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D.C. Sniper Says He Had Accomplices Who Were Killed

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:09:52 +0000

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Convicted DC sniper Lee Boyd Malvo tells actor William Shatner on a cable TV special that he and his partner tried to recruit fellow shooters for their 2002 spree and that his accomplice killed one man for backing out, according to the program set for airing Thursday.

In a telephone call from a southwest Virginia prison, Malvo told Shatner two men planned to join in the attacks to make them more deadly but reneged. Malvo said his fellow shooter, John Allen Muhammad, killed one of the men in retaliation. Malvo did not identify them in the interview for a show on the cable channel A&E.

Malvo’s revelations came in response to questions about claims by a psychiatrist that the duo had co-conspirators. The psychiatrist, Neil Blumberg, who worked with Malvo before his trial, also said Malvo had confessed to more shootings in addition to the spree that terrorized the Washington region in 2002, when 13 people were hit and 10 of them died.

An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday on the claims. Malvo’s lawyer during his trial, Timothy Sullivan, did not immediately return a call.

In the TV interview, Malvo initially denies his psychiatrist’s claims that he and Muhammad had co-conspirators. Once pressured, he says someone in Arizona helped them get weapons and explosives, and a man in New York was supposed to help them get out of the country “when it’s all said and done.”

He said both later backed out of plans to help with the shootings.

“There was supposed to be three to four snipers with silenced weapons,” said Malvo, who was 17 at the time of the shootings. “In this way we could do a lot more damage along the entire Eastern Seaboard.”

Blumberg said Malvo told him Muhammad made him shoot two of the co-conspirators once they backed out of the plan. Malvo told Shatner only one of the men was killed, and that Muhammad did it.

Blumberg also said Malvo told him there was a third co-conspirator who was supposed to have joined them in Washington but did not. Malvo does not mention that person during the interview with Shatner.

The one-hour “Confessions of the DC Sniper with William Shatner: An Aftermath Special” premieres at 10 p.m. Thursday on A&E.

Previously, Malvo and Muhammad had been linked to as many as 27 shootings resulting in 17 deaths in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

Blumberg told the show Malvo had confessed to him to at least 42 shootings. When Shatner asked about the number of shootings, Malvo rattles off states where he claims he and Muhammad shot people but doesn’t give an exact number.

Malvo’s statements have been inconsistent in the past, and authorities have cast doubt on some of his reported confessions since he was sentenced to life in prison. Muhammad was executed in Virginia last year.

The sniper-style attacks all but paralyzed the nation’s capital, as people were shot at random while going about their everyday life — pumping gas, buying groceries, and for one young boy, as he went to school. The shooters used a high-powered rifle, firing from the trunk of a modified Chevy Caprice until they were tracked down at a Maryland rest stop.

Authorities involved with the massive hunt and prosecution of the pair are reluctant to say how many shootings they may have been involved in as they drove across the country to the nation’s capital.

Before Muhammad was executed last November, the prosecutor who put him on death row said it may be impossible to ever know how many were killed. Malvo has only confessed to authorities in jurisdictions that promised not to prosecute him.

“I don’t know that you can trust anything Malvo says,” Prince William Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert said.

Speaking on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday, Shatner said he was fascinated by Malvo’s turnabout, “the fact that remorse creeps into his life.”

“He was a kid who was brainwashed. He was a malleable teenager and lacking love in his life,” Shatner said. “John Muhammad supplies the love and influences him to become a killer, and he becomes a cold-blooded killer at the age of 17. Now he’s in jail and now he begins the turmoil in his mind.”

Malvo, now 25, said he has forgiven Muhammad, who at trial he accused of turning him into a “monster.”

“This is going to be surprising, but I’ve had to forgive him in the same way in which I’ve had to, over time, gradually forgive myself,” Malvo said. “…Every day I get up, somebody’s wife, child, husband is not going to come home tonight. There is nothing that I can say or ever do that will ever change that fact.

“That is my constant reminder. Someone else cannot breathe for you. You can allow someone else to think for you, and when you do these are the consequences.”

Malvo, who lives in segregation at a maximum security prison, said he is filled with “hope and dread” for his future.

“It’s a little bit of both,” he said. “It’s hope and dread because everything has to be repaid.”

