Okay, we'll make this short and sweet. I'm recommending you leave kos for just a few minutes, to read someone else's diary. He puts it better than me, anyhow.
Skeptical Brotha on Nikki Tinker

Just a sample:

As [Trojan Horse] implies, Aunt Nikki is a stealth weapon of the right-wing that optimally would be used to destroy progressive black representation and the social, political, and economic viability of Black Memphis.  Unfortunately for our corporate enemies on the right, Aunt Nikki’s campaign exploded today like an IED in a war zone when it released an ad which strikes a note of false religiosity and implies that Steve Cohen is an Jewish interloper unwelcome in black churches and alludes to a bill to protect "religious freedom" and the unfettered right of religious organizations to discriminate against gay and lesbian people. This is the culmination of her clumsy attempts to make inroads with the black ministerial community by pandering to the homophobia of a select group of black pastors.

A more Faith based perspective from a commenter.

Short diary, with a hat tip to peacevoter, who has kept an eye out for anyone willing to burst the bubble that some people seem to want to keep around Richardson.

From the New York Times (2006/07/23):
"In New Mexico, Gov. Bill Richardson, a man said to have presidential aspirations, suffered a political setback last December when Lt. Gov. Diane D. Denish told an Albuquerque Journal reporter that she tried to avoid him at events because: "He pokes me. He pinches my neck. He touches my hip, my thigh, sort of the side of my leg."

Sorry folks, this one isn't happening. No one needs a man with a zipper problem on the ticket. A shame too, as he otherwise looks very very impressive.

I noticed in a few blogs that African Americans were wondering where their representation was in the State Blogging Credentials business. But, there's over fifty blogs out there, and most of them don't have "about" pages with pictures.

This is more directed towards the folks who avidly read a state blog or three, but I was wondering if you could help me out -- I'd like a headcount.

Now, I know most people make the assumption that someone's white unless they say otherwise (and percentage wise that is still reasonable).

But, weigh in now, if you know someone who is black on those State blogs....

I figured this would be easier than reading all Fifty of them myself...

If you haven't read your State Blog, check it out, and post on this thread!

And for anyone who takes the time to post, thanks for helping me out!

Not our Republic's. As a citizen, you have very few opportunities to show how much you appreciate our democracy. You vote, you serve on a jury, and that's about it. Well, it's not just showing appreciation. It's doing your duty. It is dishonorable to go to the poll and vote for someone you don't think would be the best President.

I know a lotta people are pissed off, and that's fine. It's normal, a part of grieving for a primary that tons of people sunk tons of time into.

That said, there's a time and a place for being immature.  And that's not in the voting booth. A few days ago, I said that I'd work my tail off for Clinton -- and show her my ass at the inauguration. Yes, that's immature -- and maybe while I said it, I wouldn't do it. But get this -- it wouldn't have changed America, whether I did it or not.

But not voting does change America. It does influence the debate. By not voting, you make it so that no one pays attention to your issues. Isn't Obama the first person to address college loans in a long long time? Sure. Don't you want your issues addressed? By all means, make the Democrat work for your vote (that means telling the poll what you think, where you disagree).

At the end of the day, it's you and your duty. Do the Right Thing.

This is another in a series of Diaries on Race.
http://www.dailykos.com/... is my previous edition.

I'm sorry folks, It's been a while. But I got something to say, and I want you to listen to the end, before you start yelling. Not that all of you is gonna yell, but I'm just sayin.

So some people make a big deal about Obama being 'black Enough.' And it seems to me that it is apparent (as it has been in my life), that there are some Black people that you couldn't talk to without being aware that they're black (even behind a computer screen). And there are others who, sitting behind the computer screen or in other company, you wouldn't know the difference, except you can see color.

Meet me after the brink

On campus today I witnessed a very strange thing... a different university's student organization taking over the lawn in front of the Student Union.

This was truly odd.

Well, I went out there to see what was going on, and it turns out it was the Chinese Student Organization, and they wanted people to sign their banner in support of the Olympics.

Well now.  I wasn't really sure what to say, so I went back inside, and I thought, "what would I really have to say?"

Hillary's experience doesn't matter, and isn't the focus of this diary. We're talking spin here, and we're talking what she REALLY means.

Every time you bring up 'Hillary doesn't have experience' you're missing the entire damn point of her argument. So stop it -- it's ineffectual.

There's something at work in her comments that a lot of young voters would have a hard time understanding. It's called Security. Also Known As Seniority.

Seriously, people, these are yard sign wars. You should not have two signs, for different candidates running against each other.  Your family should argue in private, decide on one or the other, and put up one sign. Putting up two signs does nothing, and wastes signs that more decisive households could use.

Yes, we know, they're both wonderful candidates. But that's not what yard sign wars are all about. They were supposed to be about name recognition, but anyone who doesn't know whose running by now is ignorant (if you can't pronounce the name, that's justifiable. but you should know something, by now).  So the next thing is an implied endorsement. I believe in this person, and I ain't afraid to let my neighbors know. You like me, think I'm a reasonable person, give my guy a look, yes?

