Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (2010)

Where in the hell to start with this one... I'm going to skip giving this movie the whole review treatment, as it has me really perplexed.

On one hand, Ti West has a great visual flair and truly makes me believe his movies were made in the 70's, which in horror terms, adds to the general ambiance for me. He also has an interesting way about his work, which was suited pretty well to this particular sequel, as he made it feel a lot like Eli Roth's predecessor, and yet made it his own.

On the other hand, this movie was a confused mess and baffled me more than walking in on my sister giving the family dog a red rocket would be.

I know the studio (Lionsgate) re-shot and reworked a bunch of what Ti West original put down on film, prompting him to claim "Alan Smithee" and not want a thing to do with his own flick, and it's easy to see why. Let's leave the fact that the movie basically opens and closes with extended cartoon sequences (the latter bit before the end credits rolled) alone for now, as it's to easy to pick that crap apart. Instead, let's break the films aspects down per usual.

The Good:
-It was VERY bloody, and VERY, VERY gross in many places. As a fan of gore, I loved every second of it.
-I love Ti West's style. Just dig it tremendously, despite its flaws.
-I can't help but get a kick out of Winston, the creepy deputy from the first movie.
- The film's soundtrack was really cool, and even clever.

That's not toothpaste...
The Bad:
-One of the most unappealing sex scenes ever. I thought at first it was going to be a set up to a "prank the fat girl" type of payoff, but then no... the guy was into it... and it was just all very odd and uncomfortable.
-The plot was a mess, as was the way it was edited together. It's pretty straight forward for the most part (tainted water makes its way to school just in time for prom, everyone drinks it and melts), but much of it felt random and didn't make sense/was left unexplained.
-This movie couldn't decide what it wanted to be; funny or intense. In fact, it jumped back and forth several times in its own confusion.

Random gay characters... for laughs? They didn't even do any funny gay stuff!
The Downright Horrendous:
- The ending. First, the story with the two main characters just kind of ends and that's it, rather abruptly. Second, and what makes the first thing so annoying, is that after the main characters drive off, we get a 10 minute follow up scene with the stripper/hooker (same difference), as if anyone cares what happens to her. Lastly, and worse of all, the hooker sequence turns into a cartoon sequence that last for a few minutes, and closes the movie... It was all cheap and shoddy, unnecessary, and I don't blame Ti West for taking his name off of the movie.

I should have fucking watched something else.
The Downright Horrendous II: How does Lionsgate get away with the crap they pull on their own horror movies? They can mangle this movie into the ball of shit that it is, give us a new, uninspired and tired sequel to Saw every October, give big release treatment to crap like Disaster Movie, 46 new Tyler Perry "Comedies" a year, or some painful-to-watch Dane Cook movies, but they continue to bury movies like Blood Creek and Midnight Meat Train for what seems to be no good reason at all. I really wonder what in the hell they are doing over there sometimes.


The Master Says- D- (3.5/10) I think I'm being generous with this grade, and the movie is truly a mess, but the stuff in there that was obviously Ti West's was enough to not make this a total loss for me. Some people will probably love this movie, I can see it coming, but for most others I say skip this one and rent the first Cabin Fever, or even Ti West's House of the Devil instead, and spend your time and money watching a better class of movie.

Succes 2010: Michel Roux jr, chef la Le Gavroche, din Chelsea

Will Obama's Urban School Grants Create Opportunities for African American Entrepreneurs?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, President Obama has recently announced $900 million in grants as a part of his 2011 budget to help improve student achievement at 5,000 of the nation's lowest-performing schools. Most, if not all, of the schools are in urban areas.

The budget includes a $100-million program aimed at increasing college-level, dual-credit and other accelerated courses in schools, allowing students to earn a high-school diploma and an associates degree simultaneously.

What does this mean for entrepreneurs of African descent?

This means that local businesses that sell educational services and products can benefit too. The grant money will be allocated in many ways, such as to hire tutors, to buy educational software and materials, to upgrade old technology (computers, etc), to hire local motivational speakers, to hire scholarship experts and college consultants, and more.

The grant money may even be used to hire interior decorators and architects to make the schools look more modern. Do your research, and find out if there are schools in your area that will receive assistance from the grants. If so, find out what the schools' needs are and position yourself to offer relevant services. There will, no doubt, be many contracting and purchasing opportunities in the near future.

