JUNETEENTH 2011 JUNE 11, 2011 WASHINGTON PARK ROANOKE, VA. 12 P.M.- 6 P.M. (FOOD WILL BE SERVED FROM 12-3)
I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE
THE VIRGINIA COALITION FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT ON FOIA WORKSHOP (FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT) WEDNESDAY, APRIL, 27, 2011 THE ROANOKE TIMES BUILDING DOWNTOWN ROANOKE, VA.
WORKSHOP #1: 9:30 A.M. - 12 NOON
FEATURED PANELISTS: VALERIE GARNER, THE ROANOKE FREE PRESS BILL HACKWORTH, ROANOKE, VA. CITY ATTORNEY LAURENCE HAMMACK, ROANOKE TIMES REPORTER CAROL LINDSTROM AND MARIA EVERETT, FOIA ADVISORY COUNCIL ATTORNEY
WORKSHOP #2: 1:00 P.M. - 3:30 P.M.
RECORDS-MANAGEMENT SEMINAR GEARED TOWARD GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES IN CHARGE OF MANAGING RECORDS AND/OR FILLING FOIA REQUESTS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT PLEASE CONTACT
MEGAN H. RHYNE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR VIRGINIA COALITION FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT (540)353-8264, mrhyne@opengovva.org
HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT THIS WEEK'S EDITION OF THE ROANOKE STAR-SENTINEL? CHECK IT OUT AT
* It's Easter Break time. I'll be back on May 2'nd with the next Artis Blog. Let me leave you with a few questions to think about over the holidays.
* What would happen if Donald Trump actually became the Republican nominee in the 2012 Presidential Election?
* Ronald Reagan raised taxes sever times. Why are Republicans so ignorant of this fact?
* Will President Obama ever realize his education policies serve no useful purpose?
* Will Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell ever realize how much he messed up by waiting a week before visiting the tornado damaged areas in SW Virginia?
* Will soon to be freed Neo-Nazi, Bill White, return to Roanoke, Va.? Will he continue to use the Internet to spread his message of hate and racism?
* When will the backlash begin over the manipulation of oil prices which drives up the price of a gallon of gas?
* Who will be the next celebrity or politician who does something really, really stupid?
* How many American's heads will explode due to information overload over the Royal Wedding?
* Is Tiger Woods really back?
WE THE PEOPLE
HAVE A HAPPY EASTER
THE ARTIS BLOG
4/18/11
* More racism from the Republican/Tea Party/Birther folks.
NOW YOU KNOW WHY - NO BIRTH CERTIFICATE
* So you think there isn't a racist element in the Tea Party/Birther movement?
* Marilyn Davenport, of Orange County, California, a Republican Party official and Tea Party activist sent the racist picture with its racist caption shown above to her peeps. According to Davenport, the picture with its caption is supposed to be making fun of President Obama's refusal to show his birth certificate. Davenport says the picture was a joke and is no big deal. I disagree. Racism is always a big deal.
* So President Obama got real about Republicans last week, telling it like it is. What President Obama said into a hot mike at a fundraiser is no big deal when you compare what he said to what has been said about him and Michelle. Republicans just need to quit whining. If you cannot take it, don't dish it out.
* Donald Trump says he is a, "friend of the Blacks." Really, now. Rappers have a name for guys like Trump and his race card playing, publicity seeking self.
* The two richest men in America and the world, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have been saying for years that we need to raise taxes on the rich. They have also said that if we raise taxes on the rich it would not hurt the economy nor would it hurt the economic recovery. When it comes to the economy, I am more inclined to believe Gates and Buffet than any Republican. When it comes to the economy Republicans just need to shut up. Supply side economics does not work, never has worked and never will work.
* It seems to me that the new Republican Playbook is very simple. The new Republican Playbook says, "The American people are dumb as dirt and will believe in anything we tell them to believe in. If we tell the people that pigs can fly, the people will believe it." If you look at what the Republicans want to do with the budget and social programs, you have to believe that pigs can fly.
* Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee must have failed math in school and in college. His numbers just don't add up. How can you fix a $14 trillion debt without raising taxes for all Americans? You can't.
* Please say a prayer for Becky Criner. She had a stroke on Friday morning. She's got a difficult road ahead. It looks like high blood pressure caused her stroke. It has been a rough past 3 days for her family. Thank you for your prayers. They will help a lot.
* To my friend Coach James Earl Jones, who passed last week, I will miss you. You helped me be a better man. RIP. You are a true hero.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU SOON
THE ARTIS BLOG
4/15/11
JUNETEENTH 2011, FREE FOOD, FREE ENTERTAINMENT, A FREE GOOD TIME
On Saturday, June 11, 2011, the Roanoke, Va. SCLC will be holding its annual Juneteenth Celebration. "JUNETEENTH 2011" will be held from 12 noon until 6 P.M. at Washington Park in Roanoke, Va. Thanks to our wonderful co-sponsors, WalMart, Pepsi, Frito Lay, Heiner's Bakery and Little Debbie and the City of Roanoke, Va., food at this event will be served from 12 noon until 3 P.M. Musical and entertainment groups, including those from the Roanoke City Public School System, will be performing from 12 noon until 6 P.M. As with every SCLC Juneteenth Celebration, everything at this event is free to the general public, food included.
Now in our 5'th year, the Roanoke, Va. SCLC Juneteenth Celebration is now the largest Juneteenth celebration in Virginia. To our knowledge it is the largest Juneteenth celebration of its type in the United States. Last year, over 3,000 people came to "JUNETEENTH 2010," where we served over 2,000 plates of food with entertainment while collecting canned goods for the SW Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank. A contribution of food was also given to The Rescue Mission. We will be collecting canned goods and food for these two organizations again this year.
As always the Roanoke SCLC will be providing community education at "JUNETEENTH 2011." Businesses, government organizations, community organizations and social organizations can up a display at "JUNETEENTH 2011" to educate the community about what they do and to let the community know what services they have to offer. There is no charge for setting up a display.
All SCLC Juneteenth Celebrations are part of the SCLC gang prevention program. "JUNETEENTH 2011" is an event where young people can come to meet positive role models, elected officials, appointed officials and others from the community. It is our hope that by meeting these positive role models, the youth or Roanoke will be less likely to get involved with gangs and/or other negative behavior.
The Roanoke SCLC would like to extend you an invitation to you to attend and/or to participate in "JUNETEENTH 2011." Please feel free to contact me regarding this upcoming event. You can either E-mail me at jeff@jeffartis.com, juneteenth@jeffartis.com or you can use the form posted above or posted on the "JUNETEENTH 2011" page of JeffArtis.com. You may also call me at (540)355-4118.
"JUNETEENTH 2011, FREE FOOD, FREE ENTERTAINMENT, A FREE GOOD TIME."
I hope to see you there.
WE THE PEOPLE
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND
THE ARTIS BLOG
4/13/11
* A new Gallop poll says President Obama is losing support among Black folks. Have Black folks taken a stupid pill or something?
* When I see polls like this, I think back to when Black folks were silly enough to think Bill Clinton was our friend or as some Black folks claimed, “the First Black President.” Where were the complaints when Clinton passed welfare reform, passed the crime bill, ignored the genocide in Africa and kissed the Republican's backside to get re-elected? Where were the complaints from Black folks when Clinton passed programs and enacted policies that could be considered anti-Black?
* And what exactly has President Obama not done to address the problems facing the Black community? The health care legislation alone was a huge help to the Black community. I could also add Wall Street reform, banking reform, the re-writing of “No Child Left Behind,” the stimulus package, legislation addressing the crack cocaine/powdered cocaine sentencing problem, legislation protecting women in the workforce, as well as, other legislation that will help and/or has helped the Black community.
* When will Black folks understand that the 1960's are over? Gone are the days when a politician, Black or White, can openly say, "We need to address the needs of the Black community?" Those days are over. And what is the alternative? Republicans? Get real. Let Obama lose in 2012. Then see what happens.
