Scared of uppity, Black men? Ask a Republican

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Democrat Barack Obama, the first black candidate with a shot at winning the White House, says John McCain and his Republican allies will try to scare them by saying Obama "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."
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Editorial
It amazes me how a man like Sen. McCain--whose state did not make Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday a holiday (I believe the only state in the nation to do so) has the nerve to talk about a mover and a shaker like Sen. Obama.
McCain has been in office long enough to do lots of things but hasn't. He is the physical embodiment of the lopsided status quo, do-nothing, politician Obama rails against.
McCain needs to take Obama's advice and talk more about McCain's accomplishments in the Senate and his state of Arizona--and less about an accomplished and well-liked man like Obama.

Female athletes to undergo sex testing

At the Beijing Olympics, some female athletes may undergo sex testing.
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Michelle Obama: Fashion Icon

FT. MYERS, Fla., July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelle Obama has been named to the International Best-Dressed List in the 69th annual style poll, published in Vanity Fair. Mrs. Obama's off-the-rack White House Black Market Tank Leaf Print Dress caused an international sensation when she wore it on ABC's The View! The $148 White House Black Market dress has created such a buzz in part because it shows women that they can look like a million bucks without having to spend a fortune. White House Black Market's Tank Leaf Print Dress can be ordered on whitehouseblackmarket.com or by calling 1.877.948.2525.

Offshore drilling a "scheme"

(CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama stood his ground Wednesday in opposing what he calls the "scheme" of offshore drilling, during a campaign event in Springfield, Missouri.
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Congressman wants to end federal penalties for amounts of pot

(CNN) -- The U.S. should stop arresting responsible marijuana users, Rep. Barney Frank said Wednesday, announcing a proposal to end federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams, almost a quarter-pound, of the substance.
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Obama caught with VP vetters again

For the second day in a row, Obama stopped by the office of Eric Holder – a former Justice Department official who is leading the search for his vice presidential running mate.
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Reparations are in store--but thanks for the apology

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for slavery and the era of Jim Crow.
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Obama rejects criticism of overseas tour

CNN)-- Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday rejected criticism of his just-completed eight-day tour through the Middle East and Europe, saying the trip could ultimately help make him a more effective president.
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Journalists connect over jobs

While some people think the media is out of touch with the concerns of the average American, there is one issue with which many journalists really connect: Jobs.
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New York Times Opinion: Barack Obama as International acting president

IT almost seems like a gag worthy of “Borat”: A smooth-talking rookie senator with an exotic name passes himself off as the incumbent American president to credulous foreigners.
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Warren Ballentine: The Black Rush Limbaugh?

ATLANTA — Warren Ballentine, one of black talk radio’s new stars, was on a tear against Senator John McCain as he broadcast from the Greenbriar Mall here last week, blithely dismissing Mr. McCain’s kind words about Senator Barack Obama at the recent N.A.A.C.P. national convention.
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Feds close two banks on West Coast

The 28 branches of 1st National Bank of Nevada and First Heritage Bank, operating in Nevada, Arizona and California, were closed Friday by federal regulators.
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NATO troop additions could boost U.S. economy: Obama

PARIS, France (CNN) -- Barack Obama said Friday that persuading NATO allies to contribute more troops to Afghanistan could lead to U.S. troops cuts and help improve the U.S. economy, with reduced military expenditure being diverted into tax cuts to help middle class families.
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More hostages released

(CNN) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross announced Thursday that it arranged for the release Wednesday of eight civilians held for a week by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
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Obama draws an estimated 200,000 during landmark speech

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- U.S. presidential contender Barack Obama used a speech Thursday in Berlin -- the German city that once symbolized Cold War division --- to warn about the dangers of allowing new walls to come between the United States and its allies.
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CNN Electoral map shift puts Minnesota up for grabs

(CNN) — Two more states have shifted to the toss-up column in the new CNN Electoral Map that charts the candidates’ strength leading up to the November election.
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Climate, war top Obama's talks in Germany

BERLIN - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as climate and energy issues at Germany's chancellery Thursday, part of a tour aimed at lifting the first-term senator's international standing.
Key issues in German-American affairs include climate change, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.

