"Tips for a New Reality" - Bold Leadership in New Orleans !

I posted the below to the comments section over at Robert Scoble's site: http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/

Thanks so much for sharing with us the
wisdom of Charles Handy, I found
this quote of his:
"It is a time for new imaginings, of windows opening even if some doors close. We need not stumble backwards into the future, casting longing glances at what used to be; we can turn round and face a new reality. It is after all a safer posture if you want to keep moving"
I would like to apply the relevance to this quote to
the news today regarding the announcement by
Mayor Ray Nagin that New Orleans will have the
The nations first wireless internet service,
Overcoming opposition from cable television
and telephone companies. Kudos to Mayor
Nagin and visionary team for new imaginings
And having the guts of “not stumbling backwards into the
future, casting longing glances at what use to be;
but turning round and facing a new reality”.

The Elkridge Club - Soap Opera!

soap opera
The defining quality of the soap opera form is its seriality. A serial narrative is a story told through a series of individual, narratively linked installments.

The events of the Elkridge Club continue to be Baltimore’s best SOAP OPERA around!
The latest episode is that Lt. Gov. Steele “He got it right, almost the first time” by Laura Vozzella, Sun paper column dated Nov.18th. The Elkridge Club has become a political football game that better than watching the Ravens. The reason that Elkridge is still being used as the “Terrell Owens”of political football is that the other political camps are afraid that the Elkridge incident has or will become the lighten rod for separating Lt. Gov.Steele from the rest of the pack. And It Should! Whether he got it right the “FIRST TIME” really doesn’t matter. The point is Lt. Gov. Steele GOT IT RIGHT! None of the other political movers, shakers and wannabes had a clue that taking a stance on an all white 127 year old country club would be one of the defining issues in the race for the next Governor and Senator. Columns, news threads, discussions and blogs about the Elkridge Club are still going strong, long after the homeless protesters have left the corners Charles St & Lake Ave.
LET'S TALK TURKEY!
Sunday, July 17th 2005 – ‘Steele call on club to admit blacks! – Baltimore Sun / Maryland
Sunday, July 17th 2005 – Powerspeaks protest begins! www.powerspeaks.blogspot.com
Wednesday. July 20th – Governor encourages Elkridge Club to extend invitation to minorities” – Baltimore Sun / Maryland
Friday, November 11th. 2005 – “Club Admits Black Member” - – Baltimore Sun / Maryland
Lt. Gov. Steele GOT IT RIGHT– He took a position of leadership by calling for change at the Elkridge Club.
Lt. Gov. Steele GOT IT RIGHT– because his political challengers and foes - still haven’t gotten it right!
The longer the Elkridge Club Soap Opera continues (and I hope the ratings go through the roof)the more the voters of Maryland will have opportunity to GET IT RIGHT also!

Oreo's & Elkridge Club - "Get Real!

On its basic level, revisionism - act of revising, or modifying something that already exists.
http://www.holocaust-history.org/revisionism-isnt/

I got a “anonymous insider” at the Elkridge Club who comments: “That Theo Rodgers was is in the membership process well before you started your effort.” over on the blog site http://www.powerspeaks.blogspot.com/ This is the latest Elkridge Club attempt at revisionism. Some people just can’t handle the truth. The POWERSPEAKS protest started in late July just check out the blog. If Theo Rodgers was in the membership process, the Elkridge Club didn’t tell anybody until after the fact in Nov. In the heat of battle, all summer long Elkridge tried to keep their 127 year old lack of African American membership as a PRIVATE inside process when it had already become a PUBLIC media process whereby The Sun paper, POWERSPEAKS and the homeless men who stood for months with protest signs made sure Elkridge stayed in the spotlight of the public scrutiny until it admitted a African American, and not on Elkridge Club terms, which it had a 127 years to do , but on the DEMANDS of the Lt. Gov. Steele, Gov. Ehrlich, POWERSPEAKS, the Sun, and every other citizen of Maryland. The only reason the word token is being referred at Elkridge Club is that it was forced to do what should have been done years ago. The truth does not need need any REVISION! The time for the REVISION comment above “if is true” should have been made known was back in July and the very fact that it is made known now/ REVISED is that Elkridge didn’t tell the whole truth then. So now the Elkridge Club is REVISING its story! The facts are in the public record.(the Sun paper, WMAR and POWERSPEAKS blog) Elkridge Club didn’t get an African American member until November after the process required the community outrage and input. You can’t REVISE the living truth for there are too many eyewitnesses.
So to all the “Johnny come lately REVISIONIST” out there I bristle as does Gov. Ehrlich about the OREO skeptics “get real”.
"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Jn 8:32)

127 YEAR STREAK ENDS -THE ELKRIDGE CLUB -ITS OVER!

STREAK: an unbroken series of events

Today marks the OFFICIAL end of the Elkridge Club's STREAK of 127 years as the all white country club in Baltimore without any African American members. Coverage in today’s Baltimore Sun and later on ABC News - Channel 2 (WMAR) confirms a rumor that has been circulating for a couple of months now that Theo Rodgers a local developer had been accepted. It’s good to know that the Elkridge has done the right thing and FINALLY made it public. The POWERSPEAKS protest for a African American member has accomplished its mission.Now let’s hope that the Elkridge Club will start a New STREAK and that there will always be African American members at the club! Thanks Theo for breaking the color barrier. Will this STREAK ending and a new STREAK beginning affect the Governor’s or the Senate race? I guess we will know sometime next year. In the meantime POWERSPEAKS will be looking find another good fight to get in. There's always going to be a STREAK ending or beginning! Right now POWERSPEAKS STREAK is 1-0!