* Black folks are mistaken when we take the attitude that President Obama is the President of the Black People of the United States. Black people are mistaken when we feel President Obama should take the lead in civil rights. Black people are mistaken when we feel President Obama should be leading the Black agenda. Why? Because in this political climate he can’t.
* Who should be taking the lead in these areas? That is the job of civil rights organizations and the Black church. Frankly, they are not doing the job they need to do. Given that, where is the scrutiny of Black preachers, Black churches and civil rights organizations? Where are the questions when Black preachers live in fancy homes and drive fancy cars while members of their church cannot pay their rent? Where are the questions when local chapters of the civil rights organizations are nothing more than social clubs or are involved in multi-million dollar lawsuits that prevent them from doing the job of civil rights?
* For the sake of argument, let’s say President Obama does submit legislation to Congress that specifically deals with a problem facing the Black community? In this day and age and in this political climate what would happen? It is time for a reality check.
* First, President Obama’s legislation would not be approved by Congress. No way, no how. In fact, his legislation would be DOA before it even arrived to Congress. Second, President Obama would be branded a “Black President,” code for “anti-White President,” instead of the President of the United States. This would cause a severe backlash with Conservative Democrats and Independents that would hurt his chances for re-election in 2012.
Third, Conservatives and the Far Right would have a field day. Obama’s “anti-White” legislation would be used as a fantastic recruiting tool for the Right, Far Right and the Tea Party. This would cause an increased voter turnout in November, 2012, as more and more people would go to the polls on Election Day to, “take their country back from a "Black President" who tried to pass anti-White legislation.” Fourth, after seeing a ground swell of anit-Obama support, more viable candidates from the Republican Party would decide to run for President in 2012 instead of 2016, making an Obama victory in 2012 much harder to achieve.
* Finally, the very people who would be helped most by President Obama’s legislation, (poor and disadvantaged Black people), still would not register to vote or vote on Election Day, 2012, in numbers large enough to offset the numbers caused by the "Obama is anti-White" legislative backlash.
Conservative Democrats, Independents, the Right, Far Right and the Tea Party would be voting on Election Day as a block in order to get rid of a “pro-Black/anti-White President who proposes pro-Black/anti-White legislation.” The number of people voting in this anti-Obama block must be offset by poor and disadvantaged Blacks voting in huge numbers on Election Day, which we know will not happen. The failure of poor and disadvantaged Blacks not supporting the President in the numbers needed to offset the anti-Obama backlash with the groups listed above would make an Obama defeat a foregone conclusion in 2012. This is politics in today’s America.
* Any Black man or woman who says they haven't been helped by President Obama's policies is a fool, misinformed or both. Has President Obama been the Second Coming of Dr. King? No. Not even close. Should he be? No. That is not his job. But, we are better off today with Obama as President than we were under Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush? Yes. Or have we forgotten? Some us must have.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU FRIDAY
THE ARTIS BLOG
4/11/11
* On Friday night, I posted the following on my FACEBOOK page, "It's 10:45 PM. Look for a budget deal to get done." The budget deal got done soon after that. I was not surprised. When the story became Republicans were willing to shut down the government because they didn't want to fund Planned Parenthood, Republicans had to make a deal or look stupid. Republicans are not crazy enough to throw away the 2012 Election over such a claim. Republicans/Tea Party shutting down the government because they didn't want to fund Planned Parenthood over the lie that Planned Parenthood uses federal money to fund abortions would have been sheer lunacy.
* I keep hearing President Obama cannot lead. Guess again. Health care, the EPA and Planned Parenthood are safe. There was no government shutdown. The Republicans/Tea Party would have been blamed if there were a government shutdown. To me that is Presidential leadership.
* Americans forget two things. When it comes to budget matters, the President submits a budget. Congress approves it. Once the President submits a budget to Congress, the budget process is pretty much out of his hands. We also forget that American democracy is messy. It is drama. It is yelling. It is name calling. It can be nerve racking. American democracy is not a Barney movie where folks always get along.
