"Now, more than two weeks after explosions at its warehouses leveled a swath of that district, killing 145 people, injuring more than 700 and leaving millions here fearful of toxic fallout, Rui Hai has become a symbol of something else for many Chinese: the high cost of rapid industrialization in a closed political system rife with corruption."
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
Megyn Kelly demands Cornel West explain why #BlackLivesMatter doesn’t protest black-on-black violence - Salon.com
"West ventured that Hubbard’s “traumatized, terrorized, and is certainly right to have the kind of empathy she does in terms of the death taking place in black communities. But we have to distinguish between state-sponsored violence and violence against black people owing to actions black people do to each other. Both are important, but they’re not the same thing.”
West continued, saying that the black community is in a “state of siege, a state of emergency like the brother Dr. Carson talks about” in his recent USA Today op-ed.
“You agree with Ben Carson?” Kelly asked.
“He’s right about the state of emergency, he’s right about the need for quality education, and he’s certainly right that we must have jobs with a living wage,” West replied. “But at the same time, we can’t get that with the way society is organized at this point. This is where brother Bernie Sanders comes in.”
Megyn Kelly demands Cornel West explain why #BlackLivesMatter doesn’t protest black-on-black violence - Salon.com
Atlanta, GA Admits to Illegally Disenfranchising Voters in '08 & '12
Fulton County, Georgia admitted to illegally disenfranchising and misleading voters in the 2008 and 2012 elections in a settlement this month. For more than two dozen violations of state law — including improperly rejecting eligible ballots and sending voters to the wrong precincts — the county will pay a fine of $180,000. To make sure the problems do not continue in the future, the county has promised to spend an additional $200,000 on new training software for their poll workers.
The county, which includes Atlanta, has a heavily African American voting population and leans progressive, voting overwhelmingly for President Obama in 2008 and 2012. As detailed in the new settlement, county elections officials misinformed the precincts of who was coming to vote and when, failed to provide absentee ballots to voters who requested them, and failed to put voters who registered on time on the rolls, among other violations. The head of Fulton County’s elections office was fired last year, which she credits to her refusal to cover up the improper purging of voters in 2012....Yet the problems facing voters of color in Georgia are not confined to Fulton County. When neighboring DeKalb County, another stronghold of African American Democrats, opened an early voting location in a popular mall, Georgia State Senator Fran Millar (R) publicly lamented that “this location is dominated by African American shoppers and it is near several large African American mega churches.” He later added, “I would prefer more educated voters than a greater increase in the number of voters.”Last year, during a tight race for an open Senate seat, more than 40,000 newly registered voters — most of them young, low-income, and black — vanished from the rolls. When voting rights groups sued the state and several counties to force them to process the registrations, the Secretary of State instead accused the groups of committing voter fraud — a move the NAACP and other civil rights groups saw as an attempt to scare them away from future voter registration drives."
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Meet The Members Of Donald Trump’s White Supremacist Fan Club
Donald Trump had a history of racially insensitive remarks long before he kicked off his invective-filled presidential campaign in June by calling Mexican immigrants “rapists.”
But there is now abundant evidence that as a presidential candidate, Trump is poisoning American politics in a way he could not have achieved as a mere mogul-cum-entertainer. His ersatz presidential campaign is winning the support of America’s most prominent white supremacists and neo-Nazis -- and in so doing, reviving dark forces in American politics that had become increasingly marginal in recent decades.
While Trump denies that he is racist and would no doubt disavow the support of white supremacist groups, his race-baiting, immigrant-bashing rhetoric has clearly struck a chord within their ranks. These predominantly white and male individuals and organizations -- who sometimes call themselves “white nationalists” or defenders of “European American identity” -- differ on some of the details, but are united in their belief that white people are under attack from the country’s growing minority groups and an elite power structure that does those minorities’ bidding. Although these white supremacists have a long list of groups they hate -- including African Americans and Jews -- they are mostly drawn to Trump for his anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies.
David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux klan and perhaps the most famous face of the American white supremacy movement, said that while Trump was “untrustworthy” he was also “the best of the lot” running on the GOP side.
Meet The Members Of Donald Trump’s White Supremacist Fan Club
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Jeb Bush Falls Into a Trap - The New York Times
"Jeb Bush went to the border town of McAllen, Tex., on Monday to raise money and to talk about immigration, in English and fluent Spanish. Because the Republican presidential campaign has been so fixated on border security and the immigrant peril — thank you, Donald Trump — it was a chance to see how the supposed expert on this fraught subject handled it.
Short version: He was awful.
In less than 15 minutes, Mr. Bush managed to step on his message, to give Mr. Trump a boost and to offend Asian-Americans, a growing population that is every bit as important as Latinos in winning presidential elections. And he failed to give Latino voters any persuasive evidence that he had anything better to offer them than his opponents in a revoltingly xenophobic Republican campaign."
Jeb Bush Falls Into a Trap - The New York Times
Short version: He was awful.
In less than 15 minutes, Mr. Bush managed to step on his message, to give Mr. Trump a boost and to offend Asian-Americans, a growing population that is every bit as important as Latinos in winning presidential elections. And he failed to give Latino voters any persuasive evidence that he had anything better to offer them than his opponents in a revoltingly xenophobic Republican campaign."
