If I hear the theme song to this show one more time:

…I’m going to climb that hill and jump into the fire. AHHHHHHHHHH!

(Nine-year-olds really dig Disney.)

But it’s 86 degrees in SoCal (new home). Clear, balmy, and slightly breezy. In the middle of November. I officially don’t know how to act. I like winter: the ice and snow (yeah, I know…strange), frigid, overcast mornings, clothes layering, hats, gloves…

But I’m loving this. Check out my view:

Bye!

Black Californians overwhelmingly supported the measure that defines marriage as between only a man and a woman: 70 percent, while 94 percent voted for Barack Obama. Whites supported Prop 8 49 percent.

Tuesday, November 4: Voting day was uneventful at my Santa Clarita Valley polling place. I did what I could today. Let’s hope McCain pulls it off and Propositions 8 and 4 pass.

No matter who wins, keep smiling, everybody. Take comfort in knowing God’s in control.

By the way, fellow believer Randy Thomas is live-blogging and chatting. Come on over!

Later: Washington Examiner editorial page editor, blogger, and fellow believer Mark Tapscott twitters: “I expect to have more investigative journalism fun in the next four years than sane man should be allowed!”

Don’t despair over President Barack Hussein Obama. Follow Mark’s lead and think of all the blog fodder, investigative pieces, and spirited conversations America’s new socialist regime will generate among us. And I’m convinced this book idea I’m working on will be much more marketable with Democrats running things. A contrarian voice in the wilderness! I am and will remain an outspoken conservative.

And don’t forget about our Christian witness, urgent no matter who’s in the White House. Cry in your beer/wine/coffee/tea/water/whatever tonight, suffer through all the “What an historic moment in the history of historic moments!” “First African-American [cringe] president of the United States!!!” headlines you’ll see tomorrow morning, then get on with things.

Goodnight all, and thanks for reading LBC.

Addendum: State ballot measures still in play.

—————————————————————————————————

I was going to write a long post about how much I’m dreading an Obama presidency.

But I changed my mind. I’m feeling too good right now.

I’m sitting in front of my bedroom window, watching tree branches sway in the wind. Beyond the trees is a hill, the same one I’ve been looking at for weeks. Sometimes it’s obscured by smog. Other days I see it clearly. This view is one of the many reasons I left DC and moved to California.

My sister and I are going to the polls tomorrow, and we’re going to hold our noses and vote for John McCain, who most likely will lose this election. (This will be my first time on the losing side in a presidential election. I voted for Clinton and Bush II twice, and victory was sweet.)

Yes, I dread an Obama presidency, but my faith in God holds steady. He will accomplish his purposes, even if he has to use President Barack Obama to do it. You see, God is already using Obama to accomplish one of his purposes: to light a fire under me. I’ve been holding back on you, God, and you’ve been patient.

Yesterday, I was reading a book that referred to this passage:

“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself…”

Christ says he’s preparing a place for me. For me. I talk about my relationship with Christ, but I know I’ve been holding back, afraid to fully trust him and develop the kind of intimacy that will allow God to use me fully to accomplish his purposes. Every Christian has been commissioned to make disciples of all men and all nations, to represent him on earth and advance his kingdom. But this Christian has wasted a lot time, caught up with my own desires.

Yesterday was a turning point for me, though. Jesus’ words — his preparing a place for me in his Father’s house — resonated in a way they hadn’t before. I was moved, deeply touched by his love for me. It is a privilege to serve him, and my heart goes out to people who stubbornly reject him.

We’ve got a lot of work to do, Christians.

Update: As a reader reminded me:

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD,
Like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes. – Proverbs 21:1

Californians, vote YES on 8!

Caught…

…wearing the same shirt in two posts. Couldn’t you just die?

“Girl, is that a hickey on your arm?”

“I don’t think so. (I don’t think so. Nice answer!) It’s bruise.” From packing and/or bumping into moving boxes, probably.

“They” say Jazz is an acquired taste. Trying to acquire a taste for it.

#115 on the to-do list: take a course or read a book on how to take decent photos.

Barack Obama-love at the festival:

Quite a statement, eh? An American flag noose…hanging The Black Man. I get it! Very tedious clever:

Nice voice:

What is it about drummers?

Digging the view:

Tired nephew:

The photo below of me and Justice Thomas was taken last October at the Heritage Foundation. Thomas spoke about his experiences and signed copies of his memoir, My Grandfather’s Son.
——————————————————————-

At the recent Annual Conference of the White House Initiative on National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said it was “not acceptable” that there aren’t more black people in her meetings at the State Department. (Source)

Based on the context of the entire speech, which I read, she wasn’t insinuating “racism” had anything to do with it. It sounded like she was encouraging blacks to become involved in Foreign Service.

