Mayan ruins to be 'cleansed' after Bush visit

This is from CNN.com:

Mayan Indian leaders have vowed to "spiritually cleanse" an ancient site in Guatemala after U.S. President George W. Bush visits during his seven-day, five-nation tour of Latin America.

Bush's visit to the ruins at Iximche, a one-time capital of a Mayan group, is part of an effort to show the administration is interested in all its neighbors in the hemisphere.

But many Mayans are angry that Bush is visiting Iximche, founded as the capital of the Kaqchiqueles kingdom before the Spanish conquest in 1524.

Mayan priests say they will purify the sacred archaeological site to rid it of any "bad spirits" after Bush is there.

I don't know about spiritual cleansing, but cleansing an area after a BushCo visit is a great idea. The less this group leaves behind, the better. Everyone should run out and get a jug of Clorox and a mop - just in case BushCo comes a' callin'.

Move over Jeff Gannon, meet Matt Sanchez

This is just, delicious. Matt, if you haven't heard is a right-wing media darling. Joey.My.Goodness leads with:

If you are familiar with Cpl. Matt Sanchez, you probably know him as the handsome 36-year old Columbia University junior and USMC reservist who recently made the rounds of right-wing talk shows like O'Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes, where he received praise for coming forward and complaining about his treatment at the hands of Columbia's "radical anti-military students" who called him names and mocked his military service. Sanchez was then feted at the CPAC conference where Ann Coulter made her "faggot" remark. Sanchez wrote an op-ed piece on the Columbia experience for the NY Post and began a blog and MySpace page chronicling his media exposure.

Sounds like a pretty straight forward right wing American hero. Right? Well, sure. But, its a little more complicated than that. It turns out he's a gay porn star. Click the link on the title.

Mr. Sanchez also has his own web page - here. Seems he's been receiving death threats. Which is pretty damn sad and pathetic.

Now, I could give a crap about whether he's a gay porn star or not. I'm waiting for all the reeps to go haywire over this - as if being gay somehow obviates his conservative positions.

Al Sharpton's ancestors were owned by those of Strom Thurmond

This stuff could not be made up. No way.

In a revelation that will stun the nation, the Rev. Al Sharpton, one of America's most powerful black leaders, has unearthed a shattering family secret - his ancestors were slaves owned by relatives of the late South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond.

It is an ironic twist of fate that inexorably links one of the most vocal civil rights activists and an icon of Deep South segregation.

NY Daily News

I can't even begin to imagine what its like to have a family legacy in slavery - either as slaves themselves, or slave owners. But here we are with two of the more famous political personalities in American politics (though Strom finally, finally, finally had the good sense to go away and die). The article is interesting not only for its bizarre factoids and involvement of these two political celebrities, but also in Sharpton's personal reactions to the news of his family's roots. The facts are important, but the human story really rounds out our understanding.

I was listening to an NPR program a couple of weeks ago. The person being interviewed said that as recently as 250 years ago, 3/4 of the world's population were slaves - or their equivalent. Thankfully, that is no longer the case. However human trafficking is still a serious affliction. Accounts of women being sold as sex slaves (Cambodia and Eastern Europe) and of migrant workers being bound to employers due to massive debts (see here, here, here.

Another slavery topic was in the news recently. Both houses in Virginia's legislature expressed "profound regret" over that state's role in slavery. This is notable, as Virginia is the first state to officially apologize, although both Maryland and Missouri are considering doing the same. Also notable is this measure passed unanimously in both of Virginia's legislative houses!

I'd call this another chip in the wall. There is still a long way to go towards fully ending racism in our country. But Virginia is taking a good first step in attempting to reconcile past actions. Perhaps South Carolina would like reconsider the state flag.