There is Still time to Register to Vote

In Illinois, residents have until October 7, 2008 to register to vote. The registration deadline is 28 days before the election.

WHO CAN REGISTER TO VOTE? You may register to vote if you are: A U.S. Citizen 18 years of age at the time of the election A resident of your address for 30 days immediately prior to election day.

WHERE DO I REGISTER TO VOTE?
At the County Clerk's office, 324 Main St. -- Room 101, Peoria
At the Peoria City Election Commission, 542 S.W. Adams St. - Peoria
At the Secretary of State Drivers License Facility, Sterling Av. - Peoria
At any Public Library in the County
At some local Municipal or Township offices.
Through a Deputy Registrar duly appointed by the County Clerk.

You may phone the County Clerk at 672-6070 for information on a voter registration location near you.

DOES MY VOTER REGISTRATION EXPIRE? Your voter registration does not expire unless you move or change your name. If you move within Peoria County, you must update your registration with the County Clerk's office. Your written notice must include your new address and signature. Should you change your name, you must re-register under your new name and provide a new signature. The County Clerk's office is required to verify the accuracy of the voter rolls. This is accomplished by mailing notices to all registered voters to confirm their residency at the address on file.

Should you know of registered voters who have moved or died, please notify the County Clerk's office in writing to help us maintain accurate, up-to-date voter rolls.

Again, Tuesday, October 7, 2008 is the voter's registration deadline.

Barack Obama the Intimidator

When John McCain pulled a diva and said that his campaign would be suspended pending the resolution of the economic crisis, my first thought was that he was afraid to debate Obama. My second thought was that he was hoping to not only cancel the first Presidential debate, but the VP debate as well. Thankfully, the Presidential Debate Commission made it clear to the McCain Campaign that they did not control if or when the debate would be held.

The most memorable thing about the debate for me is how John McCain could not look Barack Obama in the eye. He barely made eye contact when he shook hands with Obama. As the debate went on, he winced and visibly snarled, his posture was hunched over and tense. He talked to the people in the pitch black audience, even though his podium was facing Obama's. He looked at anything and nothing, rather than look his opponent [Obama] in the eye. At first I was pissed that McCain would be so dismissive, so arrogant and then it began to be embarrassing as I realized that the ass was intimidated. So much for being a master negotiator, a supporter of bi-partisan politics.

There is no amount of spin that can cover McCain's body language and lack of eye contact. Every professional, every politician knows the importance of making eye contact. If you don't make eye contact you are either intimidated, or not to be trusted. As Americans, we should rest easy that when Barack Obama becomes POTUS, he has a presence that is so intimidating, that bad ass Maverick, John McCain couldn't even look him in the eye. Barack Obama, a great negotiator and a formidable foe, exactly what a 21st century POTUS should be.

Shock and Awe Callahan Style

I get a kick out of watching political advertisements. This latest campaign season has produced some doozies. The McCain Campaign have been releasing their most sensational ads to the press first. By the time the media gets over the cuteness of the ads, they realize that they had just given McCain tons of free ad space and he never even purchased air time.

What caught my eye recently was an ad by the Colleen Callahan Campaign. Colleen Callahan is the Democratic candidate for Illinios' 18th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. She is running against Aaron Schock (we know who he is).

Early in the campaign season Aaron Schock made this comment in regard to Iran:

The U.S. should put more pressure on China and Russia to go along with tougher economic sanctions against Iran. If China continues to be irresponsible about nuclear proliferation in Iran, we should tell them that if they do not care about proliferation and since they are enablers of it in Iran, if they don't change their position, we will sell Pershing nuclear missiles to Taiwan for their defense. Non-proliferation will either be enforced universally or not at all, it is their choice.

Recently the Callahan Campaign began running an ad which is a knock off of the famous "Daisy Girl" campaign ad to stick it to Shock for his comments on Iran.

