[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]

This is Congressman Charles Rangels Inaugural Press Conference as he assumes the position of Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. BlackBallot.com is honored to present Congressman Rangels goals and ideals to the world. This is a historic moment in the world of politics as an African American takes control of the most powerful congressional committee. The 20 minute press conference is broken up into 6 parts.

Please click on the picture to see the press conference.

The Ballot or the Bullet : A Shot Fired from Harlem
By K.B McDavid

BlackBallot.com was birthed from the words of Malcolm X. It is designed to be a political resource tool to enable Black people to share, network, and develop a common economic and political agenda globally.

Technology is one of the most powerful tools of any revolutionary struggle. Computers are the guns of the new millennium. In the beginning of The Ballot or the Bullet speech, Malcolm X stated that the Negro Revolt will come down to either ballots or bullets. Blackballot.com is designed to be a modern combination of both.

In his speech, Malcolm X outlined the economic, social and political philosophies of Black Nationalism. He provided a detailed analysis of the American political system and its faults and outlined several strategies to respond to the racial oppression that Africans suffer on a global level.

This speech made the fact that the American political system was flawed at its conception clear to me. The only hope for African people is to network globally in order to create a common economic and political agenda. It is my opinion that Brother Malcolms attempt to do this after he left the Nation of Islam lead to his murder. Blackballot.com is a technological response to the assassination of Malcolm X.

The Internet is the network of networks. It was designed by the United States Department of Defense for research purposes with various academic institutions. It eventually grew into the commercial entity we all utilize today. I mention this because there is a justifiable historic apprehension of Big Brother in the African American community. Everything on the Internet is monitored. It is a simple thing to track and store all data that everything that flows over the network. However, with modern day technology, Big Brother can read your newspaper from a satellite orbiting the Earth, and all cell phone conversations can be transcribed.

Solutions to American imperialism will have to be developed in the open. Computers are based on binary numbers, simple streams ones and zeros 1100011100. The math is pure. The Internet opens up the back door to the system. Although Big Brother designed it to make it easier to monitor and control the people, the technology gives the people the ability to affect Big Brother in ways we never had before.

The Internet gives the people the ability to organize at highly efficient and cost effective manner, as evidenced by the 2004 Howard Dean Presidential campaign. Also, think of the damage that hackers and virus cause the U.S. government and American corporations on a yearly basis. Black people need not fear, we just need to focus. Focus on utilizing this technology to organize, share and empower ourselves on a global level.

Just a few weeks after the anniversary of the death of El Haji Malik El Shabazz, I am honored to announce that the BlackBallot TV is now operational. We will document history and allow our politicians the ability present their ideals to the Black world.

BlackBallot has evolved into a news source with interactive polls and now video to bring about a multimedia experience of Black culture and news. I would also like to ask you to read Brother Malcolms speech, The Ballot or the Bullet. I would also like to thank the family of El Haji Malik El Shabazz for keeping his name alive with honor and dignity.

Malcolm X's stress of importance of voting brings to mind two political theories. I was introduced to the first during Professor James Turners African Studies 231 course at Cornell University. The Nation State Theory by Dr. Imari Obadele should be central to any political strategy. The theory is simple: economics is the foundation of any society, the social structure of which is developed out of the economic structure while the political structure is created to protect both.

Right now, our political system is structured to genuflect to the whims of the National Democratic Party. The BlackBallot is a company built on the vision of Garveyism. Our partnership with artist John Oyedemi is a perfect example of two Africans on two different continents working together for their mutual economic benefit. To those who do not recognize his name, Oyedemi is the Nigerian artist who has graciously allowed me to display his work on the BlackBallot site. We are branded together, and as the company grows his name will grow to symbolize Africans using technology to cross the vast oceans and to work together to form a true economic foundation for Black people worldwide.

The second theory is mine. It is also simple. Part one, focus on your local elected officials. They are the ones who impact your daily life . Part two, focus on your state officials. State officials are the next most important elected officials. Let's focus on the next three presidential elections and build strong state and local political infrastructures in order to develop our national agenda. In 12 years, a Barack Obama can run for and win the Presidency after having a distinguished career as a legislator. A Black man or woman in the White House with a solid political infrastructure can bring about change.

