LAST OF AMERICAN COMBAT
TROOPS LEAVE IRAQ !

THEY'RE COMING HOME !
Message From The President

Good afternoon,

Shortly after taking office, I put forward a plan to end the war in Iraq responsibly. Today, I'm pleased to report that -- thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians in Iraq -- our combat mission will end this month, and we will complete a substantial drawdown of our troops.

Over the last 18 months, over 90,000 U.S. troops have left Iraq. By the end of this month, 50,000 troops will be serving in Iraq. As Iraqi Security Forces take responsibility for securing their country, our troops will move to an advise-and-assist role. And, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all of our troops will be out of Iraq by the end of next year. Meanwhile, we will continue to build a strong partnership with the Iraqi people with an increased civilian commitment and diplomatic effort.

A few weeks ago, men and women from one of the most deployed brigades in the U.S. Army, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, returned home from Iraq. The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden were at Fort Drum to welcome the veterans home and spoke about their personal experiences as a military family:Our commitment to our troops doesn't end once they come home -- it's only the beginning. Part of ending a war responsibly is meeting our responsibility to the men and women who have fought it. Our troops and their families have made tremendous sacrifices to keep our nation safe and secure, and as a nation we have a moral obligation to serve our veterans as well as they have served us.

That's why we're building a 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs. We've made one of the largest percentage increase in the VA’s budget in 30 years, and we're dramatically increasing funding for veterans' health across the board. In particular, we're delivering unprecedented resources to treat signature wounds of today's wars—Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Our sacred trust to take care of our veterans goes beyond simply healing the wounds incurred in battle. We must ensure that when our veterans leave the Armed Forces, they have the opportunities they need to further their education and support their families. Through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, some 300,000 veterans and families members have pursued a college degree. Others are taking advantage of job training and placement programs.

My Administration will continue to do our part to support the brave men and women in uniform that have sacrificed so much. But supporting our troops and their families is not just the job of the Federal Government; it's the responsibility of all Americans.

As we mark this milestone in the Iraq war and our troops continue to move out of Iraq, I hope you'll join me in thanking them, and all of our troops and military families, for their service.

Sincerely,
President Barack Obama

We SALUTE Our Heroic Soldiers.
Thank You !

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Pathetic Media...At It Again !
Falsely Claims President
Flip-Flopped on Mosque

WATCH: Video Dispels Lie

Greg Jones
Blacks4Barack

I knew on Friday, when President Obama announced that the Constitution protects the right for any religious facility to be built, including a mosque (although it's actually a community center...not a mosque) a few blocks away from Ground Zero, that the wing-nuts and birthers would be in high gear on Monday with ramped-up anti-Obama rhetoric in hopes of stirring their base since they have absolutely no stimulating agenda of any kind. But I am a bit surprised at the level of which the media has purposely mislead America with fake, dishonest reports that The President flip-flopped on his sentiment in a brief interview on CNN Saturday. Not only did he NOT flip nor flop...but he reiterated and actually strengthened his original position saying:

(President) " In this country, we treat everybody equally, regardless of race-regardless of religion. I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I WAS commenting very specifically on the Right that people have that dates back to our founding. That's what our country is about and I think it's VERY important that as difficult as some of these issues are...that we stay focused on who WE are as a people...and what our values are all about " (end quote)

Now, for some reason, the media has been playing the first part of this clip repeatedly... the " I will not comment on the wisdom" part. But they stop it right there. OBVIOUSLY, if they would allow the rest of the segment to play, America would see that he in no way flip nor flopped...but stood his ground on the Constitution of Our Country. And just as spliced video was the culprit in the Shirley Sherrod fiasco, today's right-wing uproar is based on doctored video.....AGAIN ! This time, it's the MEDIA doing the doctoring ! And they call it the 'liberal media'. Yea Right ! Below is the entire segment as The President appeared....uncut....un-doctored...flip-flop free. Shame how we're manipulated by our media...like a third-world country.

WATCH PRESIDENT'S COMPLETE (flip-flop free)
MOSQUE STATEMENT:

Fight The Lies...
WITH TRUTH !