The "Daisy," sometimes known as "Daisy Girl" or "Peace, Little Girl," was a controversial campaign television advertisement. Though it aired only once (by the campaign), it was a factor in President Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide defeat of Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election and an important turning point in political and advertising history. It remains one of the most controversial political ads ever made.

The Johnson ad begins with a little girl standing in a meadow with chirping birds, picking the petals of a daisy while counting each petal slowly. When she reaches "nine", the girl's eyes turn toward something she sees in the sky - the flash and mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion and then an ominous male voice comes on and the scary talk about Vietnam begins. In the Callahan ad, after the nuclear explosion an ominous male voice comes on and mentions the Iran statement and says Aaron Schock "lacks maturity", "so inexperienced it's scary". And yes, Colleen Callahan approved the message. Whoa!

The Johnson ad was designed to capitalize on comments made by Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater about the possibility of using nuclear weapons in Vietnam, by attempting to portray Goldwater as a dangerous warmonger who would needlessly, and recklessly, escalate the conflict in Vietnam. It would be safe to assume that Colleen Callahan is attempting to send the same message about the comments Shock made about Iran.

The Johnson mushroom cloud ad ran only once, however it got extensive press coverage. The Callahan mushroom cloud ad continues to run.

A Litte Something for Sarah Palin
The Katie Couric interviews have revealed that Sarah Palin has got a whole lot of crammin to do. After she completes Dick's Notes, might I also suggest she add to her prep reading list the Weekly Reader version of "How a Bill Becomes a Law". What else should Mrs. Palin bone up on?

Early Voting
Be sure to tell Momma-an-nem.



County residents outside the City of Peoria wishing to vote early in the November 4, 2008, General Election may do so at sites throughout the County from October 13, 2008 through October 30, 2008 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Early voting will be available on Sunday, October 19, 2008, at Bel-Wood Nursing Home from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday, October 26, 2008 at Dunlap Fire Station No. 2 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Early voting sites will also be open in the City of Peoria for City residents.

Both County and City residents may also vote early at the County Clerk's Office in the Peoria County Courthouse, 324 Main Street, Room 101, Peoria, Illinois from October 13, 2008 until October 30, 2008. The hours at the County Clerk's Office are 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (including Columbus Day), 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Sundays.

A photo ID is required to vote early.

If you want to call McCain out and demand the debate — sign on to this insta-petition made by Google Docs and Demand the Debate.

Debate Night Party - My Place BYOB
refreshments will be served



A robust after debate discussion immediately following (the after party).

UPDATE 1:56 p.m.: CNN is reporting that John McCain is heading back to Washington "to handle the financial crisis" he wants the debate "postponed" to negotiate the bailout bill.The McCain campaign advises the Obama campaign to stop campaigning and do the same. WTF-as soon as I planned the blow out debate party and after set! I think this is a stall by the McCain campaign. What exactly will this "Maverick" do when he is unsaddled in Washington? Who is politicizing the financial crisis? McCain is speaking now (2:05 p.m.) he is using economic scare tactics, we are doomed unless he handles this now. On Friday, I'm taking bets that next they will find some reason to delay the Biden/Palin debate. Bring your dollas - the party will go on!

Apparently Obama called McCain first (8:30 a.m.) and suggested a joint statement. Shortly after that Biden was shown in Ohio on a campaign stop pounding McCain on foreign policy and the economy. Then the call came from McCain at 2:30 to pull off the campaign trail and head to Washington. Hopefully the Presidential Debate Commission will see this for what it is and not allow the debate to be postponed. McCain even wants Obama to stop campaigning and running ads. Obama is in Florida making ground with voters and preparing for the debate. Who does Maverick think he is to call off the Presidential campaign?

UPDATE #2: The Presidential Commission said "no" the debate will go on as scheduled. Barack Obama feels that McCain should be able to multi-task this one. Hell, if he were to become President he would need to run two wars, harass the folks in the axis of evil, run the economy in the ground, while destroying schools and health care.

