The Casey Lartigue Show!

Tomorrow morning I'll be a judge at the annual Frederick Douglass Oratorical contest held by the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association (I'm a member of the Board of Trustees). By the way, I do have some experience being a judge. A few years ago I was a judge at a love poetry contest at a charter school in D.C. Proof once again: Those who can, do. Those who can't, judge. CJL

I posted this on my Facebook yesterday. I finished the NPR roundtable discussion almost three hours ago. I used to host my own weekly two hour radio show on XM so any radio interviews and discussions less than 30 minutes long makes me feel like I'm just clearing my throat. I will listen to today's audio archive later. There have been some times after I've been on the radio that people will ask, "What did you talk about," and I'll answer..."I'm not sure...I need to listen to the archive. Based on my notes, I didn't take any." But I actually took some notes today. The first topic we discussed was the controversy over where Obama will attend church. My response then was probably what it is now. "I DON'T CARE!" He could set up his own cult or not go to church and I would not care in the least. I am amazed how interested people are in where he sends his kids to school, what kind of puppy he will get for his kids, whether or not his f

Back when Eliot Morgan and I were co-hosting a radio show on XM, we had an occasional segment: "The black race can't afford you no more!" It apparently was controversial to some of our listeners who complained about us. It featured black criminals who should be abandoned by black people. If the cops are right--and I say if because I was in Boston when Charles Stuart accused a black man of killing his wife--then Curtis Lavelle Vance needs to added to the list. * * * I was talking to a casual acquaintance when I saw the news report that police had tied a suspect to the rape and murder of an Arkansas TV news anchor (Anne Pressly ) I looked it up on my Pocket PC, then I told her, "I'm going to show you his photo." She said the same thing my mother used to say when a suspect had been identified: "I hope he isn't black." I then said the same thing I used to say as a youngster, "I hope they catch him!" (Or, "I hope they got the right gu

It is often mockingly said that the people who know how to run the country are driving cabs and cutting hair. I have identified a new problem...the people who are running the country are pontificating like they are cab drivers and barbers. WTOP Radio hosts "Ask the Governor" every Tuesday. This past Tuesday, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine was philosophizing about Michael Vick, the former NFL player now in the slamma for killing dogs. Kaine: "I don't think somebody convicted of charges like this should be back in the NFL." What, Vick should be driving a cab or cutting hair? * * * Perhaps Gov. Kaine would like to assign Michael Vick to a job. After all, if Vick should be barred from playing in the NFL, then would what Kaine have him do? Let's fill-in Kaine's statement with some other occupations: "I don't think somebody convicted of charges like this should... "work as a waiter." "be a construction worker." "work as a tax account

"Help is on the way." That was president-elect Barack Obama's latest focused-group tested phrase of the day. Is it possible that the government 911 financial help program could skip my house? Input the wrong destination in the GPS settings and make an extra visit to the home of one of my enemies instead? What happens if I don't answer the door when this "help" arrives? CJL "The most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" --Ronald Reagan

I'll be a panelist on National Public Radio's News and Notes on December 3, 2008 and January 7, 2009. The show is on 1-2 pm EST in many markets. Check your local listings. E-mail me in advance with any juicy topics. I should be on from around 1:30 p.m. CJL

The Casey Lartigue Show was on XM Radio for just a few delicious months. In addition to changing minds in the audience and getting a major article published in the Washington Post , my co-host Eliot Morgan and I have now been cited in a book. Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography & Politics)) by Christopher Hodapp and Alice Von Kannon. We're briefly cited on pages 111 - 12 . I've spoken at Harvard University, The National Press Club, been a guest on C-SPAN, NPR and the Rush Limbaugh Show, been published in major newspapers. But I really like being cited in a book debunking conspiracy theories... CJL