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B4B Photo of the Week


(Greg Jones/B4B) During his weekend Gulf vacation, President Obama and youngest daughter Sasha take a cool dip in Saint Andrews Bay off of Alligator Point, in Panama City, Florida. Some had wondered if The President would swim in the waters following the oil spill and from the looks on their faces....the water's just fine.

To dispel all rumors/misinformation/lies that the Bay is some separate body of water
somehow non-connected to the Gulf waters, here is an aerial view of
St. Andrews Bay and the harbor entrance from the Gulf of Mexico.
In other words...the Bay waters ARE from the Gulf. View is to the east-northeast.

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" Land of the Free...Home of the BRAVE "

....yea right !

I have NEVER seen such a bunch of COWARDS in my life (mostly on the Right).
Afraid of the Mexicans, afraid of the Muslims, afraid of The
Government, afraid of the Dems, afraid of The President, afraid of
Blacks, afraid of Iraq, afraid of Iran, afraid of N. Korea, afraid of
the Taliban, afraid of Al Queda, afraid of the gays, afraid of Hamas, afraid of the Left, afraid of 'anchor' babies, afraid of Hezbollah, afraid of unions, afraid of community organizers...and now...afraid of a building. PATHETIC !!!

(Greg Jones, National Director, Blacks4Barack
A multi-racial, net/grassroots org....Dedicated to TRUTH !)

WATCH: President's Weekly Address
President Obama Promises to Protect Social Security
from Republican Plans to Privatize It

WASHINGTON – On the 75^th anniversary of Social Security being signed into law, President Obama promised that he would protect it from the Republican leaders in Congress who have made privatization a key part of their agenda. Despite the financial crisis, they still believe that gambling Social Security on Wall Street is a good idea. This President will not let that happen. For several generations, Social Security has been a promise to America’s seniors – that they will have the chance to retire with dignity – and he will safeguard that promise.

WATCH ADDRESS:


B4B NOTE: The hot, new, anti-obama 'fear-du-jour' has been that the Fiscal Commission formed by The President is going to recommend all kinds of cuts to Social Security which will be extremely detrimental to recipients. This is absolutely NOT TRUE ! The President is dedicated to making certain that Social Security not only remains strong but also continues to serve everyone as it currently does. The concept of privatizing for corporate profits....won't happen. The idea of reducing benefits...won't happen. Boehner's desire to raise the age of eligibility to 70...won't happen. That is....unless the Republicans regain power...then frankly....we're ALL in big trouble. Another reason we MUST turn out in strong numbers this November. Spread the word. Get Fired Up ! Time to fight like your life (or check) depended on it...because it does !

It's Fight Time !

Click B4B Main for video

President Obama addresses guests at an iftar dinner, the meal that breaks
the dawn-to-dusk fast for Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan,
at the White House. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)

JUST IN:
President Supports Plan for
Mosque Near Ground Zero

L.A. Times

President Obama on Friday took a strong stand in favor of building a mosque near the site where Muslim terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, breaking his silence on a political tempest that has left the country divided.

In prepared remarks for a White House dinner celebrating Ramadan, Obama framed the issue as one of religious freedom. Muslims, like anyone else, "have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country," Obama said. "That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances."

The uproar over the proposed mosque has rekindled a debate over religious tolerance in a post-Sept. 11 society. Some relatives of Sept. 11 victims have come out against the mosque, as have prominent politicians. Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin wrote in a Twitter feed that the mosque would be an "unnecessary provocation" at a time when the collapse of the Twin Towers was "too raw, too real."

A majority doesn't want to see the mosque built, surveys show. A CNN/Opinion Research poll earlier this month showed 68% opposed plans to build the mosque, with 29% in favor. Count as part of the minority New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who recently gave a speech defending the planned Islamic center.

In a statement released Friday night, Bloomberg said: "As I said last week, this proposed mosque and community center in Lower Manhattan is as important a test of the separation of church and state as we may see in our lifetime, and I applaud President Obama's clarion defense of the freedom of religion tonight."

As the debate raged, Obama stayed out of it. As recently as last week, his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, described the matter as one "for New York City and the local community to decide."

