Chelsea Blows Off 9-Year-Old
 OK, despite my political leanings, this is next story is just absolutely wrong.
From Vinton, Iowa, The Associated Press says that Chelsea Clinton turned down a question from 9-year-old Sydney Reickhoff, a fourth grader from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who happens to be a kid reporter from Scholastic News. You know that newspaper thing that we had to pay $1.25 for a years worth of a newspaper like thing in elementary school.
It is policy for the Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign to turn down interview requests for Chelsea, but you would they would be a little bit nicer towards kids. Chelsea to Sydney, "I'm sorry, I don't talk to the press and that applies to you, unfortunately. Even though I think you're cute."
Sydney's mother is still going to caucus for the former first lady, liking her positions on health care and family values and above all "...it's time we have a female president."
Yah! It's time we have a female president, even though she dissed my daughter who wanted to ask a light hearted beach ball of a question.
You have to remember that the Clinton's are famous for protecting Chelsea, who was ages 12-20 when No. 42 was in office, and rightfully so because she was basically a kid for much of that era. I would think that the fact that Chelsea is an adult, not only would she be smart enough and strong enough to deal with the press, but she could take a few secs to answer an EASY QUESTION.
Then one has to wonder, what is the Clinton campaign worried about. Are they afraid the first question out of a reporter's mouth is going to be about Monica-gate? If that's the case, then Clinton's camp can set parameters. It is done for a lot of big interviews, why can't they set any for Chelsea, especially when you consider that they were set for Jenna Bush for her book tour.
A nine-year-old isn't going to know what was going on during that time anyway, just tell her whether you think your dad will make a first good gentleman, Chelsea.
Kenny's Blog 2.0 coming in January...
For the past three years, I have blogged somewhat using blogger. I say somewhat because my post in the beginning were ho hum and not being written that often. I also started Maryland Politics Today by using blogger. Sometime in the middle of this year, I started exploring the potential of giving MarylandPT it's own home...it's own universe where I will not be limited under google's draconian rules. Yes, I do know big words.
So through the good graces of Globaltap Corporation, I established MarylandPolitics.us using a program called WORDPRESS. I was rather impressed with the program in regards to simpleness and ease, as well as layout. This is completely the opposite of when I was putting a layout together for this blog. The part I liked was how I was able to match the layout of the website, the part I hate was the hell I went through in trying to customize it. Well, NO MORE I Say...no more.
2008 is the 10 year anniversary of KENNYBURNS.COM, and as part of the year long festivities, I will be launching Kenny's Blog 2.0 in the next couple of weeks. You can still access it via KENNYBURNS.COM, but you will be able to reach it through it's own world...blog.kennyburns.com.
Blogger has served well and will still be online as an archive, but I wil primarily blog through what is now truly, my OWN blog.
Happy New Year and here's to a blessed and prosperous 2008!
The Woman Who Kept BET...somewhat relevant
Arlington, Va. -- Hello from across the river in Rosslyn...
I am just finding out from Richard Prince's Journal-isms that Deborah C. Tang, the founder of BET News had died of Cancer on Christmas Day at the age of 60 here in Capital City.
Ms. Tang was the one who put Tavis Smiley and Ed Gordon on the air. The she was the person who was trying to keep a balance amidst the booty shaking/borderline pornography videos. Many of which were on for 12-16 hours a day.
I hope someone from What About Our Daughters is reading this, because I would like to point out in the article that she was the one fighting Robert Johnson (and not Viacom) about showing the other side of African-Americans and keeping them well-informed. Remember folks, it was Johnson who killed off BET News and the former Black Newsmagazine "Emerge" and not Viacom.
It's not just WAOD, I am just calling them out by name because they feel that they have accomplished something back in July by forcing BET to change the name of their show based on a website Hot Ghetto Mess for starters. Did I mention that the website was started by a Black Female Lawyer?
I thought it was insane for them to claim victory (along with the secret order of Black people who really picked up the cause.) So I commented on this story (which you can see down the page...
Now here is the response from g-e-m2001:
"P Kenneth, thank you for your comment, but we have moved on here. I am sure the folks over at that website that will not be named on this blog will be more than happy to discuss this.
I never had a problem with the purported message or even having a discusison about these images, I had a problem with the minstrel show set up that BET created. My objections always were and will continue to be context. THAT and the fact that the website is an abomination.
All I ever said was that advertisers shouldn't pay for what BET had planned to show."
It's nice to see that they moved on...18 minutes after my comment posted. It's nice to see the double standard in the above statement. I do realize that this was months ago but two things. I want to contrast between Ms. Tang who stood up to Robert Johnson and the woman in the above response to my comment.
WAOD and the other groups who have jumped on the Secret Order's bandwagon in protesting BET should be ashamed. Not because they are protesting...but they are protesting easily a decade later.
I find that the protests taking place outside of Debra Lee's home are more opportunistic than anything. I also think it's hypocritical for these groups and anyone that jumps on the bandwagon to protest BET.
When Johnson started to fold BET's news division and fold Emerge these groups should have been at the forefront of the protest, but instead, they stood by silent. They have forfeited the right to say anything about what BET does with it's businesses. Just because a white company owns BET, does not restore that right. BET has been doing this for years and everyone who is protesting now was sitting idly by allowing this stuff to be aired.
As a matter of fact, BET closed down their news division twice within the past decade, once under Robert and again under Viacom (and they had support from CBS News), yet these people remained silent.
So don't look for me to jump up and salute these pointless protesters. I will salute Ms. Deborah Tang because she stood up to Robert and told him NO and held him to some sort of standard among the booty videos.
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"My, oh my. Keep fighting, but do it at home and shame your friends into cleaning up their own images.
It's called personal responsibilities. The media is not the end all to making black people look bad. Black people, make black people look bad. So you accomplished watering down Hot Ghetto Mess, a show I admit I have not seen. The overall grand scheme of things is that once again, the "Secret" Fraternity of Black People have once again won out, by keeping the "secret" under wraps. You know the secret that there are Black people who don't take pride in themselves and don't mind looking foolish.
Instead of going after BET, go after each other and say, "You look foolish, change your image." Having one show watered down does not win the war. The war will be one when Black people look at themselves and take some pride in their appearance, but they will have to realize that on their own."