Kenyon Farrow

I am lame with no life on a Friday-why else would I be blogging? But I am about to head out to catch Kasi Lemmons‘ 3rd film, Talk to Me, starring Don Cheadle. But before I go, I just wanted to point you to an incredible piece of reporting on what is called “Voter Caging” which was done by the PBS investigative newsmagazine show, NOW w/David Brancaccio.

It was an important piece of journalism for people interested in the electoral process, and what is possibly behind this brewing scandal with Alberto Gonzalez and Karl Rove. You can watch the video on the PBS site. Here’s what they say about the episode:

Was there a White House plot to illegally suppress votes in 2004? Is there a similar plan for the upcoming elections? This week NOW examines documents and evidence that points to a Republican Party plan designed to keep Democrats from voting, allegedly by targeting people based on their race and ethnicity with key battleground states like Ohio and Florida of particular interest. “It was a partisan, discriminatory attempt to challenge voters of color,” Eddie Hailes, a senior attorney for The Advancement Project, a civil rights group, told NOW.

Was the White House involved? David Iglesias, one of the fired U.S. Attorneys, thinks so: “It’s reprehensible. It’s unethical, it’s unlawful. It may very well be criminal.” Iglesias told NOW he was repeatedly urged by his superiors at the Justice Department to investigate allegations of false voter registrations. After his investigations came up short, Iglesias said Republican officials got angry and complained to White House aide Karl Rove. Soon after Iglesias lost his job. As a result of allegations by Iglesias and others, Congress is investigating whether the White House acted unlawfully.

While Attorney General Alberto Gonzales refused to answer many questions about the controversy as he testified before the Senate this week, Iglesias told NOW he believes the White House is keeping documents from Congress to protect the Bush Administration. “That’s why there has been such a circling of the wagons around Karl Rove and Harriet Miers and Sarah Taylor. I believe there to be incriminating, possibly criminally incriminating evidence contained in those e-mails and other memoranda,” he said.

Sometimes I wish these NGO’s would stop and think for a minute. I don’t know who they hire to do their PR work, but it tends to run from the sublime to the ridiculous, especially when the subject is Africa.

I got this from a friend, and these are apparently ads that are running for a UNICEF campaign in Germany to raise awareness (and get people to dig in their wallets) about poverty in Africa. A Black German Media Watch Organization called Der Braune Mob is organizing people to respond to it. I do not speak German-but I was sent these translations, which I have posted underneath each photo-so if there are German speakers who read my blog, feel free to correct the translations.

“I’m waiting for my last day in school, the children in Africa still for their first one.”

“In Africa, many kids would be glad to worry about school.”

“In Africa, kids don’t come to school late, but not at all.”

“Some teachers suck. No teachers sucks even more.”

Unfortunately, if it was clear to the average German that this is wrong, UNICEF and the advertising agency wouldn’t come out with such a campaign.

The following is part of the message in my email I received:

Please write your opinion and help make clear and explain why it is wrong to use “blackface with mud”, and write to UNICEF at publicrelations@unicef.de as well as the advertising agency at info@jvm.de with a copy to Black German media-watch-orgaiztion info@derbraunemob.de what you feel about this campaign and why. Please include a line that you’re going to publish your mail and the response.

By the way, the slogan of the advertising agency who came up with this, reads “we communicate on eye-level.”