* Obama could bring the World Cup back to America ...in 2018 or 2022. * Obama is against the current Bowl Championship system . * Japanese people who were celebrating the city of Obama, Japan, may want to change the name if Obama is able to thug the Olympics to Chicago . Japanese officials have already expressed concern about Obama trying to get the Olympics for his adopted hometown. * Baseball officials think Obama can help bring baseball back to the Olympics. * Even the Professional Bowlers' Association is hoping Obama will highlight bowling . Are there any flag football teams in need of help from the president-to-be? I play pickup basketball sometimes, perhaps Obama can help us form a league and get a government grant. It looks like we are going to have another busybody president issuing proclamations on sports and even getting involved. I recall that Bill Clinton brought his waving finger to the world of baseball and tried to mediate a money dispute. President Bush was graciou

I got a note in my e-mail that Marshall Fritz of the Alliance for the Separation of School and State passed away on election day. I met Fritz several years ago when I was at the Cato Institute. He was there to lecture us for not being libertarian enough. We went at it a little and e-mailed occasionally after that. After he read one of my studies and some of my articles he wrote me a very kind e-mail telling me what a great writer and thinker I was. His one regret is that I was wrong in accepting that there was a legitimate role for government in education. CJL Dear Friends of the Alliance: Marshall Fritz passed away Tuesday, November 4, 2008, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Marshall was a true friend and mentor. That's what he's been to me. Even during the last days of his life, when I was privileged to spend some time with him, he set an example of a life well-lived and considered. Like a good teacher, he always showed his love for people by not letting us get away with

Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and other conservatives got on board with McCain late in the game. Assuming that Obama wins, I expect that Limbaugh and Co. will be warning about the coming socialist state and making it clear they won't support another McCain Maverick candidate. They held their tongues for Bush41, Dole, Bush43, and now McCain for the good of the party. CJL

From Associated Press : "Perhaps the most bizarre barrier to voting was a truck that hit a utility pole in St. Paul, Minn.'s Merriam Park neighborhood, knocking out power to two polling stations for about 90 minutes. Voting continued at those sites, said Joe Mansky, Ramsey County's elections manager." Right now, McCain-Palin might be wishing a truck would have knocked out voting stations in Ohio and Pennsylvania. CJL

I'm at NPR blogging about the election. I'd be willing to give up my right to vote in a libertarian society. So I have mixed feelings when it comes to elections. The best thing about American elections? We almost always have a peaceful exchange of power. The worst thing about American elections? Everything else. CJL

I'll be one of the bloggers ranting about the election tonight for NPR and the Guardian. I hope the election will end soon so I can resume ignoring politics and politicians until the new Boss takes over in January. E-mail me: MrBossMan2008(at)yahoo.com CJL

testing 1,2,3

After taking a short break from the world of politics, and still trying to convince myself I should care about the presidential election: I'll be on NPR's News and Notes within the next week. I'll be testifying before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission in a few months. I'll be coughing up two op-eds before the end of the summer. CJL

Black people, better than most, should understand the importance of being able to choose who to love and who to marry. By: Casey Lartigue | Posted: May 29, 2008 at 12:00 AM Published by The Root  "As to mixed marriages, the most delicate question of all, it is to be noted that 29 states - all those of the South and many in the Southwest - forbid it. In the North, such marriages are frowned upon, and represent an almost insignificant percent." --The American Negroes, special bulletin published by the U.S. Information Agency, an adjunct of the State Department, 1957   So, you wanna get married? After years of playing (or getting played by) the field, you've found that special someone you consider irreplaceable. You agree to be together happily ever after, or for as long as you can stand each other. You tell family, friends, perhaps even former significan

Listen Now [17 min 46 sec] add to playlist News & Notes , May 7, 2008 · On today's bloggers roundtable, Farai Chideya moderates a conversation about the latest string of protests over the shooting death of Sean Bell, last night's Democratic primary results, and the death of interracial marriage pioneer, Mildred Loving. Joining in the conversation are bloggers Carmen Van Kerckhove of Racialicious ; Baratunde Thurston of Jack & Jill Politics ; and Casey Lartigue of The Casey Lartigue Show!

