Larry Wilmore (@thelarrywilmore) lets us know why we can NEVER have a conversation on race...

This is the best, funniest, most honest, most insightful...and in it's own way...the angriest statement on our Race relations in the U.S.A.

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Shame on me for missing the "Am I suspicious" video made by Howard University Students

The Truth About Romney Economics: Cindy from Dade

The 850 jobs that Bain Capital eliminated in Miami allowed those workers a Middle Class Lifestyle. They could send their kids to college.

But those are not the kind of jobs Mitt Romney creates.

Charlie Crist endorses President Obama, and prepares a speech for the DNC.

Methinks Charlie Crist won't be an Independent for long.

As Republicans gather in Tampa to nominate Mitt Romney, Americans can expect to hear tales of how President Obama has failed to work with their party or turn the economy around.

But an element of their party has pitched so far to the extreme right on issues important to women, immigrants, seniors and students that they've proven incapable of governing for the people. Look no further than the inclusion of the Akin amendment in the Republican Party platform, which bans abortion, even for rape victims.

The truth is that the party has failed to demonstrate the kind of leadership or seriousness voters deserve.

Pundits looking to reduce something as big as a statewide election to a single photograph have blamed the result of my 2010 campaign for U.S. Senate on my greeting of President Obama. I didn't stand with our president because of what it could mean politically; I did it because uniting to recover from the worst financial crisis of our lifetimes was more important than party affiliation. I stood with our nation's leader because it was right for my state.

President Obama has a strong record of doing what is best for America and Florida, and he built it by spending more time worrying about what his decisions would mean for the people than for his political fortunes. That's what makes him the right leader for our times, and that's why I'm proud to stand with him today.

Oh, and there's that little speech he's preparing for next week.

Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida will speak at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, three Democratic officials confirmed to CNN Monday.

The move follows his endorsement of President Barack Obama on Sunday. Crist cited the president's leadership following the economic collapse and surrounding health care, as well as his disagreements with the GOP platform as reasons for his backing.

I have no doubt that Charlie Crist is a small-c Conservative, but this values are perfectly in line with Democratic ones.

"Reverse" - Obama for America 2012 Television Ad (VIDEO)

Apparently, "Stand Your Ground" only applies if you kill Black People (VIDEO)

Who knew?



In her own home, threatened with physical harm by a man with a record of abuse, by a man with a restraining order...

As much as I despise this law, this seems to be the very kind of incident it was designed for, and yet...George Zimmerman is allowed to use, and Marissa Alexander is not. Please someone explain to me why.

Frankly speaking, if Marissa had killed her husband, and then told any old story she needed to, she might not be in jail today.

That's Florida for you.

That's why I just as soon it was cut off from our country and allowed to float away.

President Obama's speech today in Florida on the Buffet Rule (VIDEO)

Billboard Racism... (VIDEO)

Saw these stories in a couple places today, but Jonathan Capehart was the first to collect them both together:

“Long live Zimmerman” was spray painted on a wall outside the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center at Ohio State University on April 5. In a tweet that morning, university President E. Gordon Gee called it a “Deplorable act of intolerance.” As you see in the video [below], the message was removed.

“Trayvon A N-----” was the message to motorists on one of those electronic construction signs early this morning on Interstate 94 in Michigan. According to Shawn Ley of WDIV-TV in Detroit, the computer keyboard used to type those highway messages was torn out and stolen from the metal box on the back of the construction sign.

Trayvon racial slur on Mich road sign: woodtv.com

ThinkProgress: Comparing the video to Zimmerman's version of event, a helpful graphic

Well, ummm...oops.



The full video can be found here.

Uhh, does this guy look like he's been assaulted to you?? (VIDEO)

This is from ABC News. It's pretty sharp-looking video.



The video might bleed over my format's margins, but Zimmerman doesn't disappear as far as I can tell. A smaller version of the video is below.

Okay, so at least he was detained for a time.

So I'm back to one of my questions. The lead Homicide Investigator says he thought a charge of Manslaughter was appropriate. It looks like Zimmerman was arrested, at least for a little bit.

So what happened after he goes in that door. Because something changed after that, and we still don't know what.