There’s nothing wrong with encouraging blacks to consider certain careers, but it sounds too much like pandering to me. If I were giving a speech in front of a black audience (which I hope to do on my book tour), I wouldn’t complain about the paucity of blacks at blog conferences. Who cares?

No matter what the topic, I’d take time to address substantive issues that blacks, not the government, need to fix, like the outrageous levels of illegitimacy and crime among blacks. That is not acceptable. There are more pressing concerns than not seeing other blacks at a conference or in meetings. I wouldn’t waste time, not one second, “lamenting” that there aren’t more people “who look like me.”

Rice believes it’s OK for colleges to consider race when admitting an applicant (I’m wondering if she thinks it’s OK for colleges to also admit white students based on race), so I hope she isn’t advocating using race preferences to recruit more blacks to the State Department. With her level of education and experience, she should be more circumspect.

Contrast Rice’s remarks with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s to the same group. He “benefited” from race preferences, as I have, and we both bear the stigma of and aversion to this odious practice. An excerpt:

A longtime opponent of race-based preferences in hiring and school admissions, Thomas said, “Just from a constitutional standpoint, I think we’re going to run into problems if we say the Constitution says we can consider race sometimes.”

Thomas, 60, has voted on the court to outlaw the use of race in college admissions and in determining which public schools students will attend. He wrote with evident resentment in his autobiography “My Grandfather’s Son” that he felt he was allowed to attend Yale Law School in the 1970s because of his race and took a tough course load to prove he was as able as his white classmates.

“My suggestion would be to stop the buzz words and to focus more on the practical effect of what we’re doing,” he said Tuesday.

“What we’re doing” when we allow the government to prefer one person over another based on race, practically speaking, is giving government the power to discriminate based on race, the battle cry of the entire civil rights movement! You see, people don’t want to know the truth. They get it twisted in their minds, deluding themselves into believing lowering the bar for blacks is a good thing or that race preferences have nothing to do with lesser qualifications. (See The True Meaning of “Black Pride”)

Not being good enough to get accepted to a school or hired for a job is one thing. I can study more and get better grades or acquire the necessary skills and experience, or move on to a school or job for which I’m qualified. But when someone implies that I should receive some unearned benefit because I can’t do any better on account of my race, well, those are fighting words.

I would guess that most people don’t care about race preferences. This demeaning policy likely does not affect their daily lives, so it’s low on the priority list. We all should care about it. Think about that grainy black and white film footage you’ve seen from the 1960s: cops turning hoses and dogs on black protesters, Democrats standing in school doors to prevent black kids from entering, whites shouting at black students as they walked to school, etc. To get the government out of the skin color business, this country engaged in a tense struggle for equal treatment. Race preferences make a mockery of that struggle.

It’s 2008, and the government is still in the skin color business. Blacks are “benefiting” from it these days, and that’s why they support it. But one day, the government might revert to its former practice. When that happens, what legal and moral leg will blacks have to stand on?

None.

How have you been helped or harmed by preferences?

I met country singer Rissi Palmer last Friday at the Stagecoach Festival. The photo of us isn’t the best quality, but there it is. As people I meet often tell me about my photos, Rissi’s photos don’t do her justice. She’s downright radiant. I reviewed the show for Blog Critics. I’ll link when it’s up.

Later…Check out the review.

—————————————————————————————————-

5:38 p.m. PT: Just to see if I have the discipline, I’m going completely offline Friday. No e-mail, no Twitter, no Facebook, no MySpace, no blogs, no news sites. (And no Treo-surfing, either.) Nada. If you e-mailed me this week, I’ll reply next week.

The work week is done, and I’m Stagecoach Festival-bound. Yee-haw! And I’ll be 41 on Monday, May 5. Woo-hoo! I think I’ll take that day off, too.

“‘Scuse me, while I kiss this guy!”

But before I go, a word about independent music blogs and news sites selling out to The Man.

You like money, right? Who doesn’t? Money makes the world go ’round, as they say. Money’s quite useful for paying bills, obtaining clothes and shoes, food, a new computer, a birthday cake and 41 candles, digital music, etc.