Here is a listing of other 2010 business grant opportunities that you might find useful.

Teaser Tuesday: 'Blue Light' by Walter Mosley

Soulclap to Reads4Pleasure for introducing me to Teaser Tuesdays, a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can play along!  Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page either in the comments below or on your own blog (give a link to your blog so we can check it out!)
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I'm currently reading Blue Light, by Walter Mosley.

"As I said it, I realized that this was the first death of a Blue other than those that died on the first night that light fell ... All the Blues that had lived were healthy, never sick, and somehow had the appearance of agelessness." - Page 62

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT (a.k.a. VILLAGE VOICES) with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Asante sana!

Succes 2010: Oliver Kahn

Succes 2010: Maria Sharapova

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She has also won the year-end WTA Tour Championships in 2004.
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has ranked Sharapova world no. 1 in singles on four separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on August 22, 2005, and last regained this ranking for the fourth time on May 19, 2008. As of November, 2011 Sharapova is ranked world no. 4. She has been in five Grand Slam finals with the final record 3–2.

Tune In Tuesday: Zapp featuring Roger Troutman

Roger Troutman and his brothers made up the heart of a remarkable band known as Zapp. The band is still touring today. The Troutman family is from just down the road in Hamilton, Ohio.

I first heard Zapp while I was in college when they came out with a song called More Bounce to the Ounce. As a radio disc jockey we played the heck outta More Bounce. Folks could not get enough of the bass, the beat or Roger's talk box sound.

It will come as know surprise to those who know me that my favorite song by Zapp was a ditty called 'Computer Love'





But the Zapp saga is about more than music. During the height of their popularity, the Troutmans put scores of low-income families into houses they built from the ground up in their hometown of Dayton, Ohio. They maintained a drug-free, hard-working ethic that separated them from many of their peers.

All of that came crashing down on April 25, 1999 when, to everyone's shock, Larry Troutman shot his brother Roger to death, then turned the gun on himself. Suicide rearing its ugly head in the Black community.

The entire story of Zapp is shared in a recent episode of TV One's "Unsung". I encourage all villagers with TV One access to watch this episode. I didn't realize that so many Roger beats were sampled by hip-hop stars like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac and others.

His top individual hit was 'I Want to Be Your Man'




I hope that you enjoyed this week's Tune In Tuesday meme. Please take a moment to share your enduring memory of Roger Troutman and Zapp.

10 Movies That Shaped My Life, Part 1

So the Warfreak from Olympic Artichoke leveled a challenge at me ( and others) to make a list of 10 movies that changed/shaped my life. Easy task, right? Do I pick horror only, because I could think of 10 movies from the genre that shaped me. Do I just make it a mix of 10 movies that inspired me, or made me who I am today? (Cue dramatic, poignant music.)

Let me think on this while I finish up some reviews and updating the release list, and I'll get back to you all shortly...

Good News Tuesday: Monica Okon, Space Shuttle Engineer

Soulclap to Ohio State University for publishing the following article on Monica Oken.

---

At Ohio State, Monica Okon is a senior majoring in biological engineering.

But this summer at NASA's John Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Okon wore a different hat: project manager. She oversaw the design and creation of a toilet that will work in a space shuttle's zero gravity atmosphere.

"One of the neat things about NASA is we have to look at all aspects of interaction of the astronauts up in space," says Nancy Hall, a NASA research scientist who supervised Okon.

"For example, how do you handle an astronaut going into the bathroom in a reduced gravity environment? If you think of everything floating, you cannot just go in a traditional toilet, so this flexible membrane commode Monica was working on was testing one of these systems to validate some of modeling we have done."

Okon's background made her a good fit to manage the project, Hall says. So Okon oversaw it "from design to creation" -- a task that showed her to apply what she has learned at Ohio State.

"It's my responsibility to make sure that the stuff is done, because if it doesn't get done, then I delay the project," Okon says.



More than 6,000 Ohio State undergrads get college credit for internships or co-ops each year. Students benefit from real-world experience and get a resume boost--and many, like Okon, leave their jobs with a connection to a career mentor.

"I really cherish my relationship with Nancy. I think of her as a true role model. She is a great mentor. She's taught me so much, how to carry yourself in the workplace," Okon says.

"NASA's been great. It's really helped reaffirm my sense of why I wanted to remain an engineer, why I wanted to contribute something to a greater good."

