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[personal profile] mistersandman
Carrying signs that read "Don't stop until the flag drops" and "It's not about heritage," 1,000 people marched to the grounds of the state capitol building on Monday to protest the Confederate battle flag on the Capitol grounds.

The march was organized on Martin Luther King Jr. Day by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to protest the continuing commemoration of the Confederate role in the Civil War.

Organizers said it was also to protest the threat of state education budget cuts, a proposal for a state identification card and talk of stricter immigration laws in South Carolina.

Linda Pearson, 61, of Columbia said she was proud to march on Martin Luther King Day.

"I come every year and I usually try to bring my grandchildren. It's still all about the flag, really," she said.

The Confederate flag hung from a flagpole atop the Capitol building until 2000
, when it was moved to a monument to Confederate dead elsewhere on the grounds. The flag was moved only after an NAACP economic boycott of the state.

Dr. Lonnie Randolph Jr., president of the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, said the organization wants the flag completely removed from the grounds.

It also condemned South Carolina's ongoing commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, which it views as celebrating slavery.

In December, the NAACP organized protest marches in Charleston around a "Secession Ball" that marked South Carolina's secession from the United States 150 years ago.

The ball was sponsored by the Sons of Confederate Veterans and featured period dress and the singing of "Dixie."

In an interview, Randolph said he was sure the United States would not allow a commemoration of the Wounded Knee incident in South Dakota, when Indians were killed by U.S. cavalry in December, 1890; or a party celebrating the dropping a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima; or a party celebrating the Holocaust in which millions of Jews died.

"They would not allow it and the NAACP is not going to allow South Carolina to do it," he said, referring to the state's commemorations of the Civil War.

South Carolina, in December 1860, was the first state to secede from the United States after the election of Abraham Lincoln, leading to the formation of the Confederacy.

The crowd listening to speeches after the march included the state's new attorney general, Alan Wilson, the son of Rep. Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, who shocked a joint session of Congress in September, 2009, when he shouted "You lie!" at President Barack Obama as he spoke to Congress.

"I'm here to offer support as a private citizen," said Alan Wilson, also a Republican. "Our state has come a long way but we have a long way to go. We have got to look for common ground wherever we can."

Source
mistersandman: How would you feel if you had to put on a really stupid hat? (RAGE)
[personal profile] mistersandman
The Republican candidate for governor, Carl P. Paladino, told a gathering in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Sunday that children should not be “brainwashed” into thinking that homosexuality was acceptable, and criticized his opponent, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, for marching in a gay pride parade earlier this year.

Addressing Orthodox Jewish leaders, Mr. Paladino described his opposition to same-sex marriage.

“I just think my children and your children would be much better off and much more successful getting married and raising a family, and I don’t want them brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option — it isn’t,” he said, reading from a prepared address, according to a video of the event. Read more... )
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I apologize for using the NY Times, if you are reading this FROM THE FUTURE, the NY Daily also covered this story here. The LGBT community has been unimpressed with the Democrats' response (or lack thereof) to LGBT issues but when this is the sort of treatment they can expect from the opposition....

The Huffington Post suggests that this is the end of Paladino's campaign. I hope they are right.

[personal profile] treesahquiche I'm going to SUGGEST you don't TAG politician: Carl Paladino in hopes that his political career is over.

Source
treesahquiche: (Default)
[personal profile] treesahquiche
Officials: Sheriff Joe's Office Charged Luxury Trips To County, Misused Up To $80 Million

Ryan J. Reilly
Additional reporting by Johanna Barr

Joe Arpaio, the Arizona sheriff infamous due to his attention-grabbing immigration enforcement related stunts and the accusations his office discriminates against Latinos, allegedly misused millions in funds intended for jail operations, Maricopa County officials said Wednesday.

Click for the full story. )

Source

----------

I want you to pay attention to the "General funds from the county" bit in the last paragraph of the article. What that means is "We are going to take necessary funding from other programs -- such as food stamps and nutritional programs for women, infants, and children (WIC) and education -- and use it to fix what Joe Arpaio fucked up."

