THE CHURCH COMMUNITY HAS MANY FLAWS (ADULTERY, GREED, HIGH DIVORCE RATE, PRIDE, STRIFE, NOT HELPING POOR PEOPLE, FALSE PROPHETS).
THOSE FLAWS (ADULTERY, GREED, HIGH DIVORCE RATE, PRIDE, STRIFE, NOT HELPING POOR PEOPLE, FALSE PROPHETS) ARE EXACTLY WHY SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE LEFT THE 21st CENTURY CHURCH.
STOP THROWING STONES BECAUSE ONLY JESUS CHRIST IS PERFECT.
GOD SENT JESUS TO HEAL THE SICK, NOT KILL THE SICK.
THE TRUE LOVE OF GOD IS INDEED MISSING IN MANY CHURCHES.
PRAY FOR LE'ANDRIA JOHNSON & EVERYONE ELSE TOO.
Post Sources: The Gospel Blog, Newsone, Christian Post, Youtube
Let me start out by saying that we all need prayer in some way, shape, or form. Nobody is perfect.
Check out the video below. “Sunday Best” winner Le’Andria Johnson shares a very touching testimony about her life after the contest concluded.
In the video, she asks for people to keep her in their prayers. She also asked for this video to be posted on YouTube. After watching the video I felt compelled to share the video on this blog in the hope that more people will watch it and keep Le’Andria in their prayers.
In my opinion, every Christian is an ambassador of Jesus Christ. I think people who are in public ministry have both a different pressure and different set of responsibilities than the rest of us. They represent Jesus to many non-Christians.
I encourage you to not only pray for Le’Andria, but to pray for every Christian that has a large public ministry. There are many pastors, singers, evangelists and musicians that need us to keep them lifted up in prayer.
LE'ANDRIA JOHNSON & SNOOP DOG 2018 GOSPEL/ HIP HOP TOUR (28 CITIES)-(MY IDEA):
***** PROJECT IDEA - FULL MUSICAL TOUR OF GOSPEL/ HIP HOP ARTISTS, HEADLINED BY GOSPEL SINGER LE'ANDRIA JOHNSON & HIP HOP LEGEND SNOOP DOG.
***** DATES: AUGUST THROUGH NOVEMBER 2018
***** OBJECTIVE:
THIS 28 CITY, SOLD-OUT TOUR WILL BE USED TO INTEGRATE GOSPEL AND HIP HOP MUSIC TO REACH ALL AGES, ESPECIALLY PASSIONATE GENERATION Y POPULATION MUSIC LOVERS.
*******GET OUT THE VOTE:
THIS MULTI-CULTURAL MUSICAL TOUR WILL ALSO BE USED TO REGISTER VOTERS FOR THE 2020 NATIONAL POLITICAL ELECTIONS.
****** ELIMINATING POVERTY:
AT EACH LOCATION A CANNED FOOD DRIVE WILL BE HELD TO HELP FEED THE POOR.
CONCERT GOERS CAN BRING ONE CAN OF FOOD EACH TO DEPOSIT INTO LARGE BINS.
THOSE BINS WILL LATER BE TRANSPORTED TO FOOD BANKS IN EACH CITY.
FREE SCHOOL SUPPLIES CAN ALSO BE DONATED.
******* LOCATIONS:
ATLANTA, GA
ATHENS, GA
AUSTIN, TX
BALTIMORE, MD
BROOKLYN, NY
MANHATTAN, NY
CHARLOTTE, NC
CLEVELAND, OH
COLUMBIA, SC
COLLEGE PARK, MD
DETROIT, MI
DURHAM, NC
GREENSBORO, NC
LAS VEGAS, NV
LONG ISLAND, NY
LOS ANGELES, CA
MEMPHIS, TENN
MIAMI, FL
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN
NEW ORLEANS, LA
NEWARK, NJ
ONTARIO, CANADA
PORTLAND, OR
RALEIGH, NC
SELMA, AL
TORONTO, CANADA
TULSA, OK
WASHINGTON, DC
Gospel singer Le'Andria Johnson's pastor, Tim Rogers, says her irreverent criticism of the Church was "misguided passion" and he hopes Christians don't "throw her away altogether" because there is a place for her in the Kingdom.
"The Bible says if a brother be overtaken in a fault, if you're really spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering yourself," Rogers, a fellow gospel singer who leads The Hope Church in Blytheville, Arkansas, told The Christian Post earlier this week.
"A lot of preachers have called me to say she said things that they can't say. And they are sick of the politics of the church. Me and her did have a talk about her passion being guided because that's what I understand that it was the other day. It was misguided passion," he added.
Johnson won the hearts of Christians nationwide with her talent and candor when she won the BET gospel singing competition "Sunday Best" eight years ago.
Her turn in the spotlight has been punctuated by behavior that some Christians say is unbecoming for someone who professes to be a practicing Christian.
Johnson recently slammed the Church and Bishop Marvin Winans in a scathing expletive-laced critique. She also vented her frustrations with a Christian culture she described as hypocritical. Her outburst caused her to lose a booking for the recently concluded Essence Festival in New Orleans.
It was after that outburst that Essence organizers reportedly removed Johnson from a slated tribute to Dottie Peoples. She said she wasn't going to pretend to be someone she wasn't just to become a gospel superstar and called out Church leaders for being hypocritical while dismissing the Church as a business.
Johnson apologized on Monday for her delivery but remained unrepentant about her criticism of the machinery behind Christian culture.
"You know Christianity, it's just a lot that's going on. So the way I said it, using the F-bomb, I apologize to the fans of mine that do go to church. I do apologize if I've offended you," she said.
Rogers explained that while he had not seen the videos of Johnson's rants online, he spoke with her about them and said he encouraged the apology.
