Do you understand the reparations debate? I call it a debate when it is really a form of extortion.

LA just is considering passing a law to require companies doing business with the city to disclose whether they ever earned profits from slavery 150 years ago. This will give reparations supportors targets to extort money from in the future. Chicago has passed a similar law (not one company has reported that they have earned profits from slavery so far). According to reparations activists this will not be the last city to consider this legislation.

The issue, according to the reparations activists, is that black people are behind in every economic and social category and reparations will help bridge that gap. They contend that slavery is responsible for the gap that they believe exists. The reparations discussion has hurt race relations. Reparation demands have angered many people. People contend that the fact that many thousands of whites died in the civil war that freed the slaves, the passage of legislation establishing affirmative action, and recognizing civil rights of black citizens helped black citizens considerably. Others say that they are not descendents of slave owners or of those who directly profited from slavery and therefore should not have to pay money to our current black citizens. Others say that it would be difficult if not impossible to determine which blacks were descendents of slaves and therefore eligible for reparations if they were ever forthcoming.

Of course, as in any conversation about race, those that oppose anything that favors blacks politically or economically are labeled as racists. Starting the debate with an ad hominem attack right out of the gate is totally counter-productive and hardens the battle lines between the pro-reparations and the anti-reparations people. People resort to ad hominem attacks when their argument has little or no support.

Myself, if our congress passes a reparations bill, I am moving to Canada.

I always wondered what Barbra Streisand's house in Malibu looked like. Barbra is suing the California Coastal Records Project for $50,000,000 for taking this picture. If you look closely you can see her stretched out nude next the pool. Then again maybe you don't want to see that. Just kidding.

What invasion of her right to privacy? I would love to be on that jury that takes this case. The coastline project is for research and enforcement purposes not to spy on movie stars' private lives. The California Coastal Records Project, from what I read, is an environmental group that is working to protect the California coastline. Barbra funded the Barbra Streisand Chair for Enivironmental Studies at Princeton. She blasts President Bush almost every day about his environmental policy. Maybe she doesn't want the California coastline near her house to be protected so she can blame President Bush for that too. BTW she does not own that beach in front of her property. The people of California do and there is a sizeable squabble going on in Malibu about providing access to the coastline. The rich, like Streisand, do not want people to be able to walk the beaches near their houses even though it belongs to the people.

Maybe Barbra is upset at the Coastline Project people because she is afraid that someone that has read her wacko request that everyone should be environmentally responsible might see this palace by the sea . I can't find her request. The only reference I can find to it is here. Her website deleted all references to it along with her letters opposing to the war and supporting Saddam Hussein. In response to a reporter's question about her request for enivironmental responsibility she said that the request didn't apply to her. One look at that mansion tells where she really stands on the environment. How many acres of rain forest went into that baby? That house, when the A/C is going full blast, is probably responsible for half the brown outs in California.

Barbra is still my favorite female singer. She is talented. I just have to put all of her political BS out of my mind. It is hard to do. Very hard.

Been working hard on this booger. I am have working on a comment application that you see where it gives the date a post was made "comment(0)" The "(0)" means no one has made a comment yet. I tried customizing my own comment screen but it is not working properly the last time I checked it.

I added a neat place for visitors to vote on my blog right above the Phoenix weather box. The further to the right you click the better the vote. Vote!!! You people from Palm Beach County can email me and I will give you personalized detailed instructions..

And I have added a counter at the bottom of the page that is displayed on little airplane hats. Different..

With all this I haven't had time to surf much or to read the latest news around the web. Did find this great picture though. I love quirky signs..