I wonder what Joe Arpaio has on Governor Jan Brewer. The blackmail must be pretty steep if he hasn't been sacked yet.
quarantedeux: (Default)
[personal profile] quarantedeux
 Despite her halting debate performance last week, Arizona Republican Governor Jan Brewer now earns 60% of the vote in her bid for reelection, her best showing in the race to date.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Arizona Voters shows Democratic Attorney General Terry Goddard with 38% support. One percent (1%) like some other candidate in the race, and another one percent (1%) are undecided.

The race remains Solid Republican in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Gubernatorial Scorecard.

Details behind the cut, along with a bit on the Senate race. )

 

mistersandman: (SHAME)
[personal profile] mistersandman
A small US church says it will defy international condemnation and go ahead with plans to burn copies of the Koran on the 9/11 anniversary.

The top US commander in Afghanistan warned troops' lives would be in danger if the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida went ahead.

Muslim countries and NATO have also hit out at the move.

And the US Attorney General, Eric Holder, called the idea "idiotic and dangerous," but organiser, Pastor Terry Jones said: "We must send a clear message to the radical element of Islam."

The controversy comes at a time when the US relationship with Islam is very much under scrutiny.


There is heated debate in the country over a proposal to build a mosque and Islamic cultural centre streets from Ground Zero, site of the 9/11 attacks, in New York.

Speaking at a State Department dinner marking the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Hillary Clinton condemned Pastor Jones.

"I am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act that has come from American religious leaders of all faiths," she said.

Despite having a congregation of just 50, the plans of Pastor Jones' church in Gainesville have gained worldwide notoriety, sparking demonstrations in Afghanistan and Indonesia.
Click for full article )

Source

Everyone--and I mean everyone--has told these people that this is a bad idea.  Well too bad for them, AMERICA doesn't bow to kings and neither does Jesus.  (and by kings they mean NATO, assorted representatives of the United States government, the American military, the Vatican, and their local ordinances about open bonfires, did I miss any, aside from common decency?)
mistersandman: (Justice)
[personal profile] mistersandman
The less said about Glenn Beck's latest crime against common decency on August 28, the better.  Any kind of exposure given to that man, his followers, and his sophistic ideals, positive or negative, runs the risk of letting another stupid white asshole think s/he is not totally alone and undeserving of love in this world.  Personally, I've tried to avoid any coverage of the event, in a half-assed attempt to stick it to Glenn Beck.

In spite of myself, I clicked on this video by New Left Media, associated with the Huffington Post and it was pretty entertaining.  One has to remember that the interviewer speaks to about 15 of the thousands who shambled to the Lincoln Memorial and is probably edited to get the most ignorant, and thus the most entertaining, responses.  I've already said too much on this subject.

In a similar vein, let's talk about the old figurehead of ignorant conservatism in our country, former President George W. Bush.  Filmed in the greatest city in America, Secret Pants Sketch Comedy asks us the most important question our miserable human cortexes could ever hope to compute: Bush or Batman?

The Bush administration gave us this and Stephen Colbert.
The Obama administration has given us Glenn Beck.
treesahquiche: (Default)
[personal profile] treesahquiche
While promoting his upcoming "Restoring Honor" rally that falls on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech -- and chalking up said coincidence to "divine providence" -- Glenn Beck has repeatedly invoked the memory of the civil rights movement. According to Beck, the rally will "reclaim the civil rights movement" because "Martin Luther King's dream" has "been distorted" and "massively perverted" by progressives.

As we've noted, Beck's shameless co-opting of King's legacy for his own self-aggrandizement is especially appalling in light of his long history of race-baiting (including, but far from limited to calling President Obama a "racist.")

Joining Beck at the rally next weekend will be fellow Fox News employee Sarah Palin, whose presence at the rally is complicated by her defense of Dr. Laura's racially charged rant. As we documented, last night Palin told Dr. Laura "don't retreat....reload!" She also nonsensically chalked up attacks on Dr. Laura to an infringement on her "1st Amend.rights" by "Constitutional obstructionists."