UPDATE #3: Now the McCain campaign says that if there is no bailout deal by Friday they want to have the Presidential debate on October 2 in place of the Joe Biden and Sarah Palin VP debate. They want the date for the VP debate set at a time yet to be determined. I knew it - damn it I didn't even get a chance to take bets yet.

Joan Krupa and the GOP

Why has the race for the 92nd District gone negative right off the bat? Republican Joan Krupa and Democrat Jehan Gordon are seeking the seat that opened with Aaron Schock's decision to run for the U.S. House's 18th District congressional spot.

The Krupa campaign has a new commercial. The commercial is straight from the GOP playbook with caricatures of Blagovich and Madigan slugging it out, complete with circus music.

My opinion, this is not a good look for Joan Krupa. The Joan Krupa I met many years ago was a soft spoken woman. She was very humble about the positive things that she had accomplished for the community. She continues to do good work in this community.

Having said that, does she need to share signs with Aaron Schock to get her name out to the people who would vote for her? No. Does she need to resort to typical GOP political ads to get attention? No. Does she really need to go out of her way to find negative things to say about Jehan Gordon to make herself look good? No, she does not.

So to whoever is running Joan Krupa's campaign - do you really know your candidate? If you do, you should focus more on her record as a good citizen, instead of playing politics and trying to tear down your opponent, Jehan Gordon (who is also a good citizen).

$700 Billon Bailout!

You are The Boss...
which team would you hire?



With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc.

Applicant's Educational Background:
Barack Obama: Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude


Joseph Biden: University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

John McCain: United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin: Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire? Really.

Bitter White Folks for Obama

EMERGE says: Dear Lord, I pray that the white people here in Peoria, Illinois, who throw racist notes and write hateful and irrational comments on pjstar.com and local Peoria blogs will visit this blog http://bitterwhitefolksforobama.blogspot.com/ and eventually look at the issues instead of the color of ones skin or the sex they happen to be. Amen.

This is what PRAVDA thinks of Sarah Palin.
Palin – the Devil in disguise

12.09.2008 - The candidate for the Vice Presidency of the United States of America, whose experience in small town politics, mothers´day dos and the local hockey club is her claim to fame, threatened to open the gates of Hell by attacking Russia in the event of another invasion of Georgia in a televised interview on ABC (shown today). One question for this self-opinionated upstart: Do you know what a nuclear holocaust is?

Sarah Palin, Mrs. Nobody know-it-all shrieking cow from Alaska, the joke of American politics, plied with a couple of vodkas before letting rip in front of incredulous audiences while McCain coos in the background, cuts a ridiculous figure as she strives to be taken seriously.

How can anyone whose husband is a member of the Alaska Independence Party and who is running for the Vice Presidency of the Union be taken seriously? How indeed can the Republican Party be taken seriously for not vetting this female, or have they not yet discovered the skeletons in her closet? We have.

So Sarah Palin, Mrs. Hockey Mom housewife-cum-small-town gossip merchant and cheap little guttersnipe, suppose you shut up and allowed real politicians and diplomats to do their work? Threatening Russia with a war is perhaps the most irresponsible thing anyone could do at this moment in time. Have you any idea what a nuclear holocaust is? Have you any notion of the power of Russia’s armed forces? Did you know that Russia has enough missiles to destroy any target anywhere on Earth in seconds?

And have you not forgotten, you pith-headed little bimbo from the back of beyond, that small detail about the slaughter of Russian citizens by Georgians, which started the whole debacle? So next time suppose you keep your mouth shut and while you’re at it, make sure the members of your family keep their legs shut too. Your country has enough failed mothers as it is.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY, PRAVDA.Ru

EMERGE says: Dude chill out. Even the Democrats aren't going at Sarah Palin that hard. Evidence is mounting that this Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey is a clown. He insults Condoleeza Rice like it's his personal responsibility, now he is chomping at the bit to get at Sarah Palin.