Fed minimum wage increase helps offset gas, food prices

WASHINGTON - About 2 million Americans get a raise Thursday as the federal minimum wage rises 70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up, and some small businesses will pass the cost of the wage hike to consumers.

The increase, from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour, is the second of three annual increases required by a 2007 law. Next year's boost will bring the federal minimum to $7.25 an hour.
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79 cent rapper?

NEW YORK - 50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent.

The rapper says in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that the Mexican-themed chain features him in a print ad asking him to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent. His real name is Curtis Jackson.
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Freddie and Fannie shares rebound behind rescue package

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors snapped up shares of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae (FNM.N) and Freddie Mac (FRE.N) before Wall Street opened on Thursday, a day after the House of Representatives passed a massive rescue package to shore up the struggling housing market.
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Man-eating dinosaur debut in Mongolia

TOKYO - Japanese and Mongolian scientists have successfully recovered the complete skeleton of a 70-million-year-old young dinosaur, a nature museum announced Thursday.

The scientists uncovered a Tarbosaurus — related to the giant carnivorous Tyrannosaurus — from a chunk of sandstone they dug up in August, 2006 in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, said Takuji Yokoyama, a spokesman for the Hayashibara Museum of Natural Sciences, a co-organizer of the joint research project.
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Banned substance leaves swimmer on dry land

LOS ANGELES - Jessica Hardy's first trip to the Olympics could be over before it began. The swimmer tested positive for a banned substance, leaving her just two weeks to pursue any appeals before the Beijing Games begin.

Hardy's "A" sample from the recent U.S. Olympic trials tested positive, a person familiar with the test results told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. The person, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the banned substance was a stimulant but did not provide any other details.
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Cancer, cell phone link warning

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

The issue that concerns some scientists -- though nowhere near a consensus -- is electromagnetic radiation.

The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Herberman is basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science, and he believes that people should take action now, especially when it comes to children.

"Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," Herberman said.
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"Big sticks, big carrots" may stave off nuclear weapon development: Obama

SDEROT, Israel - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama defended his proposal to negotiate with Iran Wednesday and said he would use "big sticks and big carrots" to persuade the country's leaders not to develop nuclear weapons.
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Polygamous cult leader charged with first-degree felony

Members of the polygamous FLDS revere jailed leader Warren Jeffs as their prophet.
Jeffs was charged with sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony, Abbot said.
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How drunk was he?

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - State police say they arrested a man early Tuesday whose blood alcohol level was 0.491 percent — the highest ever recorded in Rhode Island for someone who wasn't dead.
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Meeeeeeeowwww! Pay attention to me--and me!

LOS ANGELES - Omarosa is not sorry for sparring with Wendy Williams. "I stand by everything I said," Omarosa told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The reality star — whose full name is Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth — appeared Monday on "The Wendy Williams Show" to promote her upcoming book but instead spent more time trading insults with radio personality-turned-talk show host Wendy Williams, who infamously engaged Whitney Houston during an interview on her radio show in 2003.
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Whaaa? I didn't hear the phone ring...

NEW YORK (AP) -- The old song had it right: Breaking up is hard to do. But a free new phone service called Slydial might make it easier to get through that and other awkward moments -- without actually having to talk to anyone.


A new service lets you leave a cell-phone voice message without -- horrors! -- actually talking to someone.

Slydial lets you connect directly with another person's cell phone voice mail, bypassing the traditional ringing process that often results -- sometimes disastrously -- with someone picking up on the other end.
Users call (267) SLY-DIAL from either a cell phone or a landline, and are prompted to enter another person's cell phone number.
After playing a short advertisement -- unless users pay a subscription fee or 15 cents per call to skip ads -- Slydial puts callers directly into their target's voice mail.
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Catagory one heads for Texas gulf area

McALLEN, Texas - Tropical Storm Dolly intensified over the warm waters of the western Gulf of Mexico as it bore down on southern Texas on Tuesday. Forecasters expected it to become a Category 1 hurricane before hitting land Wednesday morning somewhere along the Mexican border with southern Texas.

