mole333 mentioned Chris Owens's TV show, Inside the Congressional Black Caucus (iCBC, the lower case "i" is part of the logo and intentional), in a December blog, but the launch was delayed until now.

iCBC airs Mondays 9 PM and Midnight Eastern Standard Time on the Black Family Channel (152 on Time Warner in NYC, see your local listings elsewhere). iCBC is scheduled to premiere on April 30 with footage of California Congressperson Maxine Waters and Michigan representative John Conyers and an interview with the Rev Jesse Jackson.

Chris Owens, the Harvard and Princeton educated son of former Brooklyn, NY Congressperson Major Owens and a 2006 Congressional Candidate himself in the frequently discussed in the Daily Gotham 11th CD race, is the co-host and executive producer. Chris isn't the only Owens with a TV career, brother Geoffrey played Elvin on the Cosby show.

iCBC is a joint production effort of the Black Educational Network (BEN, Which he co-founded) through iCBC Productions LLC and historically black college University of the District of Columbia, UDC). UDC is also provides production facilities for Washington DC Cable Channel 98.

Chris is also negotiating with ION Television, the new name for the Pax Network, and CoLoursTV to broadcast the show.

Last night was the farewell party for Major Owens, retiring Congressman from NY-11. Joy and I attended because we both have always felt well represented by Major (more on that below) and we like his son, Chris.

During the election to replace Major, I heard a great deal of negative about Major and his family. Gatemouth, for example, seems to have considerable disdain for the Owens family. I am not going to argue about Gatemouth's accusations about the Owens family. Rather I want to say why Joy and I like them.

I don't know Major well nor do I feel any great loyalty to him per se. It is his son I know personally and like. But, ever since I moved to Brooklyn and even before I became involved in the local political scene, I felt very happy to be represented by Major Owens. When I looked at his voting record, it was about the best of anyone in Congress. I heard many white residents of Park Slope who felt he didn't represent him well. But when I pointed out that he was one of the only members of Congress to vote against the war in Iraq at every opportunity and to vote against the unPatriot Act at every opportunity, most of them looked surprised and suddenly liked him a lot more. Looking at almost every issue, his vote represented me perfectly well. THAT is why I like him. Simply put, when many Democrats were caving in to Bush and the Republicans, Major Owens stood for what I believed in. That is why I went to his farewell dinner and why I am sad to see him leave Congress.

Check out the flyer circulating around Park Slope. Tell me what's missing?

Wouldn't it have been gauche to invite the ... ahem ... actual congressman for the district in which this event is taking place? Yes, you see, Anthony Weiner is a Congressman but not for CD-11. Murtha is a Congressman, too - from Pennsylvania. That makes Ms. Clarke the wannabe.

How much you want to bet this was orchestrated to give Ms. Diplomagate the patina of anti-war hipness? Which is why maybe, just maybe Major Owens, the incumbent Congressman for the district does not appear in the line-up. Because, you know, it would then involve his candidate son as well.

Problem is, this is against Congressional protocol.

She forgets her diplomas. Now she will say she has not a clue of what the Congressional protocol for events is (especially during election periods).

Poor John Murtha. He obviously has not a clue of the political sandwich he's in. Unfortunately, he is going to be smeared by the honesty deficit of Ms. I don't recall.

Shame on Anthony Weiner for enabling this fiasco.