Bachmann says she'd consider minimum wage changes

Bachmann says she'd consider minimum wage changes

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. answers questions at a town hall series event hosted by Rep. Tim Scott, R-S.C., left, at Trident Technical College in North Charleston, S.C., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011.

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said Friday she wouldn't rule out changes to the federal minimum wage as a way to lower the cost of doing business and lure corporations back to the United States.

The Minnesota congresswoman told supporters at a packed sandwich shop that the corporate income tax needs to be reduced because companies are moving to other countries to save money. She was later asked by a reporter whether changes to the minimum wage should also be considered to balance the cost of labor here and overseas.

"I'm not married to anything. I'm not saying that's where I'm going to go," she said.

She did see she wants to look at all aspects of doing business, from regulations to tax codes, and will consider anything that will help create jobs. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

"I want to bring advisers in from labor and from manufacturers and from the service industry and financial services. I want to know what they know, because that's what we've been missing from President Obama. He has virtually no one in his Cabinet with private sector experience," Bachmann said. "I want to bring people who know how to create jobs into my administration."

The stop at Angie's Sub was the first in a three-day tour of Florida, a state that's hoping to play a major role in the primary. And as a swing state with 29 electoral college votes, it will also be the largest prize in the 2012 general election.

Bachmann told the crowd she knows Florida will play an important role in the election.

"We will be back here many, many, many, many, many times in Jacksonville, and we're going to be old friends and neighbors by the time this is all done," she said.

Though at one point, she forgot she was in a local sub shop while talking about helping businesses.

"Can you imagine if good businesses like Subway," she began before the crowd drowned her out shouting, "Angie's!"

She made up for it by starting a chant of "Angie's Subs!" at the end of her remarks.

While she clearly excited the crowd, Vicki Higbee, 54, of Jacksonville said she isn't completely sold on Bachmann. She said that she's committed to voting for a conservative but that she also likes Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

"I'm here to see what she has to say," said Higbee. "I love her and I love her positions, but I'm not committed. She supports a lot of the positions and values that I hold dear."

Mayor Nutter Promises Action After Latest Philadelphia Recreation Center Violence

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Philadelphia police are looking for a suspect in connection with yet another recreation center shooting, this one at the Mill Creek Recreation Center in West Philadelphia.

One man was left wounded in the latest incident; he was listed in stable condition.

Six people were wounded in a shooting by a gunman earlier this week at the Kingsessing Recreation Center in Southwest Philadelphia, and in late June a man was killed and three children were shot in a similar incident at a playground at 33rd and Diamond Streets in North Philadelphia.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Newborn Taken From Hospital Of The University Of Pennsylvania Has Been Found, Amber Alert Cancelled

Newborn Taken From Hospital Of The University Of Pennsylvania Has Been Found, Amber Alert Cancelled

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A two-day-old baby taken from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania by his mother has been found and the Amber Alert has been cancelled.

The newborn boy, just two days old, was found in Southwest Philadelphia at about 4:30 p.m. The baby, who was in need of medical attention, was taken out of HUP about noon Thursday. An alarm sensor was attached to the child’s umbilical cord.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

American Red Cross Urges Immediate Blood Donations Prior To Hurricane Irene’s Arrival

PHILADELPHIA - Hurricane Irene could affect blood collections along the east coast at a time when the nation’s blood supply is already low. The Red Cross is urging those who are eligible to give blood prior to the storm’s arrival.

Donating blood now, before the storm, will help ensure blood is available in the aftermath of Irene should conditions prohibit people from traveling to blood collections.

It’s the blood that is already on the shelves that helps save lives before, during and after a disaster. The Red Cross is still working to stabilize the blood supply after our summer shortages. If people will donate blood now, before the storm, then blood will be available in the aftermath should conditions prohibit people from traveling or coming to blood drives.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Evacuations Ordered In Parts Of Atlantic, Cape May And Ocean Counties Ahead Of Hurricane Irene

County Emergency Management Director Frank McCall tracks projected path of Hurricane Irene

EWING, N.J. (CBS/AP) — A mandatory evacuation of Cape May County’s barrier islands began Thursday afternoon, and an evacuation of the rest of the county’s residents was ordered for 8 AM Friday, just hours after Gov. Chris Christie asked all visitors to New Jersey’s shore to get out by midday Friday with Hurricane Irene poised to be a “serious, significant event.”

Mandatory evacuations were also ordered for Atlantic County barrier Islands and areas east of Route 9 as of 6 a.m. Friday. Voluntary evacuation were to begin at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Mandatory evacuations were also issued for Long Beach Island, Ocean County starting at 8 a.m. Friday.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Delaware Gov. Markell Orders State Of Emergency, Urges Residents To Evacuate

Delaware Gov. Markell Orders State Of Emergency, Urges Residents To Evacuate

DOVER, Del. (CBS/AP) – Gov. Jack Markell has declared a state of emergency for Delaware as Hurricane Irene approaches.

He has also ordered that visitors to coastal areas of the state must leave. Residents of those areas, as of Thursday evening, are allowed to stay.

TEXT OF GOVERNOR’S REMARKS

Over the last day, forecasts from the National Hurricane Center have moved the projected track of Irene closer and closer to the Delaware coast. The current forecast has the center of the hurricane passing literally a few miles off our coast. What that could mean for us, based on the current forecast is:

For for full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

AP-GfK Poll: 87% in US disapprove of Congress

AP-GfK Poll: 87% in US disapprove of Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans are plenty angry at Congress in the aftermath of the debt crisis and Republicans could pay the greatest price, a new Associated Press-GfK poll suggests.

The poll finds the tea party has lost support, Republican House Speaker John Boehner is increasingly unpopular and people are warming to the idea of not just cutting spending but also raising taxes - anathema to the GOP - just as both parties prepare for another struggle with deficit reduction.

To be sure, there is plenty of discontent to go around. The poll finds more people are down on their own member of Congress, not just the institution, an unusual finding in surveys and one bound to make incumbents particularly nervous. In interviews, some people said the debt standoff itself, which caused a crisis of confidence to ripple through world markets, made them wonder whether lawmakers are able to govern at all.

"I guess I long for the day back in the `70s and `80s when we could disagree but we could get a compromise worked out," said Republican Scott MacGregor, 45, a Windsor, Conn., police detective. "I don't think there's any compromise anymore."

The results point to a chilly autumn in Washington as the divided Congress returns to the same fiscal issues that almost halted other legislative business and are certain to influence the struggle for power in the 2012 elections. They suggest that politicians, regardless of party, have little to gain by prolonging the nation's most consequential policy debate. And they highlight the gap between the wider public's wishes now and the tea party's cut-it-or-shut-it philosophy that helped propel Republicans into the House majority last year.

The survey, conducted Aug. 18-22, found that approval of Congress has dropped to its lowest level in AP-GfK polling - 12 percent. That's down from 21 percent in June, before the debt deal reached fever pitch.

The results indicate, too, that the question of trust remains up for grabs - a sign that the government's stewardship of the economy over the next year will weigh heavily on the fortunes of both parties in the elections. Republicans and Democrats statistically tied, 40 percent to 43 percent respectively, when respondents were asked which party they trust more to handle the federal budget deficit. Nearly a third of independents said they trust neither party on the issue.