Well, we've got what, four days till the election? I ain't seen one Hillary tabler, nor anyone going around actually putting these signs UP, but they're there, until they blow away. And it's Pittsburgh, so even if it's sunny, they do blow away.

Hillary's people, it seems to me, can't find enough volunteers to give their posters to. So now they are defacing public property. Mailboxes, telephone polls, traffic light polls.

The latest thing is the "Young Professionals for Hillary" signs, offering free food tonight somewhere in East Liberty -- to go listen with a Star Speaker from Fox News. Yes, that looks so exciting. On the other hand, there is free food. And I do like some chow.

Here in Silly Season, it should be understood that I'm mostly talking about Presidential Candidates. I do not care a whit what their predilections are for alcohol, or any other beverage.

What I do care about is what they WILL drink. In affairs of state, it is often the case that heads of state are regaled with the finest food and drink in the land, each nation's pride and joy.

Today I bring you a poll, and ask you to answer what you think your candidate will drink.

Hi, this diary is short, simple and sweet.  I'll let the next twenty responses dictate my poll (which I will post). But I'm interested in what the partisans have to say.

So, folks, what will it be?

Smart money has her dropping out after Indiana, but she might decide to go as far as Puerto Rico. Or, for a dark horse, she might drop out before Pennsylvania.

Vote for Hope (random sloganeers unite!).

Since we aren't betting money on this, this should be legal...

err... I noted weird problems on other people's diaries. figured i'd write a diary about it and hope the sitemods notice. Sorry if this isn't how i'm supposed to talk about problems.  But I could use somehelp.

I have noticed two problems:

1. OMG as the subject of many comments (including ones that I have made -- and I never use that as the subject line).  opening them sometimes changes them to not-OMG things.

2. Upper Lower Case issues (full text pasted after jumP)

Obama said that his pastor had controversial views that he knew about, controversial views on Africa and on abortion (what view of abortion is not controversial, pray tell?)...

So, that's what he said -- but that isn't what I HEARD. What I heard is that Obama knew that his pastor strongly advocated against American foreign policy with regard to Israel.

I'm sure you're all asking, "how is that about AFRICA?"

well, join me after the brink...

Six year survey out today, taken over the entire world. Take a look, and we can start debunking some myths.

Survey On Islamic Beliefs

[update: the better article courtesy of klizard]Crooks And Liars about Islam

Okay, so some of this isn't surprising. 93% of Muslims condemn terrorism. At this point, that is obvious. Perhaps it wasn't so obvious when the study was started.

But what leaps out at me is the demographic and political views of the radicals. You know, the people who support terrorism.

So I'm going to talk about who they are, and who they aren't, via analogy.

I would honestly like to see Hillary win the Primary. Fairly and Honestly. She'd be a good president.

To that end, I advise her to play to her strengths.

I can hear the Obamaites in the audience saying that she has no strengths -- and they're wrong.

Her strengths are in speaking, in policy building, and in insider politics.

"Everybody who supports single-payer healthcare says, ‘Look at all this money we would be saving from insurance and paperwork.’ That represents 1 million, 2 million, 3 million jobs of people who are working at Blue Cross Blue Shield or Kaiser or other places. What are we doing with them? Where are we employing them?"

Senator Obama, this is exactly the question I was waiting for you to answer -- not use as some sort of a rhetorical trick.

We have millions of people who are not 'gainfully employed' -- 16% of our GDP goes to Health Care. That is Wrong. Our Economy needs reprioritization -- I'm no economist, but this recession wouldn't be so bad if manufacturing got a little help.

::rant continues after the jump::

So I know I said last week that I'd talk about White Privilege. That can wait, I think. I'll handle it next week. This is Week X in a series of diaries on Race Relations. The previous diary was: I look like what?

Today I'm going to talk about government enforced segregation and agencies that actively split multi-ethnic neighborhoods into Black And White.

Back in the fifties, the Fed'l Gov't decided that they needed to 'Revitalize American Housing' in the cities. That was all well and good -- built fify to a hundred years earlier, a lot of it was getting 'rather dilapidated.'

But that's not the full story. The full story involves creating agencies that would allow Whites and ONLY whites to own houses.  If that doesn't seem like much of a big deal, let me just say that owning a house wasn't going to happen in the integrated neighborhoods most of these White Folks were coming from. So they moved OUT.

What to do with the black folks?  Mind, they made about the same money as the White Folks, but weren't being given the same opportunities.  They got Public Housing -- and Segregation.

::more after the jump::

This is a continuation of a series of diaries devoted to Racial Consciousness.
Here is the previous one:
Let's Talk About Culture

Here in this Sick Sad World, an awful lot depends on what you look like. And, you know, I didn't really get a chance to experience this all that much as a kid.

I'd imagine there are an awful lot of people whose looks are 'multi-ethnic' -- the difference between quite a few 'middle' ethnicities is hard to spot (I'm thinking Middle-Eastern versus Latino versus Indian, places where the genes for skin color are about middle-of-the-spectrum, leading to more variation and more muddled detection for those of us used to using skin coloration as a primary determiner).

See you after the jump.