But the White House's Ramadan celebration presented a unique moment for Obama to make his position known.

"Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan," he said in a prepared text released by the White House. "The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. The pain and suffering experienced by those who lost loved ones is unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders."

That said, he added: "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable."

Supporting the mosque is a dicey proposition for Obama. Polls have shown a certain percentage of Americans mistakenly view him as a Muslim. He is Christian. Defending the mosque invites suspicion that he is overly sympathetic to the Muslim faith. At the same time, Obama has taken pains to reach out to the Muslim world. He gave a major speech in Cairo last year calling for "a new beginning" between the U.S. and Muslims.

At a time when unemployment is high and America is engulfed in two wars, the furor is one that Obama might have preferred to sidestep. But it isn't going away, and with the rest of the world looking on, Obama decided that his silence was no longer sustainable.

Get Ready !
The ' birther-nuts ' will be going
CRAZY over this one !

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Stunning Third-World-Like
Scenes From Atlanta

Sad ! Thousands Crowd Housing Authority
just to get on Section 8 WAITING LIST !
(video)

Greg Jones
B4B National Director

As the Republicans do everything they can to literally crush the American middle-class by voting against all legislation designed to help economically, people across the country are suffering more each day. This video shows how thousands stood in Georgia's exhausting heat yesterday just for the opportunity to get an application for much needed public housing. As you'll see, it's like a scene in a third-world country. This should also serve as a notice that if the GOP does, in fact regain power and initiate their plans to cut much needed funding to states in hopes of forcing state and union bankruptcies...we can expect disgusting scenes like this to simply multiply.

Here's the video from The Ed Schultz Show:

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

We MUST Unite....Fight...
Against The GOP
to Literally Save America !

Click B4B Main Page for video

B4B Comment of the Week

JUST PLAIN STUPID ! The self destructive, circular firing squad mentality of Liberals is absolutely amazing....plays RIGHT into the hands of the opposition...and has absolutely no benefit to progress. It's almost as if my fellow liberals would rather the
" Party of No " be in power. Bringing down your own...something you NEVER see the other side doing. We have a LOT to learn. So Gibbs made a couple of stupid statements. Does this mean that Liberal feelings have been so hurt that we

should all rush out and start supporting Newt or Palin ? Bottom line....what's the POINT/Goal of the hysteria ? Or does it just make folks feel better after a good whine session....a trait rarely seen from the Right.

Fight FOR your side my liberal friends

....not AGAINST !

As example WATCH:
Jane Hamsher and Glenn Greenwald Discuss (whine about)
Robert Gibbs' "Professional Left" Comments

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B4B Quote of the Week !

The President made it clear...
" When you want the car (country) to go forward...you put it in D (dems)...
when you want to go backwards...you put it in R (repubs) " !

Backwards could literally DESTROY America.
Time to move full steam AHEAD !

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WOW ! Dick Morris Email Reveals Republican Secret Game Plan to Force States Into BANKRUPTCY- Breaking ALL Union Agreements !

By Greg Jones
Blacks4Barack
National Director

I frequently listen to the opposition, from Fox News to Rush, because I have always felt it very important to stay abreast of just how they're thinking. They don't know it, but I'm also on the email list to receive some of the right-wing emails/messages they send to their fellow Repubs. I received one today from Dick Morris, the guy who talks out of the side of his mouth as a regular pundit on Fox News. Morris, a former Democrat, was part of the Clinton administration and has re-devoted his life to Dem/Obama bashing.

Today I received Morris' latest email stating what he feels the Republican strategy should be if they were to regain control...his 'answer' to solving the economic problems created by the Bush Regime. To my amazement (I don't know why I'm so surprised), based on Morris, the Republican strategy is to literally block much needed financial aid to struggling states with the ultimate goal being to force all of the states INTO BANKRUPTCY ! They also plan to break ALL union agreements including wages, rules, pensions and more ! Not only does this explain why Repubs are voting against everything that could be helpful to The Recovery, but this email is absolutely, incredibly revealing and spells out exactly what we can expect should we allow the Repubs to regain power. Below are excerpts from the Morris email/newsletter. Truly dangerous stuff. Here's what Morris wrote:

*As Congress reconvenes next week to pass a $26 billion bailout of state and local governments entombed in their own deficits, we witness a foretaste of the crisis that will be the central event of the first half of next year: the collapse of state governments.