"She is a member of our church. So she called me and she told me what happened. She told me what she said. She asked me did I look at it. She told me she was coming home to come to church. We had a chance to sit down. I know Le'Andria. I know her heart. A lot of people in the world they only know her by her gifting. And this is something I'm learning about the Church," he said.
"The Church will accept your gifts but they really don't want that person. That's why when the person is singing you ignore the gifts. And the gift is alright. It makes us feel good until we know who you really are. Le'Andria is a nice person. She means well. She just doesn't have a filter. And she has a lot of learning to do," he said.
"I think she is a wonderful person and I still think she has a place in the kingdom. She just doesn't fit well in a box. And you know religion has a way of boxing you in that you can only be this. You can never be anything other than that. In order to be accepted in this circle you can only be this and you can only talk like this. Well Le'Andria is not that person. But she's learning. I just hope the church doesn't throw her away altogether," Rogers said.
BERNIE SANDERS TEAMS UP WITH HILLARY CLINTON TO DEFEAT TRUMP IN 2016:
SANDERS IS SHIFTING FROM OPPONENT TO HILLARY'S MENTOR.
WAS THERE A 2016 DEAL MADE BETWEEN HILLARY & SANDERS?
Two weeks ago 2016 Presidential Candidate and Socialist U.S. Senator BERNIE SANDERS issued an public apology on air to his Opponent HILLARY CLINTON for a Voter Data Breach during a DEMOCRAT party debate in New Hampshire.
This past weekend BERNIE SANDERS joined Key DEMOCRAT leaders in attacking Jewish Billionaire and GOP Donor SHELDON ADELSON.
For several months SANDERS has attacked HILLARY over her close ties with Wall Street and Elite BILLIONAIRES.
Now it appears as if SANDERS is Collaborating with HILLARY'S campaign to defeat the presumptive 2016 GOP nominee DONALD J TRUMP.
Was there a 2016 Deal made between HILLARY and SANDERS?
Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, starting a two-day swing through Nevada, took aim Sunday at members of the Republican field for seeking the blessing of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
At a rally in Reno that drew more than 2,000 people, Sanders spoke facetiously of an “Adelson caucus,” a reference to Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and other Republicans who have met with the mega-donor in the hopes of securing a financial boost ahead of the first nominating contests.
“Sheldon Adelson has not invited me to speak with him,” said Sanders, who routinely decries the political influence of the “billionaire class.” During the rally, which was live-streamed on Periscope, Sanders said that the average contribution to his campaign has been less than $30.
Sanders's two-day swing through Nevada comes ahead of a month in which he plans to hunker down in Iowa and New Hampshire, the states with the first nominating contests.
Many analysts say that the senator from Vermont would probably need to win both to become a real threat to Hillary Clinton in the contest for the Democratic nomination.
Nevada holds its Democratic caucuses on Feb. 20, following the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1 and the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9.
“We think we have a shot here,” Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said of Nevada. “Obviously, we’re working hard in Iowa and New Hampshire, but Bernie is running a national campaign.”
Sanders, who is scheduled to return to Iowa on Tuesday and New Hampshire this weekend, also sparred over social media on Sunday with the Republican front-runner, Donald Trump.
During an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Sanders argued that he would better represent the economic interests of Trump’s working-class supporters, citing prior statements by Trump that wages in America are “too high.”
“Lie!” Trump said on Twitter after the broadcast, denying that he had said wages are too high.
Sanders responded with a tweet saying that Trump is “getting nervous that working families are catching on to whose interests he truly represents.” In an accompanying news release, Sanders pointed to multiple instances in which Trump said wages were too high.
Trump is among the Republican hopefuls who has met with Adelson, whom Forbes magazine estimates is worth $23.7 billion and who provided a financial boost during the 2012 presidential race to super PACs supporting GOP aspirants Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.
Prior to his meeting with Adelson, Trump described it as a courtesy call rather than a solicitation for campaign donations. The two reportedly got together at the Venetian, a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip that is owned Adelson and was the site of a CNN-sponsored Republican debate this month.
Sanders plans to campaign Monday in the Las Vegas area, including at an evening rally planned in North Las Vegas.
Sources: ABC News, Washington Post, NBC News, YouTube
AN APOLOGY IN 2014 WOULD HAVE DERAILED RAHM'S RE-ELECTION CHANCES.
So why didn't Mayor Rahm Emanuel apologize when 17- yr old LAQUAN
MCDONALD was first Murdered in 2014 after he was Shot by Chicago Police
sixteen times?
If he had apologized back in 2014, Rahm Emanuel would Not have been re-elected.
If Rahm Emanuel RESIGNS as Mayor will his resignation improve the
quality of life for Chicago's BLACK voters, or bring Laquan McDonald
back from the dead?
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday apologized to aldermen for the police shooting of Laquan McDonald "that happened on my watch."
"If we're going to fix it, I want you to understand it's my
responsibility with you," Emanuel said in a rare speech to the full
Chicago City Council. "But if we're also going to begin the healing
process, the first step in that journey is my step, and I'm sorry."
Emanuel — who has dismissed his police superintendent, parted ways with
the head of the police shooting review agency and dropped opposition to
the release of the McDonald shooting video during the last two weeks —
framed up the situation as "a defining moment on the issues of crime and
policing — and the even larger issues of truth, justice and race."
The address of about 40 minutes, coming during a crucial time of
Emanuel's tenure, was more of a political speech designed to assuage
Chicagoans than one filled with specific plans that several aldermen
called for this week to deal with entrenched problems in the Chicago
Police Department.
Those problems were highlighted nationally by
the fatal shooting of 17-year-old McDonald, an African-American, by a
white police officer, the 13 months it took for video of the incident to
be made public by court order and for a murder charge to be brought
only shortly before the video's release.