Solutions for Afghanistan, peace talks, then Obamamania ahead for Presidential Candidate

AMMAN, Jordan - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama vowed to work for a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations "starting from the minute I'm sworn into office."
He made his comments shortly after arriving in Jordan at a news conference before departing for Israel. He said any U.S. involvement in peace talks must recognize not only Israel's security concerns but also the economic hardships facing Palestinians.
copyright lonely planet
He also said that security in Iraq has improved and that the United States urgently needs to turn its attention to Afghanistan.
"The situation in Afghanistan is perilous and urgent," he said. "We must act now to reverse a deteriorating situation."
"There is security progress, but now we need a political solution" in Iraq, Obama said in the first news conference of his highly publicized trip abroad. Afghanistan is now the "central front in the war against terrorism," he added.
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Obama wants Israeli-Palestinian peace talks

Obamamaina! in Europe

The $25 billion rescue

WASHINGTON - A federal rescue of troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cost taxpayers as much as $25 billion, Congress’ top budget analyst said Tuesday.

But Peter R. Orszag, director of the Congressional Budget Office, predicted in a letter to lawmakers that there’s a better than 50 percent chance the government will not have to step in to prop up the companies by lending them money or buying stock.
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Kissin' n' Tellin'

(The Frisky) -- Locking lips. Making out. Smooching. Kissing. It sounds so pleasant and easy, yet do a little research and you'll soon discover that while everyone may be doing it, few are doing it well.

For your edification, I have rounded up the different varieties of bad kissers and broken them down by the traits they share with members of the animal kingdom:
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New scam turns renters into squatters

Fresh support for U.S. pull out

BAGHDAD - Face to face with Iraq's leaders, Barack Obama gained fresh support Monday for the idea of pulling all U.S. combat forces from the war zone by 2010. But the Iraqis stopped short of actual timetables or endorsement of Obama's pledge to withdraw troops within 16 months if he wins the presidency.

The Democratic presidential contender also got a military briefing — and a helicopter tour — from the top U.S. commander in the region, Gen. David Petraeus, and also met with a few of the nearly 150,000 U.S. troops now well into the war's sixth year.
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Iraq's timetable clarification

BAGHDAD - Iraq's government welcomed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday with word that it apparently shares his hope that U.S. combat forces could leave by 2010.

The statement by Iraq's government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, followed talks between Obama and Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki — who has struggled for days to clarify Iraq's position on a possible timetable for a U.S. troop pullout.

Al-Dabbagh said the government did not endorse a fixed date, but hoped American combat units could be out of Iraq sometime in 2010. That timeframe falls within the 16-month withdrawal plan proposed by Obama, who arrived in Iraq earlier in the day as part of a congressional fact-finding team.
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Japan's jailhouse frock?

TOKYO - Japan's latest trendy fashion comes from a place most high-end shoppers wouldn't go looking: a jailhouse.

The must-have apparel — cotton aprons, tote bags and pouches — is emblazoned with the character for “jail” inside a circle and are cut, sewn and assembled by inmates at Hakodate Juvenile Prison on the northern island of Hokkaido.

The items first went on sale in October 2006 as souvenirs for tourists and prison visitors, but didn't immediately catch on.
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"A woman with good shoes is never ugly..."

Anyone who loved Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes as a child - and I did, like every other aspiring 10-year-old ballerina - will understand the continuing appeal of wearing ballet pumps in adulthood. Hence my attachment to a pair by Chanel (two-tone, beige with a black toe), which never fail to lighten my spirits when I wear them, even if they don't lighten my step sufficiently to perform arabesques along the streets of north London.