*As long as the Democrats control Congress, they will continue to rubber-stamp Obama's requests for bailouts of profligate states. But when the Republicans take control, they will be less than forthcoming. Republicans will ask the central question: Why should taxpayers from states that have cut their budgets and observed spending restraint, pay for the extravagances of the other states? Why should forty-seven states have to pay for California, New York, and Michigan?


*The Republican solution to state financial distress should be simple: The Party should insist on a change in the federal bankruptcy law providing for a procedure for state bankruptcy (none now exists). This process must call for abrogation (means=to end) of all state and local public employee union contracts as is usually done in private sector bankruptcies. By freeing states and local governments (including school boards) of their union obligations on wages, work rules, staffing, and pensions, they have a chance to survive and, indeed, to prosper. But merely subsidizing these massive expenditures just prolongs the misery of the states in question.

*The collapse of overspending state governments must trigger the diminution of the power unions hold over their budgets and their politics. Their coming bankruptcies offer an opportunity for reform and the Republican Congress - backed by newly elected Republican state governments - give us precisely the opportunity we need to effectuate it. (*=Excerpts from emailed Dick Morris.Com newsletter entitled "The Coming Catastrophe: State Governments")

FACT: If the Repubs regain power...
we're in BIG trouble as a nation.
The Time is NOW...TO FIGHT !

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B4B Headline Links

Leak Plugged: 'Static Kill' Seals Off Well,
as Obama Says Most of Oil Is Gone

abcnews.go.com

On the 107th day of the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, the leaky well that has discharged about 200 million gallons of crude is finally sealed for good, BP and the federal government say. On top of the good news at the spill site, the federal government said today that about 75 percent of ...
*********************

Special Thanks to ALL Warriors who fought for the 47 million Americans struggling through life without the basic right to quality health care. Thanks to you...CHANGE is coming !

Health Care Reform Provisions
To Go Into Effect Next Month

www.huffingtonpost.com

Health care reform hits another milestone next month, with new provisions that include a coverage expansion for young adults and restrictions on an insurer's ability to impose annual coverage limits or to reject children with pre-existing medical conditions. Insurance coverage that starts on or after...
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YES ! Despite the GOP's continuous, pathetic attempts to block much needed aid so struggling states can avoid police, fire, teacher layoffs...looks like the Dems are

GETTING IT DONE (!)...(with the help of the only 2 sane Republicans in the senate...Snowe and Collins of Maine)

Jobs bill to stop teacher layoffs
nears approval

www.cleveland.com

The bill would extend programs enacted in last year's stimulus law to help preserve the jobs of tens of thousands of teachers and other public employees.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY !
Mr. President

WASHINGTON — Home alone, President Barack Obama turned 49 on Wednesday.

First lady Michelle Obama has taken their youngest daughter, Sasha, to Spain. Their other daughter, Malia, is away at summer camp.

Obama hasn't shied away from talking about his birthday, noting that his hair is getting grayer and his metabolism is slowing down as another year passes. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says that while there's no doubt that the presidency comes with enormous physical and mental strain, Obama "greatly enjoys" the job.

Obama is heading home to Chicago for a birthday celebration dinner Wednesday evening with friends. He'll spend the night in his own house in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood. Meanwhile, the president's birthday – though a year shy of the Big 50 milestone – is being used in this election year as a prime fundraising opportunity for Democratic candidates and party organizations, through mailings, e-mails, parties and other birthday-themed outreach.

On Thursday, Obama will tour an auto plant in Chicago and attend Democratic fundraisers before returning to Washington. (AP)

**********

B4B NOTE: And for the high number of absolute morons that polls show still exist, below is a copy of both The President's birth certificate along with a picture of his birth announcement which appeared in the Honolulu Advertiser on August 13, 1961 on page B-6. Incredible...the lies we must fight.