Much about the next election hinges on independent voters, the ever-growing group fiercely wooed by campaigns for years. These respondents, the poll found, were the least forgiving toward incumbents and shifted substantially toward the need to raise taxes as part of the deficit and debt solution.

Among them, 65 percent say they want their own House representative tossed out in 2012, compared with 53 percent of respondents generally.

This group, too, is helping fuel the shift toward raising taxes as a way to balance the budget. The poll found that among independents, 37 percent now say that increasing taxes should be the focus of the fiscal dealmakers, over cutting government services. That's up nine points from March, the poll found.

The backlash was personal, too. Boehner, the congressional veteran from Ohio who struggled to win enough members of his own party to pass the debt deal, won approval from 29 percent of the poll's respondents. That's the lowest such level of his tenure and also the first time his rating is more negative than positive. Forty-seven percent of Republican respondents said they approve of Boehner; only a fifth of independents have a favorable opinion of him.

The tea party, too, took a hit, according to the poll. Unfavorable views of the tea party have climbed 10 percentage points since November, when they fueled the Republican resurgence. Of those, 32 percent have a deeply unfavorable impression of the movement and just a quarter of respondents say they consider themselves supporters of the tea party - the lowest in AP-GfK polling and a dip of 8 percentage points since June.

Overall, 87 percent disapproved of Congress' performance. Entrenched partisanship explained some of the discontent.

"They're so committed to their personal ways, and party's way, that they are having a hard time finding a middle road," Republican Frank Chase, 77, a military retiree from Hopkinton, Mass., said of both sides.

Democrat Laurie Lewis, a Rutgers University professor from Flemington, N.J., agreed with that much. "Elect those who are willing to make compromise on both sides of the hall," she said. Still, "I don't think it's smart to say throw out everyone."

On budget and debt policy, the poll finds a public warming to the idea of using tax increases to help solve the fiscal crisis, a potential boon to President Barack Obama and the congressional Democrats who want to end Bush-era tax breaks for the nation's wealthiest Americans. Republicans bristle at anything called a tax increase, though some acknowledge that more revenue must be raised.

It's perhaps the most difficult issue of the debate and carries tremendous influence over the nations' economic future and the political fortunes of the candidates next year, when the presidency and the House and Senate majorities are at stake. The problem now rests on the shoulders of a dozen House and Senate members named to a supercommittee that will spend the fall digging into the morass that the broader Congress couldn't solve.

Asked which should be the main focus of lawmakers trying to solve that problem, raising taxes or cutting government services, 53 percent of respondents said cutting services and 34 percent said increasing taxes. That's a shift toward raising taxes since March, when 29 percent said increasing taxes and 62 percent said cutting services.

Since then, more Democrats and independents have shifted toward taxes as a means of balancing the budget, while Republican views on the question have not moved, according to the poll. Half of Democrats polled said raising taxes should be the focus over cutting services, up 10 percentage points from March. Independents showed a clear preference for cutting services over raising taxes in March, 64 percent to 28 percent. Now, only 42 percent of independents say focus on cutting services while 37 percent say increase taxes, according to the poll.

Overall, 57 percent of respondents believe both that that taxes will rise and government services will be cut in order to balance the federal budget.

The poll was conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cell phone interviews with 1,000 adults nationwide and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

Mets Snap 5-Game Skid As Mike Pelfrey Limits Phillies

PHILADELPHIA – Mike Pelfrey threw six effective innings, Nick Evans and David Wright homered and the New York Mets snapped a five-game losing streak with a 7-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.

The Mets avoided a sweep with their sixth win in 23 games.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com

Battleship New Jersey Struggling After Getting Dropped From State Budget

Visitors go aboard the Battleship New Jersey, on the Camden waterfront. Credit:

Battleship New Jersey president Jim Schuck.

CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) - As the Battleship New Jersey tries to keep its head above water financially, officials at the floating museum are asking Governor Christie to restore funding.

Berthed on the Camden waterfront, the most decorated battleship in US naval history took one across the bow in the most recent state budget.

“We got $32,500 from the New Jersey Historical Commission — that is it,” notes museum president and CEO Jim Schuck. “That barely covers the electric bill.”

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com

Apple says Steve Jobs resigning as CEO

Apple says Steve Jobs resigning as CEO

FILE - In this March 2, 2011 file photo, Apple Inc. Chairman and CEO Steve Jobs waves to his audience at an Apple event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. Apple Inc. on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 said Jobs is resigning as CEO, effective immediately.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Steve Jobs, the mind behind the iPhone, iPad and other devices that turned Apple Inc. into one of the world's most powerful companies, resigned as CEO on Wednesday, saying he can no longer handle the job but will continue to play a leadership role.

The move appears to be the result of an unspecified medical condition for which Jobs took a leave from his post in January. Apple's chief operating officer, Tim Cook, was quickly named CEO of the company Jobs co-founded 35 years ago in his garage.

In a letter addressed to Apple's board and the "Apple community," Jobs said he "always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come."

The company said Jobs gave the board his resignation Wednesday and suggested Cook be named the company's new leader. Apple said Jobs was elected board chairman and Cook is becoming a member of its board.

Genentech Inc. Chairman Art Levinson, in a statement issued on behalf of Apple's board, said Jobs' "extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world's most innovative and valuable technology company."

He said that Jobs will continue to provide "his unique insights, creativity and inspiration," and that the board has "complete confidence" that Cook is the right person to replace him.

""Tim's 13 years of service to Apple have been marked by outstanding performance, and he has demonstrated remarkable talent and sound judgment in everything he does," Levinson said.

Jobs' health has long been a concern for Apple investors who see him as an industry oracle who seems to know what consumers want long before they do. After his announcement, Apple stock quickly fell 5.4 percent in after-hours trading.

Jeff Gamet, managing editor of The Mac Observer online news site focused on Apple, said Jobs' departure has more sentimental than practical significance, and that he has been telegraphing the change for several years.

"All Apple really has done is made official what they've been doing administratively for a while now, which is Tim runs the show and Steve gets to do his part to make sure the products come out to meet the Apple standard," he said.

"I expect that even though there are a lot of people that right now are sad or scared because Steve is stepping back from the CEO role, that ultimately they'll be OK," Gamet said.

But Trip Chowdhry, an analyst with Global Equities Research, said Jobs' maniacal attention to detail is what set Apple apart. He said Apple's product pipeline might be secure for another few years, but predicted that the company will eventually struggle to come up with market-changing ideas.

"Apple is Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs is Apple, and Steve Jobs is innovation," Chowdhry said. "You can teach people how to be operationally efficient, you can hire consultants to tell you how to do that, but God creates innovation. ... Apple without Steve Jobs is nothing."

Earlier this month Apple became the most valuable company in America, briefly surpassing Exxon Mobil. At the market close Wednesday its market value was $349 billion, just behind Exxon Mobil's $358 billion.

Jobs' hits seemed to grow bigger as the years went on: After the colorful iMac computer and the now-ubiquitous iPod, the iPhone redefined the category of smart phones and the iPad all but created the market for tablet computers.