---

This blog is committed to sharing good news about people of African descent each and every Tuesday ... we call it Good News Tuesday and I wish that other bloggers would join this weekly meme!

Anyhow, what is your impression of Monica Okon? Do you understand why we included in her our Good News Tuesday meme?

Can We Stop GOP-Inspired Tea Party Violence Before April 19th Second Amendment March?

I see that Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele turned down request from his Democratic Party counterpart, Tim Kaine, to issue a joint statement against the recent violent acts against lawmakers who voted in favor of health care reform. It is another indication that the GOP is intentionally stoking the base emotions of the Tea Party folks.

Here are examples of what the GOP leadership is saying:

Rep. Michele Bachmann: "I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous ... having a revolution every now and then is a good thing."

Rep. John Boehner: "Take [Democratic Congressman] Steve Driehaus, for example. He may be a dead man. He can't go home to the west side of Cincinnati."

Rep. Steve King: "Let's beat that other side to a pulp! Let's take them out. Let's chase them down."

It is time for us to end the right-wing violence brought to us by the GOP.



I think that we need to squash this nonsense right away. It could be dangerous if it goes on through April 19th.

Villagers will recall that April 19, 1993 was the end of the 51-day siege of the Branch Davidian building outside of Waco TX. 81 people died.

April 19, 1995 was the day that Timothy McVeigh killed 168 people with his bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Tea Party folks are making plans for a gun-toting gathering on April 19, 2010.

Villagers, we need to bring this nonsense to an end. Do you agree?

Succes 2010: J Georg Bednorz, The Nobel Prize in Physics 1987

Succes 2010: Gerd K Binnig, The Nobel Prize in Physics 1986

Succes 2010: Betty Williams, The Nobel Peace Prize 1976

Prima fotografie cu autograf dintr-o serie de trei primite azi de la tot atatia premianti Nobel.

Esec 2010: Casa Regala Suedeza

Membrii Casei Regale Suedeze nu acorda autografe, dar un supus al regelui Carl XVI Gustaf m-a consolat cu doua fotografii de grup ale descendentilor suedezi de vitza nobila.

The Collector (2009)

"Now this is how it's done."

THE COLLECTOR
Sub-Genre- Slasher/Torture Porn

Cast Members of Note- Josh Stewart, Andrea Roth, Madeline Zima, Michael Reilly Burke, Karley Scott Collins, and Juan Fernandez as The Collector!

What's it About?- This is a story about a loser named Arkin who is behind on his child support, and decides to steal an expensive uncut gem to catch himself up. He partners with a seedy pimp, scouts out a house, installs their windows, plans a robbery, and basically ruins his entire life in the process. You have to imagine that any guy named Arkin is prone to mess up his life somehow though, right?

Arkin, in red.
After having a tea party with a little girl (at said house he plans to rob) Arkin takes off to downtown Compton for a drink, returns later that night when the house is deserted, and starts safe cracking... only the house isn't deserted! Nope, it seems as if The Collector showed up while Arkin was gone, took the owners of the house hostage, booby trapped everything, and started hurting them in really sick ways.

A really sick way to hurt someone, in yellow.
With their oldest daughter out on a date, and their littlest girl hiding somewhere in the house, Arkin sets out to free them, find the kid, and get the hell out of the house. Of course that doesn't go so well, as The Collector is a pretty smart maniac, and once the oldest daughter comes home, everything really goes to shit... Not literally to shit, but things do get pretty bad for everyone, which is shitty, so... yeah.

The Collector! (in black)
And so Arkin and The Collector decide to play a game of hide and go seek all throughout the house, with the added challenge of trap dodging thrown in to make things more interesting. Can Arkin find the little girl, save the family, and get the hell out of the house? Are they all screwed? What exactly is The Collector collecting? I won't spoil anything that happens for you here, but suffice it to say that it doesn't quite end the way I figured it would.

What's in the box?!?
The Good- Not often does a movie come along and truly impress us here at THC, and especially when it comes to me. I don't nitpick ruthlessly, and I try to find some good in everything, but so many films just fall short of what they could be, that it has left me a jaded viewer (wink, wink) after seeing so many horror flicks.

