THAT'S WHAT I GET:

Access Denied!

We're sorry but the page you tried to access is restricted. Please go back to the homepage or search to find what you are looking for.

That's what I get when I tried to link to the best panel (imho) at YK. here.   I actually did something which I have resisted. I got some of the information for this mic by being forced to create an account with kos.  You see, I'm NOT a Kos follower.  I'd get buried.  Not "good" enough for anyone to ever read.   It's just not worth my time.  I also disagree with several of Marcos' assertions about business and it's effects on culture/humanity.  I believe I am much to skeptical to be trusting any human aspect to money traders.   I am pro business only as long as one understands the level of prostitution going on. 

That's my way of saying I am pro prostitution, but not as a loving, fulfilling mechanism to live by.

The Panel I'm writing about was described as:

Rebuilding New Orleans from the Ground Up How have individuals and community groups joined together to rebuild New Orleans? How have all levels of government helped or hurt that effort? What lessons can bloggers and advocates learn from the efforts in NOLA? Panelists: Angela Glover Blackwell, Malik Rahim, Tracie Washington, Alan Gutierrez Saturday, Aug 4, 10:30-11:30 100a-c
Per YK.

Malik Rahim

During the chaos of the storm and in the devastation that followed Hurricane Katrina, Malik Rahim stood his ground, demanding justice for those left behind. He forced the media to recognize the failures of the government and the racial and social inequalities uncovered by the hurricane.

Malik absolutely stole the show.  His impassioned speech blew my mind.  I had never heard of him before.  He talked about the poverty and racism throughout America and how it affects the majority of it's citizens.  One of his memorable points which I can not quote directly because of the lack of coverage regarded his assertion that were Chicago in a hurricane  danger zone, the same end as New Orleans would be it's fate.  He bases his conclusion because of the poverty and percentage of minorities there.

Sit back and contemplate what that means for a second.

Now contemplate that again.  Here are some statistics from the Census Gateway to go with that:

1 in 3 are considered non-white minorities in this country.
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2005	14.4%
Black persons, percent, 2005	12.8%
Asian persons, percent, 2005	4.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2005	1.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2005	0.2%
TOTAL	32.7%

1 in 5 aren't given the opportunities to even see graduating high school as a worth while endeavor.

1 in 5  do not graduate high school
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000	80.4%

 

Average Minority Ownership half of White Ownership
Hispanic-owned firms, percent, 2002	6.8%
Black-owned firms, percent, 2002	5.2%
Asian-owned firms, percent, 2002	4.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native owned firms, percent, 2002	0.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander owned firms, percent, 2002	0.1%
TOTAL	17.8%

 It is argued that The top 50 percent of taxpayers, having incomes above $24,000, paid 95.7 percent, meaning that the bottom 50 percent paid just 4.3 percent.  One never hears the other side of that.  The bottom 50% wage earners in this country own less than 1.5% of the equity in America yet pay nearly three times that percentage in taxes. 

This is what the "fairness" debate is all about?

Here you go.  I have a FACT for you silly ass fools who don't get this.  These are people.  These are over 150,000,000 Americans, neighbors, brothers, sisters, and parents.

Real people.  Not blow up dolls.  Not inventoried, boxed up, and popcorn insulated product.  Not Total Market Share candidates.  People, with art, and hopes, and needs, and desires and intrinsic value and votes.  There is no harmony going to come of any of this money talk.  What morons we are. 

When are we all going to accept that people can either help you with their art, and hopes, and desires or they can hurt you with those same talents?  When are we going to face that we in fact are the FURTHEST thing from a Christian nation?   When are we going to see that they don't hate us for our freedoms?  They hate us for the messed up self absorbed materialistic drooling masses that are working to rule the world this way.

Hiding the video of this panel from mass distribution, not making the recording available,  and ignoring the elephant in the room is stupid.  The draining synergy of this failure, and the failure over FISA in Congress this weekend is a serious form of self mutilation going on in the left.