Speaking Truth to Power – White Male Entitlement and Sonia Sotomayor: The Hypocrisy is So Blatant, It is Blinding

The white male entitlement pushback on the Sotomayor Supreme Court nomination is so brazenly hypocritical it is blinding.

Certainly, the corporate mainstream media is taken in by it, because the likes of the New York Times can’t stop printing "truthiness" stories that are just toned down, right-wing "attack" message points on Sotomayor (we counted 5 in one day just a short time ago).

When you distill the ferocity of the GOP assault on Sotomayor, it comes down to one furious objection: she’s not . . . (The Buzz Flash Blog)

Washington DC – U.S. Could Let Detainees Plead Guilty Without Trials

The Obama administration is considering a change in the law for the military commissions at the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, that would clear the way for detainees facing the death penalty to plead guilty without a full trial. (New York Times)

Washington DC – Sotomayor Would Be First Hispanic on Supreme Court

President Obama this morning will announce that U.S. appeals court Judge Sonia Sotomayor of New York is his pick to replace retiring justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court, White House officials said. (Washington Post)

Washington DC – Obama Picks Shuttle Veteran To Be First Black NASA Chief

President Obama yesterday nominated a former Marine aviator and space shuttle astronaut to become the new head of NASA and oversee a broad review of the agency’s ambitions for manned and robotic space exploration.

Retired Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr. will become the first African American to run the space agency if approved by the Senate. (Washington Post)

Washington DC – Obama’s Budget Knife Yields Modest Trims

President Obama has said for weeks that his staff is scouring the federal budget, "line by line," for savings. Today, they will release the results: a plan to trim 121 programs by $17 billion, a tiny fraction of next year’s $3.4 trillion budget. (Washington Post)

New York – N.Y. Federal Judge Likely on Shortlist

George M. Pavia remembers being instantly impressed with the young woman he hired for his law firm in 1984. Sonia Sotomayor had graduated summa cum laude at Princeton, edited the Yale Law Journal in law school and had courtroom experience in the Manhattan prosecutor’s office.

She also spoke Spanish, which helped her understand Italian, and one of the firm’s main client’s was carmaker Fiat. (Washington Post)

Washington DC – Look beyond judiciary, senators say

President Barack Obama’s search to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter should extend beyond the current roster of federal judges, senators from both political parties said Sunday.

"I would like to see more people from outside the judicial monastery, somebody who has had some real-life experience, not just as a judge," said Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold hearings when Obama makes his nomination. (News & Observer)

Washington DC – President Obama 1st 100 days in office

So much for honeymoons. President Obama has passed the 100-day point of his White House term, a moment that generally is more symbolic than profoundly meaningful. In the case of this president, however, that’s not exactly true. The challenges facing Obama when he succeeded President George W. Bush required virtually immediate action. Obama was like a firefighter airlifted and dropped into a blaze. (News & Observer)

Armed Revolt in the Obama Era? Right-Wing Gun Nuts Share Their Paranoid Worldview

On April 18 and 19, I attended gun shows in Antioch, Calif., and Reno, Nev., to probe the culture of gun enthusiasts at the onset of the Barack Obama era.

I came away from these events with a portrait of a heavily armed, tightly organized movement incited by right-wing radio to a fever-pitched resentment of Obama and his allies in Congress. (AlterNet)

Washington DC – Wider World of Choices to Fill Souter’s Vacancy

Today, as President Obama moves to pick his first Supreme Court nominee as a successor to retiring Justice David H. Souter — a choice many political observers expect will be a woman — he finds a vastly altered scene, with women holding dozens of seats on the nation’s appellate courts, occupying dean’s offices at prestigious law schools, and serving in some of the highest political offices in the nation. (New York Times)

Washington DC – Breaking: NBC: Souter to retire from Supreme Court

30 Apr 2009 Supreme Court Justice David Souter plans to retire, sources told NBC News Thursday night. Speculation about Souter’s plans began to swirl as the eight other justices were known to have hired the four law clerks who will work with them in the Supreme Court term that begins in October. Souter has been the lone holdout, hiring no one. A retirement by Souter, 69, would give President Barack Obama his first chance to nominate a justice and the next few months would bring Senate confirmation hearings. (Citizens For Legitimate Government)