It seems fitting, therefore, that Coco Chanel herself referred to her favourite two-tone pumps as souliers - and although this means simply 'shoes', my own more romantic interpretation is that she understood that our souls might find a home in our soles (an idea Hans Christian Andersen, the son of a shoemaker, had no problem in expressing in his fairytales).
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Obama will persue war on terror with vigor

KABUL, Afghanistan - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pledged steadfast aid to Afghanistan in talks Sunday with its Western-backed leader and vowed to pursue the war on terror "with vigor" if elected, an Afghan official said.

On the second day of an international tour designed to burnish his foreign policy credentials, Illinois Sen. Obama and a pair of colleagues held two hours of talks with President Hamid Karzai at his palace in the capital.
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Memorial

I hadn't heard anything on the Fourth of July holiday and that was strange. I had the urge to call the day before but since I have a history of being pushy, I let it go.



On the fifth, my birthday, it was my obligation to find out what was going on. It wasn't like Bill to not want to light firecrackers with little Billy on the holiday--it was a yearly debate.
I hoped he wasn't in jail. Illness had not crossed my mind. I thought he was the picture of good health but the things we think can be wrong.


Lauren's Birthday party June 14--the last time we were all together.

He was in the hospital.
William James McCloud III died July 15, 11 days after entering the hospital--after telling his wife Jennifer he wasn't feeling well.
Bill left work early that Wednesday, after consuming an energy drink. Apparently he was having a heart attack. His arteries were blocked.
Bill was only 38 years old. His birthday is next month and his mother tells me a big celebration had been planned.
Bill was my husband. He is the father of my two children. Even though we decided to live separate lives, we still cared for each other. We cared enough to let each other live in peace and stop the fighting. We got along because we wanted to.

Now, he is gone and I feel my former better half has left me alone. When in personal crisis, he was my go-to-guy.
Goodbye, Bill you are loved and I will make you proud and bring honor to your good name.
In Love,
Lauren, Billy and Leslie

Quarrel over King estate divides family

ATLANTA - For years, they were the picture of solidarity: the four children of Martin Luther King Jr. carrying on the legacy of the civil rights icon.
But a lawsuit over how their father's estate is being run has left a rift in one of the world's most famous families. And it may now be up to a judge to get the King children in the same room.
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Obama supports Afghan reconstruction, security

KABUL, Afghanistan - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama met Saturday with officials of a region of Afghanistan that has been a hotbed of Taliban and al-Qaida activity, offering his support for reconstruction and security there and throughout the country, an official said.
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YWCA asks churches for financial help

GARY -- The YWCA is asking every church in the city to donate $1 per member for the next three months to keep it from closing its doors.Board president Cynthia Powers made the request during a meeting with local ministers Friday morning, explaining that her colleagues are working "laboriously" to restore the agency's financial health.

read more | digg story

Jump in fundraising boost to Obama campaign

WASHINGTON - Democrat Barack Obama raised $52 million last month for his presidential campaign, more than twice as much as Republican rival John McCain in a significant boost to his financial cache for the fall contest.

The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee ended June with a combined total of $92.3 million in the bank. The figure represents a notable fundraising jump, especially for the DNC.
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No sweat, Mr. Obama

CHICAGO - Sometimes it's hard to tell if Barack Obama is running for president of the United States or Mr. Universe
The Democratic presidential contender exercises regularly, but over a 24-hour span this week, he took it to a new extreme.
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"...The buck stops with me"--Obama

(CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama said that if he's elected president in November, he will seek input from military commanders on the Iraq war and the fighting in Afghanistan.
Sen. Barack Obama answers questions from Larry King in a taped interview on Tuesday.
"But ultimately, the buck stops with me," he told CNN's "Larry King Live" in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday.
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USDA EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO PERMITTING INFESTED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS TO ENTER US

First prosecution in the United States under federal agricultural statute

(LAREDO, Texas) - A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employee has pleaded guilty to illegally permitting infested agricultural products to enter the United States from Mexico, United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today. He will be sentenced Sept. 3, 2008.