* If you thought this fight over the budget was bad just wait for the fight to raise the debt ceiling. Anyone who thinks we should not raise the debt ceiling is a fool.
* I've got one word for Paul Ryan's new budget plan, "Hogwash." Ryan's plan is bad news for seniors, the poor & the middle class. Don't be fooled.
* I keep hearing how the average American is embarrassed by last week's budget fight. I don't think the average American is worried about political fights in Washington, DC. The average American is worried about having a job with job security, cheap gas, living in a safe neighborhood, thier kids going to a good school and having some extra spending money from time to time. I think the average American expects political fights. The average American knows that Democrats and Republicans fight like cats and dogs.
* I still say we must do 2 things to deal with our $14 trillion debt. We must cut spending and we must raise taxes. If we are going to get serious about addressing the $14 trillion debt, let's get serious about addressing the debt. Let's start by having an individual income tax rate, a flat tax of between 8-10% with no loopholes, deductions or tax credits. Let's have a corporate tax rate, a flat tax of between 15-20%, with no loopholes, deductions or tax credit.
Let's have one tax rate that collects the maximum amount in taxes while causing the least amount of economic hardship for the taxpayer. Everyone pays the same income tax rate with no tax refunds to those who don't or won't work. Let's have an honest discussion about tax revenue for a change.
The politics of obstinacy may cause a government shutdown over the fiscal year 2011 budget and create even more problems when it comes to debating the 2012 budget and the need to raise the debt ceiling.
Deficits. Surplus. Taxes. Spending. Would you have what it takes to help Washington figure a way out of the nation's fiscal pickle? Take the CNNMoney debt quiz.
April 8: NBC's Lisa Myers reports that several claims made by Donald Trump, who is now flirting with a presidential run, do not add up, including his doubts over President Obama's birth in the United States.
* Have you ever tried to take a nap in the afternoon but can't because a pain in the neck fly keeps buzzing around your head? No matter what you do, the fly just won't leave you alone. Even when you move to another room, the fly follows you into the room and becomes an even bigger pain in the neck. And you can't find anything around to take care of the fly. Well, the fly is Donald Trump.
* Look, Donald Trump is not running for President. Donald Trump knows he isn't running for President. Donald Trump is a sissy who can't take the heat of a Presidential campaign. But. . . Donald Trump loves the spotlight. Donald Trump loves seeing himself in the media. Donald Trump is all style and no substance. Donald Trump is a sideshow. Donald Trump likes to seem more important than he really is. Donald Trump is this generation's P.T. Barnum. Donald Trump is an egotistical jerk who craves attention like a junkie craves drugs. Donald Trump loves driving us crazy. Donald Trump is no different from that fly who won't let you sleep.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU WEDNESDAY
THE ARTIS BLOG
4/8/11
* Oh, the government shutdown. Relax. Most of us have nothing to worry about. If there is a government shutdown this week, don't worry. Essential government services will not stop, they will be no change. The country will not shut down. We will all be just fine. A government shutdown in this day and time is more about political theater than anything else. That's what the politicians and the media aren't telling you.
* I will be very, very surprised if the government shuts down. I just don't see either the Republicans or the Democrats committing what would amount to political suicide. Still, if the government does shut down I do not think it will be for very long.
* If the government does shut down, who gets hurt? Tax refunds will take longer to get. Non-essential government workers will get furloughed. Non-essential government services will close. Essential government workers and private sector workers who provide government services and who depend on the government for their paychecks won't get paid until at least 30 days after the government shutdown ends, military people included.
* Who else will get hurt by a government shutdown? The political party that gets blamed for the shutdown. The political party that gets blamed for a government shutdown will have a very tough time in the November, 2012 elections. The economic recovery will slow in the short run. The Stock Market will take a hit in the short run. The housing market will take a hit in the short run. We will see an upward bump in the unemployment rate in the short run. Still, the biggest loser of a government shutdown will be the political party that gets blamed for it.
* Christians who burn the Quran are unAmerican, are a disgrace to Christians worldwide and are doing a disservice to our troops.