What Will the Russians Think of Sarah Palin?




January 11, 2006 - The US Secretary of State released a coarse anti-Russian statement. This is because she is a single woman who has no children. Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, openly criticized the Russian government in connection with the gas conflict with Ukraine. Ms. Rice used quite a trivial technique of psychological pressure, which is mostly practiced in the field of education.

According to Condoleezza Rice, Russia's actions towards Ukraine did not characterize it as a respectable member of the Group of Eight. The statement from the high-ranking US official sounded like a reprimand from a strict babysitter that was teaching its baby to behave. It goes without saying that the largest Eurasian power is not a baby. In addition, the geopolitical system in the world has undergone dramatic changes since the 1990s. The US Secretary, however, has seemingly lost the sense of time and reality. Ms. Rice's wish to exercise her political power became a surprise for both the Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and proponents of traditional liberal values.

Ms. Rice's criticism can be explained with the politician's personal peculiarities. Why is Condoleezza Rice so fond of her “strict teacher” role? Is it her technique that she follows to stay in the center of political attention? The leader of the Liberal and Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Vladimir Zhirinovsky, expressed his opinion on the matter in an exclusive interview with Pravda.Ru.

”Condoleezza Rice released a coarse anti-Russian statement. This is because she is a single woman who has no children. She loses her reason because of her late single status. Nature takes it all.

”Such women are very rough. They are all workaholics, public workaholics. They can be happy only when they are talked and written about everywhere: “Oh, Condoleezza, what a remarkable woman, what a charming Afro-American lady! How well she can play the piano and speak Russian! What a courageous, tough and strong female she is!

”This is the only way to satisfy her needs of a female. She derives pleasure from it. If she has no man by her side at her age, he will never appear. Even if she had a whole selection of men to choose from she would stay single because her soul and heart have hardened. Like Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, or Alexander the Great of Macedon Ms. Rice needs to fight and release tough public statements in global scale. She needs to be on top of the world.

”Ms. Rice was always interested in Russia. Now she needs to prove that she does have a certain amount of knowledge about Russia. Her goal number one is to observe USA's interest. If Russia rises, it means that the USA falls down. Europe has united, China is growing speedily and Russia possesses immense power in terms of fuel resources. The US administration cannot do anything about it.

”The USA experiences the crisis of ideological and moral values. Americans try to talk about positive family values, although the actual state of things is disastrous. That is why they need to protect themselves with such public personas as Condoleezza Rice who gains pleasure from political commotions.

”The civilized world needs to think about a decision when single politicians are not allowed to stay in power. This was a common practice in the Soviet political system. The matter of international relations is very subtle and exquisite. One single word or phrase may play an extremely important role in politics. This is not the place, where one can sublimate their personal sexual problems.

”Complex-prone women are especially dangerous. They are like malicious mothers-in-law, women that evoke hatred and irritation with everyone. Everybody tries to part with such women as soon as possible. A mother-in-law is better than a single and childless political persona, though.

”This is really scary. Ms. Rice's personal complexes affect the entire field of international politics. This is an irritating factor for everyone, especially for the East and the Islamic world. When they look at her, they go mad.

”Condoleezza Rice needs a company of soldiers. She needs to be taken to barracks where she would be satisfied. On the other hand, she can hardly be satisfied because of her age. This is a complex. She needs to return to her university and teach students there. She could also deal with psychological analysis.

”The true reason of Ms. Rice's attack against Russia is very simple. Condoleezza Rice is a very cruel, offended woman who lacks men's attention. Releasing such stupid remarks gives her the feeling of being fulfilled. This is the only way for her to attract men's attention,” Vladimir Zhirinovsky said.

Mr. Yaroslava Krestovskaya , writer PRAVDA

EMERGE says: The harshest personal attacks are in red. This article was entitled "Condoleezza Rice's anti-Russian stance based on sexual problems". Wow! What will they say about Sarah Palin being so fertile?