Jose Homero Reyes, 48, who worked as a USDA plant protection and quarantine officer, pleaded guilty to three counts of the superseding indictment. As part of the guilty plea, Reyes admitted that beginning in or about 2005, and continuing to April 15, 2008, he conspired with others to not properly perform fumigations, thereby permitting agricultural products infested with a plant pest to enter the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agricultural inspectors are responsible for initially inspecting trucks carrying agricultural products into the United States via Laredo from Mexico. At or near the initial inspection, CBP agricultural inspectors send a sample of any agricultural product suspected of being infested with a plant pest to plant protection and quarantine for a final determination. If a determination is made that a truck entering the U.S. is carrying an agricultural product infested with a plant pest, the infested product must be fumigated before the truck is permitted to leave Laredo.

A plant protection and quarantine officer is required to be present during the fumigation, because the officer must make initial calculations regarding the level of gas needed to spray the agricultural product infested with a plant pest and subsequently advise the fumigation technician of the same prior to beginning the fumigation. Following this, the officer is required to submit a written report to the USDA documenting the fumigation results. The truck carrying the agricultural products is not permitted to leave Laredo until the plant protection and quarantine officer provides consent.

The fumigations normally occur after-hours, and the plant protection and quarantine officers are paid overtime for their work related to the fumigations. The overtime paid to the plant protection and quarantine officers as well as the cost for the company performing the fumigations are ultimately passed onto either the Mexican exporter or the owner of the agricultural goods.

As part of his guilty plea, Reyes admitted he provided consent to the freight forwarding company/customs broker, allowing the trucks carrying agricultural products infested with a plant pest to leave Laredo, knowing that the agricultural products were not properly fumigated. Reyes would also falsely claim overtime for hours he never worked in addition to submitting false written reports to the USDA falsely documenting the fumigation results.

Arturo Ramirez, 46, the owner of Ambush Exterminators, a pest control service located in Laredo, and Robert Perez, 35, who previously worked as a USDA plant protection and quarantine officer, are also charged in the superseding indictment. Ramirez previously pleaded guilty June 17, 2008. Perez is scheduled for trial Sept. 12, 2008. Rafael Edmundo Melo Jr., a fourth USDA plant protection and quarantine officer, was also originally charged by indictment in this case. The indictment against Melo was dismissed by the government after he committed suicide.

The guilty plea to conspiracy to permit agricultural products infested with a plant pest to enter the United States carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine upon conviction. Each of the guilty pleas to the substantive counts of permitting an infested agricultural product from entering the U.S. carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation leading to these guilty pleas was a joint investigation by the FBI’s Public Corruption Task Force and the USDA - Office of Inspector General. The Task Force includes the Laredo Police Department, Department of Homeland Security - Office of the Inspector General and CBP - Office of Internal Affairs. Special agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement also assisted in the operation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sam Sheldon and James Seaman

Award-Winning Educational Films Now Available to Parents In Order to Stem the Tide of Child Sexual Abuse

PORTLAND, Ore.-- Recent studies shed light on the methods employed by pedophiles to gain access to children. To better protect children parents need to become more aware and actively involved in the educational process. It is necessary to normalize discussion of embarrassing issues in order to create a more open atmosphere for disclosure.

Pedophiles develop trust among caregivers and parents and apply subtle, as well as not so subtle, pressures to assure the child's silence once boundaries are violated. The methods used by charming socially skilled molesters, known as "Groomers," are insidious and gradual, often leaving children guilt ridden, embarrassed and confused.

To help parents meet this challenge, is making four programs on DVD available to the public for the first time.

"The skills we've taught children to deal with 'Dangerous Strangers' are critically important, but they're not enough," said Mitchell. "Providing these DVDs to the home market will allow our children to watch them over and over, opening the door for discussion with their parents," J. Gary Mitchell of empowerkids.com, said.
Mitchell is an Academy Award, nominated producer of child protection films that are used by social service agencies, schools and child abuse prevention centers.

"This will make it much more difficult for Groomers to drive a wedge of silence between children and their parents. This could make a huge difference in their lives," said Mitchell.