I've got a piece on The Root this morning. Empty Threats: A History Still taking the black vote for granted after all these years. TheRoot.com Updated: 5:33 PM ET May 9, 2008 May 12, 2008 --If Sen. Clinton somehow manages to wrest the nomination from Sen. Barack Obama, black voters, we are being told , are likely to sit at home or vote Republican . But haven't we heard these types of threats before? Black Democrats have been warning for decades that their party will be in trouble if they keep taking the black vote for granted in the general election. Still others have warned that Republicans could steal a large number of black votes as a result. Based on recent history, Black Democrats will huff and puff, then... stand in line to vote for the Democrat presidential candidate, hustle around the country and exhort blacks to vote. Let's take a trip down memory lane: ELECTION, 1976

The only national black talk network has been having a lot of trouble. Of course, I point to the day they pulled my show off the air as the beginning of the end. 1) According to the Washington Post : Radio One's stock lost 17 percent of its value this week, closing yesterday at $1.06. Since last year, when the company's stock traded at a [sic: high] of $7.59, its value has declined 85 percent. 2) The son of the founder of the company has just received a generous pay raise and compensation package. According to the Washington Post : Liggins would receive $980,000 in salary, a 70 percent increase over the $575,370 he made in 2007, and have the opportunity to match that in an annual bonus, contingent in part on the company meeting certain performance goals. He would be paid a $1 million "signing bonus" because, the Radio One compensation committee said, he has been underpaid for the last three years. Liggins also would be paid $4.8 million to compensate him for losses

Rev. Jeremiah Wright has attracted a lot of attention with his theories about the federal government creating AIDS in a laboratory. Here's an excerpt excerpt from Talk Radio Can't Handle the Truth By Casey Lartigue Jr. and Eliot Morgan Sunday, August 5, 2007; Page B03 Often, just one word can silence those who doubt the conspiracy theory of the day: COINTELPRO, the FBI 's notorious anticommunist program that was used against groups such as the Southern Christian Leadership Council and the Ku Klux Klan . From the Scottsboro Boys to the Tuskegee syphilis study, our government has displayed a willingness to conspire against its citizens. Likewise, truth-squadding becomes difficult when such theories are linked to hard data: Black Americans constitute about 12 percent of the U.S. population but about half of the nation's AIDS cases. That sets up the conditions in which, according to researchers Sheryl Thorburn Bird and Laura M. Bogart, more than 20 percent of black Americ

Hillary Clinton has challenged Barack Obama to a non-moderator debate, a la Lincoln-Douglass. Obama should go back even farther in history and challenge her to a duel. CJL

I've got a piece on the National Center for Public Policy Research blog talking about Arbor Day.

Last September I was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association. The latest news is that my colleagues chose me to chair the planning committee for the symposium that we are organizing for next year. My updates to follow, here and at the Website I just put together. CJL

I have a piece in today's Washington Times . It marks the anniversary of D.C. Emancipation Day. CJL

This is a test. This is only a test to see whether I am (successfully) live blogging at a conference. I have media credentials to the Newspaper Association of America’s Capital Conference at the Washington Convention Center on April 14‐15, 2008. McCain is speaking this morning from 10:30 a.m., Obama will be the luncheon speaker. Clinton will be speaking tomorrow at lunch. CJL

In September 2005, former President Clinton launched an initiative "to tackle poverty, climate change and other worldwide issues" during "a gathering of political leaders and activists who are promising to pitch in--and must put those pledges in writing." In early 2005--along with many other times--Mandela was demanding that the world do more to fight poverty. Others have talked about trying to end poverty. And of there is the war on poverty that officially started in the mid-1960s. Yesterday, on the 40th anniversary of MLK Jr's assassination, John McCain took up Martin Luther King Jr's call for America to fight poverty. McCain said: "I will answer his call, and tell him and the American people today that I will make the eradication of poverty a top priority of the McCain Administration." Here's a different suggestion--a fight for development rather than a fight against poverty. Okay, for a liar like Clinton, that might sound like a distincti

