(From New America Media)

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

During the 2008 presidential election campaign, the GOP plan of attack on then-candidate Barack Obama was simple: pound him relentlessly as soft on terrorism and antagonistic toward the military. GOP presidents Reagan, Bush Sr., and especially George W. Bush in his 2004 reelection fight against Massachusetts Senator John Kerry used this ploy masterfully against their Democratic opponents.

The GOP strategists believed that the soft-on-terrorism smear would work even better against Obama. He was a liberal Democrat, untested in foreign policy matters; he had made conciliatory remarks about Islam; he was a staunch opponent of the Iraq war, and unstated, but very much a part of the thinking, he was African-American. This supposedly made him vulnerable to the widely held, borderline racist suspicions that blacks are unpatriotic. The smear almost worked. Polls consistently showed that despite the mountain of political baggage carried by GOP presidential contender John McCain, his running mate Sarah Palin, and the rest of the Republican Party — not to mention the sky-high voter disgust with Bush’s domestic and foreign policy bumbles — the terrorism issue still had enough resonance to keep McCain competitive.

But Obama knew the history of how the GOP used the terrorism ploy to discredit Democrats, and he moved quickly to counter their attacks. He threatened preemptive strikes against Pakistan for harboring terrorists and vowed to wage fierce war in Afghanistan against terrorism and Al Qaeda. During the campaign, he promised to launch preemptive strikes against terrorists wherever they were, including search-and-destroy missions to ferret out bin Laden. He even quipped that he’d put his own life on the line to stop another 9/11.

To the GOP’s shock — to the ire of many progressive and liberal Democrats — Obama was as good as his word. He refused to soften any of the provisions of the Patriot Act, promptly issued a shoot-to-kill order against Somali pirates who had seized American hostages, stepped up the drone attacks on the Taliban in Pakistan, and approved the massive expansion of troops, bases, and spending on the Afghan war. But most importantly, he issued tough (and secret) orders to the CIA to continue to do everything to destroy and disrupt Al Qaeda and to take out the one man that Americans most wanted dead: Osama bin Laden. Obama’s order to the CIA and military counter-terror teams hunting bin Laden was clear — Do not capture, but kill.

The sudden, stunning success of that mission has forced GOP leaders to scramble. The cheering crowds outside the White House following the announcement that bin Laden was dead, the glowing praise from much of the public, and the congratulations from world leaders drove home the frightening political implications for the Republicans, just as the 2012 campaign is gearing up. Obama had done the one thing that Bush, despite his bluster and tough talk, could not do — take out America’s Public Enemy Number One, the world’s preeminent symbol of terror. In one fell, and spectacular, swoop, Obama has rudely shattered the myth that’s been a key weapon in the GOP arsenal for decades: that a Democratic president was incapable of waging a tough and effective war on terrorism.

Confronted with the political game-changer of the bin Laden killing, it is amusing to see the tortured gyrations that conservatives and GOP officials are going through to heap credit on Bush, the military, special ops teams, the CIA, the 9/11 victims’ families, and even the general public, while giving either Al Qaeda’s leader.

The bin Laden action comes at the worst possible time for the GOP. Obama’s approval numbers had been sagging, and more Americans continued to voice displeasure over the direction the country was heading. This was the one bright spot for Republicans, especially coming on the heels of other polls that showed the GOP base was bored, disheartened, and even contemptuous of the crop of would-be Republican candidates. At the same time, a majority of voters were repelled at the clownish showboating of purported GOP contenders Donald Trump, Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann.

In his televised address announcing bin Laden’s death, Obama wisely did not revel in this victory. He portrayed it solely as a grim but necessary action in the war on terrorism. Bagging bin Laden was purely a national security priority. Just as smartly, the president took pains to assure that the attack on Al Qaeda’s leader was not an attack on Islam. Both messages were necessary, and both have left the GOP even more hapless and reeling for a way to recover politically, now that another of their cherished myths about Obama has been shattered.

 Blacks, women and other minorities remain seriously underrepresented

 Washington, DC – A corporate board census released May 2, 2011 by the Alliance for Board Diversity (ABD) reported a surprising decline in the combined number of seats for women and minorities on the boards of the nation’s leading corporations. The largest decline was among blacks. This year’s report found that in the Fortune 100 between 2004 and 2010, African Americans lost over 40 board seats while white men increased their presence on corporate boards, adding over 30. Overall, women did not see an appreciable increase in their share of board seats.