Also, we are being told a story that this man was under mortal assault, fear for his life, so much so that he had no choice but to go for his gun.

You tell me. Is the back of his head bloodied up? Is his nose broken? Does he look like anything's happened to him at all?



I can't say that these things did not happen, but the very lurid and vivid descriptions provided by Zimmerman's defenders seem to be 100% Grade-A Bullshit.

Questions about the Trayvon Martin shooting...

This list started out with one question, and quickly grew to many. I would love to add more.

This is not a list of political questions, these are all questions that could be (or rather should be) asked at a Legal proceeding, and answered with hard documentation.  The fact that we don't know the answers...and may never know the answers...to these questions terrifies me.

In the end, I think George Zimmerman is going to get away with murder, because the Police have hopelessly botched the case.  I also think they hopelessly botched the case on purpose.

Where is the gun?

Where are Mr. Zimmerman’s clothes, along with any physical evidence of an assault?

If you needed these pieces of evidence, now way after the date, could the Sanford Police Department get them from Mr. Zimmerman?

Where is Mr. Zimmerman now? Could the Sanford Police Department find him if they needed to?

Is there any documentation backing up the claim that Mr. Zimmerman was assaulted?

Is there a Medical Report showing that Mr. Zimmerman was assaulted?

Was an ambulance called to treat Mr. Zimmerman because of this alleged assault?

Where there photographs taken at the scene? Of Trayvon’s body, of Mr. Zimmerman’s head and face?

Why did the Sanford Police Department  hold onto Trayvon’s body for three days without identifying him?

Did anyone at the Sanford Police Department make any attempt to look at Trayvon’s phone during those three days?

Who made the decision to hold onto Trayvon’s body for three days without identifying him?

What position was Trayvon found in?

Was Trayvon shot in the back or front?

Were any nitrate tests done on Mr. Zimmerman’s hands to determine if he had fired a weapon? If not, why not?

Were any nitrate tests done on Trayvon to determine how close he was to the weapon that killed him? If not, why not?

If the Lead Homicide Investigator was overruled at the scene as to whether or not to charge Mr. Zimmerman with manslaughter, who overruled him?

Who are the eyewitnesses to the assault?

Does the Sanford Police Department have records of testimony from these eyewitnesses to the alleged assault on Mr. Zimmerman?

What was Mr. Zimmerman’s height and weight at the time of the incident? What was Trayvon’s? (Goes to the relative threat Mr. Zimmerman is alleged to have faced).

What is the status of ALL the 911 Recordings from the night of the incident? Will they be released in their entirety?

Do we have a complete timeline of the incident, collating with hard evidence, because even Mr. Zimmerman’s own alleged account seems to leave out about a minute of time.

And because it can’t be asked enough...where is the gun?

If you've got any more, I'd love to hear 'em.

Now, it's also fair to ask Trayvon's parents some questions, but I'm betting I don't know the answer to these out of my own ignorance rather than a concerted effort to conceal them:

When did you call Police to report Trayvon missing?

Did you hear the shots?

Did you notice the Police activity nearby?

How close was Trayvon to getting back to his Dad's Girlfriend's place when he was killed? (I saw the walk through the father gave on Reverend Al's show, but all the distances were relative. I want to know in terms of feet and yards.)

Was the place where Trayvon was shot actually visible from the Girlfriend's House?

UPDATE: 10:54pm Pacific: Well, I got one of the answers. From Joy Ann Reid at the Griot (Thanks Dirk!)

A source with knowledge of the investigation into the shooting of Trayvon Martin tells theGrio that it was then Sanford police chief Bill Lee, along with Capt. Robert O'Connor, the investigations supervisor, who made the decision to release George Zimmerman on the night of February 26th, after consulting with State Attorney Norman Wolfinger -- in person.

Wolfinger's presence at the scene or at the police department in the night of a shooting would be unusual, according to the source. On a typical case, police contact the state attorney's office and speak with an on duty assistant state attorney; they either discuss the matter by phone or the on duty assistant state attorney comes to the crime scene - but rarely the state attorney him or herself.

Quoting @Lawrence, @CharlesMBlow's fury is a magnificent thing to behold (VIDEO)

Again, Lawrence commits another act of Journalism.

