Could Syria be the next Iraq War? -Jake's Sunday Morning Politics Fix

By: Jacob Henderson
Photo By: www.telegraph.co.uk 

In the past week we have learned many new developments of the civil war that is taking place in Syria.  The New York Times is reporting that "Ratcheting up the pressure on President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, the United States will keep American warplanes and antimissile batteries in Jordan, officials said Saturday."   The decision, which came at the request of Jordan, means that a detachment of American F-16 warplanes and Patriot missile-defense systems would remain in Jordan after a military exercise there concludes next week. The move followed President Obama’s decision last week to send arms to Syrian rebels and came as efforts were being made on multiple fronts on Saturday to increase the pressure on the government." 
So my question is this:  If America committing war crimes against Syria? This past week Senator John McCain called for a "no fly-zone" into Syria, is this even necessary?  We have President Obama sending aid to rebels, their are so many questions that the American people want to know? Last week we already start hearing rumbles from Republicans to invade Syria and take a more direct approach to the situation.  This would be a catastrophic mess if America was to take part in a war in Syria. What would that do to our relationships with Russia?  Again so many questions. President Obama needs to find a balance, America can't afford to take place in another war. We need to keep our attention to domestic policy and send Syrian rebels humanitarian aid. Sending weapons to the rebels is costing the American people millions of tax dollars that we don't have. What the hell is going on in Washington?


 

Trayvon Martin murder trial starts MONDAY!!!!!

The Root) -- The Trayvon Martin case doesn't involve a white-Bronco car chase, an NFL legend and a pretty blonde -- just a black, unarmed teenage boy in a hoodie and a neighborhood-watch captain with a gun named George Zimmerman. But the second-degree-murder case against Zimmerman -- who says he killed Trayvon in a gated community in Sanford, Fla., last February out of self-defense -- has the potential to be just as meaningful as the O.J. Simpson trial when it comes to race and the justice system.
Charles Ogletree, director and founder of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at Harvard Law School, told The Root that the "distinctive qualities" of the case -- which centers around the issues of racial profiling, gun violence and self-defense laws -- make it particularly relevant. "I will even go so far as to say that this will be the trial of the century that will say a lot about the court system of the 21st century," he said.
Since Trayvon was shot to death on Feb. 26, 2012, advocates have rallied around his family and his cause -- with support ranging from hoodie campaigns to gestures of solidarity on the House floor. For weeks, there was buzz about the nature of race in America and how violence against blacks -- specifically young black males -- must stop.
But not everyone feels the same way. Polls suggest just how much race has played a factor. In a USA Today-Gallup poll, 51 percent of African Americans felt that Zimmerman was guilty, while 20 percent of whites felt otherwise. It's a case that has exposed the deep racial chasm that still exists in America. Will things get uglier before they get better?
Zimmerman's family and legal team have pulled out all the stops to try to paint Trayvon as a malicious thug. From records of the teen's text messages to pictures of Trayvon blowing smoke, the defense has tried to provide as much evidence as possible that Zimmerman shot Trayvon in self-defense.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Benjamin Crump -- the attorney for the Martin family -- said during a recent Miami prayer service that Zimmerman's defense has made "a desperate attempt to try to play on people's prejudices" by releasing cellphone pictures and texts from the teen. "It's bad enough they had to lose their child," he said. "It's tragic [the Zimmerman defense] had to assassinate his character," Crump said. At the same prayer service, Trayvon's father, Tracy Martin, acknowledged that the family would "have to sit through a lot of negativity."

The Latest On Paris Jackson Suicide Attempt

According to Billboard these are the latest developments on Paris Jackson suicide attempt

Paris Jackson is recovering in a Los Angeles-area hospital after an alleged suicide attempt early Wednesday. Below find five of the latest developments in the story surrounding the hospitalization of Michael Jackson's 15-year-old daughter.
1. Dr. Conrad Murray recorded a message for Paris.
The doctor currently serving a four-year sentence for giving Michael Jackson a fatal dose of sedatives in 2009 is letting Paris know he’s there for her. The doctor recorded a personal message for Paris obtained and published by TMZ.
 “I don’t know if there is anything I can do to salve your pain or help you with your problem, but I wanted you to know that I am here for you,” Murray said in a message recorded from Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. “I always will be available to listen to you, answer your questions or to share with you the plethora of beautiful and savored untold stories of your father as well as his venerable points of view that he shared with me.”
He went on to say her father loved her very much.
“I too love you as a precious father loves his own child, and I always will,” Murray said.
2. The producer of Paris’ film debut sticks with her.
Paris has expressed an interest in acting, and is signed on to star in Lundon's Bridge and the Three Keys, an adaptation of a young-adult fantasy novel. The book’s author – also among the film’s producers – says Paris’ involvement is unchanged.
“It’s the first signs of trouble, and we don’t want to be the kinds of producers that say, ‘OK, you’re out.’ We want to back her,” Dennis Christen told The Daily Beast. “She is right now our girl.”
3. Audio from the 911 call is made public.
Audio from the 911 call asking for assistance to be sent to Jackson’s Calabasas home says an unidentified 15-year-old female overdosed on 20 Motrin pills and “cut her arm with a kitchen knife.”
4. Paris called a suicide hotline.
Though police have classified the incident as a “suicide attempt,” TMZ reports officials don’t believe Paris wanted to end her life. Police sources cite Paris’ call to a suicide hotline as evidence "she wanted to be saved." The source continued: "It makes no sense if you really want to die to call a hotline, where the person on the other end will get an ambulance over to your house."
5. Prince Jackson cancels a game show appearance.
Paris’ 16-year-old brother, Prince, was going to fill in for Paris on the German series Wanna Bet? (Wetten, dass...?) but decided to pass.
"Under these circumstances, we perfectly understand that Prince Michael prefers to stay close to his family. We wish Paris the strength and the power to recover soon," said Silke Blömer, a representative for the German TV network ZDF, in a statement to People magazine

The Jackson have always had their demons but nothing quite this bad. Paris might be suffering from many mental illness who knows? Her father death alone I'm sure was very traumatizing. We are praying for you Paris!