The Collector managed to far exceed any expectations that I had for the movie, and left be a bit breathless when all was said and done. I think the cat-and-mouse thing that went on throughout the movie is what really got me, because it was so good and felt natural where many movies use the same device and it feels forced. Tension is the name of the game in this one, and the level of tension the film maintains throughout is fairly palpable.

It also struck me how the director used so many different colors throughout the movie. Red's blue's, yellow's... I tried to use pictures that showed the color schemes off a bit to illustrate it visually, because I found it all so interesting. Also, I could be way off base, but I swear that one particular scene was a nod to the color-rich cinematography genius of Dario Argento... It jsut had to be.

Argento tribute, in blue.
The Bad- I get why he went back for the kid, I mean how could you just leave her to such a grisly fate, but damn he was home free! There may be honor amongst thieves, but that does not include kids! UGH! I would have gone back too, but I still screamed at the screen "No, just run!" He either didn't hear me, or just flat out ignored me.

The Downright Horrendous- I have one nagging gripe about this movie, and that is how in the hell did The Collector have time to set up so many effective traps all over the house, between the time our hero leaves and returns to look for the gem? It's a small complaint, but man there were traps everywhere, and some of them weren't so simple, so it just makes me wonder. Maybe he's just had a lot of practice?

The Gory- Ha! This movie is packed to the rafters with sick, twisted, and copious amounts of blood and gore, and I have to imagine it will satisfy most gore hounds out there.

The Naked- Oh yes, we get to see the sexy Madeline Zima in all of her boob glory, and it is good. Glorious even. Of course, The Collector's meddling ass had to interrupt the sex scene, ruining what I believe would have been full nudity scrumping, and possibly some bondage, but the boobs were a win none the less.

"Oh sweet Jesus!"
What did we learn?- Don't steal. Also, never go back for the kid. Kids are cunning, they can survive on their own.

The Master Says- A (9.0/10) This movie was packed with so much nastiness and tension, that all I could say after watching it was "Damn!" Not since the first Saw movie have I been fairly blown away by a "fresh" concept and it's execution equally. I'm sorry I missed this one in theaters last summer, but am glad I caught it on DVD. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to snag a copy when it hits DVD on April 6th.

Final Thoughts- Andrea Roth and Madeline Zima are special, special girls... in fact, let's take a look at more Madeline in the post below...

I love her on Rescue Me, even though she's a shrew.

More Madeline Zima (The Collector)

You're welcome.

Sunday Inspirations: Phyllis Hyman

I've been watching a number of the 'Unsung' episodes put together by TV-One over the past 3-4 years. This morning I watched their documentary of Phyllis Hyman. She had a remarkable career, however, she was subject of an 'Unsung' episode because her career never reached the heights that her talent could (should?) have taken her.

Isn't that what many of us think ... don't many of us think that we could (should?) be doing so much more than we've done. Of course, at some level we know that our current station is life is based on the choices and behaviors and actions that we've taken to this point. Perhaps it is best for all of us to take a moment to 'Remember Who We Are':





Phyllis Hyman committed suicide in 1995. I continue to be troubled by the large numbers of African Americans that are committing suicide in this country ... and the issue is rarely, if ever, discussed. I suspect that many villagers know someone personally who has committed suicide. I hope you realize that you're not alone.





Phyllis Hyman (1951-1995) -- May she rest in peace.

Lakeesha Alert * Mitrice Richardson

I still don't understand how the national mainstream media can get worked up over some missing women (or children), usually blondes with blue eyes, while ignoring others -- usually African American. We've seen it with Chioma Gray and Hasanni Campbell.

Now we're seeing it in southern California with Mitrice Richardson.
That is why this blog is calling on all bloggers to re-issue their Lakeesha Alert for missing Mitrice.

It's been more than six months since Mitrice Richardson disappeared after being arrested in Malibu. Her family and friends refuse to give up hope and are asking for help as they launch a new search for the missing woman on Sunday. [SOURCE]

"How could a person just vanish," said Richardson's mother Latice Sutton. "There is no way to move on or in any direction for that matter."

The 24-year-old disappeared September 17. The Cal State Fullerton graduate was arrested at Geoffrey's, a high end restaurant in Malibu, because she did not have the money to pay for her bill. Other diners and restaurant staff said Richardson was acting in bizarre manner.