First segment:

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Second segment, after the lighting was fixed:

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The post-mortem afterwards:

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Charles M. Blow's port-mortem apology (which I don't think he needed to give):

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And Lawrence's Last word:

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@Lawrence O'Donnell commits an act of Journalism LIVE on air (VIDEO)

For viewing over and over and over again. This is how it's done:

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The complete Trayvon Martin... (VIDEO)

Video after video after video after video...

One of the earliest segments from MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry:

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Last night's Lawrence O'Donnell:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And if you thought that segment was good, I thought this one was better:

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Big Eddie...

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And more Big Eddie...

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And Reverend Al's Two Segments:

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And Reverend Al's Interview with Trayvon's Father:

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What Colin Powell was in 2008, will Charlie Crist be in 2012?

From Politico:

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said Tuesday he wouldn’t rule out voting for President Barack Obama in November.

Crist — who was a member of the Republican party until 2010 and is now a registered independent — said in interviews with MSNBC and CNN that he would “consider” casting his ballot for Obama on election day.

“Consider? Sure, I would consider that,” Crist said on MSNBC’s “Daily Rundown.” “I really think he’s sincere and genuine. I think we have a lot time, a lot of issues to talk about, but I think, in his heart, he’s trying to do what’s right for the country overall.”

And in an interview with CNN, Crist pointed to the improving economy as a reason he might vote for Obama in November.

Rick Santorum: Blind, Stupid and Willing... (VIDEO)

Here we go again.

If you want to know what I think about this, allow me to modify [somewhat] my blog post where I attacked Jenny Sanford for doing this exact same thing.

When you provide cover for the racism of others, as [Rick Santorum] does in that video? Well, you're either blind, stupid or willing.  [Rick Santorum] is not stupid. I think its too late in the day for anyone to be that blind as to racial disparity in this country, [but Santorum may be an exception.]

So that only leaves willing...someone willingly blind. And if you're willingly blind, if you're not willing to make and effort to see what's going on, what else am I to think of you?

After his Daily Show fiasco, Joe Kaufman explains himself... (VIDEO)

Remember Nezar Hamze, the Muslim Republican, who wanted to gain the admission into the Broward County (FL) GOP?

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Well, Mr. Kaufman released this statement to...ahem...explain himself.

Friends,

With the intention of exposing and helping to bring national attention to the infiltration of Islamist groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood, I agreed to do an interview with Comedy Central’s Daily Show, which was to take place on October 25th. The piece aired January 5th.

For over two hours, I was asked questions about my run for Congress against Debbie Wasserman Schultz and my thoughts regarding the Broward Republican Party’s refusal to grant membership to local CAIR leader Nezar Hamze.

I had been outspoken against Hamze gaining a position in the party, due to the extremist nature of the organization he represents and due to his own radical past. I had distributed information to party members detailing these facts (See attachment of flyer).

According to Hamze, he had been "encouraged" to join the Republican Party by Javier Manjarres, a campaign staffer for one of my opponents in the upcoming Republican Primary, Karen Harrington. It is the opinion of many that Manjarres, who has a criminal background, attempted to destroy the local GOP by bringing Hamze in. It backfired, as Hamze was voted down 158 to 11.

Upset, Manjarres - defending Hamze - complained to the Miami Heraldthat the vote was a “set up.” He said the Republican Party was practicing “bigotry.”

Prior to the vote, I had the chance to formally ask Hamze, in front of the party, if he would support either Allen West or myself for Congress and if he was a supporter of terrorism. He declined to answer the questions.* Indeed, Hamze has in the recent past been fervently outspoken against Congressman West and other prominent Republicans, including Adam Hasner. *[reporter's note: It's a suspect claim to say Hamze refused to say he was against terrorism]

Following the vote, I praised local party leaders and members for how they conducted themselves during the voting process. I stated that groups connected to terrorism should have no role in the Republican Party and should not exist within the United States.

Although the Daily Show segment skewed the serious nature of the subject of CAIR and radical Islamic outfits and edited out so much of what I had to say, we can now hope this small shred of national exposure can begin the serious dialogue on the truth regarding these groups.