Click for screenshots and the rest of the story. )

Source

Yeah, so, I just threw up in my mouth.

I really appreciate Jezebel's post on this news. There's a bonus clip of Stephen Colbert's take at the end that somehow makes me feel less homicidal.
treesahquiche: (Default)
[personal profile] treesahquiche


Click here for the video transcript. )

Fareed Zakaria: Build the Ground Zero Mosque (Newsweek) -- A more detailed and in-depth argument by Dr. Zakaria in favor of the Muslim community center.



Thoughts on Abe Foxman's Speechlessness Over Fareed Zakaria's Return of the ADL's Humphrey Award

The dispute between Fareed Zakaria and Abe Foxman is not over. Foxman's faux "shock" over Zakaria's reaction to Foxman's efforts to stop the building of an Islamic community center a few blocks from "Ground Zero" may be masking efforts by Foxman to have Zakaria exit by the same route as Helen Thomas and Octavia Nasr.

Click for the full story )

Source



I love Fareed Zakaria, and how he stands up against bigotry, entitlement, and the worrying trend of Islamophobia in the West. He is truly an intellectual treasure and a bastion of rationality and compassion here in the United States.
treesahquiche: (Default)
[personal profile] treesahquiche
At a time when the prospects for immigration overhaul seem most dim, supporters have unleashed a secret weapon: a group of influential evangelical Christian leaders.

Normally on the opposite side of political issues backed by the Obama White House, these leaders are aligning with the president to support an overhaul that would include some path to legalization for illegal immigrants already here. They are preaching from pulpits, conducting conference calls with pastors and testifying in Washington -- as they did last Wednesday.

"I am a Christian and I am a conservative and I am a Republican, in that order," said Matthew D. Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a conservative religious law firm. "There is very little I agree with regarding President Barack Obama. On the other hand, I'm not going to let politicized rhetoric or party affiliation trump my values, and if he's right on this issue, I will support him on this issue."

I was all optimistic about this, but really, it just goes downhill from here. )

Source

I don't know how to feel about this. I'd like to see comprehensive immigration reform happen, but I don't think I could work alongside evangelicals -- who are anti-choice and anti-LGBT rights, and thus anti-women's rights -- to make it happen. They're just so hypocritical! "We are pro-family, unless of course your family isn't a conventional heteronormative nuclear family, in which case we'll just leave you to rot." How can they pick and choose like that on an issue that impacts so many people's lives?

Also, since when did the Arizona law have "overwhelming public support" amongst people who weren't bigots with strong ties to the KKK? Do racists suddenly love brown people when they realize that it's a couple hundred thousand more votes in their pockets if they play nice?
treesahquiche: (Default)
[personal profile] treesahquiche


By Martha Nussbaum

In Spain earlier this month, the Catalonian assembly narrowly rejected a proposed ban on the Muslim burqa in all public places -- reversing a vote the week before in the country's upper house of parliament supporting a ban. Similar proposals may soon become national law in France and Belgium. Even the headscarf often causes trouble. In France, girls may not wear it in school. In Germany (as in parts of Belgium and the Netherlands) some regions forbid public school teachers to wear it on the job, although nuns and priests are permitted to teach in full habit. What does political philosophy have to say about these developments? As it turns out, a long philosophical and legal tradition has reflected about similar matters.

Let's start with an assumption that is widely shared: that all human beings are equal bearers of human dignity. It is widely agreed that government must treat that dignity with equal respect. But what is it to treat people with equal respect in areas touching on religious belief and observance?

Click for a coherent, objective, and secular defense of religious and expressive freedoms! )

[For more on this issue, visit the Times Topics page on Muslim veiling.]

Martha Nussbaum teaches law, philosophy, and divinity at The University of Chicago. She is the author of several books, including "Liberty of Conscience: In Defense of America's Tradition of Religious Equality" (2008) and "Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities" (2010).

