Entries from March 2008 ↓

It’s my second favorite time of the year.

Next to football season, nothing gets me more excited than the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. I think it is one of the most perfectly designed playoff systems in all of sports. In just three weekends they take 64 teams through a single-game-elimination tournament before the final two play for the championship, this year on Monday, April 7. You can’t beat it for nail-biting drama and excitement.

Now mind you, this year I’ll be a little less excited than in past years. My alma mater, Syracuse, didn’t make the tournament. We’re in the NIT for the second year in a row and while it is nothing to sneeze at seeing any post season play, the NIT is really the consolation tournament. Maybe next year.

I am also doing something this year I’ve never done before. I’m in an office pool. I’ve never been a gambler, in fact, putting money on games has always diminished their enjoyment for me. I’m so preoccupied with winning money that I can’t fully appreciate the games themselves. But it’s apparently an annual event on my job and it only cost $5 to get in, so I figured I’d play along.

But already I have found myself picking teams I think will win over teams I really want to win. For example, in the West Regional, #15 seed Belmont very nearly beat #2 Duke, who won 71-70. I hate Duke and would have preferred to see them lose, but logic told me to pick them to advance, to enhance my chances of winning the pool. So I couldn’t root for Belmont although I wanted to.

Now the Big East conference got 8 teams into the tournament, more than any other, because its the best conference in college basketball despite what that ACC shill Billy Packer may think. Since my Orange can’t carry the banner, I’m rooting for the other teams to do well and have picked Georgetown to win it all, against UCLA. That’s what my head tells me, although my heart would love to see a Cinderella team go deep into the post season.

Barack Obama’s national address on the state of race relations in America was a shrewd move to undercut the backlash stemming from comments made by his minister Jeremiah Wright, but also seems to have taken the wind out of the sails of the Hillary Clinton campaign, which has repeatedly injected racial (if not downright racist) undertones to their criticism of him. The question I have is, when will Hillary give her address on race issues? Why was it necessary for Obama to repudiate Rev. Wright when Hillary has so reluctantly distanced herself from racist statements coming from her camp? Why is it Black people always have to take on the responsibility of educating the rest of society on race?

And if we’re going to have a real discussion about race relations in this country, why don’t we begin with the arrival of Europeans in North America. The White man killed off Indians by the thousands, stole their land, put whomever was left on reservations, and created a system of laws and governments to justify it all. If we aren’t capable of talking about the basic injustices relevant to the formation of this country, then any other conversation on race is just an academic exercise.

New York’s state government seems to be settling down after a week and a half of sex-tinged controversy. First, former Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns in shame after his involvement in a high-end prostitution came to light. Now this week, his replacement, the new Governor David Paterson and his wife Michelle Paige Paterson both admit to having had extramarital affairs during a rocky period in their marriage. While some people want to get their noses out of joint over the mere suggestion of sexual impropriety, let me say first the latter scenario is nothing like the former.

Eliot Spitzer’s greatest offense was hypocrisy and infidelity. The self-proclaimed corruption fighter who was going to clean up Albany, forgot to start with his own closet. But the Patersons had a difficult phase in their relationship, which they’ve both acknowledged to one another. Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce and one of the top reasons is sexual incompatibility. Someone isn’t satisfied and starts looking outside the marriage. To their credit, David and Michelle Paterson are working to address the problems in their relationship. To our knowledge, Spitzer never told his wife Silda he was paying for callgirls.

In theatre news, a revival of August Wilson’s Fences is headed for Broadway. The play won four Tonys and a Pulitzer Prize during its original 1987 run. While it is great to see Wilson’s work get more exposure, is he destined to be, even in death, the only Black playwright able to get produced on Broadway? Producers need to know there are other Black writers out there.

Want to help Barack Obama win the White House? Then create an original 30-second television commercial and you may not only help his campaign but win a contest sponsored by Moveon.org.

The internet is changing the face of political organizing and Moveon.org has been on the forefront of a grassroots movement that has mobilized millions of activists and ordinary citizens to lobby Congress, send letters to the editor on hot button issues, organize marches and rallies and raise money for progressive causes.

The Obama presidential campaign has taken a page from their book and made some of the most innovative uses of the internet to build a national base of supporters, fundraise, engage people interactively and respond immediately to changes in the campaign or comments from opponents.

Now the two entities are working together on another unique approach to bring attention to his run for president as the campaign races toward conclusion. Called Obama in 30 Seconds, anyone is invited to make an ad about Obama between now and April 1. The public will vote on the best ads, and a panel of top artists, film professionals, and netroots heroes will pick a winner from among the finalists.

If you have writing, acting, or video editing talent—whether you’re a total amateur or a total pro—you are eligible. They will air the winning Obama ad nationally, and the winner will receive a gift certificate for $20,000 in video equipment. Judges include Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Oliver Stone and John Legend.

Now, the other side has average people making videos on their behalf too. I hope this isn’t the best they can do.

All this grassroots involvement in the presidential campaign is stimulating interest in a whole new crop of people considering running for office at the local, state and national level.

To further that effort, the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute, in partnership with the National Black Justice Coalition and the Democratic National Committee, is hosting a Candidate & Campaign Training for candidates of color. The training is scheduled for April 23-26, 2008 in Baltimore Maryland, and is being held in conjunction with the National Black Justice Coalition’s National Convention. This training will address the unique challenges of running a campaign as an out person of color.

Whether someone is interested in being a candidate or running a campaign, this training will build the skills needed to compete. Application can be made online and through generous support from the Democratic National Committee, scholarships are available to ten qualified candidates.

If you are a fan of The Wire as I am, then perhaps you are still in mourning over the end of this great series. I watched the re-airing of the final episode on Monday night and will probably catch it at least once more before saying my final good-byes. That is until I purchase the DVD.

Producers of the program know what an impact it has had not just on the television industry but on our social consciousness. So show creator David Simon has posted a thank you letter to fans on the HBO website. You can also leave your own comments about the show, the characters and the actors who played them, on a site they’ve created called The Wire: The Public Record.

Now, if there was one thing Detective Lester Freamon always preached on that show, it was “Follow the money.” Apparently the federal government was watching because that’s exactly what they did in tracking New York Governor Eliot Spitzer to the Emporer’s Club VIP escort service where he spent some $10,000 on prostitutes over the last year.

As of this writing, the Governor has yet to officially resign from office, although politicians on both sides of the aisle are calling for him to do so. But just this evening, I received an email from an organization identified only as “democrats.com” asking for people to sign a petition in support of Spitzer and claiming the whole episode is a witch hunt by the Bush Administration.

Sign the petition: http://savespitzer.com

Dear Governor Spitzer,

Don’t let the Republicans and the rightwing media drive you out of office!

You made a lot of powerful enemies in your career because you took on the most powerful crooks on Wall Street. Now your enemies are trying to get even by destroying your career and your life. Don’t let them!

The whole investigation by the Bush Administration stinks to high heaven. This isn’t a case of “structuring” or “money laundering.” The FBI never investigates johns - so why are they investigating you?

The answer is obvious. George Bush and Karl Rove turned the Justice Department into the political destruction arm of the Republican Party. They’ve prosecuted 5.6 Democrats for every Republican.

That’s why former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman is rotting in jail, and that’s what they want to do to you.

As Americans, we are outraged by Bush’s endless abuses of justice. If anyone should be removed from office, it’s George Bush!

Governor Spitzer, please stand and fight against this outrageous and naked partisan Republican assault. We support you!

Sign the petition: http://savespitzer.com.

Stay tuned. This may drag on.