Major Lance (April 4, 1939[1] – September 3, 1994) was an American R&B singer. After a number of US hits in the 1960s, including “The Monkey Time” and “Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um“, he became an iconic figure in Britain in the 1970s among followers of Northern soul.
Major Lance was born in Winterville, Mississippi. ‘Major’ was his given forename; it was not a nickname or stage name.[2] As a child, he relocated with his family to Chicago, attending Wells High School — the same school as Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler — taking up boxing and also singing as a member of the Five Gospel Harmonaires.[3][4] In the mid-1950s, he and singer Otis Leavill formed a group, the Floats, who broke up before recording any material. Lance became a featured dancer on a local TV show, and presenter Jim Lounsbury secured him a one-off record deal with Mercury Records, who released his single “I Got a Girl”, written and produced by Curtis Mayfield, in 1959. The record was not successful, and Lance worked at various jobs over the next few years.
October 08, 2011 10:15 AM
Gingrich weighs in on the federal judiciary
By Steve Benen
It’s been a long while since disgraced former House Speaker Newt Gingrich held public office — 13 years, to be exact — but for those who followed his career on Capitol Hill, it’s hard to overstate how much Gingrich hates the federal judiciary. To be sure, Gingrich had all kinds of people and institutions he targeted, but the courts were always near the top of his list.
So when it came time for Gingrich to address the right-wing Value Voters Summit yesterday, it came as no surprise that he spent much of his time going after his favorite subject.
“I would instruct the national security officials in a Gingrich administration to ignore the recent decisions of the Supreme Court on national security matters, and I would interpose the presidency in saying, as the commander in chief, we will not enforce this.”
Gingrich is also apparently interested in defunding the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, generally considered the most progressive bench in the country.
Congress has the power to limit the appeals, as I mentioned earlier. Congress can cut budgets. Congress can say, ‘All right, in the future, the 9th Circuit can meet, but it will have no clerks.’ By the way, we aren’t going to pay the electric bill for two years. And since you seem to be — since you seem to be rendering justice in the dark, you don’t seem to need your law library, either.”
And Gingrich is running for president in part because of a nine-year-old court ruling that ended up being thrown out of court and affecting no one.
“Let me be clear. judicial supremacy is factually wrong, it is morally wrong, and it is an affront to the American system of self-government. One of the major reasons that I am running for president of the United States is the 9th Circuit Court decision in 2002 that ‘one nation under God,’ in the Pledge of Allegiance, was unconstitutional. That decision to me had the same effect that the Dred Scott decision extending slavery to the whole country had on Abraham Lincoln.
Remember, as far as Gingrich is concerned, President Obama is a wild-eyed extremist.
Any guesses on what ol’ Newt would say if the president decided to ignore Supreme Court rulings and deny funding to appeals courts Obama considers too conservative?
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_10/gingrich_weighs_in_on_the_fede032696.php
October 08, 2011 10:50 AM
CBO: Dems’ numbers add up on jobs bill
By Steve Benen
President Obama has made a variety of claims about the American Jobs Act, most notably the fact that the bill would boost the economy — and be fully paid for. How do those claims stand up to scrutiny? According to the non-partisan CBO, pretty well.
The Congressional Budget Office on Friday confirmed that President Obama’s jobs bill would be fully paid for over ten years and also gave its seal of approval to a Senate Democrat version that includes a surtax on millionaires. […]
CBO also said that the bill “could have a noticeable impact on economic growth and employment in the next few years.”
All told, the American Jobs Bill, the CBO concluded, would reduce the deficit by $3 billion over the next 10 years, and that doesn’t factor in potential savings associated with increased revenue from a healthier economy.
The CBO’s findings don’t come as a big surprise — Democrats tend to take arithmetic seriously when crafting legislation — but they leave Republicans with no excuses for failure. The bill that’s on the table, as objective matter, creates jobs, cuts taxes, is fully paid for, and reduces the deficit. As far as Congress is concerned, that’s not a bad combination of qualities.