While the RIAA sues music fans and lobbies Congress for tougher copyright infringement laws (to the tune of $2.1 million last year), at least one major label is climbing into bed with the revolutionaries. Music blog and social networking site Buzznet acquired music blogs Idolator (formerly Gawker Media property) and Stereogum. Fine. Nothing wrong with that. But Buzznet also received $25 million from Universal Music Group (UMG) as an “investment.” UMG is one of the notorious Big Four major record labels.

Desperate to gain a foothold in the aftermath of a digital seismic shift that’s shaken the music industry’s foundation, UMG is licensing its catalog for streaming music and videos and also will provide “editorial content” from artists. In other words, UMG’s artists/clients will guest blog at Buzznet. Smell a potential conflict of interest?

Listening Post blogger Eliot Van Buskirk does. UMG’s investment and content could taint Buzznet’s independence, or at least its perceived independence. Will users rebel against UMG’s artists, embrace them, or fall somewhere in between? And aren’t music blogs’ independence part of their allure? They are havens for independent musicians, advocates of the obscure. What kind of blog-press will they get once major record labels buy up popular music blogs? Accepting ads for revenue is one thing; accepting multiple millions from a major record label is quite another.

This morning I read that the corporation Viacom may have bought a music blog post aggregator called Hype Machine, which I browse occasionally, for $10 million. (Source) Viacom, as you may know, is a “media conglomerate” that owns MTV, VH1, BET, Comedy Central, Paramount Pictures, TV Land, Nickelodeon – in other words, everything. Will Hype Machine become a tool of the corporation and promote Viacom’s properties at the expense of what it does best: help people discover music?

Who among us would have the will to resist a deep-pocketed mogul waving money in our faces? Mama does need a new pair of shoes.

The Man just can’t keep his hands off the latest, hot new (and profitable) thing, can he?

Bruce Houghton of Hypebot asks, Will Indies Be Left Out Of Music 2.0?

Related posts:

• Warner Music Sues to Squash The Search
• RIAA’s “Make Available” Claim Smacked Down Again
• Glimpses of God: Rissi Palmer

I’ve reposted the California pictures. Nice comments about those. Gone. Oh, well.

Hanging out in Hollywood today. Have a good one!

Sunday, November 25: I snapped a couple of photos of the billowing smoke from the Malibu fire, but you can’t see it very well:

All clear:

On the pier:

—————————————————————————————————

7:26 a.m. PT: I’m thankful for:

• A loving God whose grace is abundant. He is exceedingly merciful, and I’ll be eternally grateful;
• My loving family, without whom I’d be lost in this indifferent world;
• Having been born in America, land of the free, home of the brave.

Let’s gather together and ask the Lord’s blessing…

Update: I try not to be “star struck,” but sometimes, I can’t help it. I’m a big fan of Dr. James White, Reformed Christian pastor, apologist, debater, writer, and blogger. I’ve been listening to his debates and webcasts and reading his blog and articles for…three years now? I’ve learned a lot from that man.

He reads my blog. I’m blown away.

Happy Thanksgiving, readers.

***Live-blogging at Boundless Line and below***

***For earlier live-blogging, see Part II***

This photo was taken yesterday by Jim of Gateway Pundit. More photos here. Pictured: Matt Sheffield of NewsBusters.org, me, and Soren Dayton of RedState.org.

10:05 a.m. PT: It’s Day Two of the Blog World Expo/GodBlogCon Convention. Biola University professor Paul Spears will discuss “Trafficking in Substance: A Blogging Dilemma: The Case for Blog Euthanasia.” Christians interested in God blogging need to be representatives of a “bigger thing.” What does it mean to have “substance” on your blog?

Paul says Christians have a responsibility to enable our audience to come to an understanding of larger things. It takes work, but there’s no other way around it. This assumes you want your blog to be significant, to come from a place of substance and help other Christians in their walk toward Christ. Paul showed a series of famous paintings. These artists created the kind of beauty that lasts. Lofty idea for mere bloggers, but we should strive to create something meaningful that endures.

What’s the story we’re telling? For me, I want to share the story of how Christ affects lives, my own and other people’s. There’s more than enough blogging out there about the latest trends and hottest politic topics. What we need is transcendence.

11:06 a.m.: Dustin Steeve of Biola University is discussing the basics of blogging and finding the platform to meet your needs. Pros and cons of free services like Blogger.com, WordPress.com, etc.

I’m up next. Break a leg!

