Leid Stories

Leid Stories - 09/27/13

So, You Know What’s News? Test Your News Knowledge on “Pop Quiz”

Leid Stories introduces “Pop Quiz,” a very sneaky way of keeping listeners on their toes.

Call in, get your news clue, then give at least three solid facts about it in 1 minute or less.

Be brave, dear friends. This being the first Pop Quiz, there is an abundance of compassion and an ardent desire to see you shine. Regular listeners should have no trouble at all.

Leid Stories - 09/26/13

Black Tribulation: Obama’s Ultimate Triumph

African Americans have fueled the meteoric rise of Barack Obama—from the Illinois state Senate to the U.S. Senate and, finally, to the presidency. Out-performing all other political constituencies and voting blocs, they delivered decisive victories for him in his ascendancy—an investment, as they saw it, not only in his personal achievement, but more so in the shared hope for long-overdue attention to and improvement in their dire social and economic circumstances.

This has not happened. Worse, Obama has shown neither interest nor intention to make it happen. In the season of 50th-anniversary civil-rights commemorations, Obama could deliver only vapid speeches about what others had achieved decades ago and contemptuous reprimands about self-responsibility and hard work.

Leid Stories updates Obama’s abysmal record with respect to his most loyal voting bloc.   

Leid Stories - 09/25/13

Obama Adds Insults to Injuries at U.N. Summit and at Home

With an arrogance that has become his and his administration’s signature trait, President Obama took to the podium at the 68th session of the U.N. General Assembly and immediately began a lie-riddled narrative on American “exceptionalism.” Not only is the United States above international law, it damn well deserves to be. It’s a superpower perk.

Leid Stories explains that the hush that came over the room as Obama spoke wasn’t awe, but dismay that despite repeated efforts by other countries, the United States has not yet learned how to live as a member-nation in the interdependent world community of nations. At this session, more lessons from Brazil and Zimbabwe.

Plus, a solid reason to oppose Obamacare: The lying Clintons think it’s great!

Leid Stories - 09/24/13

Get on Your Soapbox, I’ll Give You the Mic!

Of the millions of things that have happened in the past week, you no doubt have strong feelings and opinions about at least 100 of them. Pick the one that grinds your gears the most, then firmly plant yourself on your soapbox and persuade us all of your unmatched ability to unmask both offender and offense.

Be warned: We’ve upped the ante on the fine art of analysis and debate. Bring your best.

Leid Stories - 09/23/13

A Political Breakthrough: Grassroots Movement Forms A Party to Take On ‘Plantation Politics’ in New York City

In the midst of the cacophony of primary elections in New York City, a grassroots movement had a clear objective – to gather enough signatures to qualify for ballot status as a bona fide political contender in the general election. Mission accomplished.

Now, the Freedom Party is serving notice that it aims to end the system of “plantation politics” it says has destroyed once-viable and thriving communities of color and has become a major impediment to justice and progress.

Leid Stories talks to “Attorney at War” Alton H. Maddox Jr., the driving force behind both the United African Movement and the newly formed Freedom Party, to get an understanding of this work in progress – a continuum of struggle he attributes to “revered ancestors who are its architects and engineers.” 

Leid Stories - 09/20/13

It’s War! – Not on Poverty, But the Poor;

Civil War or Insurrection?: What’s the Case with Syria?

It’s the day after Republicans declared war on America’s poor, passing a bill to cut $40 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the day they declare war on the president’s health-care law, Obamacare.

Leid Stories takes a deep look at extreme partisan politics, why new political parties are necessary, and how voters can leverage their power.

It seems not to matter in the grand scheme of things, but Leid Stories is a stickler for clarity. Hence, these questions: Just what is going on in Syria right now? Is it a civil war? An insurrection? A coup in the making?

Find out why these are very important questions!

Leid Stories - 09/19/13

Contraception or Genocide? / Rethinking Mythical Notions of ‘Democracy’

Kwame Fosu, policy director of the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, and Dr. Randy Short, social justice minister and president of The Clergy Coalition, discuss a coalition’s efforts to stop the mass-marketing of the controversial injectable contraceptive Depo-Provera to women of color in the United States and other parts of the world without informing them of the potentially lethal effects of the drug. The issue is the focus of a hearing before the Congressional Black Caucus tomorrow.

Plus, Leid Stories concludes yesterday’as discussion on rethinking mythical notions of “democracy.” 

Leid Stories - 09/18/13

American Democracy: A Matter of Dollars and Common Sense

Collectively the personal fortunes of 400 of the wealthiest Americans -- $2.02 trillion, an all-time high -- exceed Russia’s economy, says Forbes magazine. Meanwhile, 46.5 million Americans (15 percent of the nation) live in poverty, and the income gap between rich and poor is the widest it has been in almost 100 years.

These and other figures and statistics aren’t just telling a story about the lopsidedness of the U.S. economy; they’re saying that the political system that has delivered these realities also is woefully out of kilter. In other words, rethink that mythical notion of “democracy.”

Why? Because democracy, says Leid Stories, is not about voting. It’s about assuring reasonable access to the strategic resources of society.

The statistics have been trending this way for years, but have shown dramatic aberrations since the fiscal crisis of 2008, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The trends can be stopped – if people change their self-annihilating political habits. Ready?

Leid Stories - 09/17/13

Speak Your Mind! It’s Open Forum on Leid Stories!

Let’s hear your take on the issues of the day. Or, on something else entirely. It’s Open Forum on Leid Stories – which means you take the conversation wherever you want it to go. Bring your perspective to the gathering place for the exchange of information, opinions and ideas, and engage in vigorous discussion and debate.

Leid Stories - 09/16/13

Obama’s “Red Line” Extra Heavy With Syria, Totally Erased With Israel

The much-anticipated inspectors’ report on the Aug. 21 poison-gas attack in Syria is scheduled to be released today, while the U.N. Security Council begins work on formalizing a Russia-U.S.-brokered plan to search for and destroy Syria’s lethal inventory of chemical weapons.

President Obama vows to take military action if Syria does not comply strictly with the terms of the agreement. President Bashar al-Assad crossed the “red line” by gassing civilians, Obama has charged, and the United States has a “moral obligation” to inflict punishment.

But Obama’s “red line” talk is hypocritically circular, not morally straight. Leid Stories asks: How does the president explain his zeal to punish Syria for the alleged use of chemical weapons but completely ignore the same internationally condemned act by Israel – and the United States itself, for that matter?