The Elkridge Country Club is a PR nightmare but a Political Strategist Dream!

The Elkridge Country Club is a PR Nightmare but a Political Strategist Dream! Sometime back in early July the all white country club located on N. Charles St. just above Lake Ave in Baltimore hit the radar screen of public awareness BIG TIME when it became known that Republican Gov. Ehrlich had a fund-raiser there. The Elkridge Club at the time had never had any African American members in its 127 year history. LT.Gov. Steele an African-American made light of the fact with a flippant remark that he didn't play golf. Little did the Elkridge Club know at the time that it would become political fodder for both political parties -Democratic and Republican. Gov. Ehrlich catching flak in his race to be reelected and Steele in his race for the Senate. Later, Lt.Gov.Steele did publicly call for the Elkridge Club to admit African Americans and so did Gov. Ehrlich to their credit. NO other politicians said anything, they were all MUM, they did not want to enter the fray or as they say “if you see a good fight get in it”. They kept their mouths shut played it safe!
The reason why the Elkridge Club will not go away is that unknowingly this icon of white privilege and a holdover from segregation days has become pivotal in the race of who will be our next Governor and Senator of Maryland.
A PR nightmare: because the Elkridge Club has never confirmed that it has finally accepted an African American, although rumor has it that it has. It appears that it still wants to operate in a cloak of secrecy about who its members are as it has for 127 years.
A Political Strategist dream: because it presented a defining moment for leadership in both political parties. The Elkridge Club is reported to be made of rich, powerful and elite members of the community. Lt. Gov. Steele challenged these Elkridge members to do the right thing, AND THEY DID rather than try to be safe and not rock the boat.
A PR nightmare: because a NY blogger painted Lt. Gov. Steele in “blackface” thinking Steele didn’t relate to black folk in his response to the Ehrlich fundraiser at the Elkridge Club.
A Political Strategist dream: because of the Elkridge Club incident it has kept Lt.Gov. Steele’s name in the headlines week after week. The other candidates have to have poll results just to get some print.
Who would have thought that the Elkridge Club a symbol of non inclusion for African Americans and of white exclusitivity could now become the catalyst for an African American to be elected as the first African American Senator in MD!

MAN of Steele

I met Lt.Gov. Steele last night at a grand opening ceremony. I never thought when I protested the Elkridge Club which at the time (July05) did not have any African American members and developed this blogsite: http://www.powerspeaks.blogspot.com/ to document the struggle that it would lead to becoming involved in a Senatorial race. I told the Lt. Gov. that I felt he was being unfairly attacked by a blogger who had painted Steele in "blackface". Also, I learned that in yesterday's Washington Times and in today's Baltimore Sun both of which have articles where some African-American Democratic politicians are condoning these racial attacks on Steele by other African- Americans. I was glad to see several leaders Kweisi Mfume a Democrat who is running for the Senate also and Garland O. Williamson, president of the Presidents Roundtable a black business group offer support for Steele and condemn those who have tried to belittle another African-American. It's amazing how Lt.Gov. Steele the object of these attacks will I think prosper from the publicity and garner more support from other Democrats (black & white). First of all, other Democrats, will see the weakness in a Democratic party that can offer no other platform but to attack a MAN of (Steele')(s) character based on his race and then have other African Americans as the culprits. Secondly, with all the hoopla in the media about the Lt. Gov. it will only appear that the race is all about Steele and that the Lt. Gov. is the front runner and the MAN to beat. Surely that appears to be the perception at this point in the race. Lt. Gov. Steele has kept his composure and remains dignified and is letting those who are watching (the voters) decide for themselves who will represents them as the best leader. It not about name-calling and politics as usual. It’s not even about party anymore, since the ability to TRUST all leadership blindly (Democrat or Republican) has proven to be nothing but more POLITICS as usual. I say support a man who as Lt. Gov. told an all white Elkridge country club (when other politicians were silent) THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE AFRICAN- AMERICAN members - and they DID!
I say lets support a man who has said he will fight for AFRICAN - AMERICANS caught up in the prison system- where a disporportionate number of our sons and daughters are!
If you want to attack Steele attack Steele on the ISSUES!
Otherwise “ you thought evil against me: but God meant it unto good” Genesis.50:20