilty.
The Anchorage Daily News, Alaska's largest newspaper, endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Sunday after declaring Gov. Sarah Palin "too risky" to be one step away from the Oval Office.
"Like picking (Republican presidential candidate John) McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time," The Daily News said.
The newspaper said Obama "brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand."
The Daily News said since the economic crisis has emerged, McCain has "stumbled and fumbled badly" in dealing with it.
"Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown's root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it," the paper said.
The Daily News said Palin has shown the country why she is a success as governor. But the paper said few would argue that Palin is truly ready to step into the job of being president despite her passion, charisma and strong work ethic.
"Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency — but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation," the paper said.
Well, looky, looky...
With 10 days until Election Day, long-brewing tensions between GOP vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin and key aides to Sen. John McCain have become so intense, they are spilling out in public, sources say.
Several McCain advisers have suggested to CNN that they have become increasingly frustrated with what one aide described as Palin "going rogue."
A Palin associate, however, said the candidate is simply trying to "bust free" of what she believes was a damaging and mismanaged roll-out.
McCain sources say Palin has gone off-message several times, and they privately wonder whether the incidents were deliberate. They cited an instance in which she labeled robocalls -- recorded messages often used to attack a candidate's opponent -- "irritating" even as the campaign defended their use. Also, they pointed to her telling reporters she disagreed with the campaign's decision to pull out of Michigan.
A second McCain source says she appears to be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign.
"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said this McCain adviser. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.
"Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."
Um huh...who's the Maverick now?
Republican campaign worker who told police she was assaulted by a man angered by a John McCain sticker on her car admitted she made up the report, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, assistant police chief said Friday.
Ashley Todd, 20, of College Station, Texas, has been charged with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor, and may face more charges, said Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Diane Richard at a news conference.
Todd is incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail but had not been arraigned Friday night.
Todd was a volunteer for a John McCain phone bank in Pittsburgh, the campaign said.
"This has wasted so much time. ... It's just a lot of wasted man hours," Assistant Police Chief Maurita Bryant said at the same briefing.
The woman told investigators a man approached her Wednesday night at an ATM in Pittsburgh's East End, put a blade to her neck and demanded money, Richard said.
Police said they found "several inconsistencies" in Todd's statement and she was not seen in surveillance videos taken at the ATM. She was asked to take a polygraph test Friday morning, Richard said. The results were not made public.
Later, Todd came to the police station to help work on a composite sketch of the alleged attacker. When she arrived, Todd "told them she just wanted to tell the truth" -- that she was not robbed, and there was no attacker, Bryant said.
Todd originally told police a man "punched her in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground, and he continued to punch and kick her while threatening to teach her a lesson for being a McCain supporter," according to a police statement.
The woman also told police her attacker "called her a lot of names and stated that 'You are going to be a Barack supporter,' at which time she states he sat on her chest, pinning both her hands down with his knees, and scratched into her face a backward letter 'B' on the right side of her face using what she believed to be a very dull knife."
Bryant described Todd as "very cordial, polite, cooperating," and said the woman was surprised by all the media attention. Asked whether the false report was politically motivated, Bryant replied, "It's difficult to say."
"She is stating that she was in her vehicle driving around, and she came up with this idea," she said. "She said she has prior mental problems and doesn't know how the backward letter 'B' got on her face."
However, Todd was the only one in the vehicle, and "when she saw the 'B' she thought she must have been the one who did it," Bryant said.
"We're talking with the district attorney's office and conferring on just how we're going to handle it," she said. "It's been different stories through the night and this morning."
She said there was no indication that anyone else was involved.
Richard said the woman had described her alleged attacker as an African-American, 6 feet 4 inches tall with a medium build and short dark hair, wearing dark clothing and shiny shoes.
Before the revelation that the report was false, McCain spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said that McCain and running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin "spoke to the victim and her family after learning about the incident."
The Obama campaign also had issued a statement wishing the woman a "speedy recovery."
The mother and brother of singer and Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson were found shot to death inside a home Friday.
Police have confirmed Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, is one of the deceased. The other victim has been identified as Jennifer Hudson's brother, Jason S. Hudson, 29.
search is underway for a young boy who is missing from the home. Jennifer Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, has been missing since Friday morning, according to Area 2 Deputy Chief Joseph Patterson.