* Is there a Republican I like? Yes. Bob Goodlatte. Good man. Honest man. Unlike most Republicans, Goodlatte doesn't get involved in racial politics. He doesn't play the race card. I will always vote for him.
* Here are three links you should check out. The last link is about a Roanoke, Va. hero, my friend James Earl Jones.
John Thompson spent 18 years in prison, although New Orleans District Attorney Harry Connick had evidence that he didn't commit the crime. Clarence Thomas' opinion said that no pattern of misconduct was proved.
Dan Casey of The Roanoke Times, www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/282528 Outpouring shows coach's influence, hundreds of people saying goodbye to Patrick Henry coach James Earl Jones.
* Malcolm X deserves justice. Clarence Thomas just needs to retire. James Earl Jones is a hell of a man.
* I've said it before, I'll say it again, "Tax cuts are nice. Good government services are better." If we can pay $100 for a pair of tennis shoes, we can pay more in taxes for good roads and schools.
* It's Master's Time. Go Tiger.
WE THE PEOPLE
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND
THE ARTIS BLOG
4/6/11
* Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has declared April, "Confederate History Month." I must ask why Gov. McDonnell is asking Virginians to pay tribute to a group of people who went to war to keep Black people as slaves and/or second class citizens, who wanted to maintain a racist society that was based upon White supremacy and the use of White on Black terrorism?
* Is Gov. McDonnell appealing to the "Ku Klux Klan Vote" and the "White Supremacist Vote?"
* Is Gov. McDonnell appealing to the "Good Ole' Boy Vote?"
* Is Gov. McDonnell appealing to the "America Is Going To Hell Because We Have A Black President Who Isn't Really An American And Is A Socialist Vote?"
* Did Gov. McDonnell declare April, "Confederate History Month" because he just doesn't care what Black folks in Virginia think?
* Is Gov. McDonnell playing the race card in declaring April, "Confederate History Month" in hope of mobilizing the "White Paranoid Anti-Black President Vote" for the 2012 Presidential Election, an election where McDonnell could very well be the Republican Vice-President nominee? Does he want to be seen as the candidate who sticks up for White folks by not being afraid of Black folks or afraid of what Black folks think?
* Is Gov. McDonnell just ignorant? After all, in declaring April, "Confederate History Month," McDonnell failed to mention slavery. Interesting.
* The answer to all of these questions is, "Yes."
* Most Black folks would not have a problem celebrating a "Southern History Month." Most Black folks would not have a problem celebrating a "Civil War History Month." Most Black folks would not have a problem celebrating a "Virginia History Month."
* Most Black folks do have a problem celebrating "Confederate History Month." Why? First, the very core of the Confederacy was to keep Black people as slaves and/or as second class citizens. Anyone who says otherwise either does not know their history, is a liar or both. Second, after the Civil War and Reconstruction the remnants of the Confederacy were responsible for creating a racist Jim Crow society that was based upon White Supremacy and the use of White on Black terrorism, the very thing the Confederacy was willing to go to war for in 1861. Anyone who says otherwise either does not know their history, is a liar or both.
* Does Germany celebrate a "Nazi History Month?" No. Why? It would be lunacy. The same holds true for Virginia to have a "Confederate History Month." Celebrating "Confederate History Month" is pure lunacy.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU FRIDAY
THE ARTIS BLOG
4/4/11
REMEMBERING DR. KING
Has classism replaced racism as America’s "Number 1 Problem?" No, racism hasn’t disappeared. Racism is alive and well in America. However, only blaming racism for America’s problems ignores the plight of poor White men, poor White women and poor White children, a gourp of people that no one seems to care about.
Race aside, there is no difference between the poor in this country. When we talk about the poor we know several startling facts. Educational opportunities in many areas, especially in our inner cities, are limited. Police indifference is prevalent. Political action is non-existent. Exploitation by poverty pimps is rampant. The biggest growth industries among the poor are the drug trade and gang membership. For too many of America’s poor, “The American Dream” has become “The American Nightmare.”
