And So it Goes in Shreveport

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Take a Picnic Trip to the Lock and Dam and a Detour to Lake Bistineau

I'm here. Blogging is on my back burner right now as I continue to sit with my mom in the hospital after school and on weekends. She's been in the hospital just over four weeks now with a fractured neck. She's still heavily medicated and not clear in her head about just about everything. It's grim but we are praying for a recovery and trying to make her as comfortable as possible.

Every now and then I just have to get out of there, though, for my own mental health. Steve and I took the top off the Jeep today and drove down to Lock and Dam #5 on the Red River. We like going down there and looking at the river and listening to the water.

It's a pretty spot and they've got it all fixed up with picnic tables and grills. There are always people there fishing or just hanging out watching the water. We've yet to catch it at a time when a boat is going through the locks but that would be very cool. Maybe one day we'll hit it at the right time. Steve likes watching the cranes and egrets (I guess that's what they are...). It's just a relaxing spot. Part of it is that I'm just drawn to water, I think.

Today there were several families out there and lots of people fishing. And look down in the bottom right corner of this picture: there's a person swimming in that gross, stagnant looking pool off to the side.

I'm not sure I'd have jumped in right there, ya know? Looked dangerous to me, and all the algae and sticks drift off over there and just sit. Gross.

I packed an Igloo with brats and potato salad, and some snacks, and we fired up one of the grills and fixed lunch. I tried to remember everything, but you always forget something, I guess. I forgot the paper plates.

But because we are so clever and resourceful, we made plates out of aluminum foil. Guess which one is mine:

While we waited for the coals to get ready I walked down the rocks almost down to the river. All these people fishing just stomp on down there like it's nothing, but I creep down the rocks slowly, searching tentatively for a sound foothold before taking each step. One too many rolled ankles has made me less of a daredevil than I used to be.

Coming up was much faster for some reason.

Weeds or flowers? I thought they were cheerful, either way:

And then it was time to cook. In honor of Oktoberfest kicking off this weekend in Munich, we opted for brats:

I guess they look a mess here, but they were pretty darn good:

All doctored up and placed on my fine plate:

After we ate we doused the coals, cleaned out our grill, and climbed back in the Jeep to head toward Lake Bistineau.

Back in the day, some thirty-five years ago I guess, I used to go skiing on Lake Bistineau. I had a friend with a 15-1/2 foot Glastron ski boat and I had my own O'brien ski and oh did we have fun on the lake! Long summer days skiing all day, drinking a little beer, listening to some music, laughing and being young.

Boy was it ever depressing to see the lake now. Good golly almighty.

Lake Bistineau has been battling a salvinia problem and it's just about killed the lake from what I can see. I'm sure there are still some pretty spots on the lake but this is at Green Park:

We saw one dilapidated, trashed out trailer after another on the roads around the lake and one dried up marina after another.

When my friends and I went skiing, we used to put in at Plum Orchard. The pictures in my memory are very different from what is there now. The road into the marina is still there; I remembered the big tree and the asphalt turn around, but the store was gone. So was most of the water. This is the boat ramp:

You can see where the water line used to be. La. Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries is drawing the water down to help kill the salvinia:

In an effort to control aquatic vegetation, the water control structure on Lake Bistineau near Minden, La., will be opened on August 8, 2012, for a lake drawdown.
As a result of mild winter temperatures, giant salvinia has expanded beyond the control capacity of herbicide applications and salvinia weevils. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries survey estimates show giant salvinia coverage to be in excess of 2,000 acres.
The lake will be lowered 7 feet below pool stage and will remain lowered until January 31, 2013.

But from the looks of things, that marina died a long time ago.

I walked out on the pier and took this; this is the channel we took leading to the open lake (the sign says "No Wake"):

And this just made me sad:

Really depressing. Here is a history of the Lake Bistineau drawdowns; it's been controversial from day one.

At any rate, it was starting to get late so we headed back to town. What I love about driving with the top down is that you can feel the cold pockets when you're driving down the road, you can smell the pines or a burning trash pile. You can stop and visit with a fellow on the side of the road who is watering his goat. (No, we really did. "That's a prize goat!" he told us!) We waved at old timers sitting on their porch in Doyline, and at a motorcycle group driving down Highway 80. At a stop light in town I took this picture of birds on a wire and I wouldn't have been able to do that with a roof on my car!