PRAY FOR NELSON MANDELA!!!!!

(CNN) -- Former South African leader Nelson Mandela is in "serious but stable condition" after returning to a hospital with a recurring lung infection, the presidential office said Saturday.

Mandela was taken to a Pretoria hospital early Saturday after his condition deteriorated, Jacob Zuma's office said in a statement.

"Doctors are doing everything possible to make him better and comfortable," the statement said.

Mandela, 94, has become increasingly frail over the years and has not appeared in public since South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010.

Look back at Mandela's early years

He suffered from tuberculosis during his imprisonment and has battled respiratory infections over the years. His history of lung problems dates to when he was a political prisoner on Robben Island during apartheid.

The former president has been hospitalized several times recently for lung infection and pneumonia.

Last year, he spent Christmas holidays at the hospital after undergoing treatment for a lung infection and gallstones, one of his longest hospital stays since his release from prison in 1990.

Considered the founding father of South Africa's democracy, Mandela became an international figure when he endured 27 years in prison for fighting apartheid, the country's system of racial segregation.

In 1993, he and then-South African President F.W. de Klerk jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mandela was elected the nation's first black president a year later, serving only one term, as he had promised.

Despite rare public appearances in recent years, he retains his popularity and is considered a hero of democracy in the nation. Last year, South Africa launched a new batch of banknotes with a picture of a smiling Mandela on the front, a testament to his iconic status.

Mandela's impact extends far beyond South African borders. After he left office, he mediated conflicts from Africa to the Middle East.

DON'T PISS OFF THE FIRST LADY!

By: Jacob Henderson - Editor-In-Chief

This past Tuesday First Lady Michelle Obama was at a fundraiser in a private home in Washington.

Peter Wallsten reported in the Washington Post, "Obama was addressing a Democratic Party fundraiser in a private Kalorama home in Northwest Washington when Ellen Sturtz, 56, a lesbian activist, interrupted her remarks to demand that President Obama sign an anti-discrimination executive order.

"Obama showed her displeasure -- pausing to confront Sturtz eye to eye, according to witnesses.

" 'One of the things that I don’t do well is this,' she said to applause from most of the guests, according to a White House transcript. 'Do you understand?'

"A pool report from a reporter in the room said Obama 'left the lectern and moved over to the protester.' The pool report quoted Obama as saying: 'Listen to me or you can take the mic, but I'm leaving. You all decide. You have one choice.'

"Obama's suggestion that she would leave was not included in the official White House transcript.

"The audience responded by asking Obama to remain, according to the pool report, which quoted a woman nearby telling Sturtz, 'You need to go.'

"Sturtz was escorted out of the room. She said in an interview later she was stunned by Obama's response.

" 'She came right down in my face,' Sturtz said. 'I was taken aback.' . . . "

Sturtz said she paid $500 to attend the fundraiser and gave $5,000 to the Democratic Party and Obama's campaign in 2008, Wallsten added.

Now many on the left  have applauded Mrs.Obama's spunk while others on the right feel that Mrs.Obama was out of line. I must admit that Mrs.Obama isn't someone I would want to piss off but I do think she was wrong She is the First Lady of the United States and as much as we hate to say but she is a black woman. Black woman are always being portrayed as "difficult" or "ghetto". When you are the first African American First Lady you can't give anyone the  opportunity to question your temperament under pressure.  

Mrs.Obama should have ignored Mrs. Sturtz and proceeded with her speech. Mrs.Obama has been speaking publicly for a long time now and should know by now how to handle ignorance. Mrs.Obama is smart and elegant but I don't think she will look back and remember this a flattering moment. The fact that her name is in the news at all takes away from the focus on the conversation which should be the economy and job growth. What do you think?  Was Mrs.Obama out of line?

Lorraine Hansberry Biopic?!?!?!

By: Voice of Reason Staff Writer

An unconventional biopic of Lorraine Hansberry, author of A Raisin in the Sun, is in development, according to Shadow and Act. Hansberry's grand-niece, Taye Hansberry, will take the title role, and Issa Rae, star of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, will play a pivotal role. According to many sources Issa Rae is set to play Nina Simone, who was a close friend of Lorraine until her death.And Jaleel White will play James Baldwin, Hansberry's close friend and confidant.Will Stewart (Casting Director for Scandal) is casting the project, with additional announcements to come.  Production is slated to begin in early fall, with the project now heading into the pre-production stage. Living quite an involved life, Hansberry was the first black playwright and the youngest American to win a New York Critics' Circle award. She's likely most-known for her seminal play about a struggling black family in Chicago, A Raisin in the Sun (a line taken from a Langston Hughes poem). It was the first play produced on Broadway by an African American woman. It opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on March 11, 1959, and was a great success.   

From Our CEO!

Welcome to the Excellence Arts & Media Academy NEW Blog,

It is our goal at the Excellence Arts & Media Academy to inform our patrons about the current issues facing multicultural people. Our blog will be updated daily and have very interesting stories. We are  looking for guest bloggers and reports to contribute to the blog. The EAMA's "Voice of Reason" will cover all breaking news and current issues. We want to stay connected to our patrons , please feel free to e-mail us or call us and comments and feedback about the blog.  This blog will also have reviews about movies, music, theater and much more. We will also have updates about EAMA's current productions and events.  Thank you so much for continued support.

Jacob Henderson, Founder & CEO of Excellence Arts & Media Academy