UPDATE: D.C. Sniper Executed By Lethal Injection

California Gubernatorial Candidate Margaret Whitman Snubs Black Media [VIDEO]

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:29:00 +0000

Margaret Whitman, a Republican candidate running for governor of California, is making a habit of being a “no-show” at forums her camp has created for Blacks and Latinos.

The forum, which was scheduled to be held in the San Francisco Christian Center, was created for Blacks and Latino organizations to ask questions about issues affecting their communities. This forum was significant because the two remaining debates will not be held in urban communities.

To date, Whitman’s campaign has spent over 50 million dollars on TV, radio, and print, but has yet to spend a cent on African American media outlets. Not only has her camp not chosen to use African-American outlets, but they have refused invitations.

She possibly is assured that having Condoleezza Rice’s endorsement will be enough to assure the black community of California.

Hopefully, they have not fallen for this gimmick.

Rice Endorsement Video:

Her lack of concern for black people is reflected in her actions, as well as her statements. In 2009, she mentioned that she is a “big fan” of Van Jones and what he is doing in Oakland, and in the same breath called him “articulate”– a clear indication of her belief of the notion of black intellectual inferiority.

Meg Whitman on Van Jones Video:

Read the complete story

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Civil Rights Hero Says McCain “Sowing The Seeds of Hatred”

John McCain’s Imaginary Black Friends

Missing Bi-Polar Teacher May Be Living In Las Vegas

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:48:06 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) Ten months ago Mitrice Richardson walked out of a Los Angeles sheriff’s station and mysteriously vanished.

Family and friends of the 25-year-old teacher who suffers from bipolar disorder have had no idea where she could have gone, until – potentially – now.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore says investigators have received numerous tips regarding her whereabouts and have reason to believe Richardson is alive and living in Las Vegas.

Investigators are heading to Las Vegas to look into the 80 possible sightings of Richardson that have been reported and are believed to be credible.

Whitmore, who is headed to Las Vegas Thursday for a news conference, plans to plead with Richardson and the public in hopes locating the missing woman.

His message to Richardson: “You’re not in trouble, you’re not subject to arrest. We just want to know you’re OK. Please contact police or a family member.”

Richardson was arrested Sept. 16 after she was unable to pay an $89 bill at Geoffrey’s restaurant in Malibu.

According to the Los Angeles Times, in addition to being unable to pay, Richardson was acting “bizarrely and speaking gibberish.” Her car was impounded after her arrest because she was believed to be intoxicated.

However, police later released Richardson without a car, cell phone, and purse (which were inside the impounded vehicle) because she appeared rational.

She walked away from the station and was never heard from again. Richardson’s mother has sued Los Angeles County, claiming her daughter should have been given a mental-health evaluation and not released in the middle of the night without a car or identification.

Richardson is black, 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 135 pounds. She has brown, curly hair and hazel eyes, and was last seen wearing a dark shirt and blue jeans, police said. According to a flyer made by her family, Richardson has tattoos on her lower abdomen and behind her neck.

Lottery Winner’s Body Found In Home Of Suspect

Obama Defends Education Reform At National Urban League Convention

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:45:05 +0000

From NYTimes.com:

Saying that reforming education is perhaps “the economic issue of our time,” President Obama went before a major civil rights organization on Thursday to defend his main education program against criticisms from some minority and teachers groups.

“It’s an economic issue when the unemployment rate for folks who’ve never gone to college is almost double what it is for those who have,” Mr. Obama said, according to prepared remarks. “It’s an economic issue when eight in 10 new jobs will require workforce training or a higher education by the end of this decade. It’s an economic issue when we know countries that outeducate us today will outcompete us tomorrow.”

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Pres Obama And Education Secretary Arne Duncan To Address NUL Conference

Cops Say Mom Killed Herself And Autistic Son Due To Stress

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:36:22 +0000

From The York Daily News

Frustrated over the demands of raising an autistic child, police believe, a Bronx mother shot the boy to death before turning the gun on herself Wednesday night, cops said.

Micaela Jackson, 37, and Kenneth Holmes, 12, both killed by a gunshot to the head, were found in bed in the single mother’s apartment on Loring Place in Morris Heights, police said.

The suspected murder-suicide – the second in as many weeks in the city – left Jackson’s family and Kenneth’s father shattered.