And so the mayor on
Wednesday talked about many Chicagoans' lack of trust in police
officers, and returned to his oft-discussed argument that there are too
many guns on Chicago streets. He reiterated his frequent argument that
elected officials and community leaders have a responsibility "to earn
back that trust and to change that narrative," and said there's a need
for police to build trust with young African-Americans.
Emanuel spoke of the larger challenges as ones shared by people throughout Chicago.
"This time must be different. It will be a bumpy road, make no mistake
about it," Emanuel said. "It is a painful process, and it is a long
journey because of the issues we need to confront. But we as a city will
not hesitate in the pursuit of what is right. We cannot shrink from the
challenge any more than we can ignore the wrenching video of a troubled
young man, a ward of the state of Illinois, failed by the system,
surrounded by the police and gunned down on the streets of Chicago."
Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, said the mayor still has a lot of work to do to regain the city's trust.
"That's the challenge he has, quite honestly, and it's going to be
judged by his actions, not his words," Sawyer said moments after the
mayor's speech. "So, we hope the ensuing actions will be substantive and
will show real meaning to make that connection back with the community
so we can establish that trust."
The Rev. Jesse Jackson sat in
the front row of the gallery in the City Council chamber to watch
Emanuel deliver his speech, which he called "an impassioned address on
the extreme duress" of the city.
"The word must become flesh, and
we'll know the value of it then," Jackson said of Emanuel's speech. "It
must become a practice, and it must happen immediately. We now know
police saw the killing of Laquan McDonald and filed a false report. They
should be addressed immediately."
Jackson called on the federal
government not to limit its Justice Department probe to the Police
Department, but also investigate Emanuel's office and Cook County
State's Attorney Anita Alvarez's office.
He said many questions remain
about what Emanuel and Alvarez knew and when they knew it.
"Who
saw the tape when and delayed the tape for 13 months?" Jackson asked.
"When subpoenas are issued to testify under oath, then we'll know who
knew what when."
The real test, Jackson said, will be how Emanuel
deals with the stringent Fraternal Order of Police contract that limits
police discipline.
Aldermen — many of whom have approved
hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements for victims of police
brutality while demanding little change in how the department operates —
had mixed reactions to the mayor's talk.
Ald. Howard Brookins,
21st, a congressional candidate who has long spoken out about police
abuse, said he thought Emanuel's speech was "genuine and heartfelt," but
that many in the public will be skeptical and he'll have to follow up
his words with actions.
"Everybody will be cynical that we're
just doing this, or it was just said to get past this particular crisis
at this time," Brookins said. "I'm saying that the public will hold us
to the standard that 'talk is cheap, let's see what your actions will
be.' "
Ald. Will Burns, 4th, a mayoral ally, said Emanuel will
have to take real action. "I think that in order for our city to
function, for our city not to tear itself apart, the reforms have to
happen," Burns said.
Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd, said "it's going to be
a tall order" to make the type of real improvements in policing that
Emanuel called for Wednesday. "It's going to take a lot of funding, and
given the state of the city, we're going to have to find the resources
to do this," she said.
Ald. Leslie Hairston, 5th, a frequent
Emanuel critic, said the mayor surprised her by not delivering "just the
regular speech" she expected.
"It seemed to be real. It hit me.
It hit me. It went straight to the core, and that's what I appreciated
about it," Hairston said. "This is something we haven't heard before. It
was not window dressing. It talked about some of the core and key
things that are problems here in the city of Chicago, and I think that's
a very big step."
Emanuel has appointed his own five-person task
force to recommend Police Department reforms in response to the
McDonald shooting fallout, and the task force is set to announce its
findings by the end of March.
In his speech, Emanuel said the
panel has already recommended the hiring of a "senior officer for civil
rights" at the Police Department to implement the panel's
recommendations and those of federal investigators.
As he has in
recent days, Emanuel focused much of his talk on the broader
implications of McDonald's death after being shot 16 times by police
Officer Jason Van Dyke in October 2014.
Nothing, nothing can
excuse what happened to Laquan McDonald," Emanuel said. "Our city has
been down this road before. We have seen fatal police shootings and
other forms of abuse and corruption. We took corrective measures, but
those measures never measured up to the challenge."
The mayor was
at his most emotional when he discussed the need for respect between
officers and young black men, and when he mentioned parents who have
lost children to violence and people who get out of jail with few
options.
He talked about a recent lunch with young men who had been in trouble with the law.
"So I asked them, tell me the one thing I need to know," Emanuel said.
"And rather than tell me something, one young man asked me a simple
question that gets to the core of what we're talking about. He said, 'Do
you think the police would ever treat you the way they treat me?' And
the answer is no, and that's wrong," Emanuel said, his voice rising
before he began to pound the lectern. "And that has to change in this
city. That has to come to an end and end now. No citizen is a
second-class citizen in the city of Chicago. If my children are treated
one way, every child is treated the same way."
Aldermen applauded the mayor when he noted that double standard.
As he often does when talking about the parents of gunshot victims, the
mayor choked up as he recounted "their extraordinary grace."
And
without giving specifics, he called for residents to have a forum to
talk about their problems with the police. "We have to have better
oversight of our police officers to make sure they are living up to the
high standards we expect of them, and we also have to create a place for
the community to vent their understandable feelings and fears about the
police without it devolving into acrimony and finger-pointing," he
said.
Emanuel said the next police superintendent who will
replace the recently fired Garry McCarthy will need "to address the
problems at the very heart of the policing profession."
"This
problem is sometimes referred to as the Thin Blue Line," Emanuel said.
"Other times it is referred to as the code of silence. It is the
tendency to ignore, deny or in some cases cover up the bad actions of a
colleague or colleagues.