Jeb Bush Falls Into a Trap - The New York Times
Trump-ward, Christian Soldiers? - The New York Times
"Let me get this straight. If I want the admiration and blessings of the most flamboyant, judgmental Christians in America, I should marry three times, do a queasy-making amount of sexual boasting, verbally degrade women, talk trash about pretty much everyone else while I’m at it, encourage gamblers to hemorrhage their savings in casinos bearing my name and crow incessantly about how much money I’ve amassed?
Seems to work for Donald Trump.
Polls show him to be the preferred candidate among not just all Republican voters but also the party’s vocal evangelical subset.
He’s more beloved than Mike Huckabee, a former evangelical pastor, or Ted Cruz, an evangelical pastor’s son, or Scott Walker, who said during the recent Republican debate: “It’s only by the blood of Jesus Christ that I’ve been redeemed.”
Trump-ward, Christian Soldiers? - The New York Times
Seems to work for Donald Trump.
Polls show him to be the preferred candidate among not just all Republican voters but also the party’s vocal evangelical subset.
He’s more beloved than Mike Huckabee, a former evangelical pastor, or Ted Cruz, an evangelical pastor’s son, or Scott Walker, who said during the recent Republican debate: “It’s only by the blood of Jesus Christ that I’ve been redeemed.”
Trump-ward, Christian Soldiers? - The New York Times
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Recommended read from Salon.com: "For far too long, people of color have been at the bottom of the pile": Why black churches are embracing the clean energy revolution
"Low-income and communities of color are on the front lines of climate change. They have, for that matter, been disproportionately shouldering the burden of our reliance on dirty energy since the beginning: nearly 40 percent of the people living and breathing in the vicinity of coal-fired power plants are people of color; not unrelatedly, asthma rates for African Americans are 35 percent higher than they are for Caucasians."
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
No, NY Times, enslaved African women could not be the mistresses of those who claimed to own them
"After waking up to the news of his passion on Sunday morning, I soon clicked on the New York Times link to his obituary. As always, it was masterfully written and covered a lot of ground, but one section not only troubled me, it troubled thousands of others who read it.
Here it is ....
Julian Bond’s great-grandmother Jane Bond was the slave mistress of a Kentucky farmer. Julian’s grandfather James Bond, one of Jane Bond’s sons, was educated at Berea and Oberlin Colleges and became a clergyman. His son Horace Mann Bond expected his own son Julian to follow in his footsteps as an educator, but the young man was attracted instead to journalism and political activism.
Sigh.
Double sigh."
Monday, August 17, 2015
Why Bernie's fake apology to black folk really bothers me
"Last week I praised Bernie's plan addressing systemic racism and police brutality. Now, though, I'm starting to wonder if he had anything to do with it. It seems like he has hired some black staffers who are doing a great job saying all of the right things, but that he may not actually be connected, personally, to what they are thinking and saying.When Bernie so flippantly dismissed this apology, he not only disrespected his senior staffer, but he showed that he's not really in tune with how his staffers think and feel about how things are going for him. For me, I was just starting to open up to the idea that Bernie sincerely cared about police brutality and racial injustice, but this current mess sets me back."
Activists ‘Feel the Bern?’ - The New York Times
Still,
Sanders’ candidacy has become something of a movement. But two times in
recent weeks, Sanders’ appearances at events have been disrupted by
supporters of another movement: Black Lives Matter.
Sanders’ candidacy has become something of a movement. But two times in
recent weeks, Sanders’ appearances at events have been disrupted by
supporters of another movement: Black Lives Matter.
The
most recent disruption came at an event in Seattle last weekend, where
two female Black Lives Matter supporters prevented Sanders from
speaking. Sanders has responded well to the most recent disruption,
issuing a thorough and utterly impressive “Racial Justice” agenda
that liberally quotes from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and
even includes the line: “We need a societal transformation to make it
clear that black lives matter, and racism cannot be accepted in a
civilized country.” Further reiterating his commitment, he said at a
rally in Los Angeles, “There is no president that will fight harder to
end institutional racism.”
most recent disruption came at an event in Seattle last weekend, where
two female Black Lives Matter supporters prevented Sanders from
speaking. Sanders has responded well to the most recent disruption,
issuing a thorough and utterly impressive “Racial Justice” agenda
that liberally quotes from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and
even includes the line: “We need a societal transformation to make it
clear that black lives matter, and racism cannot be accepted in a
civilized country.” Further reiterating his commitment, he said at a
rally in Los Angeles, “There is no president that will fight harder to
end institutional racism.”
But,
not all of Sanders’ supporters could muster his magnanimity. Some were
outraged. The protesters were seen as disrespectful and indecorous.
Sanders was not only seen as a bad target, he was one of the worst
targets because he has a long history of civil rights activism,
including participating in the 1963 March on Washington and hearing the
King himself.
not all of Sanders’ supporters could muster his magnanimity. Some were
outraged. The protesters were seen as disrespectful and indecorous.