Booker Rising links to a new online magazine that focuses on issues from a black conservative perspective. Booker Rising comments: "I don't know about the late Frederick Douglass being put on that cover as a conservative. I'd call him a liberal, and even moderate would be a stretch for his time period." The thing I've noticed about Douglass is that just about every ideology claims him to be one of their own. You can see in the quotes that people choose to focus on: Liberals, socialists and activists: "Without struggle, there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will." Libertarians and conservatives: "'What shall we do with the Negro?' I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us. Do nothing with us! If the apples will not remain on the tree of their own strength, if they are wormeaten at the core, if they are early

Le Bron James is the first black man to appear on the cover of Vogue Magazine. A black talk show host was complaining about the cover, saying that Vogue was making him look like "King Kong." I saw the cover last week, it didn't even occur to me that Le Bron was being pictured as a monkey or sexual demon. I will just point out that Gisele Bundchen looks rather happy to be in Mandingo's arms.

I'm sure she would have left the church in a hail of gunfire...

Kwame Kilpatrick, during happier times. He was charged with perjury earlier today. I'd love to hear a sermon by Rev. Wright about the case.

Rush Limbaugh : That's known as the Bradley Effect or the Wilder Effect. In the case of Doug Wilder running for the governorship in Virginia, Tom Bradley running for governor of California, in pre-election polls they had huge leads, and going into Election Day it was assumed (both candidates were black) both were going to win. They both lost by sizable percentages. The pollsters decided, "We've been lied to here. People didn't want us to think that they were racist so they told us they were going to vote for Bradley or Wilder when they really had no intention of it." So it's interesting how many people are actually answering questions about Obama that way. * The reality is that Bradley barely lost while Wilder barely won.

"People with their hat on backwards, pants down around the crack. Isn’t that a sign of something or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up? Isn’t it a sign of something when she’s got her dress all the way up to the crack -- and got all kinds of needles and things going through her body. What part of Africa did this come from?" --Bill Cosby, May 17, 2004 "Pound Cake" speech * * * According to the March 14 edition of the Palm Beach Post: On Tuesday, voters in Riviera Beach overwhelmingly approved a new law that would make it a crime to wear pants that show skin or underwear . The first offense carries a $150 fine or community service. A second infraction carries a $300 fine or more community service . There's also a crackdown in Kansas . * * * * Question: Is this only a problem in public schools? This sounds like another argument for school uniforms. * It has been pointed out before that the baggy pants style comes from prison (prisoners not allowed to

From the March 19 demonstration against the Iraq War at San Francisco’s Civic Center Park [posted by Green Little Footballs ]

Keith Olberman seems to be the first to report on Maura Hardy's connection to someone in the state department looking at Obama's passport file. Long-term state department official first appointed by Reagan, Clinton ambassador, etc. Unrelated Blast from the Past file: Feds Investigate Dems' Obtaining Steele's Credit Report

Bob Barr may run for president, as a Libertarian . I wasn't even aware that Libertarians were going to run someone in 2008. And it won't take long to forget that Barr did run as a Libertarian... By the way, it was great to see the photo of Bob Barr doing something I have rarely seen him do in public--smile. CJL

The Barack Obama campaign has clearly been damaged by his long-term relationship with Pastor Jeremiah Wright. The Hillary Clinton campaign has been remarkably quiet about Barack Obama's troubles. As the old political strategy goes: remain quiet while your enemy is committing suicide. Here's a photo of Rev. Wright at a Clinton White House function, posted by The Politico . A photo may say 1000 words--and that's even more words than the Clinton campaign apparently has uttered about Obama and Wright. CJL Linked by African American Political Pundit ,

"I cannot see how any honest colored man, who has brains enough to put two ideas together, can allow himself, under the notion of independence, to give aid and comfort to the Democratic Party in Ohio or elsewhere." --Frederick Douglass, quoted in McFeeley's Frederick Douglass , p. 316.