2:53 p.m.: If I do say so myself, my presentation went well. Didn’t talk about my testimony (as I did here), and I hit most of my points on “writing well in the new media.” I was nervous this morning and right before I went on. Took a few deep breaths, stepped outside myself, took the focus off myself, and shared with the audience what I know about writing on the web. Writing online is somewhat different than writing for print publications. I encouraged bloggers in the audience to be bold for Christ on the web and not to worry about offending people. Our very existence offends people. The exclusive claims of our faith offend people. Don’t hesitate to take a strong stand on controversial issues.

Right after the talk, I was asked if I wanted to speak at next year’s GodBlogCon. A resounding “Yes, I do.” I may create a post based on my presentation.

GodBlogCon sessions are still going on, but I decided to walk around and try to meet other bloggers. Met Rick Moran of Right Wing Nut House, Dean Barnett of Townhall (what a nice guy, man!), did a Blog Talk Radio interview with Captain Ed and Duane Patterson and an XM radio interview for Pajamas Media with Ed Driscoll. I chatted with Vodkapundit’s Stephen Green, whom I met in NYC at the Pajamas Media launch.

Yesterday, I met cool coder Mark Jaquith, who recognized me and introduced himself (he’s cute!). I hired Mark to do some coding for me couple years ago. Since then, he’s become hot property, slinging code all over the blogosphere.

Let’s see…I met D.C. Thornton, a guy who’s been on my blogroll for years. Got to chat with Pam Spaulding again. For those who don’t know her, Pam and I are political and social opposites. She’s a homosexual “marriage”-supporting liberal lesbian. And she’s cool. We didn’t get a chance to do the photo thing this time, though.

I met others, but I’ll have to remember who they were later.

Anyway, check back for more GodBlogCon updates.

To Professor John Mark Reynolds and Biola University student volunteers: Thank you so much for inviting me to speak. It’s a privilege to know such mature, godly young people. You are kind, thoughtful, and extremely generous. Your energy and dedication astounds me. I wish I’d been only half as hardworking and focused when I was your age.

Update (9:46 p.m.): This blog has opened a lot of doors for me.

Not only have I met terrific people, but this tiny small space has given me the courage to boldly say what I believe needs to be said.

Not only that, but it’s given me the confidence to speak to large groups of people in person, on the radio, and on TV. I’ve never been what you’d call a wallflower, but I never imagined I’d be called upon to talk to people about what I believe, and defend it without shame or fear. I’m not the most articulate or the best looking or the smartest, but I’m here, willing to take risks.

I know some readers miss what this blog used to be. At the peak of this site’s popularity, I used to blog several times a day at least six days a week. In fact, I think I blogged more when I had a day job. Some posts produced 100+ comments. I craved the interaction, loved the civility, hated the trolls, and never thought I’d slow down or close commenting.

But all that changed a few months ago. I wanted this blog to be something else. I’d been running it one way for over three years, and I was ready for a radical change, just short of shutting it down. So I slowed down the posting and closed commenting.

For the first time since I started this blog, I’m blogging exactly the way I want, what I want, and as frequently (or infrequently, as the case may be) as I want. Hate the Hanson blogging? Not my problem. I like the Hanson blogging. Miss commenting? Hey, that’s the way it is now. I may open comments sometime in the future. For now, I’m loving the “echo chamber” that is lashawnbarber.com.

My traffic is not as high as it once was, and that’s OK. It really is. Actually, to see it drop and to not care is quite liberating. Woo hoo!

For the first time since I started this blog, I’m taking the time to enjoy the open doors. After fours years of blogging (November 5 will be my fourth blogiversary), I’m ready to slow down, take advantage of the networks I’ve built, and do things I enjoy, whether or not related to politics.

These changes have displeased some readers. While your readership has meant a lot to me, go if you feel you must go. No hard feelings. There are literally millions of blogs about there, a few hundred of them actually worth reading. Peruse my blogroll before you leave and bookmark new favorites. For new readers who found my blog through CNN or the Washington Examiner or BlogCritics, welcome to LBC. Perhaps you’ll find something else you like. If not, browse the blogroll. You just might find a gem.

That was a long intro to this: Tonight, I met a man I admire very much. I was invited to join a group of conservative bloggers and columnists (like Kate O’Beirne, Bill Kristol, and James Taranto) for dinner with Justice Clarence Thomas. This humble, personable man said that despite what some black liberal types say about him in the press and on blogs, he’s never had a bad experience with one. They may call him an “Uncle Tom” behind his back, but never to his face.

Justice Thomas told us a couple of anecdotes about how two black men at different events “confronted” him, asked him questions, listened civilly to the answers, and concluded: “Why are they lying about you? What can we do about it?”