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Members of the Congressional Black Caucus
are trying to rein in the Office of Congressional Ethics. AP

Is Ethics Committee Unjustly Targeting
Congressional Black Caucus as PAYBACK ?

(See August 10, 2010 UPDATE below)

By Greg Jones
Blacks4Barack
National Director

In the aftermath of the charges recently filed against Rep.'s Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Ca.) the question has been raised as to whether these charges may have been racially motivated. Since both are Black, combined with the recent upsurge in race issues in America, many believe that Black politicians are being unfairly targeted.

What is lacking in many reports is the fact that the Congressional Black Caucus found themselves recently in a battle with the newly formed Office of Congressional Ethics, an 8-member subcommittee made up of 4 Democrats and 4 Republicans for the purpose of 'draining the swamp' (of misconduct) as Speaker Pelosi calls it. The OCE has become a very powerful group leading to many complaints from members of Congress, particularly the CBC.

This past June the CBC lead the charge in complaint regarding the panel's aggressive over reach of power and privately drafted a resolution which they presented to Speaker Pelosi to curtail the OCE's power. As reported by Politico " A Democrat close to Pelosi said the OCE was “way out of bounds” when it sent information to the Justice Department on an investigation into lawmakers’ ties to the defunct PMA lobbying group.

“They’re not supposed to be an independent prosecutor,” said one Republican lawmaker. “I think there’s a lot of regrets with having those people [OCE] there.”

In June, in challenge of the OCE's power, a resolution was drafted by Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) which was signed by 19 members of the CBC, threatening the power of the panel, due to a strong sentiment to change rules that empower the office to publicize investigations and wreak havoc on lawmakers’ political lives.

So the question becomes is the Office of Congressional Ethics unjustly targeting members of the Congressional Black Caucus in retribution or as payback for the caucus's quiet fight to strip them of power ? Both Rangel and Waters are members of the CBC. This question alone may be worthy of investigation.

Politico reports "even Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) acknowledges that the House may have to take a second look at the powers of this outside ethics office, which has the authority to publicize its inquiries, unlike the formal House ethics panel, which is much more secretive."

In an interview on Reverend Al Sharpton's radio show today Rep. Waters exposed the fact that out of the past 10 OEC investigations, 8 are members of the CBC. Would be interesting to hear Rep. Barbara Lee's (D-Ca./CBC Chairperson) perspective on this subject. We can also just keep our eyes open to see if a further pattern develops.

UPDATE (Aug. 10, 2010)
Waters' Lawyers Accuse Ethics Panel of Double Standard

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President: U.S. To Leave Iraq
" As Promised, On Schedule "

By JULIE PACE and JENNIFER LOVEN,
Associated Press Writers

ATLANTA – Nearing a milestone in the long and divisive Iraq war, President Barack Obama on Monday hailed this month's planned withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops — "as promised and on schedule" — as a major success despite deep doubts about the Iraqis' ability to police and govern their country.

Portraying the end of America's combat role in the 7-year war as a personal promise kept, Obama said Iraq will have 90,000 fewer U.S. troops by September than when he took office — a steady homeward flow he called "a season of homecomings." But there could still be more fighting involving U.S. forces.

"The hard truth is we have not seen the end of American sacrifice in Iraq," the president said in a speech to the national convention of the Disabled American Veterans. "But make no mistake, our commitment in Iraq is changing — from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats."

A transitional force of 50,000 troops will remain, down from the peak of 160,000 in 2007. Their mission will be to train and advise Iraqi security forces, protect U.S. civilians, manage the chain of supplies and equipment out of Iraq and conduct counterterrorism operations.

Those soldiers and Marines will remain in harm's way and will be likely to engage at times in some form of fighting. Iraqi commanders will be able to ask the U.S. for front-line help.

All American troops are to leave Iraq by the end of next year, as mandated under an agreement negotiated before Obama took office, between the Iraqis and President George W. Bush.

Obama's speech Monday was the first of many, with appearances planned throughout the month by the president, Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials. The schedule reflects a White House eager, with pivotal congressional elections approaching, for achievements to tout, especially in areas with the emotional significance of the Iraq war.