The Executive Leadership Council (ELC), an independent, non-profit 501(c)(6) corporation founded in 1986, is a founding partner in the Alliance for Board Diversity. ELC members are African American senior executives of Fortune 500 companies and equivalents. Considering the hundreds of board seats that became available during the six year period, ELC sees the combined decrease for all underrepresented groups and the steep decline for blacks as disconcerting.

“It is troubling groups already severely underrepresented on corporate boards have collectively experienced a decline over the last six years,” ELC president and CEO Arnold W. Donald remarked in his assessment of the available data. “Most business leaders recognize that inclusion and the diversity of thinking that results from it creates real value. Shareholder value for most of the companies listed in the census is being compromised by the lack of board diversity. A decline in any single group of minorities or women is not good, a collective decline is troubling.”

The ABD has worked collaboratively for more than six years to encourage corporations to increase the diversity of their boards.  Catalyzed by sponsoring companies Altria and Kraft, the ELC has recently begun its own Corporate Board Initiative. ELC identifies and offers development opportunities to its members who are “board ready” and those who are nearly ready to assume the rigors of corporate board responsibilities. The organization has assembled an elite cadre of members prepared for board leadership and has worked with leading search organizations such as Heidrick & Struggles to prepare candidates and match them with opportunities.

ABD Corporate Board Census 

Recent U.S. Census data shows that women and minority men comprise 66 percent of the U.S. population. Yet the ABD report indicates that more than 325 of the Fortune 500 have less than 25 percent representation, nearly 100 have less than 10 percent, and 37 companies have no women or minority representation whatsoever.

“Few will debate that inclusion and the diversity of thinking that it brings to business challenges creates real shareholder value,” further stated Mr. Donald of ELC. “That’s why the decline in the collective presence of underrepresented groups on the boards of America’s largest corporations as reported in this study is more than a little concerning. We at ELC, together with our ABD partners, plan to make a meaningful contribution in helping America’s corporations address this missed opportunity.”

Corporations interested in increasing board diversity may contact ELC or any of the partners in the ABD for access to the most qualified diverse candidates available for corporate board service.

Founded in 2004, the Alliance for Board Diversity is a collaboration of four leadership organizations: Catalyst www.catalyst.org, The Executive Leadership Council www.elcinfo.com, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility www.hacr.org, and Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc www.leap.org. The Prout Group Inc. www.proutgroup.com, an executive search firm, is a founding partner of the alliance and serves as advisor and facilitator. The groups have a common goal to enhance shareholder value by promoting inclusion of women and minorities on corporate boards. More information about ABD and access to the full “Missing Pieces: Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards – 2010 Alliance for Board Diversity Census” is available at www.theabd.org.

 Brooklyn, NY – “ONE BOROUGH, ONE CITY, ONE DREAM” is the theme for The  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Brooklyn Branch, fifth annual Freedom Fund Reception Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 11, 2011. The event will take place at the Brooklyn Public Library in the Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture, 10 Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, beginning with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony at 6:30pm. David Ushery, Anchor, NBC4 NEW YORK & Host of The Debrief with David Ushery, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. 

“The NAACP was founded by brave American citizens, from many cultures, colors and creeds, nearly 100 years ago to bring freedom and equal right and civil rights to Black American.  The Brooklyn Branch continue to be blessed by work of diverse members and supporters who share the vision of justice, compassion, and economic opportunity,” said Karen Boykin-Towns, Brooklyn Branch President since 2005.

“Our founders courageously proved to us that they were powerful beyond measure.” “We must convey that courage to the next generation, and beyond, so that someday, the vision will be achieved,” stated Boykin-Towns.    The NAACP Brooklyn Branch continues to have an aggressive membership campaign and is proud of its youthful and vibrant leadership team with a membership of over 2,000.  The Brooklyn Branch is supported by New York State Conference President Hazel N. Dukes and the NAACP national leadership.