Make note, the only reason why I did this show was to have another opportunity to speak out against the hate and terror of CAIR and the like. For the past ten years, I have devoted my life to exposing these groups, and I am extremely proud of the work I have done to help protect the nation I grew up in and love.

I have never been afraid of the terror-related groups I write and speak about, even after receiving numerous threats. I most certainly will never be afraid of doing a comedy show.

Joe Kaufman

Yeah.

McClatchy News had this to say in the same article:

But, for now, this is a win for Kaufman. Getting mocked on liberal-leaning Daily Show isn't bad for a Republican (more here). And being an Islam basher isn't a killer in heavily Jewish South Florida. But it's a pretty disastrous prospect to be defined as an object of mockery, even if Kaufman was caught off guard. If Kaufman makes it out of the primary, he'll likely go up against Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who's not just beloved in her heavily liberal district. She can define words like "against."

As Randi always says, there's a reason Florida is shaped like it is.

It's a sad, sad day in America when I have to agree with (shudder) Allen West...on anything.

Scott Keyes asked Rep. Allen West (the same Allen West who hired an anti-semetic Radio Show as his Chief of Staff before bailing on her), about Newt Ginrich's recent idea to basically reinstate the poll test as a method of screening out voters.

KEYES: Over the weekend, presidential contender Newt Gingrich came out and said he’d like to see some sort of poll test, throwing out the idea that maybe voters ought to have a certain standard knowledge of American history in order to be able to vote. What are your thoughts on that?

WEST: That’s going back to some times that my parents had to contend with. [...] I think that we need to do a better job educating our young men and women in school, but we don’t need to have a litmus test, no.

I know. I'm amazed too. A moment of clarity and sanity. But don't worry, Rep. West will soon say something else that will disgrace the country and the institution in which he serves.

Well, Florida, you wanted Rick Scott...you got him. And frankly, you deserve it..

Great piece from the New York Times.  Well, Florida...what goes for Wisconsin, goes for you.

This is what you get when you vote America's greatest Medicare Fraud in as Governor, because you wanted to send a message to Washington.  What's going to happen to you was preventable.  You had a chance to vote for Alex Sink, and instead, you get this:

In his first two months in office, [Governor Rick Scott] has irritated the State Senate’s powerful Budget Committee chairman by selling two state jets without legislative permission, a constitutional no-no. The governor wanted the sale done quickly (he uses his own plane), and he succeeded.

He annoyed the ambitious Senate president, as well as a host of leaders in conservative states, by trying to kill off a database to track the fraudulent distribution of addictive prescription drugs before it was up and running. He did so without consulting lawmakers, calling the monitoring system an invasion of privacy.

Most recently, Mr. Scott rejected $2.4 billion in federal stimulus money to build a high-speed rail line from Tampa to Orlando, which he saw as too big a financial drain on state taxpayers in the long term.

His refusal to take the money prompted new bouts of discord; a staunch conservative Republican from central Florida joined forces with a Democrat in filing a lawsuit last month, and 26 lawmakers signed a letter to the federal transportation secretary urging him to basically ignore the governor and send the money anyway. (The State Supreme Court ruled in Mr. Scott’s favor on Friday.)

As State Senator Arthenia L. Joyner, a lawyer and the Democrat who took Mr. Scott to court, put it at a news conference about the suit: “It’s necessary at this time, I think — because our governor’s new — to let him know this is not a monarchy. He’s not a king. This is a democracy.”

Mr. Scott’s go-it-alone style of governing was on display vividly last month when he chose to unveil his two-year budget 200 miles from Tallahassee, in the rural town of Eustis, at a rally jammed with Tea Party supporters. Mr. Scott, who wants to promote business in the state and drastically reduce the government’s reach, proposes slashing $4.1 billion in spending and cutting property and corporate income taxes.

It didn't have to be this way.

At least Wisconsin's got a recall measure.

And now, Scott Walker stands (just about) alone...

Via Talking Points Memo. First Mitch Daniels of Indiana (whose Dems have also left the state), now Rick Scott of Flordia have decided that letting the Unions be is a pretty good idea.

And by the way, the Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader (a Republican, duh) has said he's not going along with Walker's end-around budget trick to force his Union Busting bill through.

Walker's running out of friends.