Sanders was not only seen as a bad target, he was one of the worst
targets because he has a long history of civil rights activism,
including participating in the 1963 March on Washington and hearing the
King himself.
Some
irritation was understandable. But some went too far, repaying what
they saw as rudeness with what I saw as crudeness. The conspiracy
theories began to swirl
and the invectives — including some racist and sexist ones — began to
flow. It exposed something that isn’t discussed nearly enough: a racial
friction on the left.
irritation was understandable. But some went too far, repaying what
they saw as rudeness with what I saw as crudeness. The conspiracy
theories began to swirl
and the invectives — including some racist and sexist ones — began to
flow. It exposed something that isn’t discussed nearly enough: a racial
friction on the left.
There
were sweeping condemnations of the Black Lives Matter movement itself, a
sense that benevolence had been rebuffed, that allies had been
alienated. Some people sympathetic to the protesters responded by making
a King reference of their own, pointing to this passage from his 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”:
were sweeping condemnations of the Black Lives Matter movement itself, a
sense that benevolence had been rebuffed, that allies had been
alienated. Some people sympathetic to the protesters responded by making
a King reference of their own, pointing to this passage from his 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”:
“I
must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely
disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the
regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his
stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku
Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’
than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of
tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who
constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot
agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically
believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives
by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to
wait for a ‘more convenient season.’ Shallow understanding from people
of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from
people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than
outright rejection.”
must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely
disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the
regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his
stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku
Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’
than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of
tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who
constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot
agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically
believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives
by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to
wait for a ‘more convenient season.’ Shallow understanding from people
of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from
people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than
outright rejection.”
It all quickly became an arms race of overheated accusations.
But, I must say that I, too, found some of the responses to the protesters troubling.
Activists ‘Feel the Bern?’ - The New York Times
Friday, August 14, 2015
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Blanche Armwood And Other Historical figures revealed on Tampa's Riverwalk | Art Breaker | Creative Loafing Tampa
- Busts of Blanche Armwood, Herman Glogowski, Gavino Gutierrez, Bena Wolf Maas, Hugh Campbell Macfarlane, and Moses White were unveiled today as the next installment of historical figures for display along Tampa's Riverwalk
The memorials are in a section of Tampa's Riverwalk called the Historical Monument Trail. The newest additions will be moved in to their permanent positions along the waterfront soon.
Honorees were chosen by a panel appointed by TheFriends of the Riverwalk in collaboration with theTampa Bay History Center . The panel was made up of historians and folklore experts. Once completed, the trail will not only exhibit bronze busts of honorees, but several historic informational monuments spread throughout it's length.
Historical figures revealed on Tampa's Riverwalk | Art Breaker | Creative Loafing Tampa
Monday, August 10, 2015
BLM Activist Who Shut Down Sanders is Radical Christian, Sarah Palin Supporter
"One of the Black Lives Matter activists who shut down the Bernie Sanders rally in Seattle is a self-identified “radical Christian” and former Sarah Palin supporter.
Marissa Jenae Johnson along with another protester, Mara Jacqueline, interrupted the planned Seattle rally for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Saturday afternoon, preventing the Vermont senator from addressing the massive crowd."
- See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2015/08/blm-activist-who-shut-down-sanders-is-radical-christian-sarah-palin-supporter/#sthash.l1nicRGu.dpuf
Sunday, August 09, 2015
One year after Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri.
Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson Missouri one year old today. What has changed? Please tell me. Have police killing unarmed Black people stopped? Have even the Ferguson police Department stopped it's pattern of what the Justice Department called unconstitutional stops? The answer to these questions is no. This has been going on here since 1619 when Minister Captain Hawkins brought the first kidnapped Africans to Virginia on the slave ship Jesus in 1619. 400 years of no change in racism. Only a fool would argue that racism on this land is not permanent.
John H Armwood
John H Armwood
Wednesday, August 05, 2015
John Oliver & More Share Jon Stewart Memories -- Vulture
“He’s the best person who has ever done political comedy. No one will do it better than him. Ever. I can’t really say enough about him. I would not be in this country if it was not for him. He’s taught me everything I know of any value. I owe him everything. As an English person quite allergic to sincerity, I owe that man everything. The first night I was ever on, I had gotten to America the previous night. I turned up to work and they said, ‘You’re going to be on the show that night,’ and the whole thing was a blur. J.K. Rowling was in the audience, which is kind of like meeting the Queen, only better, because she didn’t inherit her abilities. That was back in 2006, and every moment I spent there was a dream come true. It was the greatest. It’s going to be a different show. You can’t easily replace him. You can’t fit in his shoes. I tried. I was in his shoes for a summer and those shoes don’t fit, they’re too big.” —John Oliver
Tuesday, August 04, 2015
Obama: The Courage to Say 'We Were Wrong'
"We do not claim to be perfect," he said. "... In our response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, although our Nation did many things right, some of our actions were contrary to our values. The report of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the CIA's former detention and interrogation program reinforced my view that these harsh methods were not only inconsistent with our values as a Nation but did not serve our broader national security interests."
Monday, August 03, 2015
Saturday, August 01, 2015
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