And on the other hand, we have the Republicans’ alternative jobs plan, which doesn’t really exist beyond vague and ineffective platitudes.
It’s a detail President Obama was eager to share in his weekly address this morning.
“So any Senator out there who’s thinking about voting against this jobs bill needs to explain why they would oppose something that we know would improve our economic situation. If the Republicans in Congress think they have a better plan for creating jobs right now, they should prove it. Because one of the same independent economists who looked at our plan just said that their ideas, ‘wouldn’t mean much for the economy in the near term.’
“If their plan doesn’t measure up, the American people deserve to know what it is that Republicans in Congress don’t like about this jobs plan.”
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_10/cbo_dems_numbers_add_up_on_job032697.php
October 08, 2011 11:25 AM
McConnell takes chutzpah to new levels
By Steve Benen
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said this week that White House’s “explicit strategy” is to “make people believe that Congress can’t get anything done.” Seriously, that’s what he said. As McConnell sees it, President Obama doesn’t want Congress to function.
Yes, after years of tragic dysfunction and Republican-imposed obstructionism unseen in American history, the conservative GOP leader from Kentucky believes this is all the president’s fault.
“[T]hat’s their explicit strategy — to make people believe that Congress can’t get anything done.
“And how do you make sure of it? By proposing legislation you know the other side won’t support — even when there’s an entire menu of bipartisan proposals the President could choose to pursue instead. The President can govern as though this is the congress he wants or he can deal with the congress he has. Along the first path lies gridlock and along the second lies the kind of legislative progress Americans want. And as for Republicans, well, we’ve been crystal clear from the outset that we prefer the latter route.”
Got that? If Obama embraces proposals uncompromising Republicans like, then he’s being responsible. If he pushes an agenda Republicans reject, then the GOP-driven gridlock is his fault.
I rather doubt McConnell is so far gone that he actually takes this nonsense seriously, but let’s set the record straight anyway, in case anyone is confused enough to believe his ridiculous rhetoric.
For two and a half years, President Obama has, in practically every instance, tried to govern in a mainstream way, with proposals that have traditionally enjoyed at least some support from both parties. Much of his base has been infuriated by this, but the Obama White House has made a concerted effort, first outlined in the 2008 campaign, to govern in a way that could garner support from responsible officials in both parties.
Republicans haven’t cared. Even when the president has embraced GOP ideas, he’s found Republicans are willing to reject their own proposals if Obama agrees with them.
Arguably the one person most responsible for the breakdown of the American political process is Mitch McConnell. Indeed, in several instances, he’s been quite candid about his anti-governing strategy.
The record is unambiguous.
* In March 2010, McConnell explained his decision to try to kill health care reform from the outset, regardless of merit or Democratic compromises, by demanding unanimous Republican opposition: “It was absolutely critical that everybody be together because if the proponents of the bill were able to say it was bipartisan, it tended to convey to the public that this is O.K., they must have figured it out.” It’s a dynamic that made compromise, quite literally, impossible.
* Soon after, McConnell explained the importance he and the House GOP leadership put on “unify[ing] our members in opposition” to everything Democrats propose, because unanimous Republican disagreement would necessarily make Democratic ideas less popular. “Public opinion can change, but it is affected by what elected officials do,” McConnell conceded. “Our reaction to what [Democrats] were doing had a lot to do with how the public felt about it. Republican unity in the House and Senate has been the major contributing factor to shifting American public opinion.”
* In August 2010, McConnell said he’ll only consider negotiating with the White House if they agree to accept center-right proposals, with no exceptions, even if there’s a Democratic majority.
* In October 2010, McConnell conceded on the record that defeating the president in 2012 is his “top priority,” above literally everything else, adding, “Our single biggest political goal is to give our nominee for president the maximum opportunity to be successful.”