Sunset over Shreveport:

It was a nice, relaxing day. Now on to the work week.

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:

Take a Dinner Ride Through East Texas

Take a Trip to an End of Summer Party and Listen to Soulfish Blues Band

Take a Summer Trip to Jefferson, Texas and Meet New Friends

Take a Trip to Dallas, Texas and The West End

Take a Stocking the Freezer Trip to Ed Lester Farms and Find a Cool Truck!

Take a Trip to Coushatta Down Louisiana Backroads

Take a Sunday Drive in North Caddo Parish

Take a Trip to Minden's First Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival

Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation
Take a Trip to Jefferson, Texas

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Take a Dinner Ride Through East Texas

Steve and I went on a new adventure yesterday: we hooked up with some friends who were taking their motorcycles on a dinner ride into East Texas. The threat of rain pushed a few of them into their cars, but a few brave riders stuck with their bikes. We followed along in the Jeep.

We all met up at "the old Kelley's truck stop" which is now a TA Travel Center. While we were waiting on everyone to gather I perused the aisles in the truck stop. Truck stops are interesting places. Much more than a convenience store, you can buy CB radios, little dog bowls for your traveling companion, audio books, road maps and atlases, mileage log books, a wide assortment of bar mix, beef jerky, popcorn, nuts, dried fruits, and other travel food, as well as standard trade paperbacks and postcards. You could even get a "real" gator tooth necklace and some Texas shot glasses.

I bought three post cards and a coke.

Everyone was in place around 4:15 so we headed west into East Texas. We took Highway 80 through Waskom (and I found an antique store I want to go back and check out). The main drag through Waskom was pretty neat and I'd have taken some pictures but we didn't want to fall out of line with the riders and get behind. I love quaint old downtown districts.

From there we turned north on FM9 and took a succession of scenic Farm Market roads that led us eventually into Karnak where we found our dinner destination, Big Pines Lodge. Here we are!

I guess most people in East Texas have heard of Big Pines Lodge, but it was new to me. What a colorful history it has! You can read about it here. The restaurant is situated right next to Big Cypress Bayou which feeds right into beautiful Caddo Lake. There is no cell phone service there (if you're with AT&T, at least).

The restaurant began in the 1930s as a fishing camp and didn't serve food originally. Through the years there have been cabins to stay in, an armed robbery, at least one flood, one devastating fire, nights of dancing on a paddle boat, and many, many satisfied customers. What you see there now is the new and renovated Big Pines Lodge after a fire destroyed the building in 2009. I loved the outdoor dining area:

Check out the great photos and videos on the website; there is one video about the carving of this tree:

Here's a closer look:

After we ordered our food I went outside and took a few pictures and explored. You can buy fish food for a quarter and feed the fish that come up to the dock:

View from the dock:

Looking down the bayou:

I secretly covet this house right next door to the restaurant:

Loved the trees dripping with Spanish moss:

A view of the bayou from the upper patio:

I liked the alligators in the cement, and note the tree-columns:

Most everyone ordered the catfish for dinner but a couple of us ordered steak. The waitresses brought cole slaw and hush puppies (both regular and jalapeno) to the table when we sat down. Steve ordered catfish:

...and I ordered steak:

The food was all great. We had a fried alligator appetizer, too.

Steve appreciated the decorator's sense of humor:

And I liked the old jukebox loaded with actual 45s:

After dinner we all went our separate ways. Steve and I headed on over to Marshall, TX because we knew Soulfish was playing over there and it was still early.

Marshall is one of the stops on the Holiday Trail of Lights and the town is known for their Christmas light display on the former courthouse. The old courthouse is Renaissance revival in style and is now, I think, the home to the Harrison County Historical Museum.

It's a pretty neat building:

One day we'll go investigate further and see what's inside. It's got to be pretty cool.

There is a confederate soldier out front:

And a canon in the parking lot:

There was some sort of little festival going on downtown and as we walked around looking at buildings, killing time until Soulfish started, we could hear the band playing 80s hits. There were a lot of people down there, and we discovered a new restaurant we want to try: The Blue Frog Grill.

I thought this fountain was cute: water for you and water for your four legged friend:

Eventually we made our way to PJ's - an old hotel bar by the interstate.