His own aura seemed part of the attraction. On stage at trade shows and company events in his uniform of jeans, sneakers and black mock-turtlenecks, he'd entrance audiences with new devices, new colors, new software features, building up to a grand finale he'd predictably preface by saying, "One more thing."

Jobs, 56, shepherded Apple from a two-man startup to Silicon Valley darling when the Apple II, the first computer for regular people to really catch on, sent IBM Corp. and others scrambling to get their own PCs to market.

After Apple suffered a slump in the mid-1980s, he was forced out of the company. He was CEO at Next, another computer company, and Pixar, the computer-animation company that produced "Toy Story" on his watch, over the following 10 years.

Apple was foundering as he returned as an adviser in 1996 - a year it lost $900 million as Microsoft Windows-based PCs dominated the computer market. The company's fortunes began to turn around with its first new product under Jobs' direction, the iMac, which launched in 1998 and sold about 2 million in its first 12 months.

Jobs eventually became interim CEO, then took the job permanently. Apple's popularity grew in the U.S. throughout the 2000s as the ever-sleeker line of iPods introduced many lifelong Windows users to their first Apple gadget. Apple created another sensation in 2007 with the iPhone, the stark-looking but powerful smart phone that quickly dominated the industry.

The iPad was introduced less than a year and a half ago but has already sold nearly 29 million units as it inspired myriad rivals in a tablet computer market that scarcely existed before Apple stepped in.

There have been some setbacks. Apple was swept up in a massive Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry into stock options backdating in the mid-2000s, a practice that artificially boosted the value of options grants. But Jobs and Apple emerged unscathed after two former executives took the fall and eventually settled with the SEC.

As Jobs was praised for his vision, concerns about his health persisted. The January leave was Jobs' third medical leave over several years. He had previously survived pancreatic cancer and received a liver transplant.

Shannon Cross, an analyst at Cross Research, said Cook is a good choice to replace Jobs.

"He has taken over for Jobs twice in two medical leaves and the company has functioned extremely well," she said, adding that Cook has been Jobs' "right hand guy" for many years.

Cross also said Jobs put in place a "culture of innovation" that will help Apple remain a creative force in the industry.

"Steve Jobs is an extremely strong leader and clearly has made Apple a leading consumer electronics company and one of the most innovative companies in the world," she said. "However, he didn't do it alone."

Earthquake Safety Checklist As Forwarded By John Mosley Jr.

Earthquake Safety Checklist As Forwarded By John Mosley Jr.

Be RedCross Ready

Earthquake Safety Checklist

An earthquake is a sudden, rapid
shaking of the earth caused by the
breaking and shifting of rock
beneath the earth’s surface.
Earthquakes strike suddenly,
without warning, and they can
occur at any time of the year, day or
night. Forty-five states and
territories in the United States are
at moderate to very high risk of
earthquakes, and they are located in
every region of the country.

Are you at increased risk from earthquakes?
• Contact your local emergency management office, local American Red Cross
chapter, state geological survey or department of natural resources.
• Mobile homes and homes not attached to their foundations are at particular risk
during an earthquake.
• Buildings with foundations resting on landfill and other unstable soils are at
increased risk of damage.
Did you know?
Doorways are no stronger than any other part of the structure. During an earthquake,
get under a sturdy piece of furniture and hold on. This will provide some protection
from falling objects that can injure you during an earthquake.

Become aware of fire evacuation and
earthquake plans for all of the buildings
you occupy regularly.
Pick safe places in each room of your
home, workplace and/or school. A safe
place could be under a piece of furniture
or against an interior wall away from
windows, bookcases or tall furniture that
could fall on you.
Practice drop, cover and hold on in each
safe place. If you do not have sturdy
furniture to hold on to, sit on the floor
next to an interior wall and cover your
head and neck with your arms.
Keep a flashlight and sturdy shoes by each
person’s bed.
Make sure your home is securely
anchored to its foundation.
Bolt and brace water heaters and gas
appliances to wall studs.
Bolt bookcases, china cabinets and other
tall furniture to wall studs.
Hang heavy items, such as pictures and
mirrors, away from beds, couches and
anywhere people sleep or sit.
Brace overhead light fixtures.
Install strong latches or bolts on cabinets.
Large or heavy items should be closest to
the floor.
Learn how to shut off the gas valves in
your home and keep a wrench handy for
that purpose.
Learn about your area’s seismic building
standards and land use codes before you
begin new construction.
Keep and maintain an emergency supplies
kit in an easy-to-access location.

If you are inside when the shaking
starts …
Drop, cover and hold on.Move as little as
possible.
If you are in bed, stay there, curl up and
hold on. Protect your head with a pillow.
Stay away from windows to avoid being
injured by shattered glass.
Stay indoors until the shaking stops and
you are sure it is safe to exit. If you must
leave the building after the shaking stops,
use stairs rather than an elevator in case
there are aftershocks, power outages or
other damage.
Be aware that fire alarms and sprinkler
systems frequently go off in buildings
during an earthquake, even if there is
no fire.
If you are outside when the shaking
starts …
Find a clear spot and drop to the ground.
Stay there until the shaking stops (away
from buildings, power lines, trees,
streetlights).
If you are in a vehicle, pull over to a clear
location and stop. Avoid bridges,
overpasses and power lines if possible.
Stay inside with your seatbelt fastened
until the shaking stops. Then, drive
carefully, avoiding bridges and ramps that
may have been damaged.
If a power line falls on your vehicle, do
not get out.Wait for assistance.
If you are in a mountainous area or near
unstable slopes or cliffs, be alert for
falling rocks and other debris. Landslides
are often triggered by earthquakes.
Let Your Family Know You’re Safe
If your community experiences an earthquake, or any disaster, register on the American Red
Cross Safe and Well Web site available through RedCross.org to let your family and friends
know about your welfare. If you don’t have Internet access, call 1-866-GET-INFO to register
yourself and your family.
Be RedCross Ready
Earthquake Safety Checklist
How can I prepare? What should I do during an
earthquake?
What do I do after an earthquake?
An earthquake is a sudden, rapid
shaking of the earth caused by the
breaking and shifting of rock
beneath the earth’s surface.
Earthquakes strike suddenly,
without warning, and they can
occur at any time of the year, day or
night. Forty-five states and
territories in the United States are
at moderate to very high risk of
earthquakes, and they are located in
every region of the country.
For more information on disaster and emergency preparedness, visit RedCross.org.
After an earthquake, the disaster may
continue. Expect and prepare for
potential aftershocks, landslides or even a
tsunami. Tsunamis are often generated
by earthquakes.
Each time you feel an aftershock, drop,
cover and hold on. Aftershocks frequently
occur minutes, days, weeks and even
months following an earthquake.
Check yourself for injuries and get first
aid, if necessary, before helping injured or
trapped persons.
Put on long pants, a long-sleeved shirt,
sturdy shoes and work gloves to protect
against injury from broken objects.
Look quickly for damage in and around
your home and get everyone out if your
home is unsafe.
Listen to a portable, battery-operated or
hand-crank radio for updated emergency
information and instructions.
Check the telephones in your home or
workplace to see if you can get a dial tone.
Make brief calls to report life-threatening
emergencies.
Look for and extinguish small fires. Fire
is the most common hazard after an
earthquake.
Clean up spilled medications, bleach,
gasoline or other flammable liquids
immediately.
Open closet and cabinet doors carefully as
contents may have shifted.
Help people who require special
assistance, such as infants, children and
the elderly or disabled.
Watch out for fallen power lines or broken
gas lines and stay out of damaged areas.
Keep animals under your direct control.
Stay out of damaged buildings.
If you were away from home, return only
when authorities say it is safe to do so.
Use extreme caution and examine walls,
floors, doors, staircases and windows to
check for damage.
Be careful when driving after an earthquake
and anticipate traffic light outages.