No officer should be allowed to behave
as if they are above the law just because they are responsible for
upholding the law. Permitting and protecting even the smallest acts of
abuse by a tiny fraction of our officers leads to a culture where
extreme acts of abuse are more likely, just like what happened to Laquan
McDonald."
Emanuel, who once tried to settle a police brutality
lawsuit that found a code of silence existed in the Police Department,
said Tuesday evening on "Chicago Tonight" that such a code exists. "The
short answer is yes," Emanuel said.
Access to City Council
chambers was limited Wednesday. The administration said there was a list
of those who were to be allowed in but later said some members of the
public were admitted.
Protesters chanted outside council chambers after the speech, and more protests were unfolding against Emanuel later Wednesday.
6 NJ RESIDENTS SUE STATE.....CHRISTIE.....& PORT AUTHORITY OVER "BRIDGEGATE" BUT THEY WON'T GET ANYTHING DUE TO SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY.
Documents detailing an Investigation of the "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal will be released Friday by members of the NJ General Assembly.
Can you say "2016 Politics"??
#BRIDGEGATE
BREAKING CHRISTIE BEFORE 2016 ARRIVES: DEMOCRATS & THE TEA PARTY
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2016 NOMINATION HILLARY CLINTON & MARTIN O' MALLEY!!
Although I still believe NJ Gov CHRIS CHRISTIE handled himself very well Thursday during his "BRIDGEGATE" Presser, it ain't over yet!
By the time OBAMA'S Election Machine (for HILLARY)........NSA "Big Brother" Surveillance......and CLINTON Loyalists, are through with CHRISTIE I doubt he'll be in any shape to ever seek Public Office again.
That's too bad.
I really wanted to see another Meat & Potatoes Campaign in 2016 between HILLARY & CHRISTIE, just as it was with OBAMA & ROMNEY in 2012.
Unfortunately for CHRISTIE even the TEA PARTY hates him.
People like LINDSEY GRAHAM and his SOUTH CAROLINA RACISM are sitting somewhere laughing hard right about now.
RAND PAUL appears to be a good guy but he's linked to the TEA PARTY.
The TEA PARTY has undeniably RACIST Roots.
I don't care if there are a few BLACKS in the TEA PARTY (David Webb), it's still by and large a RACIST Organization.
So thanks to Stupid RACIST TEA PARTY Supporters, DEMOCRATS are most likely going to WIN again in 2016.
Why??
There is absolutely NO way a TEA PARTY Candidate can Defeat HILLARY CLINTON.
NEVER!!
So when HILLARY'S name is called as the WINNER in Nov 2016, I don't want to hear a peep from the GOP.....RNC.....nor any TEA PARTY Leaders because You had someone who could have went toe-to-toe with HILLARY and You blew it!
2016 WILL BE A WALK IN THE PARK FOR HILLARY.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2016 NOMINATION HILLARY CLINTON & MARTIN O' MALLEY!!
I CAN HARDLY WAIT.
BREAKING CHRISTIE BEFORE 2016 ARRIVES: DEMOCRATS & THE TEA PARTY
Six New Jersey residents have filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Chris Christie, the state of New Jersey, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and others over traffic jams in September.
The suit filed in federal court Thursday appears to be the first civil claim over traffic that appear to have been caused as political punishment for the Fort Lee mayor.
The plaintiffs want it certified as a class action.
Lawyer Rosemarie Arnold says she filed it after learning this week that lane closures on an approach to the George Washington Bridge were "deliberate actions." She says that her clients were late for work and that one suffered a panic attack.
Christie has denied involvement. His spokesman did not respond to an email seeking comment.
The daughter of a 91-year-old woman from Fort Lee, N.J., who died on the day of a major traffic jam precipitated by top aides to Gov. Chris Christie said on Thursday that she did not believe the inability of an ambulance to reach her mother’s house was a factor in her death.
“I honestly believe it was just her time,” said Vilma Oleri, whose mother, Florence Genova, died on the morning of Sept. 9, the first day that the closing of local lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge set off the snarls.
A Fort Lee emergency official has said that the traffic jam prevented an ambulance from Englewood Hospital from reaching Ms. Genova’s home.
Ms. Oleri spoke inside her home in Closter, N.J. She said she had gone that morning to check on her mother, who lived alone in a two-story, red brick house on Harvard Place in the southern part of Fort Lee. Ms. Oleri said she called 911 after her mother went into the bathroom before breakfast and did not come out.
Related Coverage
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey greeted residents after leaving City Hall in Fort Lee on Thursday.
Christie Fires Aide in Bridge Scandal as U.S. Opens InquiryJAN. 9, 2014
Paul E. Favia, the emergency medical services coordinator in Fort Lee, complained in a letter to the mayor on Sept. 10 that the traffic problems caused “unnecessary delays for emergency services.”
Just before the call about Ms. Genova, Mr. Favia wrote that it took him seven minutes instead of the usual four minutes to arrive at the scene of a car crash where four people needed to be taken to the hospital.
“I, myself, was stuck in traffic on Fletcher Avenue and had to jump the curb and cut up West Street in order to avoid the standstill traffic,” he wrote.
It took a Fort Lee E.M.S. crew seven minutes to reach Ms. Genova, after they were detoured away from the traffic accident.
“The response time was only shortened by the fact that they were heading to the accident scene to assist when dispatched” to Ms. Genova, the letter says. Ms. Genova had gone into “cardiac arrest,” according to Mr. Favia’s letter.
Ms. Oleri said that Fort Lee emergency responders tried to revive her mother at her home, but that her mother showed no signs of life.
A neighbor said she watched the paramedics rush Ms. Genova onto a stretcher inside their waiting ambulance.
