REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER FINDS A WOMAN IN A DITCH AND SAVES HER. By Syed Shabbir

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (NBCActionNews.com) – U.S. Congressman and Kansas City icon Emanuel Cleaver found a woman in a ditch Friday morning.  He stayed by her side until paramedics arrived. Cleaver said he was giving a tour of the Green Impact Zone when he saw a hand waving from a ditch near the intersection of 44th Street and Troost Avenue.  He and his staff members stopped and quickly ran to help.

“It was a woman who uttered two words then fell unconscious,” Cleaver said.  “She said, ‘help me, please.’” Cleaver said the woman was foaming at the mouth and then went silent. “I said to the 911 call taker, ‘you guys have to hurry because I don’t know if she’s going to survive,” Cleaver said.

Cleaver’s staff member sat the lady up, and Cleaver took off his suit jacket and draped it on her shoulders. “Then [I] got on the ground and leaned back against her, so that she wouldn’t fall back down,” Cleaver said.

To read this story in its entirety, please visit NBCActionNews.com

JAN BREWER, GOV. OF ARIZONA, GETS INTO ARGUMENT WITH OBAMA. By Paige Lavender

PHOENIX (HuffingtonPost.com) – Arizona Governor Jan Brewer traded words with President Obama after she greeted him at a Phoenix airport Wednesday. Brewer and Obama “spoke intensely for a few minutes” after he landed at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, according to a White House pool report. At one point, the GOP governor shook her finger at the president.

“He was a little disturbed about my book,” Brewer told a reporter after the incident, referring to her political memoir, “Scorpions for Breakfast.” In the book, Brewer depicted Obama as “patronizing” during an earlier meeting. “I said to him that I have all the respect in the world for the office of the president,” Brewer said.

“The book is what the book is. I asked him if he read the book. He said he read the excerpt. So.”

Brewer said Obama told her “that he didn’t feel I had treated him cordially.”

“I said I was sorry he felt that way but I didn’t get my sentence finished,” Brewer said. “Anyway, we’re glad he’s here. I’ll regroup.” The last time Obama met with Brewer was June 2010, when the Arizona governor visited the Oval Office for a private, 30-minute encounter the White House called a “good meeting.”

At the time, Brewer said the meeting was “very cordial,” but in her book she said Obama had been “condescending.”

To read this article in its entirety, please visit HuffingtonPost.com

PRESIDENT OBAMA DECLARES WE’VE COME TOO FAR TO GO BACK NOW. By Tom Curry

WASHINGTON (MSN.com) – With an unfinished legislative agenda from last year and with Election Day nine months from now, President Barack Obama went before a joint session of Congress Tuesday night to offer his proposals for economic growth and to draw sharp contrasts with his Republican foes.

He contended that, “The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum.  But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place. “

But Obama also painted a dire scenario of a nation divided into a wealthy elite and a mass of struggling Americans on the verge of insolvency. “We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by,” Obama said.

“Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.”

Obama pointed to some signs of economic revival: “In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs.  Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005.  American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s.  Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion.  And we’ve put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again.”

Obama was speaking against the backdrop of an improving economy which is slowly recovering from the recession of 2007-2009. Employment has shown signs of revival in recent months, with the jobless rate falling from 10 percent in October of 2009 to 8.5 percent last month.

But there were still almost one million fewer people employed last month than when Obama signed his $825 billion stimulus bill into law in February 2009.

Reviving a proposal that the Senate rejected in 2010, Obama made a vigorous pitch for changing the law to allow young illegal immigrants to become American citizens. “Hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country,” he said, “were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation.”

Obama was also using his speech Tuesday night to expand on the “fairness” theme he discussed in his Kansas speech last month.

To read this article in its entirety, please visit MSN.com

ANDREW ADLER APOLOGIZES FOR HIS OBAMA ASSASSINATION COMMENTS. By Leigh Owens

ATLANTA (HuffingtonPost.com) – Andrew Adler, the owner of local publication the Atlanta Jewish Times, has apologized after suggesting that assassinating President Barack Obama is an option that should be considered by the Israeli government.