America is the greatest country in the history of mankind. Because of this it is a disgrace that many of America’s children will go to bed hungry tonight. It is a disgrace that many of America’s young people have no hope. It is a disgrace that justice in America’s courtrooms is far too often based upon one’s ability to hire a good lawyer instead of the facts of that particular case. It is a disgrace that far too often there is no such thing as job security. It is a disgrace that many American corporations are more concerned with profits and moving out of America than they are concerned about human life.
I must say that we have two Americas. One America is making it. The other America is hanging on for dear life.
But, let us remember one thing. When America makes up its mind to do something, it will get done. No one does it better than America when it comes to doing something right. We can defeat poverty. We can make America one. The question is, will we work to defeat poverty in this country or will we just talk about solving the problem of poverty? I don’t know about you, but to me, talk is cheap.
As we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, on the 43’th anniversary of his assassination, we must ask ourselves if America has fulfilled his dream laid out in August, 1963, in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington. What would Dr. King think of today’s America?
Dr. King would be both happy and troubled by today’s America. Dr. King would be happy about the America's first Black President, Barack Obama. He would be troubled by the Republican Party and the Tea Party gearing up to run one the most racist Presidential campaigns in the past 50 years.
Dr. King would be happy with the educational opportunities available to some minority students. He would be troubled that many minority students equate academic excellence with being White. He would also be troubled by the growing number of minority children who have given up hope of achieving the “American Dream;” who instead have chosen the fast money lifestyle provided by drugs, guns and gangs.
Dr. King would be happy with the number of minority faces in local, state and federal government, as well as, the number of minority faces in America’s public and private sectors and economic institutions. He would be deeply troubled by our society’s abdication of personal responsibility and accountability, as minorities far too often blame the White man and White racism for their own personal shortcomings.
Dr. King would be happy to see more opportunities for minorities than ever before, including an expanding Black middle class. He would be troubled by the fact that our education, political and economic institutions could care less about poor Whites. He would be deeply disturbed that these institutions continue to scapegoat minorities with well known code words in order to hide their apathy and contempt of poor Whites.
Dr. King would be outraged at the remnants Bush Presidency. He would rail against the trampling of civil liberties and the United States Constitution in America‘s “War on Terror.” Dr. King would also speak out against those minorities in government who would rather pimp their communities instead of tackling the hard problems facing those communities through new and innovative programs.
Dr. King would ask why America has ignored the recommendations made in the “Kerner Commission Report On Civil Rights,” a government report written in 1968 which gave America good, solid solutions on how to address the problems of race, class and poverty in this country. He would demand that America’s conservatives stop misrepresenting his words.
Babies having babies, America’s incarceration rate, school shootings, the diversity of America’s hate groups, HIV/AIDS, police brutality, inequalities in our judicial system, the problems of drug addiction and corporations being more interested in profits than in people would be disturbing to Dr. King.
However, Dr. King would rightfully say that America is a better country today than it was on April 4, 1968. If he were alive today, Dr. King would say America has come a long way. He would also say America has a long ways to go before achieving his dream of a colorblind society.
As you go read this, I want you to remember one thing. We are our brother’s keeper. That was Dr. King’s message. And when you get home tonight, I want you to ask yourself this question, “Am I a talker or a doer?” Remember, talk is cheap.
April 4, 1968 is a day we cannont forget in American history. We must honor Dr. King through positive action. Again, talk is cheap. Talkers do a disservice to the work and memory of Dr. Martin Luthter King, Jr.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU WEDNESDAY
THE ARTIS BLOG
4/1/11
* I would like to thank People Magazine for naming me the "Sexiest Man Alive." It's a tough job but someone has got to do it.
* Moammar Gadhafi says he is leaving Libya and coming to the United States. In an exclusive interview with THE ARTIS BLOG, Gadhafi, through an interpreter said, "I want to be President of the United States. I will run as a Republican. I want to defeat the evil socialist they call Barack Obama."