Obama's campaign pledge to oversee a speedy conclusion to the U.S. fighting was the promise that most defined his presidential campaign, and it brought him significant support.

(Read rest of article)

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Alan Greenspan: Extending Bush Tax Cuts Without Paying for Them Would be 'Disastrous'

(B4B NOTE) REPUBLICAN'S GOAL ?
To finish destroying our economy while aiding the super-rich. All politics has come down to a battle between the haves and the have-nots. A vote for the greedy Party of No is a vote for the super-haves. If they regain power we're ALL in big trouble (regardlessof party affiliation). Which is why we MUST vote in record numbers this midterm...." NO (to the repubs)-vember "

Article by HuffPo

Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan said that the push by congressional Republicans to extend the Bush tax cuts without offsetting the costs elsewhere could end up being "disastrous" for the economy.

In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Greenspan expressed his disagreement with the conservative argument that tax cuts essentially pay for themselves by generating revenue and productivity among recipients.

"They do not," said Greenspan.

"I'm very much in favor of tax cuts but not with borrowed money and the problem that we have gotten into in recent years is spending programs with borrowed money, tax cuts with borrowed money," he said. "And at the end of the day that proves disastrous. My view is I don't think we can play subtle policy here."

The comments from the former Fed chief were an elaboration of a position he outlined in an interview earlier in the week. Speaking with PBS' Judy Woodruff, Greenspan expressed his opposition to passing legislation that would hold tax rates steady (under law the tax cuts Bush passed ten years ago are going to expire, thereby bringing rates back to Clinton-era levels). President Obama has pledged to continue the tax breaks for those individuals making under $200,000 and those families earning less than $250,000.

But Republicans want the entire package kept in place. Even so, they have declined to say how they would pay for it, saying, in part, that keeping the Bush tax cuts in place will pay for itself.

In addition to throwing cold water on that theory, Greenspan also weighed in on broader economic issues and trends. The former Fed Chairman relayed some sobering economic predictions, saying he expected the nation's unemployment rate to remain at its current level, mainly because there were few tools left to change it. (Read rest of article)

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Another Republican " No " To Remember this NO-vember

WATCH: President's Weekly Address:
Rips Repubs for Blocking Much
Needed Small Business Loans

President Barack Obama is going after Senate Republicans who have stymied his proposal to create a $30 billion fund to help unfreeze lending for credit-starved small businesses.

His election-year push for additional job measures suffered a fresh setback this past week when the GOP blocked the small-business plan.

The president used his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday to accuse Republicans of "holding America's small businesses hostage to politics." He said the bill has the support of business groups and contains many ideas favored by both parties.

"Understand, a majority of senators support the plan. It's just that the Republican leaders in the Senate won't even allow it to come up for a vote," Obama said. "That isn't right." (HuffPo)

WATCH:

B4B NOTE: I have never seen a group so dedicated to doing all they can to make Americans literally SUFFER. It is absolutely anti-American and should be the catalyst for heavy anti-Republican voter turn-out this " NO-vember ". It's Action Time ! Make sure all of your friends/family are registered to vote for the midterm...and make sure they vote. PUSH the vital importance of the
" NO (to the repubs)-vember " Elections.

CLICK B4B Home Page for video

Pathetic ! 'Party of No' Votes NO
to Health Care-Aid for 9/11
Rescuers,Heroes !

Watch: Rep. Weiner Goes Ballistic Over Another Republican, Anti-American Vote

B4B NOTE:
For there to be such a clear history of illness and death to 9/11 rescuers-heroes,

amazes me that ANY human being would block much needed health care or aid. The Republican party is an absolutely despicable group of whom NONE deserve to call themselves For The People or of Public Service because they ARE NOT ! 24 more yes votes and this bill would have passed. Instead, nearly 150 Republicans voted NO ! This pathetic fact should be the catalyst for heavy anti-Repub turn-out this
" NO (to the repubs)-vember ".

Read Related Article

Click B4B Home Page for Video

WATCH:
President's Speech at
National Urban League Conference
Discusses Shirley Sherrod, race, education, jobs, family and More !

WATCH:

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

Click B4B Home Page for video

WATCH:
In case you missed it
(and wanted to see it)...