Raleigh NC – BDPA Newsletter from Chapters Around the Country

BDPA Foundation

BDPA Newsletters from Chapters Around the Country Posted: 19 Apr 2009 03:00 AM PDT RECENT UPDATES: Triangle BETF-Blog Readers, would you like to see information about programs and services being offered all over BDPA nation? Here are some recent newsletters issued from around the country: National BDPA (Jan 2009) – 6-page BDPA-LINK contains articles about Obama’s Inauguration, TechTown (Detroit), Top 10 Trends in IT, IT Corps (Hartford) and Computer Learning Program (Hartford). BDPA Atlanta (Jun 2008) – 6-page OUTLOOK with articles on Midwest Region HSCC, Joseph Taylor visit, photo album, IT Showcase update, BETF donor form and 2009 conference info. BDPA Chicago (Jun 2008) – 3-page CONNECTION contains information about BDPA events, technology updates, ‘Who’s in the Spotlight’ feature, next program meeting logistics and photos from 20th annual education banquet. BDPA Cincinnati (Dec 2008) – 5-page INFORMATION EXCHANGE contains articles focused on Top 10 IT Stories of 2008, 2009 HSCC applications, Using Internet to Avoid the Flu; HSCC alumni testimonial from Kelly Robinson Tarver (Class of 1999) and 6 tips for safe winter driving. BDPA Los Angeles (Sep 2008) – 5-page newsletter with articles on 2008 HSCC review, BDPA IT Institute, United Way giving program, featured company (IT Technical Solutions), HSCC Alumni scholarship winners and local chapter news. BDPA New York (Feb 2009) – 4-page newsletter with articles on Black Family Technology Awareness Week events, BDPA member testimonial on the Obama inauguration, DTV transition, Black technology contributions, committee updates and calendar of events. BDPA Richmond (Mar 2008) – 9-page DIRECT ACCESS newsletter with message from chapter president, 2007 year-in-review, Community Foundation Grant, student programs update, membership notes, member benefits-programs-services, article-‘Where Computers Go to Die’, Culminis update, article-‘What’s Your Weakest Link? Building a Strong Job-Search Claim’, 2008 program meeting topics, message from membership director and board member roster. BDPA So Minnesota (May 2007) – 10-page newsletter with message from chapter president, bio of the chapter board members, IBM games, new BDPA website, SITES program, Q&A with Yaa, membership recruitment and meet the donors. BDPA Triangle (Mar 2009) – 6-page newsletter with message from the chapter president and articles on Lonnie Johnson (Super Soaker inventor), kiosk technology, texting fees, in-car computing, calendar of event and updates on 2009 BDPA Technology Conference. BDPA Washington DC (Jan 2009) – 20-page BDPAToday with articles on 2009 STEM agenda, BDPA government relations, Obama inauguration, Black Engineer of the Year conference, CES Expo, IT career opportunities and CompTIA certifications. You can find repository of prior BDPA newsletters in the files section of our BDPA-Communications YahooGroup. You may need to subscribe to the BDPA-Communications YG before you can download the files located in that repository. However, we would love to post a link to your chapter’s most recent newsletter right here on the BETF-Blog. Our vision is to have 51 chapter newsletters listed here. Of course, it would be nice if all chapter newsletters would publish information about the BDPA Education & Technology Foundation in each issue as well! Is your chapter’s most recent newsletter listed?

Grant Recipient: BDPA Triangle ($384) Posted: 19 Apr 2009 02:40 AM PDT The BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF) approved a small grant for the youth education program in Raleigh/Durham area. BDPA Triangle chapter president Rick Leggett wrote us back with the following message: On behalf of BDPA Triangle Chapter – Executive Committee, thanks for the grant award notification. We will fax you the completed IRS Tax Receipt form this week, as well as subsequently submit the Project Completion Report. BETF funding support will assist our HSCC Team efforts to attend the 2009 National High School Computer Competition representing the Triangle (NC) region. Rick Leggett, President BDPA Triangle Chapter Phone: (919) 688-5982 We want to give out larger grants in the future … but, we are dependent on support from folks like you. Won’t you consider making a secure online donation to BETF today?!

Washington DC – The First Puppy Makes a Big Splash

Who let the dog out?

That’s the Washington mystery du jour.

The identity of the first puppy — the one that the Washington press corps has been yelping about for months, the one President Obama has seemed to delight in dropping hints about — leaked out yesterday. This despite White House efforts to delay the news until the big debut planned for Tuesday afternoon. (Washington Post)

Washington DC – Black Caucus Calls for More Diversity in Bailouts

WASHINGTON – Members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday criticized the lack of minority participation in the government’s financial bailouts and suggested that President Barack Obama isn’t doing much better than his predecessor to ensure diversity. (BlackAmericaWeb.com)

London – World Leaders Pledge $1.1 Trillion to Tackle Crisis

LONDON — Struggling to bridge deep divides over how to revive a paralyzed global economy, the leaders of the world’s largest economies agreed Thursday to bail out developing countries, stimulate world trade and regulate financial firms more stringently. But President Obama conceded that there were “no guarantees” that those measures would reverse the biggest global downturn in six decades. (New York Times)