Let Your Family Know You’re Safe
If your community experiences an earthquake, or any disaster, register on the American Red
Cross Safe and Well Web site available through RedCross.org to let your family and friends
know about your welfare. If you don’t have Internet access, call 1-866-GET-INFO to register
yourself and your family.

Why Cornel West is wrong to question Obama's blackness As Forwarded By John Mosley Jr.

Why Cornel West is wrong to question Obama's blackness As Forwarded By John Mosley Jr.

By Chris Tyson

10:27 AM on 05/19/2011

If you haven't been following cable news, Facebook posts or Twitter feeds over the past few days, then you likely missed the uproar over Princeton University Professor and renowned scholar-activist Dr. Cornel West's interview with Chris Hedges of Truthdig.

In the interview West escalates what has been an ongoing criticism of President Obama from both he and Tavis Smiley. West not only criticizes Obama for lacking progressive backbone, he levies several personal attacks that have produced a much deserved backlash.

West assailed Obama as being the "black mascot" of Wall Street and as disconnected from the urgent needs of black Americans and the poor. He claimed that Obama fears "free black men" (presumably including West) because of Obama's insecurities over being raised in a white household. In doing so West deployed the rhetoric of black authenticity -- the longstanding intra-racial tension over what actions/ideas/associations mark one's commitment to black people and black struggle.

Several years ago I published a book chapter entitled "Leader Authenticity Markers: Findings From a Study of Perceptions of African American Political Leaders" in Authentic Leadership Theory and Practice: Origins, Effects and Development. In the chapter I explored how racial authenticity markers continue to resonate with blacks born in the immediate post-segregation era (black Gen-X'ers), although in very nuanced ways.

On Twitter and Facebook, black Gen-X'ers excoriated West (and his defenders) in ways that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago. For those of us who respect and appreciate West's scholar-activist contributions, the past few days have been both revealing and woefully disappointing.

It's hard to feel sympathy for West. Having spent his career in elite, predominately white institutions, I'm certain at times he has had to defend his own connection to black communities. That he could so carelessly invoke tropes of racial authenticity and essentialist notions of culture to deride Obama reflect how embedded racial authenticity politics are in the black public sphere.

Alleging that someone is not "black enough" has long been regarded as a grave insult. Racial authenticity attacks continue to operate in black political discourse, though, and it's understandable given the political realities of black freedom struggles.
There have always been diverse strands of ideology within the black community -- monolithic identity is a myth. But in times where solidarity was essential for fighting racial discrimination, "closing ranks" was necessary for the potency of black political aims. Branding someone inauthentic not only diminished their stature within the community, but also signaled to those outside that the community's leaders could enforce conformance with a unified front.

Amidst the shifting and ambiguous race politics of the post-segregation era, racial authenticity is arguably more a factor than before. The lines between black communities and the mainstream are blurry and fraught with contradiction. In many ways that has heightened the awareness of the considerable intra-racial diversity within the black community. Many are of two minds on the issue -- desiring to embrace and promote intra-racial diversity while maintaining a sense of linked fate.

Notions of black collective identity remain strong, but increasingly there is a rejection of racial authenticity politics. West's most vocal critic, fellow Princeton professor Melissa Harris-Perry, very eloquently expressed such sentiments in her response to the West article. While her response was on point, subsequent statements require clarification. Specifically, on a May 17, 2011 broadcast of MSNBC's The Ed Show, Harris-Perry made a provocative comparison of West and the birther movement, labeling West's attacks on Obama as "birtherism."

Equating West to birthers risks confusing two distinctly separate phenomena. The birther movement's claims seek to fundamentally undermine Obama's citizenship and humanity. Their debunked conspiracy theories have no rational grounding and are pretext for deeply held racist and xenophobic beliefs.

West's invocation of racial authenticity, on the other hand, does have an experiential and rhetorical lineage. It stems from often legitimate (and sometimes purely opportunistic) suspicions that there may be an inherently inverse relationship between one's mainstream acceptance and one's desire or ability to meaningfully identify with the black experience.

Arguing that Obama is worthy of such suspicion, however, is utterly baseless. In addition to undermining legitimate policy criticisms, it requires a highly selective reading of the last three years and an inexcusably naïve assessment of contemporary political realities.

This explains why so many quickly rejected West's assertions. Many who grew up in the immediate post-segregation era have learned that racial authenticity is simply an inadequate frame for contemporary challenges. We embrace the unprecedented complexities at the core of this historic presidency and the courage required to confront their uncertain and evolving meanings.

We appreciate that Obama is the president of all Americans and can never favor one constituency or group. We recognize that his presidency and his policies offer considerably more for black communities than those of his political opponents.

Finally, we acknowledge that progressive policies will only advance when everyday people are organized to fight for them. Leading a movement to bring that about is much more authentic than the cheap insults of the racial authenticity game.

Gentrification is goal of city plan As Forwarded By John Mosley Jr.

Gentrification is goal of city plan As Forwarded By John Mosley Jr.

By Akili Nkrumah, Carla Harris, and Philé Chionesu

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission's recently completed comprehensive plan, designed to shape the city's land-use and other priorities for the next 25 years, is unfortunately a blueprint for the gentrification of African American, Latino, and poor white neighborhoods, as well as a chronicle of the utter neglect of their interests. It represents a breathtaking capitulation by the city's African American, Latino, and supposedly progressive leadership.

The plan was created largely by elected and appointed city officials, bureaucrats beholden to the mayor, developers, and pro-gentrification academics. Citizen input was accepted at scripted, unwieldy, methodologically unsound meetings where invitees responded to leading questions. What was missing were open-ended questions about tenor, direction, and policy priorities.

We provided dozens of pages of suggested modifications, but this and other feedback was never taken seriously. The result is a "good news" work of fiction that unapologetically ignores serious issues facing the city. Nowhere in the document, for instance, is there evidence that 40 percent of the city's renters spend at least a third of their income on rent, while the median rent increased by 31 percent over the last decade.

Increasing the quantity and quality of affordable housing might be the city's most pressing need. But you would never know it from the comprehensive plan. There are only a few brief acknowledgments of the need in the 232-page document.

The plan's energy goes chiefly into looking out for developers, upper-income suburbanites, and the new college graduates the city hopes to attract. It spends as much time on "farmers' markets" and "urban agriculture" as it does on the need for new supermarkets, and it hopes to convert "obsolete" industrial buildings into lofts for young artists instead of investing in the city's current residents and small businesses.

The heart of the plan is to cannibalize neighborhoods in North, South, and West Philadelphia so that Center City can expand dramatically, joining University City to form a two-headed beast that it calls the "Metropolitan Center." Stretching from the Delaware River to 40th Street, and from Girard Avenue to Washington Avenue, the Metropolitan Center would annex gentrification battlefields where African American and Latino populations are already being forced out.