The President's historic
appearance on
' THE VIEW '.
Talks Shirley Sherrod, Afghanistan,
family, economy, jobs, Snooky and More !

CLICK TO WATCH
FULL EPISODE 7/29

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Shirley Sherrod To Sue
Blogger Andrew Breitbart
Over Doctored Video

CBS News

Ousted Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod said Thursday she will sue a conservative blogger who posted a video edited in a way that made her appear racist.

Sherrod was forced to resign as director of rural development in Georgia after Andrew Breitbart posted the edited video online. In the full video, Sherrod, who is black, spoke to a local NAACP group about racial reconciliation and lessons she learned after initially hesitating to help a white farmer save his home.

Speaking Thursday at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, Sherrod said she would "definitely" sue over the video that took her remarks out of context. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has since offered Sherrod a new job in the department in advocacy and outreach. She has not decided whether to accept.

"I am so far from being able to do that," Sherrod said at the convention. "I have not had a chance to read the offer. [The] offer says 'draft.' I need to ask them what that means."

Obama: Shirley Sherrod Deserved Better

Sherrod said she had not received an apology from Breitbart and no longer wanted one.

"He had to know that he was targeting me," she said.

Breitbart did not immediately respond to calls or e-mails seeking comment. He has said he posted the portion of the speech where she details her reluctance to help the white farmer to prove that racism exists in the NAACP, which had just demanded that the tea party movement renounce any bigoted elements. Some members of the NAACP audience responded approvingly when Sherrod described her reluctance to help the farmer.

The farmer's wife came forward after Sherrod resigned, saying Sherrod had eventually helped them save their farm.

Vilsack and President Barack Obama later called Sherrod to apologize for her hasty ouster. Obama said Thursday that Sherrod "deserves better than what happened last week."

Obama said Thursday morning on ABC's daytime talk show "The View" that the incident shows racial tensions still exist in America.

Obama pinned much of the blame for the incident on a media culture that he said seeks out conflict and doesn't always get the facts right. But he added, "A lot of people overreacted, including people in my administration."

Addressing the National Urban League, he said the full story Sherrod was trying to tell "is exactly the kind of story we need to hear in America."

At the journalists convention, Sherrod was asked what could be done to ensure accurate coverage as conservatives like Breitbart attack the NAACP and other liberal groups.

Sherrod, 62, responded that members of her generation who were in the civil rights movement "tried too much to shield that hurt and pain from younger people. We have to do a better job of helping those individuals who get these positions, in the media, in educational institutions, in the presidency, we have to make sure they understand the history so they can do a better job."

She said Obama is one of those who need a history lesson.

"That's why I invited him to southwest Georgia. I need to take him around and show him some of that history," Sherrod said.

Despite her experience, Sherrod said she believes the country can heal its racial divisions - if people are willing to confront the issue.

"Young African-Americans, young whites, too, we've done such a job of trying to be mainstream that we push things under the rug that we need to talk about. And then we get to situations like this," she said.

"I truly believe that we can come together in this country. But you don't (come together) by not talking to each other. You don't get there by pushing things under the rug."

Sherrod said her faulty firing should not be blamed on all media.

Before the full video was released, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said Sherrod should be fired, and others called her speech racist. O'Reilly later apologized.

"They had a chance to get the facts out, and they weren't interested," Sherrod said.

She said she declined to give Fox an interview because she believed they were not interested in pursuing the truth. "They would have twisted it," she said.

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Crack-Powder Sentencing Disparity

Reduced by Congress

Ryan Grimm/HuffPo

Congress addressed a historic wrong on Wednesday afternoon, replacing it instead with a slightly lesser wrong, when the House voted to reduce the disparity in the sentencing of people caught with crack cocaine versus powder cocaine.

To be charged with a felony, crack users needed to possess only 5 grams of the drug. To be hit with the same charge, powder cocaine users needed to be caught with 500 grams. This 100-to-1 disparity has frequently been cited by drug war opponents as exhibit A to buttress their claim that drug laws are racist.