Richardson was booked at the Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff's Station. Deputies said Richardson acted normally and passed a sobriety test and had no reason to hold her overnight. She was released at 12:30 a.m. -- Villagers, what right-thinking police officer releases a woman after midnight in a strange area? -- Mitrice didn't have a car, cell phone, identification or money. The police in Malibu didn't contact her family to let them know about the release ... nor did they take her to a bus station or taxi stand. They just let this young lady out in the woods with the wolves. Her family has not heard from her since.

On Sunday, family members and friends will hold an all volunteer search. The volunteer search is from noon to 4 p.m. in six different locations around the Los Angeles area.



If our women and children are going to continue to be ignored ... we're going to need to get more active with our Lakeesha Alerts throughout the afrosphere. Do you agree?

Taser Ruling: Coroner's Jury Has No Idea How Patrick Burns Died

After hearing testimony that Patrick Burns, who died after being Tased 21 times by Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies, died of excited delirium, a coroner’s jury has ruled his cause of death as “undetermined.” [SOURCE]

Villagers may recall that 50-year old Patrick Burns was found by Sangamon County police officers sitting in front of his house wearing his underwear on January 23. They arrested him ... but, not before shooting him up over 20 times with 50,000 volts of electricity.

Sheriff Neil Williamson, who sat through the inquest, said he was surprised that, despite Bowman’s conclusion, the coroner’s jury returned an “undetermined” verdict.

“I was convinced it was cocaine-induced excited delirium,” Williamson said. “I support the deputies 100 percent. We still believe in the use of the Taser.”

Boone praised deputies, saying there could have been more deaths “but for the police officers.”

More deaths? The unarmed guy was sitting on the front lawn in his underwear ... who was he going to kill? The only one who died in this exchange was Burns.

State’s Attorney John Schmidt said his office is reviewing the case. He said he didn’t know whether any charges will be filed or when the review will be complete.

What do you think? Will he file any charges against the unidentified police officers involved in this taser-killing?

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Succes 2010: David Rosenthal

David Rosenthal este un renumit keyboardist, synthesizer programmer, producator si compozitor.

S-a remarcat prin colaborarile spectaculoase cu Billy Joel, ca si prin turneele alaturi de Bruce Springsteen, Enrique Iglesias, Robert Palmer, Whitesnake, Steve Vai, Ritchie Blackmore si Rainbow, Cyndi Lauper, Yngwie Malmsteen, Little Steven.

A fost unul dintre muzicienii care au participat la Face-to-Face Tour, impreuna cu Elton John, poate cel mai de succes turneu din toate timpurile.

Printre realizarile personale ale lui David se numara cateva top-ten singles, vanzari de discuri de ordinul milioanelor si cateva nominalizari la premiile Grammy.

Open Letter to Republican Tea Party Members

We had eight years of Bush and Cheney, but now you get mad?

• You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.


• You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.


• You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.


• You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.


• You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.


• You didn't get mad when we spent $1 trillion on said illegal war.


• You didn't get mad when over $10 billion dollars (in hard cash) just “disappeared" in Iraq.


• You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.


• You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.


• You didn't get mad when they didn't catch Bin Laden.


• You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed hospital.


• You didn't get mad when they let a major US city drown.


• You didn't get mad when they gave a $1.6 trillion in tax breaks to the rich.


• You didn’t get mad when, using reconciliation; a trillion dollars of our tax dollars were redirected to insurance companies for Medicare Advantage -- which cost more than 20% more for the same services that Medicare provides.


• You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark, and our debt hit the thirteen trillion dollar mark.

No, but you did get mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans... oh hell no!

Black GOP Congressional Candidate Refers to President Obama as 'Buckwheat'

I've always wondered what could possibly drive an African American man or woman to join the Republican Party. As I watch the extremists in the Republican Party fan the flames of racism it makes me wonder what goes through the minds of Black GOPers?

Rep. John Lewis is called the 'n-word' ... Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver is spat on ... President Obama is depicted with Hitler-like mustache and worse in Tea Party signage ... George Lambus and Alan Keyes have demonstrated that they are racially confused ...

... and now we have some self-hating fool, Corey Poitier, jumping on the racist bandwagon in a recent speech to a mostly-white audience:

"Listen up, Buckwheat — this is not how it is done!" Poitier blurted out, obviously in an attempt to win points with the mostly white audience.

