Samantha Pierce

Today marks my one year driving anniversary. This time last year I was nervously making the rounds of the test area with the driving tester. I passed and have been a menace on the road ever since. Today was also to have been the day that control of Iraq was given back to Iraqis. But the powers that be wisely chose to do the hand over two days early. Saddam and several of his cronies have been handed over for trial in Iraqi courts. That should be an interesting circus to watch.

I’ve been at the homestead with the ‘rents for a couple days now. They only have dial up and one phone line so my blogging addiction has not been as bad as it could have been. I’m down for a family wedding. Mom and sis took me out shopping for a dress because to paraphrase mom, “This is a West Indian wedding. You can’t just show up looking’ any ole way.” Translation, you have to look like a million bucks while being as cheap as cheap can be or people WILL talk about you. I have a reputation as a bit of a fashion misfit in the family. I don’t like the rules that say I have to get all gussied up to please someone else’s standard how I should dress. My sisters usually just shake their heads at my deliberate nonconformity but mom likes to rib me about it when she can. So they took it upon them selves to “hook me up.” Technically I had veto power if I didn’t like anything they wanted to get me. Technically. Mom’s as stubborn as I am (I learned from the best). Anyway, now I’...

So far I've been good today. I managed to take a shower, brush my teeth, make the kids breakfast, load up the dishwasher, wash one load of laundry and fold another, eat my own breakfast, and start packing all before I went anywhere near my computer. And I've only left two comments on other blogs so far. I found someone using the"r" word again and I just had to ask for clarification. I just can't seem to leave that kind of thing alone any more. For the moment I've still got laundry and packing to do and the lawn to mow. I've also got a couple of crazy kids who keep looking for dirty and dangerous things to do to keep an eye.

The Christian Carnival is up at Dawn Moon's site . It looks like folks bit off some pretty big chunks to chew on this week.

So what do you do if in the midst of a debate someone up and calls you a racist? I've had a handful of occasions now where I've been called a racist or I've been accused of making racist statements. Now I'm not stupid. I'm well aware that the one and only reason for crying "racist" in a discussion is to put your opponent on the defensive. Hopefully you will side track them from whatever argument they were making onto the track of proving that they are most definitely not racist. A fine tactic if you don't have any intelligent responses to make to a person's argument. Racist seems to have come to mean for some people "someone that I disagree with." This tactic works best on well meaning white folk who genuinely want to engage in legitimate discussion about race in America. By legitimate discussion I mean something other than the usual "everything that has gone wrong in the black community is the fault of racism and racist white...

My brain's been working over time the last few days. Ever since I came across the Happy Juneteenth Day post and its comments. That and all of the craziness in this world have spawned lots of ideas in my head. I've four or five proto-posts in the works now. As soon as things calm down a bit at the old homestead I'll polish them off and post a few. On a random side note. Hubby and I were up late watching Fox News last night. We caught Greta Van Sustren interviewing Henry Kissenger. At one point she ment to ask him if Saudi Arabia was a friend to the US. In some Freudian slip she said South Korea instead of Saudi Arabia. In the time it took Greta to correct herself Kissinger didn't look like he was about to say that South Korea was a friend to the US. Interesting don't you think?

For the umpteenth time I have heard the claim that black conservatives are conservative for the money it gets them. Actually, you don't even have to be a self-confessed conservative to have this charge leveled at you. Just a mere hint of conservatism and you're just in it for the money. Take this comment for example: "Mr Williams soul may be looking back in wonder, but his hand is firmly planted in the wallet pocket of Fox News." Posted by: arcadia at June 19, 2004 11:19 AM This comment came from a World Magazine blog post containing this statement: "Today, blacks have become a dependable part of the Democratic base. But black journalist and usually liberal leaning Fox commentator Juan Williams thinks that President Bush and the Republicans, if they play their cards right, could win at least 20% of the black vote." Happy Juneteenth Day ( La Shawn Barber has a post about Mr. Williams' article with some good analysis and without the "he's in...

Now this is a nice birthday present. "Samantha Pierce, proprietor of Uncle Sam's Cabin is a new member of the Brotherhood, without objection." What is the Brotherhood you ask? Here's a brief description: "The Conservative Brotherhood is a group of African American writers whose politics are on the right hand side of the political spectrum. Expanding the dialog beyond traditional boundaries, they seek to contribute to a greater understanding of African Americans and America itself through advocacy and commentary." Check out the core values at the website .

I was surprised by how well reporters managed to keep a straight face when they read this lame a** reason for why ELF burned down the lumber yard. Investigators are tracking a fax received by a Salt Lake City radio station with the heading "ELF" that claimed responsibility for the attack. The message blamed the Stock Building Supply company for failure to repair forklifts that have diesel engines. The message claimed the engines "destroy the ozone and pose a serious health risk to nearby humans and living animals." ELF Claims Responsibility for Utah Fire , Fire May Be Connected to 'Eco-Terrorism' Group And burning down a lumber yard does not? A lumber yard where with loads of wood probably treated with chemicals that are toxic when burned and released into the air? Man these people are bone thug stupid! Stupid stupid stupid! So stupid that it makes me want to reach out and do some serious physical harm to someone, several someones. And their momm...

The carnival comes in two parts this week at Belief Seeking Understanding . Part one part two .