Source

This article is a bit lengthier than the ones that I typically post here, but it is definitely worth the read. As a minority woman, I've been uncomfortable with Europe's burqa-banning tendencies, which to me seemed like sexism and bigotry cloaked in something societally acceptable. (Think about it -- male politicians and the majority populace are restricting women's freedoms to dress and practice their faith as they choose "for their own good.") I'm not Muslim, but "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

I've never really been able to articulate my feelings properly, since all someone would have to say is something along the lines of, "Well, it's a security threat," and my argument would fall apart because "I should hope that it'd take more than some cotton covering someone's face to stump a security check if I have to pay all those taxes for Homeland Security" isn't a very solid rebuttal.

I'm glad that Dr. Nussbaum has said exactly what I have wanted to say to those who would pretend that their own intolerance is a noble cause for the greater good.
mistersandman: (hahaha)
[personal profile] mistersandman

Canadian journalist Mitch Moxley told the BBC World Service he was among a group of white North Americans hired by a Chinese company as "quality control experts".Read more... )
By Junaid Ahmed

BBC News
Source

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It's a shame that everyone knows about this now.  I think this is the only job that I, as a white male, would be the first choice for an employer.  'John' and 'Ben' sure have changed their tune for the BBC.  The first time I heard about this, they sounded pretty triumphant.
treesahquiche: (Default)
[personal profile] treesahquiche
This weekend, delegates of the Texas Republican Party voted to include a provision in their state party platform advocating for an immigration law similar to Arizona's SB-1070. The platform also proposes 'making American English the official language of Texas and the United States.' Nonetheless, the first video of a YouTube campaign aimed at attracting more Latinos to the party that was launched yesterday ... in Spanish. Watch it:



The video doesn't touch on the immigration issue, but it does feature a series of Latinos listing reasons why they are Republican. A belief in "the right to liberty and freedom," "equality," and the "American Dream" are among the justifications presented. The video even features immigration attorney Ivan Andarza, a Rick Perry supporter whose Twitter feed might suggest that he is opposed to the Arizona law. And while most Latinos believe in the ideals mentioned in the Texas GOP video, the majority also think that police crackdowns on undocumented immigrants pose a direct threat to those liberties and that the Arizona law goes too far.

Source

Republicans: an endless source of hilarity!
treesahquiche: (Default)
[personal profile] treesahquiche


During the night, three fountains in Tel Aviv were colored with bright red color. The Committee Against the Siege who organized the action says: "We made it to remind people in Israel that the siege policy is only causing bloodshed."

Click for the full story and more images. )

Source

I originally came across this on the LiveJournal version of ONTD_political -- I hope I haven't done anything wrong in cross-posting this. (If I have, please tell me so posthaste!)

Anyway, this is totally awesome.
monchel: Curvy woman of color silhouette with braids. (Default)
[personal profile] monchel
Individuals banned from the UK for stirring-up hatred have been named and shamed for the first time, the Home Secretary announced today.

The list covers people excluded from the United Kingdom for fostering extremism or hatred between October 2008 and March 2009.

It follows the Home Secretary’s introduction of new measures against such individuals last year, including creating a presumption in favour of exclusion in respect of all those who have engaged in spreading hate.

The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith also announced today that the government is now able to ban European nationals and their family members if they constitute a threat to public policy or public security.


The article gives a few examples of the names on the list; there are 72 total. I thought it interesting because of this particular individual:

Michael Alan Weiner (also known as Michael Savage)

Controversial daily radio host. Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts and fostering hatred which might lead to inter-community violence.


The provisions for landing on this list are as follows:

Under the unacceptable behaviour policy, the Home Secretary may exclude from the UK any non-British citizen, whether in the UK or abroad, who uses any means or medium including:

* writing, producing, publishing or distributing material
* public speaking including preaching
* running a website or
* using a position of responsibility such as teacher, community or youth leader

To express views which:

* foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs
* seek to provoke others to terrorist acts
* foment other serious criminal activity or seek to provoke others to serious criminal acts or
* foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK.


Source.

I'm torn on whether this policy will prove useful or as a political tool to shape national agendas, even if I agree with the Savage ban. Hell, can we ban Savage from the U.S.?

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