Justice Thomas talked about his experiences speaking at certain events, where all the other speakers were allowed to have opinions, and no one mentioned their race. He, on the other hand, has to deal with the consequences of having certain opinions as a black man.

He described the hostility of some blacks toward him as “intellectual segregation.” Legal segregation is over, but some people have “White Only” and “Colored” sections in their minds. Blacks aren’t supposed to stray from what the party line says is good for black folks. What’s good for black folks, to liberals I know, is the perpetuation of victimology. Teach the black man that he cannot help himself and encourage him to rely on his “betters” to guide him. The whole world is against him. He needs our help. He can depend on us. We’ll fight the “racists” on his behalf. We’ll take from the racists and give to him. Then he will love us.

Well, that’s the way I see it.

I’m done rambling for tonight. Welcome, new readers, and thanks for stopping by, regular readers. Buy Justice Thomas’s memoir, My Grandfather’s Son.

Good night to you all…

(Thanks, Michelle!)

———————————————————————–
Pick up a copy of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s memoir, My Grandfather’s Son, released today. Check for updates to this post. I’ll have a personal story to share later.

In the meantime, watch/listen to Thomas’s interviews with:

• 60 Minutes (broadcast last night)
• ABC News (published yesterday)
• Rush Limbaugh today beginning in the second hour at 1 p.m. EDT. Not a member of Rush 24/7? Listen online at WBAL WMAL.

Related column and posts:

• Black Pride, White Paternalism
• The True Meaning of “Black Pride”
• Black Conservatives and Black Liberals: What’s the Difference?

Friday, September 28: I’ll post pics here later, hopefully today. MBA’s Bob Cox took all the good ones. (Hint, hint, Bob) Eric at Classical Values has posted pics. I got a few of myself (well, Bob did) with the Man of Steele himself. Nice guy. This blog is somewhat high profile in conservative circles, but I’m always surprised when I meet people like Michael Steele who “know” me.
—————————————————————————–

See MBA’s live-blogging feed.

Live-blogging from Ian Schwartz, Matt Sheffield, Casey Lartigue, and Eric Scheie.

Juan Williams is asking: name one reform you would endorse that would ensure that young blacks and hispanics would have equal justice in America’s courts. Brownback said something about the Second Chance Act. Tancredo says federal government should not mandate drug penalties. Should go to the states. A states’ rights man. Tancredo also mentioned the breakdown of the family. Keep hammering it home. People want to talk about race, but only about what the government can give people. What will the people do? Where does their responsibility lie?

Ron Paul wants to repeal war on drugs. It’s not working! Big applause.

Cynthia Tucker asks: she calls showing voter ID RIGID. Is she crazy? GEORGIA’S DARKIES REDUX. She asked about DC being recognized as a state. Tancredo says DC is not a state, so no. And he says it’s not asking too much of people to prove who they are before they do something as important as voting. Gee whiz! Hunter says he’d support DC statehood if DC would REPEAL THE GUN BAN. My hands are sore from clapping.

Huckabee believes in DC statehood. So does Brownback. Got to amend the Constitution. The only proper way to do it. It would never pass.

I gotta tell you, this race-related crap is making my stomach feel funny. I might throw up. Right here on my laptop. Pictures later. I’m going to Liza Sabater’s chatroom.

Juan Williams: Acknowledged black military woman. First black woman combat pilot in US history. Served two tours. Williams mentioned low enlistment for blacks and hispanics. Is that because of the Iraq war? How do we raise enlistment? Believe me, it’s not worth live-blogging.

Ron Paul wants us out of Iraq. Had nothing to do with 9/11.

10:14 p.m.: Tucker asks if US has role in ending genocide in Darfur and what would it be? Huckabee says yes we should be involved, but we need to deal with millions of babies killed in the US through abortion. Here, here! Brownback says as powerful nation, we need to be involved. Divest, provide food and medicine, etc. Tancredo says yes, we should be involved. Hunter says ditto. Keyes says we are in touch with every person in the world, and we can’t turn on our backs on suffering.

10:23 p.m.: Juan Williams asked if school integration is still necessary. In other words, do black kids need to sit next to white kids to learn. A couple of clowns said yes, in so many words. Tancredo said it’s racist to believe that. What we need is not forced integration but SCHOOL CHOICE. Vouchers.

I’m writing a concert review, a companion to this piece, and the brothers were kind enough to answer a few of my journalist-fangirl questions backstage after the concert. Boy, oh, boy. I must decompress. And get some sleep!