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UPDATE: Mom Of Decapitated Baby Says “I Didn’t Mean To Do It!”

Black Chemists Create New Hair Care Line: “Tea And Honey Blends”

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:27:44 +0000

From AtlantaPost.com:

When it comes to black hair care products, women of color are rarely faithful to one line. The dilemma can lead to overwhelmed bathroom cabinets for many women but also aid a vast open market market for hair care manufacturers.

That’s what Dr. Tashni-Ann Dubroy and Dr. Tiffani Bailey Lash are counting on. In December 2009 they launched Tea and Honey Blends, a new hair care line specifically for women of color. As chemists with an interest in cosmetology, they took a scientific approach to solving the commitment quandary and asked themselves before creating the products ‘what would make this the last hair care product I would ever buy?’

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Click here to see gallery of black hairstyles

Dominican Hair Salons Rival Black Hair Salons for Business

Shirley Sherrod Will Sue Right Wing Blogger Andrew Breitbart

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:07:58 +0000

SAN DIEGO — Ousted Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod says she will sue a conservative blogger who posted an edited video of her making racially tinged remarks last week.

Sherrod made the announcement Thursday in San Diego at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention.

The edited video posted by Andrew Breitbart led Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to ask her to resign, a decision he reconsidered after seeing the entire video of her March speech to a local NAACP group. In the full speech, Sherrod spoke of racial reconciliation and lessons she learned after initially hesitating to help a white farmer save his home.

Vilsack and President Barack Obama later called Sherrod to apologize for her hasty ouster. Vilsack has offered her a new job at the department, which she is still considering.

Shirley Sherrod: “Breitbart Wants Slavery Back”

Obama Spends More On Polls Than Bush

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:06:36 +0000

From HuffingtonPost.com:

During his daily press briefing on July 13, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was peppered with questions about why the president’s popularity numbers are in decline and his policy positions are so difficult to sell.

ABC News’s Jake Tapper sought reaction to the network’s newest poll showing that 51 percent of respondents would rather have Republicans running Congress. CNN’s Ed Henry wanted to know why, in that same poll, “six in 10 Americans have little or no faith in the President to make the right decisions.” CBS’s Chip Reid then pointed to his own network’s poll showing that only 13 percent of respondents thought the president’s economic programs had affected them personally.

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Obama Tells The View Shirley Sherrod Story Was Fake Controversy

Evangelical Minister: “Obama Is Bringing Us Closer To Apocalypse” [VIDEO]

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:50:38 +0000

From HuffPost.com:

Evangelical Christian minister Tim LaHaye says that the policy initiatives put forth by the Obama administration are bringing the country “closer to the apocalypse.”

LaHaye issued the dire warning in an appearance this week on Mike Huckabee’s talk show on Fox News.

“Our present president doesn’t seem to get it,” LaHaye explained. “He doesn’t understand that some of the things he’s introducing that many of us call ‘raw socialism’ — it’s a different name, but it’s essentially government control and government domination of everything.”

The evangelical voice said of the political platform maintained by the Obama administration, “It’s going to work against our country and bringing us closer to the apocalypse.”

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Did Glenn Beck Inspire A Man To Plan A Terrorist Attack

Obama Tells “The View” Shirley Sherrod Story Was “Phony Controversy”

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:49:40 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) — President Barack Obama said Thursday that the racial firestorm that led to the ouster of a black Agriculture Department official was a “phony controversy” generated by the media. He said his administration overreacted by forcing her out.

In an interview on ABC’s daytime talk show “The View,” Obama said the forced resignation of Shirley Sherrod shows racial tensions still exist in America.

“There are still inequalities out there. There’s still discrimination out there,” said Obama, who is the first black U.S. president. “But we’ve made progress.”

Sherrod was forced to resign after a conservative website posted an edited video of her speaking about race. Sherrod said the video took her remarks out of context. When her full remarks were discovered, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack apologized and offered Sherrod a new job at the department.

Obama pinned much of the blame for the incident on a media culture that he said seeks out conflict and doesn’t always get the facts right. But he added, “A lot of people overreacted, including people in my administration.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Sherrod incident added another wrinkle to an administration already burdened by the slow pace of the economic recovery, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Gulf oil spill. While acknowledging that the country has gone through a tough stretch since he took office, Obama said he remains optimistic about the direction the U.S. is headed.