We spent a couple of hours listing to the sweet blues of Soulfish Blues Band before heading back down the interstate toward home.

The only thing wrong with last night's adventure is that we weren't able to take the top down on the Jeep.

Good times!

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:

Take a Trip to an End of Summer Party and Listen to Soulfish Blues Band

Take a Summer Trip to Jefferson, Texas and Meet New Friends

Take a Trip to Dallas, Texas and The West End

Take a Stocking the Freezer Trip to Ed Lester Farms and Find a Cool Truck!

Take a Trip to Coushatta Down Louisiana Backroads

Take a Sunday Drive in North Caddo Parish

Take a Trip to Minden's First Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Mainstream Media Fiddles,the Middle East Burns, and Obama Does Vegas

I'm dumbfounded.

Just when I thought the world couldn't get any more sprayed-roach crazy than it is, the American Ambassador to Libya is murdered (along with three other Americans), and all the mainstream media can do is criticize Romney for speaking out against it?

This makes me furious.

I don't know if I'm more angry at the media for being such lapdogs or at Obama for letting this happen.

And don't for one single minute think that Obama isn't on the hook here.

The media was, and still is, quick to blame George W. Bush for 9/11, saying he "ignored many al-Qaida warnings" prior to the attack. But where are they on this? Where are they on Obama's failure to attend intelligence briefings in the week leading up to the 9/11 anniversary?

I'll tell you where they are - they're in the press room figuring out how to gang up on Mitt Romney and make him look "unpresidential." Are you kidding me?! Ben Smith has a bunch of supposedly Republican, anonymous (of course) sources blasting Romney's statement:

A third Republican, a former Bush State Department official, told BuzzFeed, "It wasn't presidential of Romney to go political immediately — a tragedy of this magnitude should be something the nation collectively grieves before politics enters the conversation."

Really?

George Bush was relentlessly pounded for being slow to react to the news that America was under attack on 9/11/2001.

He was also widely criticized for his slow response to Hurricane Katrina (even though he could NOT go in without authorization from local officials).

But Mitt Romney, in a presidential moment, responds swiftly in a statement decrying the murder of an American in a terrorist attack and it's too soon! The nation hasn't grieved yet!

It's just crazy.

Professor Jacobson:

Beginning early this morning, when news was just breaking, the left-blogosphere and mainstream media, led by MSNBC, has attempted to shift the focus from the Obama administration’s failure to protect our embassies and for its apologies (both before and after the attack on the Cairo Embassy) to whether Mitt Romney was wrong to criticize Obama last night.

No, I’m not kidding.

A very good post from Victor Davis Hanson explains how this happened in the first place:

Egypt is currently a beneficiary of more than $1 billion in annual American aid, and its new Muslim Brotherhood–led government is negotiating to have much of its sizable U.S. debt forgiven. Libya, remember, was the recipient of the Obama administration’s “lead from behind” intervention that led to the removal of Moammar Qaddafi — and apparently gave the present demonstrators the freedom to kill Americans. This is all called “smart” diplomacy.

Be sure to read the whole thing.

And of course, the press can't be bothered with putting the blame where it lies. They're more interested in removing the threat to their candidate than exposing the truth.

Allahpundit has the right questions:

The signs were there; one of the Marines at the consulate apparently even saw Libyan “security” taking photos of the compound beforehand. What did the State Department do to prepare? Why are Marines only being sent now, after the fact, to beef up security? Why was there no evacuation plan in place? Why, apparently, didn’t Obama attend any of his daily intel briefings this week with the anniversary of 9/11 bearing down? Why did his campaign move more quickly to condemn Romney for his statement than the White House did to condemn the mob activity in Cairo and Benghazi? Why do these questions only seem to get asked of presidents from the party disfavored by the concern trolls we call reporters?

If there was ever any doubt that the press is in bed with Obama, it's gone now.

I pray to God that people will do their own research on the candidates this fall and not listen to the mainstream media. They are as culpable in this debacle as narcissist that inhabits the Oval Office is.

What if George W. Bush had jetted off to Las Vegas for a fundraiser on the night of 9/11? Why, the press would be apoplectic! Not the same thing, you say? Three thousand lives lost to four? Not the same thing? Tell that to the families of the victims. Tell that to the victims that are sure to come.

This is not the end. There will be more attacks as long as this bungling Jimmy Carter redux is in office.

Brace yourself.