(Pictured: Isaac Hanson, Taylor Hanson, ME!, and Zac Hanson)

Backstory:

• Hanson “Boys” All Grown Up
• More Hanson 4 U
• TV, Radio, and YouTube
• Rocks, Radio, and Raciness
• Hanson Takes “The Walk” To Independence

Have a restful weekend.
———————————————

6/28 & 12:39 a.m.: Just a couple of notes before I crash. Pam Spaulding and I couldn’t be more different on social issues. For example, she’s a liberal lesbian who believes in same sex “marriage.” I’m a straight conservative who wants to protect traditional marriage. And that’s just a starting point. What we disagree about could fill volumes. (But we’ve agreed to do an annual photo together and post it on our blogs to freak people out.) When meeting people you disagree with face to face, there’s only one thing you should agree on: being civil.

All the liberal bloggers I talked to tonight were civil. Dare I say nice? Yes, they were nice people. We’re worlds apart on most issues, but hey, you can’t have everything. I had a civil conversation with Oliver Willis (we talked about religion, evolution v. Intelligent Design – amazing) and I enjoyed talking to him. Go figure!

And I’m so glad I met Faye Anderson (a conservative). She’s a doll. See what other bloggers had to say about the debate at the MBA page. I met Professor Kim and Liza Sabater, who is a liberal and a feminist, but she’s “crazy,” funny, and has a great laugh. And a cool video camera. Check her site tomorrow for videos.

I sidled up to Tavis Smiley, as I said I would, but forgot to ask about being on his show. Instead, I asked why PBS hadn’t invited conservative and/or libertarian journalists to ask candidates questions. Why all liberals? I didn’t care about the answer. I wanted to get close enough to him so my blogging pal from way back, NewsBusters’ Matt Sheffield (pictured with Smiley), could take a photo.

Smiley seemed amused by the question. In response, he said something about being limited to only three journalists, and no matter which three you pick, you’d never satisfy everyone…you do what you can and make your selections. As he drifted away to another questioner, he looked back at me and said something like, “That’s all you can ask of anybody, right?”

I’ve got a brilliant idea for PBS. They can kill three diversity birds with one stone by selecting me to lob questions at the Republicans in September: I’m black, a woman, and a conservative!

There were a couple of funny moments during the debate that I didn’t catch. Dodd went over his time, Smiley said something to him about Paris Hilton, and then Hillary said something about Hilton. Unfortunately, I can’t recall the essence of it for you, but it was funny.

The fun part of the night began when the “debate” was over and we were free to walk around, introduce ourselves to people, take photos, make fun of the candidates, etc. As I said earlier, the place was filled with people: print journalists and bloggers on one side of a very large room, broadcast media on the other. There was one large screen in the middle and two smaller ones on the sides for us to watch the event.

Lots of VIPS in the auditorium (?) with the candidates. Well, VIPS to some people: Cornel West, writer Terry McMillan, actress Victoria Rowell, Harry Belafonte, various black congress people, and many others I can’t recall right now. A few of the VIPS came to the media room to do interviews, answer questions, and pose for photos. No Hillary or Obama, though.

One more item: When Hillary mentioned today’s Supreme Court ruling (schools cannot use race to assign students), I clapped. Out loud. I was the only one. And it felt good. No one mentioned illegal immigration. Not one journalist asked candidates about the defeated amnesty bill.

It’s almost 2 a.m. Time to crash. Thanks for reading.

——————————————————————————-

8:38 p.m.: I can’t imagine why conservatives are actually interested in this “debate,” but I was invited to cover it, and I accepted the invitation. Get ready for high comedy!

This place is packed with bloggers, print and broadcast media…I naively thought it would be a medium-sized gathering. It’s a hall of people. Check the event page at Media Bloggers Association for updates from other bloggers.

I got here too late for the food, though. Or the ice. Just a warm bottle of water.

Liza Sabater’s got a chat room set up. Check it out.

9:04 p.m.: The event has begun. Tom Joyner is say something about “African Americans” and “black America” and the “struggle.” Now Tavis Smiley is on. Is he married? He’s saying something I’m not listening to, and introduced a couple of teenagers. Who are they? I don’t know. Smiley just introduced Mass. gov Deval Patrick. Why is he speaking? Hey, he’s not a bad looking guy…OK, focus on the issues.