Who will stand up for Condolezza?
The insults from Russian journalists aimed at Condoleeeza are non-stop.




August 18, 2008 - In the equation which makes up the odious, criminal and murderous Bush regime and its murderous, criminal and odious foreign policy, the constant factor is constituted by a teacher, promoted to positions way above her personal and intellectual station by a gullible fool of a President. This teacher, whose sheer incompetence as National Security Advisor and as Secretary of State is today so blatantly apparent, goes by the name of Condoleezza Rice.

The fact that Rice was National Security Advisor at the time of 9/11 speaks for itself, period. As Secretary of State, she is supposed to be responsible for her country’s diplomacy, she is supposed to be Washington’s leading diplomat. But can anyone think of a figure less qualified for the post? Starting with the face (set in a constant snarl, with a scar for a mouth, lips pursed back in a sneer, piggy eyes looking as though something evil is lunging behind them), continuing with the body language (aggressive stance, butch, defensive posture as though she is hiding something or afraid) and ending with the discourse (about as diplomatic as a raspberry and a fit of giggling at a funeral ceremony), she cuts a sorry figure.

The constant arrogance and hypocrisy of this failed female makes it that much more apparent that here is a person way out of her depth. Instead of regarding sensitive issues from a balanced viewpoint as she is supposed to do, this incompetent loud-mouthed, bad-mannered, bullshit-mongering bimbo takes one side, ignores the other and then speaks down from a holier-than-thou platform as if she were on a lecture dias.

This is not a classroom, Condoleezza Rice, and you are not a diplomat. You are a liar, a cheap, shallow, failed, wannabe actress on the diplomatic stage. This is the real world and out here, you have to be prepared to face up to your responsibilities.

For a start, you have failed to mention one single time the Georgian war crimes against 2.000 Russian civilians on the night of 7/8 August. Why have you systematically refused to admit they happened? Why have you not mentioned the devastation of Tskhinvali by your allies’ forces? Why do you continue to support the Saakashvili regime?

You therefore support war crimes? You therefore support the Georgian devastation of civilian structures? You side with Saakashvili against the 2.000 civilians murdered? Do you wish they had killed more Ossetians that night? Do you think it is right to target civilian structures with military hardware? Why have you failed to refer to a single item of these odious crimes.

Is it because you are a balanced diplomat ready to look at both sides and find a solution? Or is it because you are an incompetent frumpish hysterical female, wholly out of her depth, who instead of acting in a civilised manner as one would expect from someone in your position, instead gives lectures which are downright rude, pig-headedly arrogant and most unladylike?

So instead of mouthing off about NATO and Russia, how about you shut the hell up, put a sock in it and go back to inflict yourself on your students? Rumour has it you were pretty much hated in academic circles as well, perhaps not as much as in the area of diplomacy, which your very presence insults.

You, personally, are the reason why Washington has been divorced from the international community; you, personally are the reason why so many millions of people hate the idea of the United States and all it stands for; you, personally, are responsible for driving a wedge of sullen hatred into the hearts and mind of the international community. You have done more damage to your country, to its international standing, to the history and the noble precepts of your founding fathers than any other American in history.

And now you say you are not going to let Russia “win” in Georgia? Russia already has won! Nobody believes the lies you have spun in the western press circles. The readership of PRAVDA.Ru has never been higher, in all its language versions, since we have hundreds of thousands of readers flocking to us daily, with comments against the nonsense and lies paraded as “news” by the likes of yourself.

In a nutshell, Georgia invaded South Ossetia and slaughtered 2.000 civilians in one night. You cannot admit that because it would be admitting that Georgia’s President Saakashvili is incompetent. So the two of you stick together, hoping it will blow over if you keep repeating the same thing.