THE PRIVATIZATION OF WAR
By Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
02-06-07 Tribune Media Services

They guard U.S. officials. They patrol the Green Zone, the U.S. headquarters in Iraq. They supply the food, the oil, clean the barracks and fix the machines. They arent U.S. soldiers they are private contractors. The Bush administration has privatized war. The secondbiggest army in Iraq consists of armed security forces supplied by private contractors.

They act above the law and with unclear lines of authority. They work abroad, so they are largely beyond the reach of U.S. law. On contract from the U.S. government, they are beyond the reach of Iraqi law, as established in an order issued by the U.S. Authority there before turning power over to the Iraqi government. When the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandals were revealed, private security forces and interrogators were at the center of it. But none was held accountable under law.

It isnt only the U.S. that privatizes war the British have followed suit, as well. The British charity, War on Want, reported last year that there are three British private security guards to every British soldier in Iraq.

Congressional investigators are about to unearth massive abuses and corruption in Iraq, but the mercenaries operate across the world. In 1998, for example, DynCorp security agents in Bosnia were implicated in a highly publicized sexslave scandal. The firm quickly recalled at least 13 agents from the country none faced criminal prosecution.

The modernday mercenaries also operate largely free of government scrutiny or oversight. Their contracts and their activities are shrouded in secrecy. Companies, unlike government agencies, are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act and often stonewall congressional inquiry. Members of Congress have sought thus far without success to get an explanation of the contracts that Blackwater USA security officers have in Iraq.

Under George Bush, the use of private contractors generally has doubled to about 400 billion a year in 2006, as the administration is driven by a philosophy that would privatize everything it can. Finally, with Democrats reviving congressional oversight, questions are being asked.

Private contractors claim to provide savings and efficiency because of the benefits of competition. In fact, the GAO now suggests, in most areas, the contractors have little competition. Solesource, nobid contracts are the rule, not the exception. And the contractors as we saw in the bribing of Rep. Duke Cunningham and the other scandals of the DeLay Congress spend millions wining, dining and rewarding the legislators who provide them with their immensely profitable contracts. Instead of saving money, taxpayers are likely getting fleeced.

The top 20 service contractors, according to The New York Times, have spent nearly 300 million since 2000 on lobbying and have donated some 23 million to political campaigns.

The whole thing gets incestuous. The New York Times reports that in June, the General Services Administration, short of employees to review cases of incompetence and fraud by federal contractors, actually hired a private contractor to do the investigation. And the contractor CACI International had itself barely avoided suspension from federal contracting for its role in Abu Ghraibs crimes. For the GSA, CACI supplied six people at 104 an hour over 200,000 per person annually.

These private armies now may themselves become a problem. The Guardian reports on a bizarre plot in Equatorial Guinea, where 67 foreign mercenaries were arrested in what may have been a foiled attempt to overthrow the dictator of that oilrich nation. And former Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide charged that the private guards who were supposed to be defending him instead abandoned him under orders from the U.S. government when he was overthrown.

If privatization doesnt produce savings and offers such scope for abuse, why has it continued to grow Part of the reason is simply the animus for government by modern day conservatives. Part of it is political grandstanding. President Clinton, for example, boasted that he had cut the size of the federal bureaucracy even as those cuts were feeding a cancerous growth of contracting out vital services. The problem now is that the government lacks the capacity to control its contractors and has begun contracting out that oversight. The result, too often, is costly waste. But when the government is creating private armies, often beyond the reach of war, the perils are far greater.

The Congress has begun a great debate about our policy in Iraq. But it is vital that they investigate as Sen. Joe Biden and Rep. Henry Waxman have promised the privatization of war. This must be brought under control before the Congress finds itself like the Roman Senate at the end of the Roman Republic faced with mercenary armies that are out of control.

Helpful Tax Tips
By Angela Scott

With the current postal and electronic delivery of tax statements, W2s, 1098s, and the like, the 2007 tax season for calendar year 2006 is in full swing.

Many of us are contemplating how to successfully transmit our return for the maximum tax savings attainable. At the pricier end of the spectrum are large and small CPA firms. Most returns can be completed for under 100 at any of the tax preparation chains. If you have a background in income taxation, tax software like Turbo Tax is pretty good and can be downloaded to your PC. If your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) is below 52,000, you may qualify for free electronic filing at www.irs.gov/efile. E-filing and direct deposit can cut the time you would otherwise wait for a paperfiled return in half. Some lower income taxpayers may qualify for free tax assistance through various agencies like the Campaign for Working FamiliesEarned Income Tax Credit EITC Program here in Philadelphia.