Patrick is introducing the liberals. (Senator Joe Biden, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Christopher Dodd, Senator John Edwards, Senator Mike Gravel, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Senator Barack Obama, and Governor Bill Richardson)

The audience in the “debate” center is going crazy. Somebody in the audience yelled, “Obama!” Was it Cornel West? Lots of VIPS in the debate center. Someone asked if race is still the most intractable issue in the 21st century? Hillary Clinton is answering the question, very loudly. She cited Brown and said race is still front and center, or some such. I guess she doesn’t realize that Brown outlawed government’s use of race in assigning students.

Biden answered the question. Not worth blogging. Bill Richardson is saying that race is not just passing new laws; race is dealing with bigotry “that still exists in this country.” He’s rambling about affirmative action. That’s race preferences to you and me.

9:19 p.m.: John Edwards is rambling about “two school systems” in the U.S.: rich and poor, blah, blah, blah. Universal health care… Obama’s up. He’s invoking Thurgood Marshall. Applause, applause.

Somebody asked about AIDS. Disproportionately higher rates in the “black community.”

9:26 p.m.: Tavis is introducing the moderators. Journalist DeWayne Wickham asked what candidates have to say about the academic achievement gap between blacks and everybody else. Biden is giving “read to your kids” advice. So glad he didn’t mention “government programs.” Broken record, Dems are. Richardson says we should pay teachers more. At-risk program. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT. Knock me off my seat!

Edwards says we should start kids in school much earlier than Kindergarten. Obama says we need to put more money into after school programs. No mention – no mention – of private solutions to the problem. Kunich said “stop funding war, start funding education!”

Chris Dodd, who praised former KKK member Robert Byrd on the Senate floor (taxpayers’ time) and didn’t get in trouble like Trent Lott did for praising Thurmond at a PRIVATE party, is rambling about early childhood ed. Hillary pulled out the “it takes a village” line. Applause!

9:43 p.m.: Sorry. I didn’t catch much of the AIDS stuff. Just “sex education,” more money, more money. Nothing about “stop screwing around,” be chaste, be responsible, accept responsibility. AIDS doesn’t just fall down from the sky, you know.

Hillary said that if white women were getting AIDS the way black women are, there’d be an outrage. She got a standing ovation for that. This whole thing is just a useless exercise in slogan throwing, one-liners, preening, preaching…

More taxes for the rich. Broken record.

What? An hour into the debate, somebody finally mentions Hurricane Katrina. Obama made the reference, but it didn’t make sense in the context of whether “we” should raise taxes on the rich.

10:00 p.m.: Bathroom break…

10:07 p.m.: I come back to some babble about Hurricane Katrina and returning displaced people to New Orleans. Obama’s talking about how the people of NO were neglected before the hurricane. Neglected by whom? The GOVERNMENT, who else?

10:15 p.m.: The topic is outsourcing. You can read the soundbites tomorrow. The bloggers are falling asleep. Clarence Page is at the next table. He’s yawning.

10:23 p.m.: Something about Africa…And the debate ended abruptly. It’s over! Did you have fun?

——————————————————————————————–
Sort-of-breaking news (3:11 p.m.): King George’s amnesty-for-illegal-aliens bill returns to the trash heap from whence it came…

Supreme Decision

Though the decision is being spun as a rejection of “diversity,” the Supreme Court ruled today that schools in Jefferson County, Kentucky, and Seattle, Washington, cannot use race as a deciding factor in school assignments. (More here)

Some of you may be too young or too apathetic to recall, but the whole point of the assault on legal segregation beginning some 45 years ago — an era otherwise known as the “Civil Rights Movement” — was to get government out of the skin color business. Forty-five years after that turbulent period, the government still is in the skin color business. Somewhere along the way, in the name of skin deep-only diversity, the government decided that treating citizens differently based on race wasn’t so bad after all.

The SCOTUS blog is covering the race cases and the rest. I’ve written about the school assignment and other preferences cases here, here, here, here, here, here, etc.

I’ll have much more to say about the decision later.

Just for Laughs

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m live-blogging the Democratic presidential “debate” tonight at Howard University. I will join a group of credentialed bloggers to watch and listen to the debate from a different location (in other words, the media and the candidates won’t be in the same room). I’m told we’ll have an opportunity to ask these characters some questions afterward. I don’t trust politicians — Democrats or Republicans — and I don’t know what asking questions will accomplish. Other than more frustration for me. They’ll tell you whatever they think you want to hear. And in front of a group of mostly liberal bloggers “of color,” you can easily guess how they’ll answer.