When told he does not meet the requirements under the Constitution to run for President, Gadhafi replied, "When your front runners for the Republican nomination in 2012 are Sarah Palin, Donald Trump and Michele Bachmann, I am sure something can be worked out." When asked why he was running for office as a member of the Republican Party, Gadhafi said, "We have lots in common. I do not like Obama. They do not like Obama. I am an oil man. They are oil men. I am rich. They are rich. They believe God should run government. I believe God should run government. We will get along just fine, as you Americans say, everything will be just peachy."
* Congratulations to the MTV reality series, "Teen Mom." "Teen Mom" and MTV have been awarded a Peabody Award for broadcast excellence. The Peabody Committee, who gave the MTV reality series the award, had this to say to THE ARTIS BLOG about the reality show, "These young ladies who have overcome adversity are excellent role models for the youth of America. "Teen Mom" and MTV should be commended for showing these young ladies, the future leaders of America, in such a positive light."
* What is the real reason Republicans in Congress want to cut funding to PBS? Tea Party Republicans got upset when they figured out the Muppets on "Sesame Street" weren't real. As one Tea Party Republican told THE ARTIS BLOG, "We thought those Muppets were doing all of those amazing things by themselves. Now that we know the Muppets aren't real and are actually puppets that have someone's hand stuck up their backsides, I just don't see the need for further funding to a television network that was perpetrating a fraud on the American people. Next, we'll be finding out that Big Bird isn't real. Can you imagine the heartbreak in America if we ever find out that Big Bird isn't real?"
* In an attempt to get the Black vote in the 2012 Presidential Election, Sarah Palin has announced plans to open a soul food restaurant in Alaska. In the press conference announcing her plans to open "Momma Grizzlies Soul Food Supreme Restaurant", Palin was quoted as saying, "I can see Black people from my porch."
* The New Black Panther Party and the Ku Klux Klan have announced plans for a new music video promoting racial tolerance, racial diversity and racial equality. Called, "Why Can't We Be Friends, Enemies No Mo'," the video is scheduled to play during the 2012 Super Bowl.
* Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson and singer Chris Brown are shopping around a new reality television show called, "MELTDOWN, The Real Story." The trio is trying to put celebrity meltdowns in a positive light. A spokesman for Charlie Sheen said, "Look, it's hard being rich. It's hard making that kind of money when you don't have a real 9-5 job, when you don't have to struggle to pay your bills, when you have to make relationships with women work when the whole world is watching. We are artists. People need to understand that we are just better than everyone else, that God has given us special talents that the average person doesn't have. Sometimes the pressure gets to us."
The trio is hoping to spin the television series off into a series of movies like the "Jackass" franchise. No word yet from the major networks on if the show will be ready for the 2011 or 2012 television season.
* In other celebrity news, Lindsay Lohan is starting a new clothing line called, "JAILWEAR." The clothing line will feature clothing a woman can wear when she is going to court with the possibility of going to jail afterwards. Lohan says, "When you face the possibility of going to jail after your court date, you need to wear something nice to court that will bring happy memories to your family while you are gone. You don't want that last memory of you going to jail after court being you wearing an orange jumpsuit. Orange makes me look fat. If you have to go to jail, you need to look good."
* In a surprise move, the Carolina Panthers have left the NFL to apply for membership in the NCAA. A spokesman for the Panthers says, "We just can't compete in the NFL. We are that bad right now. If we go to the NCAA, at least we may be able to compete for a berth in a BCS bowl game. As long as we can stay away from playing a team from the SEC, we should be ok."
* LaBron James of the Miami Heat has told THE ARTIS BLOG that he will give this year's salary back to the Heat if the Heat does not win this year's NBA Championship. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh were tearfully standing beside James when the superstar made his declaration. Wade and Bosh asked James if he needed some tissue after talking with THE ARTIS BLOG to which James replied, "Yeah Dog. Who says real men don't cry?"
* In the most unusual NCAA Final Four in history, Kentucky and UCONN have announced that if they win the NCAA Basketball Championship they will vacate the title. When asked why, both schools admit that it is only a matter of time before they get put on NCAA probation and want to stay ahead of the story.