Much more at Memeorandum.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Never Forget

Take a Trip to an End of Summer Party and Listen to the Soulfish Blues Band

One of my standard rules of thumb is to take my camera with me wherever I go because, well, you just never know when you'll wish you had it.

What was I thinking yesterday when I left it at home? After all, it was just a little top-down in the Jeep drive along Cross Lake, a spontaneous stop for lunch, and a birthday party at The Cove on Cross Lake. Why would I need a camera? My cell phone has, of course, a wonderful camera but the sound quality for video on it isn't so great which is what I really missed.

Who knew I would become an instant fan of the music of the Soulfish Blues Band?

Never leave home without the camera. Ever.

Anyway, yesterday was our first real day of fall temperatures so we pulled the top down on the Jeep and decided to take a drive around Cross Lake before this birthday party we'd been invited to at The Cove.

Cross Lake is really pretty and we've been out there quite a bit since joining the American Legion in May. I've posted some nice shots taken from the Legion. I like this one:

Cell phone picture. It's ok.

Yesterday we just drove to see where the road would take us and we ended up in Longwood. We were both ready for a Coke so we stopped at the Longwood General Store and Truck Stop. And casino.

Cute, isn't it!

There's a big ol' front porch where you can sit and watch the cars go by:

We didn't realize it was also a restaurant when we stopped, but sure enough, there's the sign: "World Famous Steaks."

It's the kind of place where you sit next to the 409 and the Brillo Pads while you eat your "World Famous Steak":

There's a counter with hot plate lunches:

I opted for a fish sandwich which was really good.

Steve had a bacon cheeseburger.

After our spontaneous lunch we headed to The Cove. The Cove is one of those neighborhood clubs that has been there forever. It's right on the lake and sits on a beautiful piece of property. You can get there via car or boat.

We had been invited to the birthday party of a friend of ours from the Legion and things were in full swing when we arrived. Most folks were inside watching The Saints on TV but the weather was so nice, we sat outside amidst the smoke from the two grills. They were busy grilling chicken, pork chops, sausage and burgers.

After the game, the Soulfish Blues Band set up on the patio outside and played until after dark.

I'd heard of Soulfish before and I think I may have heard them at last year's Highland Jazz and Blues festival. Actually, I think I was at the other end of the park listening to someone else when Soulfish played the Highland because I'm certain I would have remembered them.

When Julia Dunning started singing yesterday I was amazed. Just amazed. This girl can belt out covers of Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Adele...you name it, she's got it. I don't even like Janis Joplin but I liked it when Julia sang it. She's got the kind of voice that gives you chill bumps when she hits those certain notes and she belts 'em out strong and loud. Go here and listen to the "Rollin' in the Deep" cover; if you don't get chill bumps at 1:03, check your pulse. And if you can stand one more cover of "Unchain My Heart," listen to that one, too. Her voice is especially suited for that one.

I'm not sure how old Julia Dunning is, but she sings with the confidence and poise of an experienced torch singer. The Soulfish website tells me that Julia Perrodin Dunning has been singing since she was two years old. All I can tell you for sure is that she mesmerized me with her vocals and on-stage charisma; one thing that I really thought was cool is that she made it a point to walk around between sets and speak to folks. She came over to our table and thanked us for coming and visited for a few minutes.

This is where I wished for my video camera. All the video I shot on my phone just didn't capture the sound very well. I'm going to post this one I shot of "Sixteen Tons" but it still isn't as good as they actually were:

Julia has some serious musicians behind her: Gary Huntsman on lead guitar does masterful work and Bill Allen on bass is excellent. Both of them have strong resumes and are a perfect fit with this band. On drums is "the pride of Zwolle," Bruce Procell. He was glad to come out and talk to the crowd too, between sets.

The band's website is here. Facebook is here. They'll be playing Texas this weekend: Friday night in Kilgore and Saturday in Marshall. We will catch up with them next on 9/28 again at The Cove. They have a busy schedule and you won't have trouble finding them. It's well worth your effort.

We finally left The Cove after the last song and headed for home. We hadn't intended on staying that long but just couldn't make ourselves leave until the music was done. The cool, crisp air felt wonderful on the way home with the top down and we hated to park the car and head in, but work today beckoned.

End of Summer, indeed.