This year’s honorees are: Dr. Marcella Maxwell, Community Activist; Lucille Rose, Living Legend Award; Jacqui Williams-Fields, Principal, 99 Solutions, Valiant Service Award; Roland Brammer, Owner, Subway Franchise, Entrepreneurship Award; Jailia McLean, Catherine McCauley High School, Young Leader Award; Lillian Rodriguez Lopez , President, Hispanic Federation, Freedom Star Award; Jacqueline A. Berrien, Chair, US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Legal Leadership Award; Verizon, Leadership in Commerce & Industry Award; Jorel Moore, Franklin K. Lane High School, Young Leader Award.

The NAACP Freedom Fund Reception and Awards are being sponsored by: AARP, Citigroup, Con Edison, Council of School Administrators and Supervisors, Delta Airlines, Greater New York Hospital Association, Health First, International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 237, Muss Development, New York State United Teachers, The Related Companies, LP, Rent-A-Center, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Tioga Downs Racetrack LLC, V3 Hotels and OraSure Technologies, Inc.

Event Tickets are:   Member: $65à Supporter: $100 àFreedom Fighter: $250 

For further information, visit www.brooklynnaacp.org., or call 718-243-2040.

The “Empress of Soul” and GRAMMY®-winning vocalist Gladys Knight headlines benefit concert for Boys & Girls Club of America on May 5, 2011, and host Amtrak signature event on May 7, 2011.

(From New America Media)

Commentary by Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Would-be GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump wasted no time eagerly snatching at another silly, deliberately distracting issue after President Obama called his bluff and released his birth certificate, bringing that “scandal” to a quick end. The hot topic now is Obama’s allegedly mediocre academic performance. There’s method to Trump’s madness, as can be seen by how well this new tactic has already paid off. The media has quoted Trump extensively—again—and more than a few Obama critics are talking up the president’s college performance as a legitimate political issue.

Trump was even able to spin Obama’s release of his long-form birth certificate as some sort of victory for truth and transparency, with Trump, of course, the self-proclaimed hero for accomplishing this dumb feat. From beginning to end, the birther incident is held up as “proof” that Trump has media and political star power that none of the other mainstream GOP candidates can hope to match.

Even so, the grade issue, like the birth certificate controversy, would —in any other political season, with any other president— have been greeted with laughter and scorn. Yet when it comes to Obama, the topic of academic accomplishment has resonance not just because Trump has raised the issue, but because millions of Americans have an incessant compulsion to believe the most insipid, salacious, and back-biting dribble about the first black president.

Trump is by no means the first presidential wannabe to pick at the issue of Obama’s grades and supposed college failings for his own self-serving personal and political ends. Almost from the moment he announced his candidacy in 2007, the grades issue has run second to the birth certificate issue as a sideshow to discredit Obama. The whispers and rumors flew freely on right-wing blogs and websites, fanned by some talk show hosts, that candidate Obama either was not all that he was cracked up to be academically, or worse, that he actually doctored or manufactured his academic credentials.

The slurs about Obama’s academic performance took full flight after he became the odds-on favorite to win the presidency in the fall of 2008. A spate of online articles, including in the notorious political-hatchet site World Net Daily, accused Obama of being a less-than-stellar student at Occidental College and Columbia University and hinted at a conspiracy to hide his academic records from public scrutiny.

The allegations were that Obama wheedled his way into Harvard Law School and became editor of the Harvard Law Review because of affirmative action, political manipulation, and deceit. The conspiracy theorists cited as proof the fact that Obama produced no signed articles or essays in the Harvard  review, or in any other law journal, on legal matters. The final proof of Obama’s alleged academic failings was the refusal to publicly release his transcripts.

During the 2008 campaign, and at various points during Obama’s first two years in the White House, these falsehoods continued to be whispered and gossiped about on the usual anti-Obama blogs and websites. The issue got almost no traction mostly because many Tea Party activists and much of the media continued to be obsessed with the question of where Obama was born.

But now that Obama has effectively put that issue to rest, his alleged academic failings are filling the void. The point is not just to take another cheap shot at Obama, but to use the issue to question Obama’s wisdom and competence on the fiscal, economic and foreign policy positions that Tea Party leaders and activists, and much of the GOP relentlessly oppose.

Trump and the more virulent Obama bashers want to paint the president as someone who was only able to make it into Harvard by con and manipulation, rather than because of his talent and academic excellence. If they can plant that seed, it’s just a short step to proclaiming that his academic “weaknesses” have translated into ill-conceived and failed policies.