The EITC is money that lower income taxpayers are eligible to receive when they file their tax returns. The credit ranges from $412 to $4,536 depending upon whether or not certain qualifications are met. For 2006, married couples filing jointly with two or more qualifying children can get up to $4,536 if their AGI is less than $38,348. At the other end of the spectrum, Single or Head of Household taxpayers can get up to $412 if their AGI is less than $12,120. If taxes due are less than the credit amount, you can get the difference back as a refund.

There are some specific EITC requirements which include 1 filing status cannot be married filing separately and 2 you cannot be the child of another person. Keep in mind that there are differences between deductions and credits, and some credits are fully refundable, where others are not. You can receive the EITC even if you have zero taxes due.

A new tax break this year is the Telephone Excise Tax Refund. The IRS will refund taxes on longdistance or bundled service billed to you for the period after Feb. 28, 2003 and before Aug. 1, 2006. Taxpayers should request this refund when they file their 2006 tax return. If you calculate the actual amount from your phone bills, you can attach Form 8913 to your tax return. Individual taxpayers can take a standard amount from 30 to 60 based on the number of exemptions claimed on their tax return. One exemption30, Two exemptions40, Three exemptions 50, Four or more60.

Since everyones tax scenario is different, let us know what areas or specific questions you have. Please feel free to send an email to infoblackballot.com and we will try to provide complete and succinct answers within a twoweek time frame.

NBPC SUMMER INTERNSHIPS

 

 

NBPC SUMMER TELEVISION INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
SUMMER 2007

The National Black Programming Consortium is looking for a smart and creative candidate to participate in a joint media internship program with PBS� award-winning �NOW?? magazine show. While immersed in this intensive 12-week program, the intern will experience firsthand the fast-paced, ever-evolving, world of television and public media creation and distribution.

For over 25 years, NBPC has been an effective advocate for media makers telling stories about the African-American and African Diaspora experience. Since 1991, NBPC has awarded over six million dollars to independent filmmakers, whose work has provided several hundreds of hours of programming on the PBS system. Most recently, NBPC funded a summit and new media training program which yielded four high-concept new media projects which will be distributed via its website and through hand-held devices.

In our effort to identify and support emerging producers of color within this rapid evolution of the media landscape, we have established a relationship with several media outlets to provide a unique opportunity for students to work within today�s most dynamic and forward moving media organizations. This internship duration will be 12 weeks, with a weekly stipend of 500 dollars (paid by NBPC).

The position is modeled on our previous successful TV internship with �NOW.?? It is open to undergraduate students only and must be for college credit. Students interested in aspects of television or new media creation, development, and distribution, are strongly encouraged to apply.

To apply, please send a properly formatted Microsoft Word resume to N. Christian Ugbode, Programs & New Media Coordinator, at Christian@nbpc.tv. The submission deadline is May 4th, 2007.

About "NOW"

Called "one of the last bastions of serious journalism on TV" by the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, the series occupies a unique place in the American television landscape. For three seasons the broadcast has been led by Bill Moyers. At the helm in 2005 is veteran journalist David Brancaccio, who joined NOW in fall 2003 after a decade as host of public radio's MARKETPLACE.

"What do the policies set in Washington and state capitols mean for working Americans? It may be a sound-bite society, but there are real-world consequences and Americans are grappling with them everyday," says Brancaccio, whose work has been honored with a duPont-Columbia University Award and a George Foster Peabody Award. "Each week, we're on the ground at the nexus where the policies meet the people with intelligent reporting and thoughtful analysis."

 

CPB/PBS PRODUCERS ACADEMY: DEADLINE MARCH 30th, 2007

Up to twenty (20) scholarships will be offered to station-based and independent producers for an intensive seven-day, hands-on training seminar at WGBH in Boston, Saturday, June 16 - Friday, June 22, 2007.

Seminars will include contact with some of public television's most experienced individuals, focusing each day on specific areas of...

Read more
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]