You have lost, Condoleezza Rice. Your ally Saakashvili is responsible for thousands of murders and war crimes, your military advisors, training and equipment have been proven to be wholly inferior to the Russian Armed Forces and this, the nearest we ever got to direct conflict, has proven that your forces were utterly thrashed.

So if you want to bring it on, you will find Russia saddened but by no means afraid and perfectly ready. As an alternative, get back behind a desk where you belong, you rude, insolent, bad-mannered, man-hating apology for a lady before you get your allies into trouble.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY , PRAVDA.Ru
Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey is a permanent member of Pravda's editorial staff. Pravda is Russia’s leading newspaper.

EMERGE says: I am by no means a Condoleeza Rice fan, but give ole girl a break! I wonder what he has to say about Sarah Palin and her hocky mom, beauty queen background. If he has so little respect for Dr. Rice, St. Sarah should go over nicely. (The worst of the insults are in blue.)

The Crackdown Continues

Not long ago EMERGE blogged about police officers in Flint, Michigan announcing that officers will begin arresting people wearing pants or shorts that sag too low exposing their rear ends.

Looks like this practice is becoming more common. Last week there was word of the arrest of a Florida man busted for wearing baggy pants that exposed his boxer shorts. Apparently the Riviera Beach police have been diligent in enforcing a new city ordinance targeting pants or shorts that sag too low. Since officers began their crackdown last month, they have arrested at least 11 other people for baggy pants (of that group, two are juveniles). The arrestees range in age between 18 and 36. Each of the males were nabbed after officers determined that low-slung pants/shorts had resulted in the exposure of between two and five inches of the individual offender's boxer shorts. First-time violators of ordinance 12-3043 face a fine of up to $150. Repeat offenders could be sentenced to a maximum of 30 days in jail.

New Analysis Focus on Minority Classrooms

Three analysis of a kindergarten database were taken. The focus was on the characteristics of ethnic-racial minority, gender, and age differences. The reports were presented at an annual conference of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Two of the reports compared classrooms with varying percentages of racial-ethnic minority children. Among the findings:

• 
  Teachers of classes with the highest percentages of minority children were more likely to have temporary or provisional certificates than were teachers of classes with low percentages of minority children.
• 
  Classes with more than 75 percent minority enrollment were more likely to have class sizes of 25 children compared with classes with less than 10 percent minority.
  Predominately minority classes were more likely to have teachers with the least amount of early childhood education.
• 
  Most kindergarten children were well behaved. However, children in classes with fewer than 10 percent minority enrollments were more likely to be rated as well behaved compared with those in classes with 50 to 74 percent minority enrollments.
• 
  In classes with more than 75 percent minority children, fewer parents participated in some school events. (The numbers were significant: About 54 percent of those parents came to school orientation and visited the kindergarten with their children before school opened, compared with 90 percent of parents in classes with fewer than 10 percent minority children.)
• 
  Children in classes with fewer than 24 percent minority students were more likely to have greater literacy skills than were children in classes with more than 50 percent minority students.
• 
  Most kindergarten classrooms had computer areas, regardless of the proportion of racial-ethnic minority children in the class.

EMERGE says: In Peoria this is something we should be very concerned about. Pursuant to a 2006 Harvard University study on segregation, Illinois is the third most segregated state in K-12 education for blacks: 82% of black children attend majority/minority schools; 90% of white children attend virtually all white schools.

Top 25 Best Midsize Citizes for Doing Business

Peoria has been selected by Inc Magazine as one of the Top 25 Best Midsize Cities for Doing Business. Peoria ranked #21 on a list that included no other locations within the State of Illinois. Peoria's 2008 ranking is up 46 spots from 2007.