Trump gets an extra bonus in spreading malicious gossip and innuendo about Obama’s academic performance— a pass (for the moment, at least) from being pounded on the legion of mediocre to outright disastrous business decisions he’s made (and the companies he’s driven into bankruptcy). Meanwhile, no one is asking him to show transcripts of his grades at Fordham and the Wharton School of Business—and he’s certainly not offering to share them. There’s more than good reason to wonder why not.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He hosts a national Capitol Hill broadcast radio talk show on KTYM Radio Los Angeles and WFAX Radio Washington D.C., streamed on The Hutchinson Report Newsmaker Hour onblogtalkradio.com and wfax.com and internet TV broadcast on thehutchinsonreportnews.com
Follow Earl Ofari Hutchinson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/earlhutchinson

.

(From the Active Transportation Alliance)

Crossing guards shepherd us safely across the street. They keep children safe from traffic throughout the year–no matter the conditions: wind, rain, snow or sweltering heat.

Since 2005, the State of Illinois has been officially honoring these individuals with Crossing Guard Appreciation Day. This year, the event takes place tomorrow, May 3, 2011. 

The Active Transportation Alliance invites everyone throughout Chicagoland to participate. Here are a few ideas for honoring your local crossing guard.

• Download and present them with a certificate of appreciation: www.activetrans.org/crossingguard.
• Write a thank you note.
• Give the guard a gift card to a local business.
• Take a photo of your crossing guard and upload it to the Crossing Guard Appreciation Day Flickr group: www.flickr.com/groups/1663431@N23/.
• Share a story about the great work that a particular crossing guard does in your neighborhood: www.activetrans.org/crossingguard

Visit www.activetrans.org/crossingguard to read comments people made about their favorite crossing guards in 2009 and 2010.

The Active Transportation Alliance is a non-profit, member-based advocacy organization that works to make bicycling, walking and public transit so safe, convenient and fun that we will achieve a significant shift from environmentally harmful, sedentary travel to clean, active travel. The organization builds a movement around active transportation, encourages physical activity, increases safety and builds a world-class transportation network. The Active Transportation Alliance is North Americas largest transportation advocacy organization, supported by more than 6,000 members, 1,000 volunteers and 40 full-time staff. For more information on the Active Transportation Alliance, visit www.activetrans.org or call 312.427.3325.

 Naperville, IL - Robert Warnock has been elected President of the Board of Directors of Sudden Infant Death Services of Illinois, Inc. for a two year term.

 SIDS of Illinois, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of sudden unexplained death in infancy by providing educational programs to consumers, professionals in health care, the law enforcement community, child care providers and the public in general and by collaborating with others who have similar concerns as well as being dedicated to providing bereavement services to family members and others that have experienced the tragedy of a sudden unexplained death in infancy through a peer support program and community support groups.

The organization celebrated its forty-second anniversary as an organization giving grief and bereavement support to 174 newly bereaved families and 209 educational training programs throughout the state of Illinois during the past year.

Warnock is employed as a police officer for Twenty-four years at the River Forest Police Department.   He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in law enforcement  and a Master of Science degree in  Public Safety Administration from Lewis University. 

Warnock’s appointment was announced by Pam Borchardt, Executive Director SIDS of Illinois, Inc., located in Naperville, IL.  Warnock succeeds Elizabeth Colloton, RN, who remains on the SIDS of Illinois, Inc., board as past president.  Also on the executive board are Marsha Cooper, Rhonda Schultz and Robin Cullotta.  Many directors on the Board at SIDS of Illinois, Inc. have a personal connection to the sudden infant death cause, being family members of infants who have died.

By Chinta Strausberg

Newark, NJ (BlackNews.com) — They are calling on 10,000 strong for peace in streets! The Newark Anti-Violence Coalition (NAVC) will host the longest running anti-genocide (anti-violence) demonstration in the United States in the middle of the Intersection of Columbia and South Orange Avenues (the West Ward Section) in Newark, NJ. This demonstration will mark the 93rd straight week the NAVC has been organizing anti-genocide (anti-violence) rallies in the city of Newark, NJ!