As reported by Gawker, Adler’s article, written earlier this month, describes the urgency in protecting the Israeli people from threats such as Hamas and Hezbollah and argues that there are essentially only three options available: attack Hamas, beat back Hezbollah, or assassinate Obama.

From Adler’s column, which is not available online, but which Gawker uploaded to the web:

“Yes, you read ‘three’ correctly. Order a hit on a president in order to preserve Israel’s existence. Think about it. If I have thought of this Tom Clancy-type scenario, don’t you think that this almost unfathomable idea has been discussed in Israel’s most inner circles? Another way of putting “three” in perspective goes something like this: How far would you go to save a nation comprised of seven million lives … Jews, Christians and Arabs alike? You have got to believe, like I do, that all options are on the table.”

In a subsequent interview with Gawker, Adler seemed hesitant to stand by his words, saying he had written them just to “see what kind of reaction I would get from readers.”

To read this article in its entirety, please visit HuffingtonPost.com

KANSAS SPEAKER O’NEAL SENT EMAIL WISHING FOR O’BAMA’S DEATH. By Wayne Hodges

TOPEKA, Kan – Kansas Speaker of the House Mike O’Neal said he has no intentions to resign after 25,000 petitioners signed an online request demanding he do so. Why the ultimatum? A couple weeks ago, O’Neal sent out an email comparing first lady Michelle Obama’s hairstyle to the Grinch.

The Speaker compounded that mistake by sending out another email that quotes a Psalm from the bible wishing for President Barack Obama’s death. You heard me right. O’Neal wants Obama deep-sixed. The passage from Psalm 109:8 reads, “May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.”

O’Neal claimed he wanted Obama upended in the upcoming election. But the next verse in Psalm reads: “May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.”

Yep. Sounds like a death wish to me.

“We have to wonder if the speaker has even read the Psalm,” said Michael Sherrard of Faithful America, a nondenominational online forum based in Washington, D.C., the source responsible for the petition seeking O’Neal’s immediate resignation.

“This is without question a passage calling for the death of a leader.”

I know Mr. O’Neal. We met during my legislative internship a few years ago. Both emails were obviously disseminated in very poor taste. O’Neal offers his apologies. But very few are listening.

“I understand the debate over the verse interpretation, about which I have explained and for which I have repeatedly apologized to the extent anyone misconstrued my intent or was otherwise offended,” said O’Neal through an email on Monday.

“I respect both the president and the office.”

O’Neal’s email has been a hot item over the internet. The passages have been quoted on T-shirts and bumper stickers. Hell, about the only promotional tool missing is a commercial. On Monday, Faithful America collected roughly 22,000 signatures on its website and another 2,700 on Sign-On.org.

Kansas House Speaker O’Neal is catching hell for two emails

O’Neal said public backlash via internet chat forums have been nothing short of bestial. He laments most, however, the inimical assail upon his family and staff. “One has to be thick-skinned when serving in public office, but I’ve been disappointed with the over-the-top attacks, particularly those directed at family and associates,” said O’Neal.

“Appropriate discourse is a two-way street and I, for one, intend to be more respectful and vigilant in my communications.”

Sherrard said Faith America has collaborated with pastors in the Topeka area to deliver the petition to O’Neal’s office. Because of Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday, the Capitol was closed Monday.

Wayne Hodges II, an MBA from St. Mary , is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.” He’s also a business columnist for Madame Noire, he’s a contributor to YourBlackWorld.com, and he’s a film critic with America’s ILoveBlackMovies.com. Email Wayne Deuce anytime at whodges@massappealnews.com

LEGACY: DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAS NOBODY’S SUPER HERO. By Dr. Boyce Watkins

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama (YourBlackWorld.com) – As I leave the Martin Luther King Unity breakfast being hosted by the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity in Huntsville, AL, I am reflecting on the legacy of Dr. King himself.  In the midst of my airport inner-ranting, I realized something that I should have understood more thoroughly in the past:  Martin Luther King was nobody’s hero.