Mr. Favia wrote in his letter that after an ambulance with paramedics from Englewood Hospital could not get to Ms. Genova’s house, it met the Fort Lee ambulance on a street. The hospital paramedics tried again, but failed, to revive Ms. Genova. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
“We believe she died in her home, but they couldn’t pronounce her until she got to the hospital,” said Ms. Oleri’s husband, Frank Oleri. “The traffic didn’t make any difference.”
Ms. Oleri said she had no idea until Wednesday that her mother’s death had become a source of controversy.
“We want to stay out of it,” Ms. Oleri said. “It’s not political.”
She said her mother married an immigrant from Italy and had lived in the same Fort Lee house for more than 50 years. Though her eyesight kept her from driving a car for most of the last half of her life, she insisted on keeping a car in her garage even after her husband died, because she believed it would deter burglars by signaling that a man lived there.
“She was a pip,” Mr. Oleri said.
Ms. Genova was so secretive about her age — it was one of the few details that became public when the traffic scandal gave her posthumous notoriety — that she never told her family. A decade ago, she fell and broke her hip. Ms. Oleri said her mother yanked an emergency responder’s ear to her lips and whispered her age.
“She never told me; she was like that,” Ms. Oleri said. “I sneaked a look on the paramedic’s clipboard.”
Neighbors said Ms. Genova liked to sit in her dining room with the window shade open. Occasionally, a home health aide would visit, and sit her in the sunshine on her front stoop.
“That’s how we knew she was O.K.; the blind would be up,” said Connie Ciongoli, Ms. Genova’s neighbor for more than 50 years. “We would check on her.”
Ms. Genova and her husband were married more than 50 years. She loved her son and daughter and three grandchildren, Ms. Oleri said, though in recent years her memory had began to fail her.
Because of that, she did not vote in the last election of a governor. But she did in the one before.
Governor Christie has fired Bridget Anne Kelly, the deputy chief of staff who ordered the lane closure at the George Washington Bridge in September as political payback to the Fort Lee mayor who did not endorse the governor for re-election.
Christie also instructed his close advisor Bill Stepien to withdraw from pursuing state GOP chairmanship and his consultancy for the Republican Governor’s Association – the powerful group that Christie is leading in 2014.
At a packed news conference in Trenton where he announced the firing, Christie apologized “for my failure to understand the true nature of this problem sooner than I did.”
At a packed news conference in Trenton where he announced the firing, Christie apologized “for my failure to understand the true nature of this problem sooner than I did.”
He also said he had "no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or execution" and was stunned by the "abject stupidity that was shown." Nevertheless, he said, he was responsible for what happened.
He said it was “completely unacceptable and showed a lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and the people we're are trusted to serve.”
He also said he had "no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or execution" and was stunned by the "abject stupidity that was shown."
Nevertheless, he said, he was responsible for what happened.
He said it was “completely unacceptable and showed a lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and the people we're are trusted to serve.”
The governor said he has instructed his staff to cooperate with the General Assembly investigation, the Port Authority Inspector General Investigation and any law enforcement investigation.
“I have nothing to hide,” Christie said. “We have nothing to hide. My administration has nothing to hide.”
He said he plans to personally interview his staff to root out if others had knowledge of or were involved in the lane closures. He said that if anything else is discovered he will make it public.
Christie said he was "embarrassed and humiliated" by his staff, one day after emails and text messages revealed his administration may have closed highway lanes to exact political retribution.
He added he was firing Kelly, "because she lied to me."
Christie said he is going to Fort Lee later today to apologize to Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich and borough residents.
The mayor has said he does not want to meet with the governor, but Christie is traveling to Fort Lee anyway.
The Record and other media reported Wednesday that Kelly, one of Christie's deputy chiefs of staff, had sent an email to David Wildstein, a Christie appointee at the Port Authority, saying "It's time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."
While many believed the closures were retribution against Sokolich, a Democrat who did not join other members of his party in endorsing Christie, Christie said previously that his staff and campaign had no knowledge of what caused the days-long tragic jam in Fort Lee. He said he believed Bill Baroni, who he appointed as deputy executive director of the transportation agency, who said the traffic jams were caused by a traffic study.
Both Wildstein and Baroni have resigned.
Christie said he was “blindsided” by the news.
Christie said he first learned of the issue after he had finished his workout and was called by communications staff that the story had broken on The Record’s website: NorthJersey.com.
“This is not the tone I set over the last four years in this building,” Christie said.
After the documents revealed Christie's staff and campaign had knowledge of the lane closures and Kelly apparently ordered them, the governor cancelled a planned Superstorm Sandy recovery announcement Wednesday. Six hours later Christie released a statement saying he had been "misled" by a staff member and that "people will be held responsive for their actions."
Christie said he knew nothing about the lane closures until they were eventually reopened four days later.
“I first found out about it after it was over,” he said.
He said he isn’t a micro-manager and gives his subordinates — staff and cabinet — discretion to make decisions. Christie said he didn’t know his campaign was even trying to pursue Sokolich’s endorsement. “I didn’t see this as political retribution because I didn’t see him do anything to us,” Christie said of Sokolich.
Christie said has not spoken to Kelly since the e-mail came out and does not know why she ordered the lane closure. He said he spoke to Port Authority Chairman David Samson on Wednesday and was convinced he did not know about the lane closure scheme.
Christie also apologized for a flip remark he made at a previous news conference that he had arranged the traffic cones himself when asked about the closures.
“I would never have made that joke if I knew the facts that came out yesterday,” Christie.
Christie said Stepien, his campaign manager on his last year’s reelection, was asked to leave his organization at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Kelly was fired at 9 a.m. today, Christie said.
He said Stepien had told him earlier that he had no involvement in the lane closures.
“I lost confidence in his judgment,” Christie said.