Heller has been heard by the Supreme Court, now the justices will read and re-read briefs, and conference, and supposedly give us some kind of decision in June.  To reiterate my prediction:  Ban overturned, reasonable restrictions allowed, probably "rational" scrutiny of any laws, and no major effect nationally. That said, and setting aside my concerns about the court's treatment of  Miller , as something for another day, I was interested in this bit : In addition to the handgun ban, Washington also has a trigger lock requirement for other guns that raised some concerns Tuesday. "When you hear somebody crawling in your bedroom window, you can run to your gun, unlock it, load it and then fire?" Justice Antonin Scalia said. Roberts, who has two young children, suggested at one point that trigger locks might be reasonable. "There is always a risk that the children will get up and grab the firearm and use it for some purpose other than what the Second Amendme

The reason I'm glad I'm not a Democrat is simple - by the rules of the game established by their very own Liberal selves, if I don't vote for Obama, I'm a racist.  If I don't vote for Clinton, I'm a sexist.  Given that large numbers of Democrats have  voted for one or the other, that can only mean that the Ds are either racist or sexist or both.   I would say that the only solution that the Ds have to this conundrum is to find and run people like  Shirley Looking over this morning's posts, I would also note in passing that I'm envious of Casey's ability to use the word "Negro" without flinching.  I'm a product of my times, I guess, and even have difficulty suggesting people get ahold of one of the more interesting social studies out there, this book . J. Underhill

Not to say this is worth celebrating, but tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of David Ehrenstein writing a piece in the Los Angeles Times calling Barack Obama a " Magic Negro ." That is, a black person who makes white people feel good. Rush Limbaugh thought it was ridiculous. His team quickly came up with a hilarious parody, which you can download here for free (scroll to the bottom, hit "free," on the second page, "scroll down to the password, wait for the timer to expire, type in the password, then download). Fast forward to a year later--Barack Obama is now Barack X. Is anyone questioning if he is black? Now the concern is that he will wear a Dashiki and give the Black Power salute at his inauguration. With his approval ratings in freefall because of the controversy over pastor Wright, Obama will give a major address on race. Perhaps he should try to convince folks that he really is a Magic Negro. CJL

It's good to be close to those on top.  Your mistakes get pushed off onto others, you get important notices before The Little Guy, and rules, by and large, do not apply to you.  Banks are concerned about their bottom lines - what business isn't? - but have no problem getting the goods from both ends, not only a handout from the Feds, but there appears to be no trickle down to their customers from the taxpayer's...I mean, the Federal government's...generosity. It looks like it may really be helicopter drop to get the economy moving again.  I may have to reconsider my libertarian tendencies long enough to get out a basket and see what falls in. Or not.

My former Cato Institute colleague Bob Levy is profiled by the Associated Press for his role in the challenge to the DC gun ban. One great thing about Levy is that he tells it like it is. As the article quotes: And Levy freely admits the case is manufactured, not one that bubbled up by chance from the district's steady flow of criminal cases involving guns. He wanted presentable plaintiffs to make a case for gun rights, not criminals. "We didn't want crack heads and bank robbers to be poster boys for the Second Amendment," he said. Is there a problem with this case being manufactured? I heard a talking head on the radio complaining a while ago that this case wasn't from real DC residents, that it was from outsiders. What's wrong with that? There may be some times that it takes an outsider to challenge an injustice or bad law. Did DC residents claim that Martin Luther King Jr. was an outsider who should have minded his own business? And about the case being &

1) A few months ago I suggested to an Obama supporter that I thought Obama was keeping Rev Jeremiah Wright around to fend off charges that Obama isn't black enough. After all, how could you question the blackness of a man going to the church with a pastor like Wright? In a year, Obama has gone from being "black in an unusual way" to Malcolm X. 2) The Clintons have engaged in some race baiting, but not even in their dreams would they have tied Obama to a firebrand like Rev. Wright. It would not have seemed believable that a Harvard Law graduate would be attending church of such a fool for two decades. Well, I guess Harvard Law grad Eliot Spitzer makes anything about Harvard Law School believable now... 3) Apparently it is a strategic tactic in the Illinois state senate for politicians to vote "present." Perhaps Obama was just voting "present" in church when Rev. Wright was going off. 4) The Clintons survived sex scandals, Whitewater, etc. That Obama'

Harry Alford of the National Black Chamber of Commerce : "While there are some great Black Republicans such as General Collin Powell and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele they are vastly outnumbered by the celebrated self-hating Blacks like Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas, and Shelby Steele. Good solid thinking progressive capitalists (with the general philosophy of the Republican Party) who happen to be Black find themselves isolated and on the defense."