Dr. King achieved extraordinary things, no doubt.  But for some reason, we have turned him into something that he would not want to be:  A bionic, all-powerful, unstoppable civil rights machine who could leap tall racists in a single bound.  In a few years, Dr. King will be shown wearing a cape and punching out evil villains, while the rest of us simply watch in admiration.

Dr. King, according to legend, is only meant to be worshipped on your wall, studied in class and honored at an annual dinner.  In no way, in your right mind, should you EVER have the audacity to believe that you can achieve even a fraction of what this man accomplished during his life.

He was an icon, a symbol, a prop in a McDonald’s commercial; he never felt fear, he never made mistakes, and he never had moments of weakness. Martin Luther King was perfect.

This modern-day rendition of Dr. King, quite honestly, makes me sick.

To allow one of our greatest freedom fighters to be politically neutered and turned into a product of Marvel comics is downright shameful.  Dr. King was not Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man or the Incredible Hulk.  Some would say that he was not even intrinsically great.

In his quest for equality of all mankind, Dr. King never wanted us to think that he was any better than the rest of us.  He propelled himself to greatness by boosting up the rest of us, not by standing on top of our heads.

Dr. King quite simply, was something that all of us can be:  an average man who put extraordinary effort into nearly everything he did.  He faced his challenges head on and confronted the ostracism, humiliation and danger that came along with doing what was right.  When God told him to do something, he didn’t ignore the message.

Even when he felt fear, Dr. King didn’t allow this fear to cause him to buckle toward that which was most comfortable, convenient and socially acceptable.

Dr. King was human, just like the rest of us.  But he made the conscious effort to take his limited years on this planet and turn them into something worth celebrating.  He also ran the first leg of a long relay race, and some of us have dropped the baton entirely.  When we choose not to continue what Dr. King started, we are disrespecting the depth and breadth of his sacrifice.

It took our nation 400 years to get here, and no one person, speech or presidential election is going to get us to the promised land overnight.

When you go to an MLK dinner, you’re likely to hear a speech that sounds something like this:   “Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream about unity, harmony, coming together, loving one another and serving others.  He believed that all of us should be kind toward our fellow man regardless of the color of his/her skin.  He taught us that we are all God’s children, and that America is the land of opportunity.”

This statement is not incorrect, Dr. King did believe all these things.  But when we tell the story about the peaceful, sweet, kind little man who was nice to those who tried to kill him, we must supplement the remarks with an even more accurate speech that sounds like this:

“Dr. King battled tirelessly on behalf of the oppressed, fought against the establishment when necessary, demanded socio-economic equality, faced controversy head-on, endured tremendous unpopularity for his beliefs, openly confronted white supremacy in America and put his life on the line for black people.  He demanded that the American capitalist war machine be altered and that African Americans be given access to economic and social equality by any means necessary.  In other words, Dr. King was not a passive little punk.”

As it stands, Dr. King would see almost nothing about America that reflects the essence of his dream.  He would see a country where the rich have hoarded the wealth at the expense of the American worker, where we are declaring war on other nations just to take their oil, where black men are being herded to prison like cattle, and where 40% of all black children are in poverty.

This is no great society, at least as far as Dr. King is concerned, and to suggest otherwise would be downright delusional and disrespectful of what this man stood for during his life.

Let’s not let Dr. Martin Luther King be taken away from us.  Reconnecting with Dr. King means remembering that he was no better than what the rest of us can be, and it also means not allowing others to rebrand him as a soft, polite, eternally gleeful corporate puppet used to sedate the masses.

Dr. King’s modified legacy is used to control African Americans in a manner that is similar to how the bible was used to control slaves on the plantation.  Martin Luther King was a fighter, and there’s no getting away from that.  We must start finding ways to honor this man properly.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the “Your Black World Coalition.” For more information, questions and/or general inquiries, please visit Dr. Boyce at www.YourBlackWorld.com.