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:

Take a Summer Trip to Jefferson, Texas and Meet New Friends

Take a Trip to Dallas, Texas and The West End

Take a Stocking the Freezer Trip to Ed Lester Farms and Find a Cool Truck!

Take a Trip to Coushatta Down Louisiana Backroads

Take a Sunday Drive in North Caddo Parish

Take a Trip to Minden's First Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival

Sunday, September 9, 2012

A Spontaneous Stop in a Sports Bar?

A few weeks back, on Pundette's blog, PoliticalJunkieMom pointed out how often the press now makes mention of Obama and his affinity for beer:

This is why the Obamas are making such a big deal of the home brew. This is why they're travelling with bottles of beer: to make a rather subversive point about Romney's Mormonism. They could do it with coffee. Or soda. But beer is the most effective way to show how "out of touch" he is while they follow the "traditional All-American home brewing" methods.

Because we couldn't possible elect a president who doesn't like beer, right? How shallow.

The pandering continues in this report by Mary Bruce who reports on Obama's most recent beer stop:

Rolling to Orlando this evening, President Obama’s bus tour made a surprise stop at a local sports bar for beer and a little college football.
“There he is,” a girl squealed, according to pool reports, as Obama walked into Gators Dockside bar and grill, doing the “gator chomp.”
The president went straight to the bar and ordered a pint of beer before working his way around the room, chatting with patrons as the Florida State vs. Savannah State game played on the TVs.

Are we really to believe that the big black armored bus was rolling down the road when Obama spontaneously saw a sports bar and decided he wanted to stop for a beer? That the Secret Service hadn't come through and cleaned the place? That Obama just wanted to catch the game and have a brew?

Sigh.

Okay.

There isn't much the president of the free world does that is quite that spontaneous.

That the press thinks we would be fooled by this transparent attempt to make Romney appear as The Other and Not Normal is pathetic. It's sad.

I don't care if Obama drinks beer or if Romney doesn't. Does anybody really vote that way?

I suppose next we'll be hearing about a new Oktoberfest celebration on the White House lawn.

On Political Discourse in Social Media

I'm in a snarly mood this morning. I've been in a discussion with friends recently about the state of political discourse and the intolerance of the left. Nothing new there.

Let's talk about Facebook and social media in general for a moment. New media, even - we can pull this out to the blogosphere, too.

I use my Facebook page not only as a way to keep up with old friends and stay in touch, but also to promote my blog. Granted, blogging has been slowed by real life these past few weeks but that's another story. But that's part of the objective of social media as I see it. Sharing of ideas and spreading information. Sharing news, articles, and videos you find interesting.

Yet there is a growing trend of intolerance from the left when your opinion doesn't jive with theirs. That's not really new either, but the chatter seems to be more aggressive. We've all seen the little e-cards photo that went around Facebook recently that said something like, "Wow! Your political posting on Facebook has really changed my mind about who to vote for, said no person ever,"

Well, that was kind of funny really and not particularly mean-spirited. It's the passive-aggressive snark and the even more outright hostile attacks that I find disheartening and that have my blood pressure up today.

A few weeks ago someone in my timeline posted a comment on their own wall (their right, of course!) that derided people for posting political opinion in Facebook. "There should be a separate place for them to do that!" this person said. Why?

Why shouldn't I be able to post political opinion and share articles if I want to? Because it offends YOU?

If I'm offended or don't care to read a person's feed the simple response is to hide their posts or even "unfriend" them if it's that bad. So why the passive-aggressive snark?

A friend of mine told me of a note she got from one of her Facebook friends which explained that she was unfriending her because of her political posting on Facebook. That's fine, but why even announce that? Why not take the high road and take whatever action you feel necessary without provoking a situation of resentment and/or hurt feelings?

Why all the attacks? Why does the left feel the need to attack and diminish the right? I'm sure it goes both ways but I've seen it more from the left lately.

We should be able to agree to disagree and stop the snark and hostility. I get angry about the state of things. I hate what Obama is doing to this country and I'm quite vociferous and opinionated about it but I won't attack you personally for your differing views. I'll attack on policy and argument, but not personally.

In social media, I think it's perfectly fair to post and share your opinions. In this country you are still, for the time being, allowed the right of free speech.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Ready for Oktoberfest!