DENNIS RODMAN CONTROVERSY SPURS OBAMA ADMIN TO HELP FREE U.S. PRISONERS IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Were it not for the Controversy surrounding his recent Sports Venture Trip to NORTH KOREA, the OBAMA Admin would still be doing absolutely NOTHING to help Free U.S. Prisoners held Captive in other Countries.
For ex:
KENNETH BAE.
Pursuant to RODMAN'S on-air debate Monday with CHRIS CUOMO, the OBAMA Admin is now taking ACTION to help Free U.S. Prisoners in other Countries.
Dennis Rodman apologized Thursday for comments about captive American missionary Kenneth Bae in an interview with CNN.
A day after the former basketball star sang “Happy Birthday” to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and led a squad of former NBA players in a friendly game, Rodman issued the apology through publicist Jules Feiler in an email message to The Associated Press.
“I want to apologize,” Rodman said. “I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart. I had been drinking. It’s not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset. I was overwhelmed. It’s not an excuse, it’s just the truth.
“I want to first apologize to Kenneth Bae’s family. I want to apologize to my teammates and my management team. I also want to apologize to Chris Cuomo. I embarrassed a lot of people. I’m very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I’m truly sorry.”
Rodman has been slammed for not using his influence with Kim to help free Bae, the missionary in poor health who is being confined in the North for “anti-state” crimes. On CNN on Tuesday, Rodman implied Bae was at fault.
Bae’s sister, Terri Chung, said his family couldn’t believe what Rodman said.
“Here’s somebody who is in a position to do some good for Kenneth and refuses to do so,” Chung told KOMO Radio in Seattle on Wednesday. “And then after the fact, instead, he decides to hurl these unqualified accusations against Kenneth. It’s clear he has no idea what he’s talking about. I’m not sure who he’s talking to, where he’s getting his information, but he’s certainly no authority on Kenneth Bae.”
The U.S. State Department distanced itself from Rodman and said it did not want to “dignify” his activities or comments in Pyongyang by commenting on them. But spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the department was open to speaking with Rodman on his return.
“We have not reached out to him. We’ve said before, if he wants to reach out to us, we’re happy to hear from him and what he has to say,” she told reporters.
Rodman dedicated the game to his “best friend” Kim, who along with his wife and other senior officials and their wives watched from a special seating area. The capacity crowd of about 14,000 at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium clapped loudly as Rodman sang a verse from the birthday song.
Rodman said he was honored to be able to play the game in the North Korean capital and called the event “historic.” Some members of the U.S. Congress, the NBA and human rights groups, however, say he has become a public relations tool for North Korea’s government.
The government’s poor human rights record and its threats to use nuclear weapons against rival South Korea and the United States have kept it a pariah state. Kim shocked the world in December by having his uncle, once considered his mentor, executed after being accused of a litany of crimes including corruption, womanizing, drug abuse and attempting to seize power.
The 52-year-old Rodman has refused to address those concerns while continuing to forge a relationship with Kim, whose age has never been officially disclosed. The government did not say how old he turned Wednesday but he is believed to be in his early 30s.
At the start of the game, Rodman sang “Happy Birthday” to Kim, who was seated above in the stands at the stadium, and then bowed deeply as North Korean players clapped.
To keep it friendly, the Americans played against the North Koreans in the first half, but split up and merged teams for the second half.
The North Korean team scored 47 points to 39 for the Americans before the teams were mixed. Rodman played only in the first half and then sat next to Kim during the second half.
“A lot of people have expressed different views about me and your leader, your marshal, and I take that as a compliment,” Rodman told the crowd. “Yes, he is a great leader, he provides for his people here in this country and thank God the people here love the marshal.”
Rodman is the highest-profile American to meet Kim. He has carefully avoided getting involved in overtly political activities, saying that he is not a statesman and instead is seeking only to build cultural connections with the North through basketball that may help improve relations between Pyongyang and Washington.
The game is a new milestone in Rodman’s unusual relationship with Kim, who inherited power after the death of his father in late 2011 and rarely meets with foreigners. He remains a mystery to much of the outside world and until recently, his birthday was also not widely known, though it was quietly observed elsewhere around the capital Wednesday.
Along with Rodman, the former NBA players included ex-all-stars Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson and Vin Baker. Also on the roster were Craig Hodges, Doug Christie, Charles D. Smith and four non-NBA players.
Smith said he and the other players did not join Rodman in singing the birthday song.
“We always tell Dennis that he can’t sing. He is tone deaf,” Smith said. “He did it alone.”
MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry chastised her guests for being too serious just before the controversial segment about former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's adopted black grandson.
She told viewers the panel of comedians would "be forced to drink during the commercial so they can get their funny back."
Harris-Perry would tearfully apologize for the resulting jokes a week later.
"My intention was not malicious, but I broke the ground rule that families are off limits, and for that I am sorry," Harris-Perry said Saturday.
The apology comes weeks after MSNBC host Martin Bashir lost his job because of remarks about former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Controversial comments by journalists about an American politician's family are not new. Harry Truman threatened physical violence against a Washington Post critic who famously wrote in 1950 that the president's daughter "cannot sing very well."
While Margaret Truman put herself into the public eye with her performance, Romney's grandson Kieran James only sat on his grandfather's lap for a family Christmas card photograph. And this instance involved race.
Harris-Perry asked her panelists to come up with captions for the photo of Romney, his wife and their 21 grandchildren, all white except for Kieran.
Comedic actress Pia Glenn sang a Sesame Street song: "One of These Things Is Not Like the Others."
Comedian Dean Obeidallah joked that the photo "really sums up the diversity of the Republican Party."
Harris-Perry described the baby as "gorgeous" and suggested Kieran could someday marry North West, the daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. "Can you imagine Mitt Romney and Kanye West as in-laws?" she joked.