Poitier knew what he was doing when he made the comparison of our nation's first African American president with the character in the 1920 'Little Rascal' ... just as others in the GOP know what they are doing as they seek to recreate the environment that existed in our country when Reconstruction was brought down over a century ago.

It is one thing when closet-supremacists like John Boehner, Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh and others start ranting and rallying the racist fringe elements of the Republican Party ... but for a Blackman to be an agent for this racism is sad and dangerous.

"The press has run amok with this, and turned me into a racist," Poitier told reporters complaining of receiving no media attention prior to his irresponsible comments. He added, "I've never seen Buckwheat as a disparaging character. People love Buckwheat."

Villagers ... do you know anyone that loves Buckwheat?

In another interview, the confused candidate stared down at his own hands to further demonstrate he meant no racial slight.

"This isn't a spray tan," Poitier said of his skin tone. "This is real."

Poitier insists he meant no disrespect to Obama and has publicly apologized to both the president and residents of the congressional district for any misunderstanding.

I imagine that Jesse Lee Peterson is heading down to support Poitier's campaign as you're reading this. I 'spose that Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice are shakin' their head as they see what this Black GOP candidate is doing.

Do you know any Black Republicans? What do you think they are saying about the 'Buckwheat' comment?

Can We Stop GOP Hate? Yes We Can! Even if John Boehner Says 'Hell, No You Can't' [Video]

Last weekend, Tea Party Patriots gathered in the Capitol and showered racist and homophobic abuse on Democratic Congress Members supporting healthcare reform. As I watched the images on my television I was reminded of another time in our history ... Reconstruction. That was a time when Black leaders were taking on leadership roles in Congress. White folks got upset and begin to yell racist insults at the Black leaders. Today, we have a Black man making historic changes in the White House ... and racist insults and threats are being hurled at him and other Black congressional leaders.

One Tea Party protester called the former civil rights leader and current Atlanta Congressman John Lewis the "n-word". John Lewis was spat on and called the n-word when he marched on that bridge in Selma, AL over 50 years ago. Now as a respected member of Congress he has to endure it again.

Another spat on Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, also an African American.

The more things change ... the more they stay the same.

Republican leaders publicly denounced Sunday's ugly scene, but they failed to acknowledge that this is only the latest incident in a pattern of violent rhetoric, racially charged imagery, and paranoid conspiracy theories at Tea Party rallies. Many Tea Partiers aren't simply about dissent -- they use fear and hatred to assault the very legitimacy of our elected leaders. It's the worst America has to offer.

All things rise and fall with leadership. Watch the following video and tell me which leader you want to follow?



John Boehner and his GOP cronies know that this past weekend wasn't an isolated incident.

Villagers remember the rallies held to protest tax day last year, Tea Partiers carried signs that announced "Obama's Plan: White Slavery," "The American Taxpayers are the Jews for Obama's Oven," and "Guns Tomorrow!"

The Republican National Committee had endorsed the rallies, and RNC Chairman Michael Steele encouraged Tea Partiers to send a "virtual tea bag" to President Obama and Democratic Congressional leadership. After reports of the fear-mongering signs surfaced, Steele did nothing to distance his party from the lunatic fringe. He has even gone so far as to say that if he didn't have his current position, he'd be "out there with the tea partiers." Some Republican governors even planned a "Tea Party 2.0" for the following month in an effort to build on the rallies' momentum.

The Tea Party's venomous rhetoric picked up steam over the summer, when angry mobs flooded town hall meetings legislators had organized as sites for rational, civil debate on health care reform. After one meeting in Atlanta, a swastika was painted on the office of Congressman David Scott (D-GA), who had also received a flier addressed to "nigga David Scott." Some protesters showed up at town hall meetings carrying guns, including at least one man who was armed at an event where the President was speaking. Again, Republicans responded to these tactics with silence, doing nothing to denounce them.

Similarly, there was no public outcry from Republican leadership when Mark Williams, a leader of the Tea Party movement, was exposed for having described the President as "an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug and a racist in chief" on his blog.

Instead, we see members of the GOP continued to show up to and endorse Tea Party rallies. And as recently as Sunday -- the day that the historic health care bill passed the House -- Republican members of the House riled up the same Tea Party crowd that had earlier harassed their fellow members with hate and bigotry.

It is time to put a stop to the hate. I encourage all villagers to sign the petition recently created by ColorOfChange.org. Do it now!