* In June 2011, McConnell said if President Obama asks him to consider an idea Republicans don’t like, it’s evidence of the president acting “in bad faith.”
* In August 2011, McConnell admitted that he and his Republican colleagues were willing to hold the nation and its economy “hostage,” threatening to destroy the United States’ full faith and credit on purpose.
And now McConnell would have Americans believe Obama, unless he agrees to govern the way Republicans want him to, is directly responsible for the perception that “Congress can’t get anything done.” This even true right now, McConnell says, with an American Jobs Act filled with provisions GOP officials have traditionally supported.
McConnell’s willingness to blame the president for McConnell’s own deliberate strategy is plainly insane. He’s either completely lost touch with reality or he assumes those who take his rhetoric seriously have completely lost touch with reality. Either way, McConnell has taken chutzpah to levels that are hard to believe.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_10/mcconnell_takes_chutpah_to_new032698.php
Obama honors Peace prize winners
President Obama on Friday congratulated the three winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The president’s statement read: “On behalf of the American people, I congratulate the recipients of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen. Today’s award honors three extraordinary individuals, and sends a powerful message that the struggle for universal rights and human dignity can only be fulfilled with the full participation of women around the globe.
“President Sirleaf has inspired the world through her journey from a prisoner to the first female President of her country. She has helped Liberia emerge from years of civil war and make great strides toward reconstruction and a democracy that values the contributions of all Liberians, including its women. As a warrior for peace, Leymah Gbowee led her fellow Liberian women as they bravely stood their ground against a brutal dictator in a non-violent struggle to bring peace to their country and realize a full voice for Liberian women. In Yemen, Tawakkul Karman and her fellow women activists were among the first to take to the streets this year to demand their universal rights, and despite the threats and violence waged against peaceful protestors, she has remained a powerful voice for non-violence in a country where guns outnumber people.
“Each of this year’s Nobel recipients have their own story, but their lives reveal a fundamental truth. Nations are ultimately more successful when all of their citizens can reach their full potential, including women. When women and girls have access to proper health care, families are healthier and communities are less subject to the ravages of disease and hunger. When women and girls have the opportunity to pursue their education and careers of their own choosing, economies are more likely to prosper. And when women assume their rightful place as equals– in the halls of government, at the negotiating table and across civil society– governments are more effective, peaceful resolution of disputes are more lasting, and societies are more likely to meet the aspirations of all their citizens.
“I commend President Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkul Karman for showing the world that the rights and voices of half of humanity cannot and will not be denied. And I reaffirm the commitment of the United States to advance the rights and role of women everywhere, in our own country and around the world.”
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/1011/nobel_gesture_7b90b99c-a286-47a5-9bdb-8f908c868f5a.html
A C Wharton wins Memphis mayoral race
By theGrio
11:42 AM on 10/07/2011
Voters overwhelmingly re-elected Memphis mayor A C Wharton over nine rivals Thursday, giving the Democrat a hefty mandate to continue another four years after a short stint leading his impoverished Southern city through tough, gritty times.
With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Wharton won with a commanding 65 percent of the votes cast to 28 percent for his nearest rival, Edmund Ford Sr., the brother of former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Sr. All others split the rest with James Harvey Sr., a commissioner from Shelby County surrounding Memphis, who lagged in third with nearly 3 percent in a race marked by light voter turnout, the count showed.
Wharton, a silver-haired lawyer and former college professor, was the candidate to beat entering Thursday’s balloting, in which partisan politics played no significant role. He had won a special election in 2009 to replace the city’s first elected black mayor, Willie Herenton, after Herenton resigned in his fifth term and 18 years in the job.
The typically low-key Wharton was exuberant in victory, waving his hands and yelling his campaign slogan in his speech: “we are a city in motion.” Supporters clapped and cheered him on as he stood in front of a large poster that included a picture of President Barack Obama and alluded to hard times of budget cuts and high unemployment.