Resentencing Ordered For Vincent Fumo, Could Portend Stiffer Sentence

Former Pennsylvania state senator Vincent Fumo, following his sentencing for corruption.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A federal appeals court in Philadelphia has ordered a new sentencing hearing for convicted former Pennsylvania state senator Vince Fumo, who is currently serving a 55-month sentence for a fraud that cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

The prosecution had argued that Judge Ronald Buckwalter made numerous procedural errors, and in a 2-1 decision a three-judge panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals agreed.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Nutter Irate Over Gunfire at a Kingsessing Basketball Game

Nutter, back to camera, commented on Monday night’s Kingsessing shooting while attending an unrelated event in Germantown.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Mayor Michael Nutter is clearly outraged that at least one gunman opened fire Monday night during a packed, city-sponsored basketball game at the Kingsessing Recreation Center.

During halftime of the adult league game, police say, at least one man opened fire where nearly 500 people were watching the game, resulting in injuries to six bystanders.

“They were having a basketball game, and some a**hole walked up and shot up the crowd,” Mayor Nutter told KYW Newsradio today. “I mean, who does that?”

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Over 100 Women Evacuated From ‘Baseball 101′ Event After Earthquake Felt At Citizens Bank Park

"Baseball 101" attendees head for the exits at Citizens Bank Park when the earthquake struck.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The earthquake was felt at Citizens Bank Park, where team officials were holding a silent auction for attendees at a “Baseball 101″ event.

When the Diamond Club began to move, master of ceremonies Scott Palmer calmly evacuated more than 100 women, many of whom admitted becoming confused and a little shaken up.

“Maybe a little scared when I got the chills all over my body,” said one. “Maybe a little. But okay now.”

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Rev. Al Sharpton officially tapped as MSNBC host

Rev. Al Sharpton officially tapped as MSNBC host

FILE - In this June 26, 2011 file photo, the Rev. Al Sharpton arrives at the BET Awards in Los Angeles. MSNBC has named the Rev. Al Sharpton as host of a weeknight program on the network. His new program, to be called "PoliticsNation," will premiere next Monday.

NEW YORK (AP) -- After several weeks in a tryout role, the Rev. Al Sharpton has officially been named host of a weeknight hour on MSNBC.

The program, now called "PoliticsNation," will air at 6 p.m. Eastern and premieres next Monday, the network announced Tuesday.

In his new role, the well-known civil rights activist and minister will lead a lively and informed discussion of the day's top headlines, MSNBC said.

Sharpton called the hosting job "a natural extension of my life work and growth."

Besides his work as a community leader and religious figure, Sharpton already hosts a nationally syndicated radio show. He was a candidate for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination that eventually went to U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

The 6 p.m. hour serves as an important lead-in to MSNBC's weeknight slate that includes Chris Matthews, Laurence O'Donnell, Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz. The network has done a swift reconfiguration in prime time since the abrupt departure of its marquee host, Keith Olbermann, in January. Olbermann took his show to Current TV.

In addition to being a guest on MSNBC throughout the network's history, Sharpton has also served as an occasional guest host on several of its programs.

"I've known Rev. Sharpton for over a decade and have tremendous respect for him," said MSNBC president Phil Griffin. "I'm thrilled that he's now reached a point in his career where he's able to devote himself to hosting a nightly show."

Earlier this month, Griffin dismissed the notion that the possible hiring of Sharpton might represent a conflict of interest for the cable channel.

"He's been on MSNBC for all 15 years," MSNBC President Phil Griffin said at the time, noting Sharpton's long track record with the network.

Sharpton last year had weighed in on behalf of the Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp. as the government scrutinized the company's ultimately successful takeover of NBCUniversal. Sharpton, the head of the National Action Network civil rights group, was among minority representatives approached by Comcast executives for support. MSNBC is part of NBCUniversal.

Woman convicted of child abuse in hot sauce case

Woman convicted of child abuse in hot sauce case

Jessica Beagley, 36, is shown before court on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, in Anchorage, Alaska. A jury convicted her of misdemeanor child abuse for squirting hot sauce into the mouth of her adopted Russian son as punishment in what prosecutors said was a ploy to get on the "Dr. Phil" TV show.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- An Alaska woman was convicted Tuesday of misdemeanor child abuse after squirting hot sauce into the mouth of her adopted Russian son as punishment in what prosecutors said was a ploy to get on the "Dr. Phil" TV show.

Prosecutors also said defendant Jessica Beagley, 36, of Anchorage made the 7-year-old boy stand in a cold shower when he misbehaved. Both actions were recorded on videotape.

Neither Beagley nor her husband, Anchorage police officer Gary Beagley, showed any emotion when the six-person jury announced its decision. The couple walked quickly from the courtroom and down a set of stairs without responding to questions from reporters.

Jessica Beagley could face the maximum sentence of one year in jail, a $10,000 fine and up to 10 years of probation when she is sentenced Monday, said District Judge David Wallace. She remains free without bail because the case is a misdemeanor.

Prosecutor Cynthia Franklin also left the courtroom without commenting.

Defense attorney William Ingaldson said his client was faced with a difficult situation dealing with a child with emotional problems when she reached out to the "Dr. Phil" show for help. If she hadn't done that, she never would have been charged with child abuse, he said.

"It is our feeling Jessica was doing the best she could. ... This is a very good, loving family," Ingaldson said.

He believes the city child abuse ordinance fails to spell out what is acceptable in terms of punishment. For example, under the law it would be possible to convict a parent who put a child in a timeout for what a jury might consider too long, he said.

Ingaldson will request that Beagley receive no jail time. Asked if the children could be taken from the family, he said that could not be done by anybody in Alaska because the Beagleys had already been investigated by the office of children's services, which found no reason to take action.

In closing arguments Monday, Franklin said Beagley recorded the punishment on Oct. 21, 2010, for a segment of the show titled "Mommy Confessions."

Beagley's lawyer countered that she made the video and eventually went on the show because she was desperate to find help for her son, a Russian orphan with psychological and emotional problems.

Beagley was forced to use unconventional means of punishment because traditional methods didn't work, Ingaldson said.

The eight-minute video shows Beagley confronting the boy about misbehaving in school and lying, then pouring hot sauce into the crying child's mouth and not allowing him to spit it out for more than a minute.

The footage also shows Beagley forcing the screaming boy into a cold shower before sending him off to bed.

"There is no reason in the world why someone has to hurt a child to get on a reality show," Franklin said in her closing argument.

When the episode aired, it sparked public outrage in Russia, with some people demanding the boy and his twin brother, who were both adopted by Beagley and her husband, be returned to their native country.

Franklin told the jury it wasn't Beagley's first attempt to get on the "Dr. Phil" show.

After seeing a segment in April 2009 titled "Angry Moms," she contacted the show but heard nothing for a year and a half, Franklin said.

The show eventually called to find out if Beagley was still angry, she said.

Beagley then submitted audition videos in which she yelled at the boy, but producers said they needed to see her actually punishing her son, the prosecutor said.

