I'll be live Blogging the Michelle Obama speech tonight. Our man B Rob will be in the Pepsi Center giving us the play by play. So join me as we discuss the words from the Mrs. Obama from the Pepsi Center floor. The live blog will start around 9:30 Central which is when they tell us she will go on.

Mobile post sent by shawnpwilliams using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Mobile post sent by shawnpwilliams using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Mobile post sent by shawnpwilliams using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Mobile post sent by shawnpwilliams using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Mobile post sent by shawnpwilliams using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

I know that the lines that divide Democrats and Republicans are strong. But how can anyone explain their vote against honoring the late great Barbara Jordan? But that's exactly what State Representative John Davis (R-Clear Lake) and his counterparts did during the 79th Session of the Texas Legislature in 2005. Barbara Jordan became the first African-American female to serve in the Texas Senate in 1967. She would eventually become the first black woman from a Southern state to serve in U.S. Congress. Even still, Rep. Davis voted against having a state office building named in her honor. According to a memo received by Dallas South, during the 79th Session of the Texas Legislature in 2005, State Rep. Jim Dunnam (D-Waco) introduced an amendment to the General Appropriations Act which would have renamed a state office building “The Barbara C. Jordan State Office Building.” Davis and his buddies below didn't find Jordan worthy of such an honor, however he did vote for naming a portion of US Highway 290 in Harris County after Ronald Reagan. In November, Davis is opposed by Sherrie Matula (D-Houston), in a race for Texas House District 129. Matula is a former member ...

Per Howard Witt of the Chicago Tribune: NEW ORLEANS Ruling in a racially explosive case that some forensic experts have described as police torture, a grand jury in the small Louisiana town of Winnfield indicted a white police officer Wednesday on charges of manslaughter and official malfeasance for repeatedly shocking a handcuffed black suspect with a Taser device, resulting in the man's death due to cardiac arrest. After two days of closed testimony, Winn Parish District Atty. Chris Nevils announced that the grand jury had indicted Scott Nugent, 21, for the death in January of Baron "Scooter" Pikes, 21, while in police custody. Two other Winnfield police officers who were present during the incident were not charged. Nugent, who was fired from the police force in May, could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted on the charges. He surrendered to sheriff's deputies immediately after the indictment was issued, a spokesman for Nevils said, and a $45,000 bond was set. "It is our intention to show at trial that Mr. Nugent caused the death of Baron Pikes by 'Tasing' him multiple times, unnecessarily and in violation of Louisiana law, and by failing to get him medical attention when it was apparent he needed ...

It's become popular in the last year or so to examine the roll of bloggers in the media. I've shared a number of those here at Dallas South, and here's the latest done by a new site called The Loop. See the entire Loop article by clicking here. Brooklyne Gipson interviewed yours truly for the story as well as L.N. Rock A.K.A. the African American Political Pundit. Here are some of the highlights from Ms. Gipson's article. This year, to the dismay of some traditional journalists who view bloggers as a threat to journalistic integrity, the number of bloggers invited to the convention Aug. 25-28 in Denver has more than quadrupled to 124. The list of credentialed blogs include a few popular among African Americans: Jack and Jill Politics, African American Political Pundit, and Pam's House Blend, to name a few. Still, it has not stopped the incessant debate over whether bloggers, even with press passes in hand, should be considered real journalists. This issue has become especially important in this year's presidential election, because constituents are using the Internet like never before to engage themselves in the campaign- reading up on the issues... Bloggers, such as L.N. Rock, the writer behind AfricanAmericanPoliticalPundit.com, ...

Mike Davis of Dallas Progress posts and interesting historical find on his blog. Mike's mother-in-law came across a poll tax receipt from a post municipal election. Here's what Mike had to say in his post titled A Piece of History. My Mother-in-law found her receipt from 1963. This was when she voted for Dallas Mayor and City Council (click for a larger image view). This was one of the last elections that required a poll tax in Dallas. Mike's look back makes us realize that we cannot take voting for granted. Black folks who don't believe in the power of the vote should exercise their right just for respect of those who couldn't. It's so important that we preserve this artifacts to remember the fortotten legacy that African-Americans have forged in this country.