“We are one city,” said Wharton, 67. “I see the pain, I see the suffering. But there is room enough for all of us in this city.”
Wharton, Ford and Harvey are black, important in a majority Democratic city where 63 percent of the approximately 646,000 residents are African-American, according to the 2010 Census. New Census data released last week showed Memphis, a city known for blues music and the Beale Street tourist drag, is the poorest big city in the nation.
During his first term, Wharton gained in popularity by mediating a crisis stemming from a long-running school funding battle. But budget woes persist as the city has grappled with attempts to ease a deficit that had risen to $60 million, leading to pay cuts for firefighters and police officers. Gang crime and infant mortality also are issues he has had to confront.
Wharton had been criticized by Harvey and others for backing large tax breaks for big companies that were considering building plants in Memphis. Wharton says tax breaks were important in attracting companies that are bringing thousands of jobs to the Memphis area.
Wharton also faces what could be a difficult transition to a unified school system after voters approved consolidation of the city and county school districts.
Voters who backed Wharton said they welcomed his calm, reassuring manner on the job.
During the historic Memphis flooding on the nearby Mississippi River last spring, Wharton largely seemed unflappable as he coordinated with county emergency management official and calmly pleaded to the public to take the flood and evacuation orders seriously.
Supporters also spoke of his breadth of job experiences.
He previously had served for about seven years as mayor of Shelby County. He also was the first African-American law professor at the University of Mississippi, a position he held for 25 years. And he also once served as Shelby County’s chief public defender.
At Central Christian Church on Thursday, one of the city’s busiest polling places, two dozen voters said they chose Wharton while none said they voted for the other candidates.
“He is doing a real good job,” Mike Harris, a 36-year-old restaurant manager, said of Wharton. “I look at what he inherited. We had problems when he got here. He’s handled it very well.”
http://www.thegrio.com/politics/a-c-wharton-wins-memphis-mayoral-race.php
Enforcing Voter ID Law During Recall Elections, Wisconsin Poll Workers Falsely Told Voters With Expired Driver’s Licenses That They Can’t Vote
| In the name of non-existent threat, GOP-led states across the country have been pushing restrictive voter ID laws that could block more than five million Americans from the ballot boxes. In Wisconsin, the states voter ID law — “the biggest change in Wisconsin voting laws since 18-year-olds were given the right to vote in 1971″ — has already caused “widespread confusion” during the recent recall elections.
The League of Women Voters released a report detailing mistakes caused by the law. Not only did poll workers inconsistently ask voters to show IDs three months before the law actually goes into effect on Jan. 1, but they told voters in at least four places that “they couldn’t vote next year if their driver’s licenses are expired.” That is false, as “the law allows voters to use expired licenses as far back as November of last year.” One Wisconsin county clerk still insists, however, that the recall election elections went well “primarily because she thinks poll workers were adequately trained” and implemented the law as they should.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/10/08/339155/enforcing-voter-id-law-during-recall-elections-wisconsin-poll-workers-falsely-told-voters-with-expired-drivers-licenses-that-they-cant-vote/
Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl’ Star Issa Rae on CNN
Issa Rae, the producer, director, and star behind “Awkward Black Girl,” was on CNN yesterday discussing what led her to starting shooting her show on her own “gorilla style” [sic].
“I didn’t see myself represented on screen, in television or film, and I love these shows like “Parks and Recreation,” “30 Rock,” just because they have this awkward humor,” Rae told CNN’s Fredrick Whitfield yesterday. “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Seinfeld,” these shows represent my type of humor and I thought it’d be funny to have a series based on this African-American girl who goes through everyday awkward situations.”
CNN interview here:
http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/10/misadventures_of_awkward_black_girl_star_issa_rae_on_cnn.html
yeah!!!
When will, the CRAZINESS,end, dear lord?
Here’s our balmy downtown Minneapolist OWS – Former Gov. Jesse Ventura is rocking like he’s off his meds. SMH
W-T-F?