That's when Beagley got the video camera ready, made sure there was enough hot sauce on the shelf in the bathroom and recruited her 10-year-old daughter to shoot the video, Franklin said. Days later, she was headed to Los Angeles to tape the show that first aired on Nov. 17, 2010.

Dr. Phil McGraw describes Beagley's actions as brutal and abusive, according to a transcript of the show.

"I think anybody would look at that and say that that is absolutely outrageous, it is over the top, it is abusive, it is inefficient, it is - it is out of control," McGraw said in the transcript after portions of the video were shown.

The show provided the Beagleys with an evaluation of the boy and counseling.

Beagley and her husband had tried more traditional means of punishment, such as timeouts and television restrictions, but none of the tactics worked with one of the twins, who did such things as urinating on the floor, Ingaldson said. More recently, the boy has been diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder and is in therapy.

In his closing arguments, Ingaldson encouraged the jury to look closely at other footage submitted to the show in which Beagley coaches the children on not getting into trouble and reminding them of what happens if they do.

"She is not trying to get these kids to misbehave. She is trying to do the opposite," Ingaldson said.

The Beagleys, who have four biological children, adopted the Russian boys in 2008.

Strauss-Kahn free after NY courts let DA drop case

Strauss-Kahn free after NY courts let DA drop case

Former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn, left, leaves Manhattan state Supreme court with his attorney Benjamin Brafman, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011 in New York.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Dominique Strauss-Kahn became a free man Tuesday when a judge ended the sexual assault case against him at the request of prosecutors, who said the hotel maid who accused the former International Monetary Fund chief couldn't be trusted.

Though evidence showed Strauss-Kahn had a sexual encounter with Nafissatou Diallo in his hotel suite more than three months ago, prosecutors said the accuser was not credible because of lies she has told, including an earlier false rape claim.

State Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus said he would dismiss the case, but there was one more legal twist to get through: He first wanted an appeals court to hear a request from Diallo's attorneys to keep the case alive by appointing a special prosecutor. The criminal case ended about two hours later, when the higher court agreed with Obus that there was no legal basis for removing the district attorney from the case.

The case drew global attention and left both the accuser and the accused - a one-time contender for the French presidency - with tattered reputations.

Strauss-Kahn arrived at court in a six-car motorcade and was greeted by protesters wielding signs carrying such messages as "DSK treats women like property" and "Put the rapist on trial - not the victim." The shouting could be heard inside the courtroom.

He appeared resolute inside. He smiled and shook hands with his biographer as his wife, journalist Anne Sinclair, sat nearby.

The couple left court without speaking to reporters, but Strauss-Kahn later issued a statement describing the case as "a nightmare for me and my family."

"I want to thank all the friends in France and in the United States who have believed in my innocence, and to the thousands of people who sent us their support personally and in writing. I am most deeply grateful to my wife and family who have gone through this ordeal with me," he said.

"We will have nothing further to say about this matter and we look forward to returning to our home and resuming something of a more normal life."

Later, Strauss-Kahn appeared outside the posh Tribeca townhouse where he was held under house arrest until July - when prosecutors first publicly admitted they had doubts about the maid's credibility. He summed up the statement in French and was mobbed by reporters.

Diallo, from the West African nation of Guinea, claimed that the 62-year-old diplomat chased her down, grabbed her crotch and forced her to perform oral sex when she arrived to clean his luxury suite May 14.

He was charged with a criminal sex act, attempted rape and sexual abuse, and was jailed for nearly a week before being released on $1 million bail under pricey house arrest.

DNA evidence showed Strauss-Kahn's semen on Diallo's work clothes, and prosecutors on Monday revealed additional details that led them to believe a sexual encounter occurred. But Strauss-Kahn's attorneys contended it wasn't forced.

"At the very first appearance ... I said in open court that this was not a forcible encounter," Strauss-Kahn's attorney Benjamin Brafman said outside court. "You can engage in inappropriate behavior, perhaps, but that is much different than a crime. And this case was treated as a crime - when it was not."

When prosecutors brought charges, they said their evidence was strong and Diallo was credible. But in July they said she had told them a series of troubling falsehoods, including a phony account of having been gang-raped in her native Guinea. She told interviewers she was raped in her homeland under other circumstances and embellished the account to enhance her 2003 application for political asylum.

Prosecutors continued investigating and said Monday they uncovered further information that led them to believe they couldn't ask a jury to believe her story. Like many sexual assault cases, in which the accused and the accuser are often the only eyewitnesses, the Strauss-Kahn case hinged heavily on the maid's believability.

"Our inability to believe the complainant beyond a reasonable doubt means, in good faith, that we could not ask a jury to do that," assistant district attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon said in formally recommending the case be dismissed.

She added that prosecutors' decision to drop the case "does not mean that we, in any way, condone the defendant's behavior."

The case was the biggest for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance in his 18 months in office. He said in a statement that his job is to seek justice - not convictions at any cost.

"We should not blindly advocate for one side, or be afraid to assess honestly whether we can meet our burden of proof. Because when prosecutors fail to follow the facts where they lead, justice becomes secondary to victory," he said.

"In dismissing the case today, we believe - and I believe - this is the right decision."

Vance had scheduled a news conference to discuss the dismissal, but as it began the courts building started shaking from the earthquake in Virginia that was felt along much of the East Coast. Reporters and others rushed out of the building and the event was canceled.

Diallo, 33, continues to insist that Strauss-Kahn attacked her; her attorneys vainly argued that Vance was biased. She has maintained that she feared what would happen if she had told the truth about her asylum application earlier.

Diallo has sued Strauss-Kahn and came forward in a series of interviews with media after it became clear prosecutors were losing faith in her credibility. The Associated Press does not usually name people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as she has done.

Diallo did not attend the hearing in which Obus decided to dismiss the case. Her attorney Kenneth Thompson said outside court that she had been abandoned.

"No man, no matter how much power, money and influence he has, has a right to sexually assault a woman," Thompson said. "We are disappointed that District Attorney Vance apparently does not believe in equal justice under the law and has denied an innocent woman a day in court."

Thompson's partner addressed members of the French media in Paris, expressing similar concern and frustration. Diallo's lawyers had no other plans to appeal.

In France, Strauss-Kahn's fellow Socialists lauded the end of the criminal case. Party chief Martine Aubry called it "an immense relief."

"We were all waiting for this ... for him to finally be able to get out of this nightmare," she said on France-Info radio.

On the streets of Guinea's capital, Conakry, and on its airwaves and on the editorial pages of its major newspapers, opinions were mixed. A small and unscientific sample indicated that women tended to back Diallo, while men questioned her version of events.

"Since the beginning of time, the powerful have always won. Nafissatou Diallo didn't stand a chance against DSK," said Pepe Bimou, a computer programmer. "The only possible outcome was that she would lose."

Diallo's attorneys said they would aggressively litigate the civil case - though they expect it would take two years to go to court.

Meanwhile, another sex assault case in France against Strauss-Kahn continues. Novelist Tristane Banon, who says Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her in 2002, has filed a new criminal complaint in France. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers have called her account "imaginary."