Unlike Truman and the critic, Romney quickly forgave Harris-Perry. "People make mistakes, and the folks at MSNBC made a big mistake and they apologized for it," Romney said in an interview on "Fox News Sunday." "They apologized for it. That's all we can ask for."
Daily Beast political columnist Sally Kohn, a guest Sunday on CNN's "Reliable Sources," blamed the growing competitiveness and immediacy of media today for the increase in such incidents.
"There's always this incentive to say something that's newsworthy, attention-getting, but it's real easy to cross the line into offensive and stupid," Kohn said. "And that's a split-second judgment sometimes."
Harris-Perry, who is a political science professor at Tulane University, was surrounded by four comedians and no professional journalists. The live, unscripted show, which she said was her second annual "Look Back in Laughter" edition, seemed more like a night at the improv than a cable news program.
"This is the show where we dispense with the serious and sober coverage of the year in politics," she promised viewers. They would look back on "some of the political absurdity of 2013 with the ridicule and mockery it so rightly deserves."
Harris-Perry delivered an opening monologue loaded with obvious sexual puns about the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal.
Comedian Judy Gold joked about Sen. Ted Cruz, saying it was scary that the Texas Republican had daughters. Other comments came about the daughters of "rich, white Republicans."
The mandate for more punch lines was made clear by Harris-Perry after one somewhat serious segment.
"My comedians are all going to be forced to drink during the commercial so they can get their funny back because they've got real serious about sexism and feminism," the host said.
"We are basically ratings whores," Harris-Perry added.
Politico media reporter Dylan Byers said the MSNBC brand has been damaged by these controversies, considering the channel was "supposed to elevate the discourse" with smart, well-educated progressives who "lean forward."
"It's leaning backward and it's totally, it's not what MSNBC, I think, was supposed to be about originally, and I think it's doing real, severe damage to the brand," Byers said on CNN's "Reliable Sources."
Boston radio host Callie Crossley told "Reliable Sources" that Harris-Perry's brand has been damaged by the controversy as well. "Her brand is to exactly be on top of the kind of ignorant and other kind of racist commentary."
The Society of Professional Journalists has a code of ethics that says journalists should "use special sensitivity when dealing with children" and "show good taste." Students learn it in most journalism schools.
But the rule book in the rough-and-tumble world of politics and media is an unwritten common law of precedents that evolves partly through apologies, resignations and firings.
Harris-Perry's Apology makes one rule clear: the kids are off limits.
MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry apologized in a series of tweets Tuesday morning for using Mitt Romney's black adopted grandchild in a comedy segment over the weekend.
"I am sorry. Without reservation or qualification. I apologize to the Romney family," the apology started. "I work by guiding principle that those who offend do not have the right to tell those they hurt that they (are) wrong for hurting. Therefore, while I meant no offense, I want to immediately apologize to the Romney family for hurting them."
"As (a) black child born into large white Mormon family I feel familiarity w/ Romney family (picture) & never meant to suggest otherwise," she continued. "I apologize to all families built on loving trans-racial adoptions who feel I degraded their lives or choices."
In the segment, part of an hour taking a comedic look at 2013, Harris-Perry pulled up a Romney family photo with the newly adopted grandson, who is Black, sitting on Mitt Romney's knee.
One panelist, actress Pia Glenn, sang “one of these things is not like the other” with another joking that it was representative of the Republican Party’s lack of diversity. “It really sums up the diversity of the Republican Party, the RNC.
At the convention, they find the one Black person,” said comedian Dean Obeidallah.
Harris-Perry joked about Romney’s grandson marrying the child of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. The segment brought on a backlash from people like Sarah Palin, Scott Brown and conservative bloggers, demanding MSNBC apologize.
Update 12 p.m.:
Harris-Perry has also posted an apology on MSNBC.com, in which she said the point of featuring the photo was to celebrate it:
On Sunday’s program, we showed a photo of Governor Romney holding his adopted grandson, who is African-American.
The intent of featuring the photo was to celebrate it — I often speak to the issue of the increasingly diverse American family.
Whatever the intent, the segment proceeded in an unexpected way that was offensive. Without reservation or qualification, I apologize to the Romney family and to all families built on loving trans-racial adoptions.
Remember when Bill Clinton told CNBC that he endorses a Temporary Extension of the Bush Tax Cuts? Well today Bill Clinton walked back his Bush Tax Cuts comments (just like Cory Booker did about Bain) and Apologized.
Bill Clinton regrets the swirl over comments he made earlier in the week in which he appeared to suggest he would be open to extending the so-called Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, the former president said Thursday.
"I'm very sorry about what happened," Clinton said in an interview to air on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." "I thought something had to be done on the 'fiscal cliff' before the election. Apparently nothing has to be done until the first of the year."
Republicans seized on Clinton's remarks this week when he said lawmakers will likely put off a series of major spending and budget decisions. They argued the former president was siding with many in the GOP who call for the extension of the controversial tax cuts largely opposed by Democrats.
"[Congress] will probably have to put everything off until early next year," Clinton said Tuesday during an interview with CNBC. "That's probably the best thing to do right now."
The "fiscal cliff" consists of measures set to begin in January that would remove more than $500 billion out of the economy in 2013 alone. Those measures include the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and protection of the middle class from the Alternative Minimum Tax, the onset of $1 trillion in blunt spending cuts, and a reduction in Medicare doctors' pay.
On Thursday, however, Clinton argued that he, in fact, supported President Barack Obama's position, which calls for an end to the tax cuts only for those making $250,000 or more.
The former president emphasized he was mistaken about the timing of the fiscal cliff when he made his comments, thinking it would happen before the November election, rather than at the beginning of next year.