Did you hear Lewis’ response in the video below?
hello everyone did u see this? I’ve embedded the video with your shared link, Dannie. Thank you!
http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2011/10/08/4092153-photo-of-the-day-john-lewis-at-occupy-atlanta in all fairness, here is a rebuttal
Here’s Rep John Lewis’ response.
Hi Dannie. Thank you for the link. I’ve posted the video.
For Anita Hill, the Clarence Thomas hearings haven’t really ended
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-anita-hill-the-clarence-thomas-hearings-havent-really-ended/2011/10/05/gIQAy2b5QL_story.html?tid=sm_twitter_postpolitics
Twenty years ago, when Anita Hill returned home from the contentious Senate hearings during which she accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, people told her not to worry — her name would be forgotten in a matter of months.
But two things have become clear this week as she has re-entered the debate: The raw tensions over race, gender and politics raised by the hearings have not been forgotten. And Anita Hill is acting like a woman who wants her name remembered.
She is stepping back into the news by choice, giving a series of interviews about a book she released this week on issues of gender and race called “Reimagining Equality.” And she is attending seminars focused on the anniversary of the Thomas hearings, having become over the years a minor political celebrity.
For many, Hill embodies the fight against sexual harassment and gender discrimination, even as she triggers vitriol from others who dismiss her testimony as a partisan attack against Thomas.
“The hearing had for me an unexpected consequence,” Hill said in an interview. “I just didn’t have any sense that it was going to resonate in the way that it did. It has been kind of difficult for me.”
While Thomas went on to the Supreme Court, where he has become a consistent conservative voice, Hill has led a relatively quiet life in Massachusetts. She teaches social policy, law and women’s studies at Brandeis University, delivers lectures on sexual harassment and now has written two books. The first book, “Speaking Truth to Power,” was published in 1998 and dealt with her experience during the hearings.
Now, she is likely to be returning to Washington often after joining the District-based law firm Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll as an adviser to its civil rights and employment practice group. She also will soon become the special counsel to the provost at Brandeis.
The enduring tensions over the hearings became clear to Hill last October when she received a voice-mail message from Thomas’s wife, Virginia, requesting an apology for Hill’s testimony in those 1991 hearings. After Hill reported the call to her employers and it broke in the news, she received a slew of e-mails and phone calls from supporters and opponents.
“People are really still feeling this,” said Hill, who rejected the call for an apology, saying she initially thought the message was a prank. “That gut reaction [people felt] in 1991 still has not gone away.”
In October of that year, Hill was a 35-year-old lawyer who had worked for Thomas at the Education Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. As a key witness at his nomination hearings, she brought graphic accusations against him before a Senate panel, detailing lurid and harassing sexual statements, which Thomas vehemently denied. The controversy gripped the country.
The hearings also changed the trajectory of Hill’s life. The questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee, then a panel of white men, was “hurtful,” she said, and she does not believe a white woman would have met the same reception. But she also said she does not regret her involvement.
Great to hear Ms. hill did not put her life on hold after suffering such intensly public humiliation from the Thomas hearings. You GO Anita!
Good Morning, 3 Chics, Friends & Visitors!
SG2 is back!
Lets groove with Major Lance & do the Monkey Time…
Can you shimmy, watusi, do the monkey, jerk, tighten up, mashed potatoes, twist, funky chicken, hustle, cabbabe patch, running man, electric slide, Texas two step? Want to learn a few steps of the oldies but goodies? Stay with 3 Chics this week, as we get down with it. don’t hurt yourselves, now!
Good Morning, SG2 & 3 Chics Peeps! :-) I need coffee. will you join me?
http://community.cbs47.tv/blogs/files/5005/4324331/coffee-cup-01.jpg
LOL Girl, you gettin early this morning. *sits down mug and joins Sg2*
Good Afternoon, Everyone at 3CHICS!!