Phillies Let Another One Slip Away, Lose To Nationals In Extra Innings

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ian Desmond hit a tying homer with two outs in the ninth inning, then Jonny Gomes was nicked by a pitch from Brad Lidge with the bases loaded in the 10th, giving the Washington Nationals an unlikely 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on a rainy Sunday.

It was the second improbable victory in three games for the Nationals. They beat the Phillies, who have the best record in the majors, with a six-run rally in the ninth Friday night.

An RBI single by Michael Martinez put the Phillies ahead 4-3 in the ninth this time. Philadelphia reliever Antonio Bastardo struck out the first two batters in the bottom half before Desmond connected on a 1-2 pitch for his fifth homer.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Questions Surround Eagles As Regular Season Nears

Rookie linebacker Casey Matthews

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — There is plenty of optimism surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles, and rightfully so. But as the team prepares for Thursday’s preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, there are still a number of questions waiting to be answered — starting with the linebackers.

While the Eagles added a trio of Pro-Bowl players to other areas of the defense through free agency (Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin) and the trade of Kevin Kolb (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie), the organization, as it has done in recent years, chose to address the linebacker position via the draft.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Montco Woman Charged In Decades-Old Death Of Infant She Was Babysitting

UPPER MERION TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) – Authorities in Montgomery County have charged a 38-year-old Bridgeport, Pa. woman with murder in connection with the death of a five-month-old infant she was babysitting nearly two decades ago in Upper Merion Township.

Prosecutors say Melissa Haskell was just 19-years-old when she was babysitting Ryan Baurley in August of 1992. She reportedly found him unresponsive in his crib and the death, despite a lot of uncertainty, was ruled SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) by the coroner.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Mayor Nutter Agrees: It Was Time For Ackerman To Go

Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter is backing the decision to remove Arlene Ackerman as schools superintendent, and he is glad the taxpayers’ portion of the buyout was limited to half a million dollars.

Mayor Nutter said he was not directly involved in the negotiations to buy out Ackerman’s contract, but he supports the decision and is glad this got done before the school year begins, in just two weeks.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Arlene Ackerman Gets $905,000 Buyout As Philadelphia Schools Chief

Arlene Ackerman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Arlene Ackerman is out as Philadelphia schools superintendent just two weeks before the new school year begins.

Her attorney, Robert Nix, confirmed this morning to KYW Newsradio that Ackerman’s reign as head of the Philadelphia school system is over, after working out a separation agreement that will give her her full salary for the remainder of her original five-year contract.

Ackerman has been under pressure for much of her tenure in Philadelphia, over several issues: racial violence at South Philadelphia High School, a no-bid contract awarded to a minority firm, and the whopping budget deficit.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Obama: Libya's future 'in the hands of its people'

Obama: Libya's future 'in the hands of its people'

President Barack Obama speaks about Libya, Monday, Aug. 22, 2011, in Chilmark, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard, Mass.

CHILMARK, Mass. (AP) -- As rebels celebrated in Tripoli, President Barack Obama declared Monday that Moammar Gadhafi's long rule is over. "The future of Libya is in the hands of its people," he said.

Speaking from a rented vacation home on Martha's Vineyard, Obama heralded U.S. and international military efforts that helped bring about the outcome. But with Gadhafi's precise whereabouts unknown, the president cautioned that uncertainty and threats remained.

Obama called on Gadhafi to surrender and end the bloodshed, and on the opposition to seek a just transition into an uncertain future.

"The rights of all Libyans must be respected," he said. "True justice will not come from reprisals and violence; it will come from reconciliation and a Libya that allows its citizens to determine their own destiny."

The crumbling of Gadhafi's 42-year rule was being described by some analysts as vindication of Obama's much-criticized decision to limit U.S. involvement in Libya and let NATO take control after the U.S. led the initial air campaign in March.

Obama stopped well short of declaring a military or political victory, leaving it to a spokesman to credit U.S. strategy and "the president's robust leadership" with producing "a lot of favorable results." But the president highlighted NATO's success after months of doubts about whether the alliance would be able to prevail.

"NATO has once more proven that it is the most capable alliance in the world and that its strength comes from both its firepower and the power of our democratic ideals," he said.

With his re-election campaign under way and a war-weary public focused on jobs, Obama was quick to note that it all happened "without putting a single U.S. troop on the ground" - a policy aides said Obama would maintain.

It's come at a cost, though: The Pentagon says that as of July 31, the U.S. had spent about $896 million, including the daily military operations, munitions and humanitarian assistance.

Obama's comments Monday were his first since a weekend push by the rebels into the Libyan capital, and since he arrived on this island retreat off the coast of Massachusetts on Thursday for a 10-day stay

The White House had defended Obama's decision to go on vacation during a time of high unemployment by arguing that a president can never really go on vacation. That reality was on display as the developments in Libya came to a boil, and Obama was forced to interrupt his plans for beach time and golf for briefings and statements.

Obama was briefed over the phone Monday by top national security staff, including Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Then he donned a suit jacket to speak to reporters in the yard of his rented waterside farm, before heading out to play basketball.

Obama also fit in a call to British Prime Minister David Cameron, as the U.S. and international partners that have recognized the rebel Transitional National Council worked to find a way forward. Clinton telephoned the leader of the Libyan Transitional National Council on Monday.

A State spokesman said that no decision has yet been made on whether to send U.S. experts to Libya to help prevent the Gadhafi regime's massive arsenal of anti-aircraft missiles from slipping into the hands of terror groups.

U.S. intelligence also has been "keeping a close eye" on Gadhafi's chemical arsenal, which "at this point appears to be well-guarded," according to a U.S. official briefed on the Libyan operations who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters of intelligence.

An Obama administration official said Monday that U.S. officials and NATO partners had not been in contact with Gadhafi during the siege on Tripoli. The U.S. has no indication that Gadhafi has left Libya. If Gadhafi were captured in Libya, the official said it would be up to the Transitional National Council to determine whether he might be tried in Libya or transferred to the International Criminal Court.

Also Monday New York Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, asked the Transitional National Council to arrest Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie airplane bomber. He was freed by the Scottish government in 2009 after prison doctors said he had prostate cancer and three months to live, but he is still alive.

Our Spiritual Leadership Stumbles and Falls: A Lesson in Betrayal and Trust As Forwarded By John Mosley Jr.

Our Spiritual Leadership Stumbles and Falls: A Lesson in Betrayal and Trust As Forwarded By John Mosley Jr.

The world is standing at a crossroads. Many believe that the world has, in fact, already chosen its path and has now tunneled deep into the darkness. Like many who are working to bring to light the truth of our collective predicament, I prefer to believe there is still time for corrective action, and that the headlong rush towards self destruction can be reversed. In order for this to take place, the disturbing and deplorable facts about what we are going up against need to be revealed. The very first step on the way to substantive change is that the truth must come out.

Ideally, religious leaders carry a moral imperative to bring us to the truth. But while it is true that certain congregations are headed up by leaders who may rail against war, or may advise against taking part in certain government programs—homeschooling and vaccines come to mind—there are other, critically important issues concerning which our religious leaders remain silent.