Pending President Obama's signature, the new law will reduce that disparity to 18-to-1. The threshold for crack cocaine in the new law will be 28 grams; the powder level remains the same.

The moment on the House floor came and went fairly quickly, but the ease with which the bill passed belied a lot of behind-the-scenes activity.

As of Friday, the bill was not on the calendar to be considered this week. But on Saturday at the Netroots Nation conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was asked about the disparity and said that she expected the bill to come up the next week. It was placed on the calendar on Tuesday.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) controls the floor schedule and has been pushing on the issue for several weeks, working "hand in glove," according to one Senate aide, with Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who sponsored the upper chamber's version of the disparity fix. The Senate aide said that Hoyer was late to a bicameral leadership meeting Tuesday night because he was still making calls to nail down support for the legislation.

A key question was whether Republicans would demand a roll call or allow it to pass by a voice vote. Few vulnerable politicians, in an election year, want to vote on anything that could be cast as being soft on crack cocaine. Hoyer worked directly with House Republicans to assuage some of their concerns in an effort to ward off a demand for a recorded vote, which could jeopardize the legislation. (Read rest of article)

B4B NOTE: Although still imperfect...for those who say that The President hasn't done anything for Black people...good to see a law which specifically targeted the Black community for 20 years finally being addressed in a more equitable direction. Bet the penal system is sad about this one.

ANOTHER VICTORY !
....as Justice Prevails.

SPECIAL THANKS to ALL who
fought against Arizona's unjust 'Legalization of Racial Profiling' Law.
And special thanks to Judge Susan Bolton for knocking it down. Round One...US !

By Nicholas Riccardi and Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times

The ruling halts implementation of parts of the law that require police to determine the immigration status of people they stop and suspect of being in the U.S. illegally. Jurist says the law would undermine federal policies.

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the most controversial elements of Arizona's new immigration law, thrilling the law's opponents, dismaying its advocates and setting the stage for more legal battles in the future.

"We would have liked to have seen it all upheld, but a temporary injunction is not the end of it," said Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the legislation in April. "I look at this as a little bump in the road."

The governor said she was looking forward to getting started on the appeals process. "Jan Brewer is not a quitter," she said.
U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton halted implementation of the parts of the law that require police to determine the immigration status of people they stop and think are in the country illegally. She also forbade the state from charging anyone with failure to possess immigration documents, a crime under the new law.

In her 36-page decision, Bolton wrote that the measure would have hamstrung the federal government's efforts to enforce immigration law.

"The federal government's ability to enforce its policies and achieve its objectives will be undermined by the state's enforcement of statutes that interfere with federal law," she wrote.

The law's supporters, who contended it was needed to stop illegal immigrants from coming to Arizona, vowed a swift appeal.

Brewer, speaking with reporters as she left the University of Arizona technology park, said she believes the law is constitutional. Brewer also said, as she has repeatedly in the past, that the law was an attempt to protect the state. "I wish that the federal government would step up and do their job so we could all be safe and secure in the state of Arizona," she said.

Immigrant-rights groups were ebullient. "It means justice will truly prevail," said Lydia Guzman, president of Somos America, or We Are America. (Read rest of Article)

B4B NOTE: Be Prepared for the manipulative onslaught of fake polls claiming that " most Americans " are FOR the legalization of racial profiling. Sure there were 'polls' back in the day that showed most Americans were Pro-Slavery too !

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B4B Thought-of-the-Day !

Pictured: The young lady (whacko) who, during the historic campaign of '08,

was found guilty of branding and bruising herself, blaming a Black Obama supporter.

WARNING:

MAJOR BATTLE AHEAD !

The 'Power Structure' is still in ABSOLUTE SHOCK and disbelief that Blacks, Whites and All...UNITED in the election of America's first Black President. In hopes of 'Never Again'...their well orchestrated, right-wing plot is
to divide, conquer and regain power. We've only seen the tip of the
iceberg. As we get closer to Nov. 2010, then the 2012 elections, we can EXPECT their tactics to get worse and worse...like we've NEVER seen before...which is why we MUST be United...starting NOW...putting on the armor...preparing to Fight the Good Fight.....to LITERALLY SAVE Our Country !

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