1 Provo-Orem, UT
2 Tacoma, WA
3 Savannah, GA
4 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
5 Huntsville, AL
6 Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC
7 Asheville, NC
8 Ogden-Clearfield, UT
9 Bakersfield, CA
10 Lafayette, LA
11 Durham, NC
12 Boise City-Nampa , ID
13 Springfield, MO
14 Spokane, WA
15 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
16 Kansas City, KS
17 Baton Rouge, LA
18 Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC
19 Columbia , SC
20 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR
21 Peoria, IL
22 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
23 York-Hanover, PA
24 Wichita, KS
25 Salem, OR
26 El Paso, TX
27 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
28 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
29 Reno-Sparks, NV

30 Stockton, CA

http://www.inc.com/bestcities/2008

Father of Bristol Palin's baby speaks

This little tidbit showed up in the EMERGE e-mailbox today.

http://www.blackbottom.com/watch.php?v=WdBJd9b9i8A

EMERGE says: Whateva. I guess we'll know for sure in about four months.

The Arts and Crafts Racist
Racist fliers making rounds in Peoria

The Peoria Journal Star is reporting that Police are investigating recent incidents of racist handouts being distributed - and sometimes thrown at victims - throughout local neighborhoods.

Some of the fliers, which contain derogatory statements about African-Americans, have been left in plastic bags filled with sand at the end of driveways on several Peoria streets. But some of the leaflets have been dispensed by more violent means.

An East Bluff resident, who noted he is biracial, was walking on Ravine Avenue about 5:20 p.m. Aug. 29 when someone threw a softball-sized rock at him from a car window.

"He tried to hit me, but he was a little off," the man said. "At first I laughed it off and thought it was kids, but it wasn't."

When the man picked up the rock, he noticed one of the racist leaflets he had earlier seen around the neighborhood was attached to the rock with a piece of twine. The bottom of the note stated it was from the American National Socialist Workers Party.

The same message also made its way to a North Peoria neighborhood off Glen Avenue last weekend. A man who lives on Merrimac Avenue said he was taking his dog for a walk the morning of Aug. 30 when he noticed plastic bags filled with sand along his street, as well as on Woodview Avenue and Kennard Road. Like the Ravine Avenue resident, the man said he didn't think much of it.

In the past few weeks, the messages also have been distributed along Isabell Avenue in central Peoria as well as along streets off Richwoods Boulevard. They've also been found along High Point Road in North Peoria.

EMERGE says: How cute is that a little racist with arts and crafts skills. A plastic bag, filled with sand... did they print the note from the American National Socialist Workers Party on parchment paper before rolling it up into a cute little scroll and tying it with twine? Sounds like a project we did last year at the beach (except we used sea shells instead of the racist note).

Using the Power of Humiliation to Deter Crime

The Peoria Police Department is preparing to launch a new facet of their website relative to drug arrests. The Department intends to publish the names and photographs of persons arrested at drug houses during raids. Each entry will be listed by address and will identify all persons who were arrested during an operation. The Department would expect there will be two exceptions to the published photos; persons arrested for warrants only and those who do not have any new charges stemming from the raid will not be published. Additionally, persons may need to be excluded to protect the confidentiality of subsequent investigations. For example, a small-time drug dealer may choose to cooperate with investigators and assist the Department in making cases against suppliers. In such cases, it may be necessary to protect their identity and not publish their photo.

EMERGE says: The PPD is currently putting up photos of hookers and johns on the website. They will begin putting up photos of drug dealers and buyers. Why don't they put up the photos of drunk drivers, shouldn't we know who these people are? Speak on it.

Loud Music Detail
From the Peoria Police Department-Week of August 10 - 16, 2008

Street Crimes Officers and Supervisors conducted a loud music detail in response to neighborhood complaints in the 1000 block of Hurlburt Street, 500 block of East Nebraska, and 500 block of W. McClure. The detail was extremely successful and demonstrated a great deal of team work and unit pride. In total the detail produced:

11 Arrests, 19 Traffic Tickets, 12 City Ordinance Citations, 42.5 Grams of Cannabis, $1,090.00 Cash (suspected drug proceeds), 31 Impounded Vehicles

All the vehicles that were impounded were initially stopped for loud music; however five vehicles were also impounded for drugs and/or traffic violations.