Salvador Dali Melting clocks are not a problem in your reality. You are an unschooler. You will tolerate a textbook, but only as a last resort. Mud is your friend. You prefer hands-on everything. If your school had an anthem, it would be Dont Worry, Be Happy. Visit my blog: What Type of Homeschooler Are You? brought to you by Quizilla Via Tulip Girl . I haven't started homeschooling yet but the description sounds about right. I wonder what hubby would score on this quizz. We just started the paperwork to sign Ethan up for summer school and I'm already not liking it at all. As soon as I've managed to wring some information out of the experts on what kinds of therapies will work best for Ethan he's coming back home. It's interesting that I can't find anyone who is willing to simply instruct me on what I need to do at home to help him over come his developmental delays. Most everyone we've dealt with so far seems to have the attitude that ...

In Every Nook and Cranny Two billboards in Michigan decrying the rate of abortion within the African-American community are being criticized as racist because they feature the image of black baby, reports the Flint Journal . The billboards in Flint were put up across the street from abortion clinics and feature messages calling abortion the "No. 1 killer of African Americans." Angela Lee, program director for Flint Area Citizens to End Racism, said there were some “concerns” in the community about the campaign. "There were those who thought the image of the black baby on the billboards is the root of racism," she said. From Tongue Tied . Why is it racist to claim that abortions are killing black babies? According to the CDC black women do indeed have abortions, lots of them. Why is it racist to publish a picture of a black baby? There is something very wrong with that claim but I just can't put my finger on it. Could it be that people are re...

It's too early in the morning for this mess. Lynch Mob A south Boston school official who used the term "lynch mob"to describe a group of angry black parents has been labelled a racist and is facing demands for his resignation, reports the Enterprise . Randolph, Mass. School Committee Chairman Ronald DiGuilio used the term in an April meeting in reference to a group of parents who said the achievement gap between black and white students was the district's fault and not theirs. Minority groups in town have insisted that DiGuilio apologize or resign, but he has refused to back down. David Harris Jr., co-chairman of the Randolph Fair Practices Committee, said the term has a negative connotation to people of color and should not be used in public. From Tongue Tied The newspaper article describes the accused Mr. DiGuilio as an upstanding citizen and public servant. From what the article reports of the parents behaviour they are acting like a lynch mob...

I was going to blog about this yesterday but being locked out of the house by a 22 month old tends to dampen the blogging urge. Anyway, I saw Don King on Fox and Friends yesterday morning promoting GW Bush. He was very enthusiastically waving the flag and carrying on about Bush as if he were promoting one of his own fighters. Very interesting I thought. I wonder what folks will have to say about that.

New Diet Plans Take Cue From the Bible SHELBY, N.C. -- The Rev. George Malkmus (search) often preaches about how he believes the world of proper eating began -- or, in his opinion, vegan. "The Lord gave us everything we need in the Garden of Eden: fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds," the preacher-turned-diet adviser said in an interview at Hallelujah Acres, his North Carolina headquarters. "That's why we call the way we eat the 'Hallelujah Diet.' (search) We celebrate its true creator." Malkmus's diet is one of a batch of Bible-based eating plans flooding bookstores and health food stores. Last summer's "What Would Jesus Eat?" (search) by Dr. Don Colbert, encourages eating non-animal-derived "living foods" and eschewing most "dead" or processed foods. Malkmus's diet -- which draws, he says, from Genesis 1:29 (search) -- bans all animal products except for honey and promotes an 80 percent raw diet. An...

Tulip Girl regularly posts information about the dangers of Gary Ezzo's Babywise methods. Here are a few recent posts. Babywise in the Manse Frazzled Babywiser Got Research? Ezzo.info is also a good place to find information about Ezzo and the various incarnations of the dreadful Babywise books and programs.

When I was a kid President Reagan was respected in our house. Why? Because the man knew how to protect his own. I remember my mother talking about how if you messed with Reagan or the US he would drop a bomb on your butt. That was a good thing back then, making sure that your enemies knew that you would give them a black eye and a bloody nose if you messed with them and doing just that whenever they forgot it. In 1983 US troops landed on the shores of Grenada. A tiny little island in the Caribbean next door to ours that held little or no significance for most Americans. But I knew that some thing had gone horribly wrong there. President Reagan had sent American troops to set things right. That was something my seven year old mind could understand. Something was wrong and this man took it upon himself and his people to fix it. I remember that a US military helicopter flew so low over our house during that operation that to this day I swear the pilot almost touched it. The ...

Some new additions to the blogroll. Cobb , "Sorta Fair & Rather Balanced & Black & Republican & Civil Libertarian & Righteous & Uppity & Global Capitalist & Pro-Commons & Family Oriented & Provocative & Sometimes Worth Reading." Booker Rising , "News site for black moderates and black conservatives." Patriarchy.org , "Addressing the issues and legalism of patriarchy with the liberating truth of Jesus Christ." Antioch Road , "News, commentary, and tidbits from a Christian and conservative perspective."

A few days ago I got an email from a professor doing research into the Christian life. Here's an excerpt from that message. Why am I writing to you? Here's the latest breakdown of my current respondents: Race/ethnicity? 285 (76%) European American (white) 0 ( 0%) African American 9 ( 2%) Hispanic 15 ( 4%) Asian American 3 ( 1%) Native American 62 (17%) other (please specify): I hope you'll understand my predicament-- this just isn't a representative sample of Christians. Unfortunately, people of color are apparently not blogging in the same circles with white Christian bloggers (which I find disconcerting). I hope you will consider spreading the word to persons of color who are also bloggers and who might be interested in helping with this project. I don't know how much pull I have with other bloggers of colour but here goes. I've taken the survey and it is very thought provoking. I won't spoil the surprise by saying anything more abou...

I'm away visiting my folks with their slow dial up internet connection. The kids are having a blast running grandma ragged which is a good thing since one of the little cherubs gave me a nasty cold. Now I'm off to see what's been going in the blogosphere while I've been gone.