Concerned about the growing pandemic of violence plaguing Black and Brown neighborhoods, community activist Ras Baraka (the son of internationally and nationally respected poets and activists Imamu Amiri and Amina Baraka), Nation of Islam member David Muhammad, and Black Cops Against Police Brutality founder Delacy Davis, made the calls to create the N.A.V.C! The founding date of the N.A.V.C was on July 20th 2009; the date of the murder of Nakesia Allen, a mother of two children innocently killed by a Blackman trying to shoot at another Blackman in a drive by shooting while walking home from her neighborhood store on Meeker and Elizabeth Avenues in Newark, NJ.

The Newark Anti-Violence Coalition became a broad coalition of activists, teachers, principals, lawyers, revolutionary members of the Bloods, and Crips, social workers, progressives, churches and masjids (Mosques), community – based organizations, victims of violence, aunts, uncles, mothers, brothers, sisters, fathers, and concerned citizens of the community!

The N.A.V.C has been leading anti-violence civil disobedience protests, peace rallies, and demonstrations all over the city of Newark, N.J.’s major and minor intersections for 93 straight weeks. The strategy is simple: inconvenience the city by bringing traffic and business activity to a halt, to give attention to issue of violence (genocide / self-genocide) plaguing the city’s Afrikan American and Latino American communities in Newark and throughout America!

Dawn Hayes, a member and organizer of Newark Anti-Violence Coalition, says, “The violence that is plaguing Black and Brown communities in Newark and around the world reflects deeper and neglected underlining issues such as poverty, drugs, the crisis in the family, the high incarceration rates of Black men and Women, joblessness, colonialism, neo-colonialism, White supremacy, Black and Brown self-hatred, and the counter intelligence program (COINTELPRO). We will dedicate our next 93rd demo to the killing of a Black teenager at that intersection!”

Bashir Akinyele, press officer, member and organizer of the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition, says, “it is a travesty that both Afrikan Americans and the larger American mainstream society have internalized and accepted this racist notion that Blacks and Latinos have no humanity worth giving any respect or attention to.” He adds, “Black and Brown violence must be placed on a national agenda to make this problem a local and national public health emergency.” He continues on with this, “unfortunately, America has closed its’ eyes to the genocidal conditions raging in Black and Brown neighborhoods. These conditions will have grave consequences for the future of Afrikan Americans, Latino Americans, women, elders, children, and the United States of America if we as a society continue to ignore this disease!”

WHO: The Newark Anti-Violence Coalition (NAVC)

WHEN: Wednesday, May 4th 2011, 6:00pm sharp

WHERE: In the Middle of the Intersection of Columbia and South Orange Avenues (the West Ward Section)

WHY: To protest the pandemic disease of Black and Brown self-genocide (self-destruction) plaguing the city of Newark, NJ and in Black and Brown America! The Demonstration will highlight the following issues:

* Educational budget cuts affecting our children, schools, and community.
* Ending police brutality, harassment, and the unfair treatment of our citizens by the police.
* The enforcement of the Amistad Bill in all public school curriculums in an effort to address and destroy systematic and internalized self-hatred.
* Calling for all street organizations (gangs) to lay down their guns and adopt non-violent conflict resolution strategies.
* The lack of jobs.
* Community organizing to end urban street violence plaguing the city of Newark (i.e. Motivating citizens to join in the struggle to make our streets safe.)
* The immediate demand for urban street violence deemed a Public Health Emergency in the city of Newark.
* The calling for the firing of Newark Police Director Garry McCarthy.
* To point out Mayor Cory Booker and his administration’s unwillingness to meet and work with key community-based leaders and organizations to help reduce the level of violence in Newark by organizing a mammoth town hall meeting!
About The Newark Anti-Violence Coalition (NAVC)
The Newark Anti-Violence Coalition is a community-based organization composed of many community leaders, community organizations, religious leaders, races of people, and concerned citizens committed to stopping the pandemic disease of violence plaguing Afrikan American and Latino American communities in the city of Newark, NJ and throughout the tri-state area! They tirelessly organize and challenge the people, the block, the streets, the schools, the clergy, and elected officials one mind at a time to fight violence of any kind! Their rallying cry is the following: “Stop the Shooting! Stop the Killing! Stop the Violence! Black Power! All Power to the People! Hotep (Peace)!” Join them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Newark-Anti-Violence-Coaltion/187817488230