KANSAS HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE O’NEAL RIPS MRS. OBAMA IN EMAIL. By Wayne Hodges

TOPEKA, Kan – First, U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin manifested his sorrow after telling church members at a Christmas bazaar our first lady has a “big butt.” Now this. Upon realizing he made a fatuous mistake, Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal apologized on Thursday for an e-mail he forwarded to fellow Republican legislators calling first lady Michelle Obama “Mrs. YoMama.”

The email even includes analogous photos comparing Mrs. Obama to the Grinch because, according to O’Neal, they share a stark resemblance in hair-style.

“Sorry, just had to forward this latest holiday message,” O’Neal wrote in his email. “I’ve had worse hair days, but this is pretty funny. I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing Mrs. YoMama a wonderful, long Hawaii Christmas vacation — at our expense, of course.”

I know Mr. O’neal.

We met during my legislative internship a few years ago. The email was obviously disseminated in poor taste, even if the sarcastic intent was to tickle his GOP brethren. Kansas Democratic Party Chairwoman Joan Wagnon offered a predilection in calling the O’Neal e-mail “highly offensive, disrespectful and unacceptable.”

“Regardless of how he feels about President Obama’s politics, Speaker O’Neal’s decision to promote language demeaning Mrs. Obama is simply wrong. The fact that his communications director thinks this is just “a lighthearted political cartoon” is appalling,” said Wagnon.

Initially, O’Neal’s office released a statement in defense of political satire that read:

“Political cartoons are a part of American culture. It’s hard to see how Mike O’Neal poking fun at himself and forwarding a lighthearted political cartoon about the first lady’s extravagant spending of taxpayer funds during a time when many Americans are financially struggling is newsworthy.”

However, after careful reconsideration, O’Neal backtracked on his comments before uttering a somewhat light-hearted response.

“Cartoons are intended to be humorous,” O’Neal said in a statement. “This one made me laugh- I’ve had bad hair days too. I forwarded it too quickly missing the text included in the body of the email. To those I have offended, I am sorry. That was not at all my intent.”

Mrs. Obama’s office declined comment.

Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.” He also serves as a business columnist with MadameNoire.com, he’s a Democrat reporter for the Examiner, and he’s a movie critic and journalist with ILoveBlackMovies.com. Wayne welcomes your comments 24/7 at whodges@massappealnews.com

ACTOR MATT DAMON RIPS PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IN ELLE MAGAZINE. The Huffington Post

WASHINGTON – Matt Damon, one of Barack Obama’s earliest supporters and once one of his most staunch advocates, slammed the President in the new issue of Elle Magazine. “I’ve talked to a lot of people who worked for Obama at the grassroots level. One of them said to me, ‘Never again. I will never be fooled again by a politician,’” Damon tells the magazine.

“You know, a one-term president with some balls who actually got stuff done would have been, in the long run of the country, much better.”

Referring to the Occupy Wall Street movement, Damon continued: “If the Democrats think that they didn’t have a mandate — people are literally without any focus or leadership, just wandering out into the streets to yell right now because they are so pissed off … Imagine if they had a leader.”

That echoes the President’s own words to Diane Sawyer in March of 2010 when he said, “I’d rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president… There’s a tendency in Washington to think that our job description, of elected officials, is to get reelected. That’s not our job description. Our job description is to solve problems and to help people.”

To read this article in its entirety, please visit HuffingtonPost.com

PRESIDENT OBAMA ORDERED SOME BARBECUE BEFORE LEAVING KANSAS. Mass Appeal News

PAOLA, Kan. – After delivering a speech in Osawatomie on Tuesday, President Barack Obama couldn’t leave the Sunflower State without partaking in an appetizing Kansas City tradition: Barbecue. While at the Miami County Airport, the Commander-in-Chief made a brief cameo at “We B Smokin” to order some ribs.

Remember, last year, Obama ordered some barbecue from Oklahoma Joe’s after speaking at Smith Electric at Kansas City International Airport. Gotta give it to the Chief. The man knows his barbecue.

For more on Obama’s barbecue hunt, click the arrow.