“What has been satisfying is just seeing how resilient the American people are,” he said.

Obama’s interview with “The View” was the first appearance on a daytime talk show by a sitting president. The wide-ranging interview also dipped into Obama’s knowledge of pop culture, an area he showed some proficiency, admitting that he knows actress Lindsey Lohan is in jail.

But he skirted a question about whether actor Mel Gibson should go to anger management classes, joking that he’d rather answer a question about the war in Afghanistan.

But perhaps the biggest revelation was that the Blackberry Obama fought so hard to keep at the start of his presidency hasn’t turned out to be that much after all. Because his e-mail traffic could be subject to eventual requests for disclosure, Obama said the 10 people who have his coveted e-mail address are cautious with their messages.

“Nobody wants to send me the real juicy stuff,” he said. “It’s all very official.”

VIDEO: Obama Says “I Was Black Before Election” On Letterman

Data Leaked Of 100 Million Facebooks Users Online

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:28:58 +0000

From MSN.com:

The personal details of 100 million Facebook users have been collected and published online in a downloadable file, meaning they will now be unable to make their publicly available information private.

However, Facebook downplayed the issue, saying that no private data had been compromised.

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Formspring.me: Cyber Bullying Or Do Haters Really Make You Famous

Sagging Pants Are “Foolish” But Legal Says Judge

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:11:29 +0000

From NYPost.com:

You have the right to look ridiculous.

A Bronx judge has thrown out a summons issued against a Bronx man for wearing saggy pants, finding that “the Constitution still leaves some opportunity for people to be foolish if they so desire.”

Judge Ruben Franco said that although Julio Martinez may have offended the fashion police with his low-hanging and underwear-exposing pants, his manner of dress didn’t deserve a ticket from a cop.

“While most of us may consider it distasteful, and indeed foolish, to wear one’s pants so low as to expose the underwear . . . people can dress as they please, wear anything, so long as they do not offend public order and decency,” the judge wrote.

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OPINION: Sagging Pants Dehumanize Black Men

Sean Bell’s Dad Responds To Union Chief: “My Son’s Death Is Not A Joke”

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:52:15 +0000

From NYDailyNews.com:

Sean Bell’s dad lashed out Wednesday at a top police union official who called his dead son drunk – and suggested he brought on his own demise.

William Bell told the Daily News he is outraged that detectives union President Michael Palladino called the $7 million wrongful death settlement in the 50-bullet shooting case “an absolute joke.”

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Police Say Woman Shot Cousin Over Short Shorts On Easter

Noose Found At College May Be Latest Racial Prank

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:41:10 +0000

SAN DIEGO—Police at the University of California, San Diego, are investigating a noose that was found in a campus building in what may be the latest in a series of racially charged pranks.

School spokesman Jeffrey Gattas says a thin piece of rope fashioned in a crude loop was found last week hanging from a stairwell.

To many African-Americans, nooses are a symbol of historical oppression and lynchings.

In February, an off-campus party mocking Black History Month sparked controversy and campus protests were held after a noose was found dangling in the library. A student later admitted placing it, apologized and was suspended.

In March, a KKK-style hood was found draped over a campus statue.

Blacks comprise less than 2 percent of UCSD undergraduates.

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Black Congressman Received Faxes Of Noose After Health Care Vote

A Black Family’s Journey To Judaism

Randy Dennis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:08:41 +0000

From HuffingtonPost.com:

“It’s an explosion of luuuv!” Elyse yells from the kitchen as she admires the golden challah loaves that she and her daughter Sydnee have prepared for the evening’s Shabbat.

This night will be like no other night I’ve experienced with a Jewish family. While I have been a guest for many years at my friend Maggie Klein’s family Passovers (I come armed with containers to take home matzo ball soup and charoset, and Maggie’s sister, Fran Fink, is happy to fill them up), where I addressed the late matriarch as “Mother Klein,” I have never been the guest of a Modern Orthodox African-American family. Tonight I will be one of two Gentiles, the other being Elyse’s sister, Arnette Haynes, and we’ll be joined by two other couples — six children in all, and two dogs.

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OPINION: Jewish Voices Of Color Must Be Heard