"I really was under the impression that they would have to do something before the election, and I was trying to figure out how they would kick it to last (through) the election," he said.
He continued: "Once I realized that nothing had to be done until the first of the year, I supported (Obama's) position. I supported extending them last year, but I think his position is the right one and necessary for working out a comprehensive (deficit reduction) deal."
The comments marked the second time Republicans pounced on Clinton in a week, trying to use his own words against Obama.
The former president last week complimented Mitt Romney's private equity career in an interview on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight," which raised eyebrows among Democrats who have been using Romney's corporate history as an attack against the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.
Last week, Clinton described Romney as a successful businessman and nodded to his "sterling" career.
Clarifying his remarks Thursday, Clinton said that just because he thinks Romney did well in the private sector doesn't mean he deserves to be elected president.
"You can be successful in business...if your shareholders do well," he said. "You can only be successful as president if the shareholders, the employees, the customers, and the communities do well–all of the constituencies of American market economics."
While Clinton has attended several top fundraisers for Obama this cycle, some critics argue Clinton's recent slip-ups are attempts to undermine the current president. Asked about his relationship with Obama, Clinton did not directly comment on his personal views of the president but pointed to his record of campaigning for him, instead.
"Look in 2008, when he ran for president and defeated Hillary in the primaries, I did 40 events for him. 40 in the election," he said.
He then said he repeatedly argues the president has "done a good job, a really good job under very trying circumstances" and stressed that he is "strongly committed" to Obama's re-election.
Thursday's interview came the same day a new CNN/ORC International poll indicated 66% of Americans hold a favorable view of Clinton, while 31% give him an unfavorable rating.
The former two-term Democratic president's favorable rating bottomed out in CNN polling at 51% in June of 2008, after Clinton took a very active role in advocating for his wife in her historic battle with Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Welcome to the BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ Blog. (Established 2008)
My name is Laurel. (Author & Publisher)
I Blog with a focus on POLITICS, Business, and occasionally Entertainment.
FACTS ABOUT LAUREL:
Wife,
Mother of a U.S. Soldier,
Sister,
Woman of GOD,
Loyal Friend,
Creative,
Blood-related to a nationally known Charlotte Politician.
Black Female, Intelligent,
Married,
Love to Travel,
Credentialed by the RNC and DNC.
Political Blogger/ Commentator
Grassroots Activist,
PROFESSIONAL STATUS:
Credential Political Blogger/ Commentator,
Registered Independent Voter
Original Native of BROOKLYN, NY
Currently reside in CHARLOTTE, NC
I’m Nice but don’t get it twisted because my Mind is Sharp!
Since You’ve Chosen to Visit and Read the Contents of this Blog by Personal Choice, and of Your Own Free Will,
Please don’t ask me to Compensate you for Expressing individual commentary/ Posted Articles, which are protected by the First Amendment, citing Freedom of Speech & Freedom of Expression.
No Intentionally Malicious Slander, Libel or Defamation of Character content will be published and I will always Credit all Sources.
NOTE TO ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS, APPOINTED OFFICIALS & PUBLIC FIGURES:
Per the Landmark U.S. Supreme Court Case: 1964 case of New York Times v. Sullivan………
The Public has a Right to Criticize the People who Govern them, so the least Protection from Defamation is given to Public Officials. When officials are accused of something that involves their behavior in office, they have to prove all of the above elements of defamation and they must also prove that the defendant acted with “actual malice.” (For a definition of actual malice, see the “History of Defamation and the First Amendment, below.”)
People who aren’t Elected but who are Still Public Figures because they are influential or famous — like Actors, Actresses, Movie Stars, Singers & Entertainers, Journalists, TV Hosts, Bloggers, etc., — also have to Prove that Defamatory statements were made with Actual Malice, in most cases.
To the Associated Press and other Media Organizations:
When I use your Content Links., I’m also citing the Fair Use Doctrine (Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107) for further Copyright permission.
Posts and Links published on Black Political Buzz are not endorsed by Black Political Buzz Blog Author Laurel’s Employer, nor the Employers of other Black Political Buzz employees.
This includes Links, Posts and Comments posted on Black Political Buzz’s Facebook and Twitter account pages.
Comments, Links and Opinions of site visitors are Independently-Owned and not endorsed by Black Political Buzz employees, Blog Author Laurel or Laurel’s Employer.)
(No Personal Offense intended) Please know that Black Political Buzz is not responsible for nor do I endorse Requests for Donations from Third Parties on this Blog.
I will Only Endorse Requests for Donations made on behalf of BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ Blog for Business Purposes & Operating Expenses.
I will also Only Endorse Requests for Donations on behalf of Legitimate Politicians and Legitimate Political Candidates. PERIOD!!
If anyone else or another Organization wishes to post a link to Request Donations, I am NOT endorsing ANY of those Requests!
Unless I receive a personal Request to do so and I have Professionally Confirmed that the Third Party Organization or Charity is indeed a Legitimate Entity.
NOTE: Anyone who chooses to give to any Third Party Organization NOT Endorsed by BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ is doing so at his or her own risk.
BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ does NOT Discriminate against Politicians, Political Candidates, Organizations or Charities based on Race, Color, Nationality, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Religion, Faith, Disability, Political Affiliation, Creed, Education, Social Status, Age.
This disclaimer applies to ANY and All requests for Donations on this Blog. Thanks for understanding. Again No Personal Offense intended.
For Story Tips….Corrections…….. or Requests for Endorsements:
Please contact me via e-mail: blackpoliticalbuzz@gmail.com
or via my Facebook page: facebook.com/blackpoliticalbuzz
Thanks for stopping by
God Bless
Laurel @BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ
LINKS: POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE & INFORMATIONAL SITES
.jpg)