The big "debate" a century ago among black Americans was whether blacks should focus more on economics or politics. To simplify things, it was Booker T saying that blacks needed to focus more on economic development whereas W.E.B. Dubois focused on political activism. We can clearly put Mr. Blackonomics James Clingman on Booker T's side. I read an enlightening e-mail by Kenneth Price that discussed the current political situation and how Black people are so emotionally invested in the upcoming presidential election. One point centered on the fact that other groups in this country are not wringing their hands about who will be president; they are not losing sleep over the next election and, in many cases, they couldn’t care less who wins. Of course, those groups to which the piece referred were busy taking care of their businesses and aggregating their resources among themselves. I know, I know; they have not been through what we have been through. * * * Politically

Radley Balko asks a great question of anti-illegal immigration activists: "If you’re adamant that you only oppose illegal immigration, then do you also support vastly expanding the number of legal visas the federal government grants to low-wage, low-skill workers (which at the moment is an exceedingly small number)?" I've been asking anti-illegal immigration people that same question. Booker Rising recently highlighted one of my quotes on immigration. "As people often point out to me, I'm almost always in the minority when the issue is illegal immigration. 1) I oppose punishing private employers for hiring illegals. 2) I support taking laws against such hiring practices off the books. 3) I don't oppose laws preventing the various levels of governments from hiring illegals. 4) If the various levels of government are serious about punishing illegals, then they should prevent them from receiving government services or benefits. 5) It isn't the government&

From a Steve Chapman column on legalizing prostitution: "What one New Orleans mayor said applies to a segment of every human society: 'You can make prostitution illegal in Louisiana, but you can't make it unpopular.'"

What Casey hits on in the post below, regarding "character" and Rush's blatant misunderstanding of same, highlights the problems of people who are not terribly literate or educated (regardless of their claims) attempting to interpret 200 year old language. I discovered this in elementary school, looking at older documents that were full of "ye" and stange looking "f" letters. Turned out that the "y" in "ye" is actually shorthand for "th," while the funny "f" is actually the equivalent of the German S-zet - a double "s." What Adams or Madison or Hamilton (whenever Rush finally gets it right) describes in the Federalist #69 is not the "character" of the executive, but rather what today we would call "characteristics of the office of president." There is, by the way, excellent reading in there for those few still interested in comparing the current administration's actions with wh

A couple of days ago in a conversation about Eliot Spitzer and morality in politics, Rush Limbaugh said the following: Our last caller wanted to know -- he's a Republican, but he doesn't like this morality in politics, it's not in the Constitution. Actually, it is in the Federalist Papers in the section in which the criteria for the president was being written and debated about, the number one aspect in the Federalist Papers, I think it was John Adams in this case -- I think it was John Adams writing number-one, most important thing in the executive was character. Federalist #69, written by Alexander Hamilton, outlined the duties and responsibilities of the president. Limbaugh then had a change of heart about the author: It was James Madison. Actually, he wrote one-third of the Federalist Papers, the forerunner of the Constitution. He also was the principal author of the Constitution. It was James Madison in the Federalist Papers who laid out the requirements for the e

Greetings, gentle readers. The kind and generous owner of this blog, Casey Lartigue, after noticing that I had been frequently posting in the comments section of late, has graciously offered to allow me to toil occasionally here in the fields of his wisdom. This demonstrates either that high intelligence and copious education do not always yield smart decisions, or else that Casey's getting lazier in his old age and simply wants to shift the burdens of his work onto others. Having known him for nigh on a decade and a half now, it may be that the correct answer is "both of the above." Casey and I met while we were both working in Korea.   Well, he was working and I was pretending to work.   We were generous posters on the expatriate list serve there, Kexpat (motto:  "Welcome to Kexpat.  Now unsubscribe."), a rather hobbesian place where only the strongest and meanest survived.  Needless to say, Casey flourished there and it was only through his guidance and pro

Washington Post , Tom Toles