500 block of East Nebraska produced 19 vehicle impounds
500 block of West McClure had 6 vehicle impounds
1000 block of Hurlburt had 6 vehicle impounds

EMERGE says: Successful indeed. Do you think this noise oridiance is targeting a certain race of people? Do you think people play their music loud in neighborhoods across Forrest Hill or War Memorial? How many complaints does it take for a "loud music detail" to be put in place? Speak on it.

Oh no they didn't!

I was watching C-SPAN yesterday and a guy came on out of breath saying that Amy Goodman was pepper sprayed and arrested outside the Republic National Convention. Amy Goodman is co-host of Democracy Now!, a weekday newscast that can be heard on more than 225 radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. My thoughts were man, they ain't taken no prisoners at the RNC.

NOW the Washington Post is reporting that Democratic strategist, Donna Brazile (my shero) was pepper sprayed by police:

”Donna Brazile was hit by pepper spray as she walked to the Xcel Center at the start of the Republican Convention here. The well-known Democratic pundit and strategist confirmed the incident, but declined to comment further. Protests outside the convention center led to 56 arrests earlier in the day. Brazile is the Chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute and was a delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Originally from New Orleans, La., Brazile has worked on several presidential campaigns and was the campaign manager for Al Gore in 2000. She frequently appears on CNN as a political commentator.”

They are clearly out of their minds if they went after after Ms. Donna.

Happy Labor Day-Enjoy the Ribs

I recently came across this book called "Savage Barbecue" by Andrew Warnes. Here is the review from Amazon.com:

Barbecue is a word that means different things to different people. It can be a verb or a noun. It can be pulled pork or beef ribs. And, especially in the American South, it can cause intense debate and stir regional pride. Perhaps then, it is no surprise that the roots of this food tradition are often misunderstood.

In Savage Barbecue, Andrew Warnes traces what he calls America's first food through early transatlantic literature and culture. Building on the work of scholar Eric Hobsbawm, Warnes argues that barbecue is an invented tradition, much like Thanksgiving--one long associated with frontier mythologies of ruggedness and relaxation.

Starting with Columbus's journals in 1492, Warnes shows how the perception of barbecue evolved from Spanish colonists' first fateful encounter with natives roasting iguanas and fish over fires on the beaches of Cuba. European colonists linked the new food to a savagery they perceived in American Indians, ensnaring barbecue in a growing web of racist attitudes about the New World. Warnes also unearths the etymological origins of the word barbecue, including the early form barbacoa; its coincidental similarity to barbaric reinforced emerging stereotypes.

Barbecue, as it arose in early transatlantic culture, had less to do with actual native practices than with a European desire to define those practices as barbaric. Warnes argues that the word barbecue retains an element of violence that can be seen in our culture to this day.

Savage Barbecue offers an original and highly rigorous perspective on one of America's most popular food traditions.

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There is virtually no historical evidence that Native Americans cut up their fellow humans and threw them on the barbacoa, but it is clear from multiple early accounts that Europeans believed that they did, or wanted to believe they did.

There is a story to be learned about how indigenous smoke cookery meets with the traditions and cultural practices of imported African slave labor (and imported pigs). What resulted was uniquely American, and profoundly entangled in the economics of slavery and the violence wrought upon the original inhabitants of the Americas.

As we know, in the South slaves did most of the work (smoking an entire pig is a time-consuming, labor-intensive project). Slaves dug the pits, tended the coals, basted the meat. Is this most American of foods American because Europeans adopted the cooking technology from the Indians they exterminated while giving the job of chef to the slaves they brought from Africa?

So, does barbecue at it's core wreak of racism? I don't know, but I throw down on the grill at least three times a week and I love every aspect of it (the smoke, the fire, the smoked meat). Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go check the ribs. Viva la barbecue!