Democrats scheduled to attend are: Senator Joe Biden, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Christopher Dodd, Senator John Edwards, Senator Mike Gravel, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Senator Barack Obama, and Governor Bill Richardson. I don’t want to meet any of them or take pictures of or with them. All I plan to do is mock their non-answers and obfuscations and contradictions, as well as the race-focused questions moderators will throw at them, and sidle up to Tavis Smiley, introduce myself, and offer to be a token conservative guest on his PBS show.

But in the interest of public discourse and all that, I’m opening up the floor to take your questions. Should I get the opportunity, what questions do you want me to ask the liberals?

(Photo credit: Reuters)

Update: Ha! I like this question from commenter Bill: “Please ask them: ‘Who do you say Jesus is?’”

That’s a good one for Republican candidates, too, especially Romney.

Heliotrope says: “Please ask the candidates to delineate what criteria are used to make the determination that a person is black and therefore qualified for the benefits of affirmative action. Also, at what scientific point is a person not black enough for special government benefits?”

Update II: FYI, the media will not be in the “debate” area. We’re in a separate location. Three moderators — no bloggers — will ask questions during the show. I’ve been told that the candidates will (maybe?) venture over to where we are afterward. I’ll try to get in a couple of questions, especially the one about race. Depending how many media people show up, I might have to settle for one. Or zero.

But no more complaining! I’m disappointed by Republican losses, despite my efforts to be casual. But as I wrote in my column, which will be published tomorrow, our system of government is still the best around. Democrats wanted a chance to govern, now they have it. Campaigning for 2008 begins now. So spend the day, if you must, moaning in this thread about last night’s losses. My take on the elections? My comments will appear in tomorrow’s Washington Examiner.

Thanks to CNN for inviting me to a great party and to liberal bloggers for being gracious enough not to gloat.

“Analysis” and photos below the fold:

———————————————————————————————————————–

You guys may want to sign up for a free 14-day trial of CNN Pipeline. You can watch blogger interviews there. I don’t know how much face time we’ll get on CNN.

7:15 p.m.: I’m blogging the results up here; photos will be posted below. I “heard” that the “gay marriage” ban passed in Virginia.

7:45 p.m.: Haven’t got a link for the Virginia call, but I saw it scroll across the monitor I’m watching. Hopefully, I’ll appear on camera to talk about it.

Pat Hynes took some video and I’m in a shot talking about the anti-race preferences initiative in Michigan.

8:53 p.m.: I WAS ON TV! Well, it was recorded, to be shown later. They wanted to talk about my defense of Kerry post, the Haggard post, and the VA same-sex so-called marriage ban. I’m getting a lot of hits, so I know people are reading this post. We are the commenters? Tell me what’s going on out there. Yes, I’m watching two different monitors (FOX and CNN), but I want to hear from you.

Predictions at Wizbang!

I just heard the homosexual “marriage” ban also passed in South Carolina and Tennessee.

Deval Patrick becomes the first black governor of Massachusetts. Hello, Las Vegas of same-sex marriage!

9:38: Republican senators Rick Santorum and Mike DeWine lost. Durham County DA Mike Nifong wins.

Michael Steele is leading, but CNN is calling it for Ben Cardin. Huh?

The measure to ban race preferences in government hiring and admissions Michigan leads 65 percent to 35 percent, with 10 percent precincts reporting. “Bad” news for me. The interview I did was piped in over the Pipeline. It won’t be shown on TV. I’m disappointed.

Wisconsin votes to ban homosexual “marriage,” joining SC, Tennessee, Virginia. Anti-race preferences measure still leading.

11:15 : CNN is reporting that the Democrats have gained control of the House of Representatives. The people have spoken.

Allen or Webb?

12:06 a.m.: My silver lining: Michigan joins California in banning skin color preferences. One state at a time.

I agree with Pat Hynes. When conservatives run on social issues, they win. When they don’t, they don’t. I think I’ll call it a night. Sweet dreams, everybody.
———————————————————————————————————————–

I’m live-blogging from the Tryst Coffeehouse in the nation’s capital. I’m pictured above with blogger Lorie Byrd of Byrd Droppings and Wizbang. Most polls stay open until 7:00 p.m., so there’s not much to do but meet bloggers and take pictures. I’m not into making predictions, so…

Pam Spaulding of Pam’s House Blend in the photo. As you may know, Pam and I are on different sides of the aisle. Our values couldn’t be more different, but it’s funny how people get along better in person than online. I’m definitely one of those “black fundies” she always blogs about. (”black fundamentalists”)

Me and John Amato of Crooks and Liars.

This is Alex Wellen, CNN producer. We went to Temple law school together.

Me and Ann Althouse.