Monday, September 3, 2012

National Empty Chair Day

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Fisking Kathleen Parker

I'm still hospital sitting and will bring you up to speed on all that later. I brought my laptop with me today because it's easier to blog on it than on the iPad (at least for some posts). Plus I wanted to work on a letter to the Nursing Director of WK to commend an angelic, wonderful nurse we had on seventh floor last week.

Now that that's done, let's take a moment to fisk Kathleen Parker. It's a good thing I'm sitting in a hospital because I'm sputtering and hyperventilating as I'm reading her column.

Let's take a look, shall we? Her thesis seems to be that the Republican convention was too white. She opens with the mind boggling question: "What if Barack Obama had been a Republican?" Have I been hospital-bound too long? Can anyone even fathom that concept? I can't. She contends that if he'd been Republican, i.e., if Republicans had a black nominee, then the delegates on the floor would have been black. And she gets paid the big bucks for this.

To Parker, it's all about race. She writes:

Obama was elected not only because of his attractive eloquence but because we are fundamentally a good people who value fairness and equality. Electing Obama was part of our reward to ourselves. It allowed us to feel that we were this good and this big.

Choke, sputter, gag. "part of our reward to ourselves"? Is she kidding? Is this satire?

More:

He was also a tantalizing candidate with a message of hope that felt like honey after eight bitter years of terrorism and war. He courted our better angels and articulated our best instincts. We were going to become a purple, post-racial nation, never again to be divided. Who wouldn’t fall in love with that?

His "message of hope that felt like honey" never came across to me. His message from day one was of big government and socialist style programs. Anyone who fell for his "purple, post-racial nation" bullshit was not listening past the scripted prose to examine the real man.

And by the way: Republicans are racist:

Republicans were certain that Obama was all style over substance, but their criticisms quickly were interpreted in some quarters as racial animus. Certainly some who call themselves Republicans also can be called racist. Anyone who spends time on the Internet is aware of the racist content of some political dialogue. It’s out there, and it’s ugly.

Then Parker asks "Where are the blacks?" Kathleen Parker, meet just some of the blacks in the Republican party:

Let's start with Rev. C. L. Bryant:

Rev. Bryant gave a brilliant speech at FreePAC in July following on the heels of his brilliant documentary Runaway Slave. Did you see Runaway Slave, Miss Parker?

Meet Mia B. Love. Did you see her at the RNC convention? Wonderful speech!

Meet Mason Weaver, author of It's Okay to Leave the Plantation.

Meet Marvin D. Rogers, author of Silence Makes the Loudest Sound, a revealing look at the racist history of the Democratic party.

Marvin appeared in C. L. Bryant's Runaway Slave documentary and was one of the more powerful segments in the film.

Meet Star Parker, author, activist, and founder of CURE. She speaks out on a regular circut of conservative appearances:

Meet Deneen Borelli, author and activist. She spoke on Fox and Friends recently about her new book Blacklash.

Meet K. Carl Smith, a Frederick Douglass Republican:

Mrs. Parker, I'm sure you're familiar with Condoleezza Rice, Herman Cain, Allen West, Alveda King, David Webb, and others.

What about Stephen Broden, Sonja, Schmidt, Kevin Daniels, Jesse Lee Peterson, and Erik Rush. You ever heard of them?

In Kathleen Parker's article, she does note that there are some minorities in the Republican party, she writes:

Appearances matter, and the GOP simply doesn’t look that friendly. Regardless of what is true, when an arena full of white people cheers jabs aimed at the first African American president, it feels wrong. This may not be a conscious recognition, but the subliminal is powerful. It was with a deep, inner sigh of relief that white Republicans heard Romney say that he had wanted Obama to succeed because he wanted America to succeed. Bless the speechwriters.

I would suggest that Miss Parker and others get past the appearances and quit worrying so much about surface issues. Nobody boo'd or jabbed Obama at the RNC because he was black. It's because his policies are failures. It's not "subliminal" racist code. His policies are failures. They'd be failures if he was a white man. It's not about race here. Get over it

In all her search for racial code and dog whistles, she concludes with this, which I'm not even going to touch:

There they’ll learn that ecosystems thrive and are most productive when there is biodiversity. The same can be said of political parties. An all-white party will not long survive in a diverse environment.
The strongest and fittest are those who adapt, and that species for now goes by the name Democrat.

Take a look around you, Miss Parker. The black conservatives are rising.