Many of us have come to realize that there is a dark impetus that has emerged, an ever more powerful section of the body politic which advocates for eugenics. In plain words, this means that certain sectors of the population are facing elimination. But even in the most “progressive” of congregations, you won’t hear the pastor pounding the Sunday pulpit and asserting that geneticists within the government have developed chemical compounds which are right now being leaked into most processed foods, bonding with melanin and resulting in the epidemic of hypertension and diabetes among the African American population (who have the most melanin in their systems). You won’t hear the rabbi explaining to his congregation during Friday night Shabbat services that the double line water system has the capability of wiping off the face of the earth every Jew, or every political activist, or every Jehovah’s witness, or every red-haired, freckle-faced single mother of three on welfare, for that matter. Pick your demographic and the water weapon can hone in on any segment of the population that is selected.

One can argue endlessly which groups are targeted for the clean sweep. To my way of thinking, it doesn’t matter who Mother Government has decided to cull. We are all American citizens; we all allegedly have rights under the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees us “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Please note that the primary word here is “life.” The fact remains that the eugenics movement within the U.S. government—a movement which boasts a long history of advocating the desirability of killing people (proponents include the Bush family and their well-documented support of Adolph Hitler)—has privately and covertly made decisions and plans which defy every constitutional and moral principle upon which our country is founded. Add to this the fact that those “scientifically” promoting mass covert eugenics programs have risen to ascendancy in our country and we have a recipe for a crisis which religious leadership has a moral obligation to address.

But they don’t. Some churches may organize anti-war demonstrations and others may serve soup to homeless folks. But the dark train is moving forward and our religious leaders are keeping their own counsel.

I would like to think they are merely frightened. It would be easiest to excuse the roaring silence, the enormous gap between what is at play and what is said about it as cowardice. I would like to think that the rash of unsolved murders of scientists working on biowarfare/eugenics programs has not escaped the attention of our esteemed religious leadership and that they are collectively quaking in their silk-lined, tasseled robes at the thought of what might happen to them, personally, should they speak out about where this train is going. I would like to think it is merely spinelessness which keeps our spiritual leaders bound to silence. This is the most generous conclusion I can reach. But I suspect that the truth may be much, much worse.

CASE IN POINT—WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE RABBIS?

It is an uncomfortable and seldom discussed historical fact that much of the rabbinate escaped Hitler’s extermination agenda and were able to emigrate out of Eastern Europe, to safety elsewhere. It is also a matter of historical record that the Jewish leadership in the U.S., through the American Jewish Congress, lobbied against lifting immigration restrictions on European Jews, thus ensuring that they would be trapped in Eastern Europe and perish. One third of the Jews on the planet were eliminated due to Hitler’s efforts, as were many other targeted groups. These efforts were enabled by the likes of such Jewish luminaries as Stephen Wise, who helped establish the American Jewish Congress back in 1918.

In Los Angeles, a synagogue is adorned with the name of Stephen Wise. The Wise Temple is one of the largest in Los Angeles, with a congregation of over 3200 member families. The betrayal of his fellow Jews by Stephen Wise, who through his lobbying against lifting immigration restrictions contributed to the mass murder of untold numbers of Jews, is not fodder for sermons at the temple which bears his name. Nor, in my experience, is this ghastly fact discussed elsewhere in Los Angeles synagogues.

I first began attending Temple Beth Shir Shalom in Santa Monica in 2004. I had already begun researching the double line water system in Los Angeles, spending long afternoons scouting out city work crews, ingratiating myself with the laborers and finding ways to get a peek at (and snapshot of) the water system blueprints. I had already received input, albeit somewhat reluctantly so, from several rabbis indicating that they knew something was afoot with the water.

I decided to meet with the rabbi at Beth Shir Shalom, Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels, and ask him some direct questions.

Beth Shir Shalom is an attractive, modern building on a quiet street in Santa Monica. It is home to a Reform congregation, which has been headed up by Comess-Daniels for many years. Much of the service is conducted in English, a boon for me as I do not speak Hebrew and at Beth Shir Shalom much of it is conducted in song, as Comess-Daniels plays guitar and sings. He is also a well known anti-war activist and social justice advocate.

I met with the rabbi in his study at the temple. We chatted for a bit then I got down to business. I began pulling out of my knapsack photographs of water crews, hard at work on busy Los Angeles Streets. I pointed out to him the double lines that appeared in the blueprints and asked him if he understood what I was working on. He turned pale and gulped.

“I know what is going to happen,” I stated. “I want to know when deployment is planned. I want to know how much longer I have to get the word out.”

Daniels looked away. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. Realizing that I wasn’t getting anywhere, I thanked him for his time and said I looked forward to returning on Friday for Shabbat services. We chatted a few more minutes and I left.

I got to Temple a few minutes before services started that Friday and slipped into a pew near the back. Within two minutes, a large dark-suited man sidled up to me. Leaning down, he whispered that he would like to have a word with me. Would I mind coming with him for a moment?

We went outside and he told me to leave. Leave, and don’t come back. Bewildered, I asked why. “You threatened the rabbi,” he said. “I did not!” I protested.

The rabbi felt threatened, I was told. I was to leave or the police would be called.

I made a number of attempts, over the next several weeks, to speak with the President of the Temple, a large noisy red-haired woman. She declined to return any of my calls.

I then spoke with some friends who also attended Beth Shir Shalom. One of them spoke to the President on my behalf and she assured him there was a mistake. I was free to return anytime, she told him.

About two months passed by and I showed up again. I had told my friends that I was returning and to look for me. I also called the President and left a message thanking her for clarifying my status and letting her know I would be returning on Friday night.

I walked into the hall of worship, searching for my friends. Not seeing them initially, I seated myself near the rear. It only took thirty seconds for several security guards to swoop down on me. And this time, they weren’t issuing warnings.

I was escorted outside. My ID was demanded of me. I began to search my pockets for it, then changed my mind and declined. Three more people showed up, two of them women whom I recognized as temple management. One of them mumbled something…sounded like “keep her here while I call” and went back in side. Oh great, I thought. They are calling the police.

I did nothing wrong. I said. I started to walk off. My suspicions were confirmed. Wait, said one of the women, coyly. We just want to talk to you. I could hear her voice trailing off…”come back…” as I walked away.

WHAT IF?

I have chosen to relay this story about what happened at Beth Shir Shalom. I could just have easily imparted an equally troubling story about the Catholic diocese in St. Louis or a squirrelly Methodist minister in Sandpoint, Idaho. While I find it hard to believe that every man of God has gone to the devil, it has become clear to me that the spiritual leadership in our country has fallen into grave disrepair. We have too many chefs trying to keep the lid on a pot that is clearly set to blow.

It is unsettling enough to know that our government cannot be trusted. Let down, we begin to look elsewhere. The first stop is usually the media. It doesn’t take too long to realize that the Fourth Estate has become an arm of government, there to protect rather than watchdog those in power. Betrayed again, we turn off the tube and boot up the computer, and begin to search the Web for what we cannot find from traditionally trusted sources. And many of us look for spiritual guidance.

If I have learned anything through this passage, it is how critical it is to develop discernment. Wolves abound dressed like Grandma, offering all kinds of diversions and temptations. It is incumbent upon each and every one of us to develop our own internal warning systems and to learn to listen to that small still voice of God which is in each and every one of us, and to learn to trust that voice. Our very future, together and separately, depends upon this