Patterson said neighbors reported hearing shots between 8 and 9 a.m.
State police have issued an amber alert for the child. He may be with William Balfour, who police are looking for. Relatives said Balfour is the husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia.
Police are searching for an SUV that was seen in the area - a 1994 white Suburban, Illinois license plate number X584859.
He could also be driving a teal or green Chrysler Concorde, four-door with temporary tags 332K823.
Balfour is believed to have lived in the house where the bodies.
Lord, have mercy. Jennifer, I'm so sorry for your loss. More important, I am praying for you.
Read the rest.
Two weeks before an election that could install the first black U.S. president, scattered ugly incidents have reflected a deep residue of racism among some segments of white America.
A cardboard likeness of Barack Obama was found strung from fishing wire at a university, the Democratic presidential nominee's face was depicted on mock food stamps, the body of a black bear was left at another university with Obama posters attached to it.
Though the incidents are sporadic and apparently isolated, they stirred up memories of the violent racial past of a country where segregation and lynchings only ended within the last 50 years.
And some feared that Obama could be a target for people who reject him on racial grounds alone. The Illinois senator leads Republican rival John McCain in polls ahead of the November 4 election and has a big following in many sections of Americans, from liberals to conservatives, black and white, poor and wealthy.
"Many whites feel they are losing their country right before their eyes," said Mark Potok, who directs the Southern Poverty Law Center that monitors hate groups. "What we are seeing at this moment is the beginning of a real backlash."
Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod said the incidents were disappointing but he said there were fewer than some had predicted.
"We've always acknowledged that race is not something that's been eradicated from our politics," said Axelrod. "But we've never felt that it would be an insuperable barrier and I don't think that it will be."
The latest incident occurred on Monday when the body of bear cub was found on the campus of Western Carolina University in North Carolina. Obama campaign signs were placed around the dead animal's head. School officials said it was a prank.
Earlier a cardboard likeness of Obama was strung up with fishing wire from a tree at a university in Oregon and an Ohio man hung a figure bearing an Obama sign from a tree in his yard. The man told local media he didn't want to see an African-American running the country.
ANGRY INDIVIDUALS
Potok said the displays of racism did not appear orchestrated as part of a campaign of racial intimidation, but were rather the acts of angry individuals. Their voices are often heard in radio call-back shows or letters to editors.
Many Americans "see the rise of minority rights, gay rights, women's rights as a threat to the world they grew up in and that their parents grew up in. They see huge demographic changes," he said.
"They see jobs disappearing to other countries, and now they see a man who is African American and who will very likely become president of the United States. For some of those people that symbolizes the end of the world as they know it."
He estimated there were as many as 800 white supremacy or nationalist groups in the United States, with at least 100,000 as "an inner core" of membership and many more on the fringes.
One such group, the League of American Patriots, last month distributed literature about why a "black ruler" would destroy the country.
Michigan State University professor Ronald Hall, writing in his new book "Racism in the 21st Century," said racism remains one of the most pressing U.S. social problems, though it now takes forms that are more subtle than the lynchings and mob violence seen decades ago in some parts of the country.
Some groups tagged with racist acts deny the charge.
In California, a Republican group said it intended no racial overtone when its October newsletter depicted a fake food stamp bearing a likeness of Obama's head on a donkey's body surrounded by fried chicken, watermelon and other images evoking insulting stereotypes about African-Americans.
Some acts have targeted not Obama's black heritage -- his father was Kenyan and his white mother was from Kansas -- but the false notion that he is a Muslim.
A derogatory billboard in West Plains, Mo., went up last month showing a caricature of Obama wearing a turban.
"There are a lot of Republicans and McCain supporters who find it hard to believe that a black guy whose middle name is Hussein is going to be the next president of the United States," said David Bositis, senior research associate at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
David Wolff, a 52-year-old white Pennsylvania voter who plans to cast his ballot for Obama, said he commonly hears racist comments and thinks such sentiments are deeply rooted across America.
"One thing that could speed up the eradication of racism would be to have a charismatic, inspirational, transformational, generational black president," he said.