Each film includes a study guide to help parents discuss the issues raised in the videos with their children. Once, after viewing one of Mitchell's films featuring two puppet frogs named What and Tadoo, a four-year-old girl who'd blown the whistle on her abuser was questioned by a district attorney and asked how she knew what to do. She replied, "The frogs told me."

"With access to these videos let's hope there's a lot more whistle blowing going on," Mitchell concluded.

Personal responsibility starts now, starts with you: Obama

(CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama paid tribute Monday to the black leadership in the civil rights battles of the '60s and '70s, but reminded members of the NAACP that those leaders "were not much older than many of you when they made their mark on history."


Sen. Barack Obama tells the NAACP: "I will stand up for you" the way earlier generations stood up for him.

"If I have the privilege of serving as your next president, 100 years after the founding of the NAACP, I will stand up for you the same way that earlier generations of Americans stood up for me -- by fighting to ensure that every single one of us has the chance to make it if we try," Obama said.

"That means removing the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding that still exist in America. It means fighting to eliminate discrimination from every corner of our country. It means changing hearts and changing minds and making sure that every American is treated equally under the law."
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AMA apologizes for history of racial inequality and works to include and promote minority physicians

CHICAGO, Ill. - The American Medical Association (AMA) today
apologizes for its past history of racial inequality toward African-
American physicians, and shares its current efforts to increase the
ranks of minority physicians and their participation in the AMA.
In 2005, the AMA convened and supported an independent panel of experts to study the history of the racial divide in organized medicine, and the culmination of this work prompted the apology. Details of the panel's work will be made public on the Web site of the AMA's Institute for Ethics to coincide with publication in the July 16 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).*

"The AMA is proud to support research about the history of the racial divide in organized medicine because by confronting the past we can embrace the future," said AMA Immediate-Past President Ronald M. Davis, M.D. "The AMA is committed to improving its relationship with minority physicians and to increasing the ranks of minority physicians so that the workforce accurately represents the diversity of America’s patients."

Small to midsized U.S. banks may be in trouble

Officials want to avoid a run on banks, similar to what happened to
California-based IndyMac, that is now salvaged by FDIC.
Ninety banks are on government watch list. Washington Mutual stock down to $4 a share. National City hits the skids as well.

Analysts expect more write downs from Citi and Merill.
The IndyMac failure and problems with Fannie and Freddie could
further darken the outlook for banks.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- If this weekend's news about Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac and Friday's IndyMac failure weren't scary enough,
now Wall Street will have to contend with what is likely to be dismal quarterly results from many top financial firms.
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Calls for Boycotting the New Yorker

Bernard Parks Sr., a Superdelegate supporting Barack Obama,
called for a boycott of the New Yorker Magazine during an interview on CNN Monday.

The magazine has depicted Presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama in Muslim dress. His wife, Michelle is depicted as a Black Panther Militia Party member. Michelle has an an automatic weapon and ammo strapped to her back and is giving her husband a fist bump.

Both are standing in the Oval Office with the flag burning in the fireplace. Proponents say the disgusting, baseless, satire is just that--satire--and should be taken as such.

It is unclear why Mrs. Obama is depicted wearing an Afro, a popular
hair style from the 1970s or why a black militia member or a Muslim would illicit fear.

Satire of the politics of fear, is what the cover was supposed to depict as well as an article inside the magazine. The Obama and John McCain camp considered it in poor taste.
Parks said the cover is considered a "setback" and "wouldn't have been acceptable decades ago," let alone today.

(Apparently, in the "land of the free" the only acceptable candidates for president are people who aren't of the Jewish, Catholic, Islamic and some sects of Christian faith. I remember growing up hearing JFK being mentioned as "a Catholic" as if it were a negative quality and not the God-blessed thing that it is.)

Murdoch family rank in media rises

LONDON (AFP) - Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., was overtaken by his son James for the first time in a ranking of the most powerful figures in British media published Monday.
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