The biggest pitfall and the most understandable one is the despair looming over so many people. Uncertainty has taken the spring out most steps and the biggest challenge to even possibly seeing any change at all will be a referendum on the Gop Election Day 2012.
Thankfully courts are reversing legislative laws passed in Republican states as being illegal. They are illegal because these laws violate federal laws on voter's rights.
This is but one of many cases in point why I oppose "states rights." Without federal laws many states would elect to do as they chose regardless of the impact on their citizenry.
People seems to be waking up! Even Republicans. Humph. 'Bout time. I was growing impatient with how slow on the uptake it appeared the American public had become. Is there a glimmer of hope for our future as a nation? Dunno. Hope so.
Showing posts with label Barak Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barak Obama. Show all posts
Monday, December 26, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/opinion/sunday/young-black-and-frisked-by-the-nypd.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
That African Americans remain targets is an outrage! Yet, it is a sad state of affairs. Hispanic people in Arizona as recent news reveals have been victims of profiling and do I need to even mention those of Middle Eastern heritage?
Ignorance is the catalyst for fear. We all know this but today, more than ever it seems to have become a license for a presumed acquiescence of the masses with abuse of peace keeping power and a "you don't belong on my block" mentality.
I remember Yusef Hawkins. Yousef was a young Black college student who responded to an ad in Bensonhurst Brooklyn. He went there to look into buying a car. What he received was a fatal bludgeoning with a baseball bat.
On the weekend following this young man's funeral Reverend Al Sharpton marched with his family and supporters in a peaceful demonstration against the actions that caused this tragedy. At the time Bensonhurst will still a ghetto. In other words the majority of people homogeneous-one culture, one nationality: Italian.
The supporters and grievers were met on the sidelines by rabid racists, holding baseball bats and even one mooned the protesters. This brainchild, whose brain was obviously in his posterior rump was cheered by some. Not to be fair these few were hardly representative of the neighborhood's feelings. Most felt he had every right to go wherever he wanted, especially to buy a car.
I especially remember that day because my daughter who then just 8 years old tearfully called me begging me to bring her home because she couldn't stand the hate she witnessed. Of course I went and brought her back home, so very proud of her values.
Growing up I took a lot for granted. You see I grew up in a 'Black ghetto" and was the 2 per cent white in my school. All my friends were Black and all came from hard working GREAT families. When I became aware enough to witness the Civil Right Movement I was in shock when I learned Black people in the south couldn't vote. So was my family.
My mom was a dark skinned Puerto Rican so I experienced the murmurings and finger pointing as well but, it was nothing compared to what was the real reality in this grand US of A.
Bensonhurst has since become a wonderfully heterogenous community with people of all races and national origin. But there are some people in this country that choose to believe inequality is a myth and for whatever the reason refuse to WAKE UP!
So no. Unless you walk in a Black person's shoes you DO NOT KNOW what it's like!
That African Americans remain targets is an outrage! Yet, it is a sad state of affairs. Hispanic people in Arizona as recent news reveals have been victims of profiling and do I need to even mention those of Middle Eastern heritage?
Ignorance is the catalyst for fear. We all know this but today, more than ever it seems to have become a license for a presumed acquiescence of the masses with abuse of peace keeping power and a "you don't belong on my block" mentality.
I remember Yusef Hawkins. Yousef was a young Black college student who responded to an ad in Bensonhurst Brooklyn. He went there to look into buying a car. What he received was a fatal bludgeoning with a baseball bat.
On the weekend following this young man's funeral Reverend Al Sharpton marched with his family and supporters in a peaceful demonstration against the actions that caused this tragedy. At the time Bensonhurst will still a ghetto. In other words the majority of people homogeneous-one culture, one nationality: Italian.
The supporters and grievers were met on the sidelines by rabid racists, holding baseball bats and even one mooned the protesters. This brainchild, whose brain was obviously in his posterior rump was cheered by some. Not to be fair these few were hardly representative of the neighborhood's feelings. Most felt he had every right to go wherever he wanted, especially to buy a car.
I especially remember that day because my daughter who then just 8 years old tearfully called me begging me to bring her home because she couldn't stand the hate she witnessed. Of course I went and brought her back home, so very proud of her values.
Growing up I took a lot for granted. You see I grew up in a 'Black ghetto" and was the 2 per cent white in my school. All my friends were Black and all came from hard working GREAT families. When I became aware enough to witness the Civil Right Movement I was in shock when I learned Black people in the south couldn't vote. So was my family.
My mom was a dark skinned Puerto Rican so I experienced the murmurings and finger pointing as well but, it was nothing compared to what was the real reality in this grand US of A.
Bensonhurst has since become a wonderfully heterogenous community with people of all races and national origin. But there are some people in this country that choose to believe inequality is a myth and for whatever the reason refuse to WAKE UP!
So no. Unless you walk in a Black person's shoes you DO NOT KNOW what it's like!
Monday, December 19, 2011
And My Beef Goes On...
by Cate Cavanagh
...let me count the ways!
Firstly, the Gop would love to eliminate early voter registration and Souls To The Polls in every state. Now Florida is making voteliar registration virtually impossible for organizations such as The League of Women Voters to register people by making it mandatory that filings be done within 48 hours of application! How can anyone keep up with that. In addition, there are scary clauses in the application forms implying hefty fines and imprisonment if something is written incorrectly! Both volunteers and registrants are afraid of this clause. The GOP would happily see this be in all states as well. Of course in Texas photo ID accepted in the past is not acceptable BUT if you have a gun permit that is just fine. I happen to support the Second Amendment albeit not as rabidly as some but this is just plain absurd!
As if disenfranchising the elderly, poor and minority voters wasn't enough. Newt now says he believes "activist" judges should be arrested and hauled away. In essence he wants to totally strip the power away from the judiciary Branch of our government. I find this appalling but consider this: what is activist judge? Sotomeir? Scalia? I want to know can we haul off off Scalia for handing over the Presidency to Bush? Hmmm. How about all those justices that decided corporations are people too?
This is an interesting philosophy which will simply not hold water because your right winger will not want democrats to be able to remove THEIR appointees. There is a reason, like it or not, that Supreme Court appointments are “lifelong”. It presumes (which in recent years especially with Republican appointees) that lifelong appointments will be a detriment to partiality. (Yeah, right!)
However, this IS CLEAR in the constitution that seem invalid at the whim of Republican extremists.
Cate Cavanagh has been a career family advocate and service coordinator for developmentally and physical disabled children and adults. She is a published syndicated columnist and author.
CATE CAVANAGH Author, HER GODMOTHER
CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR, CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL
...let me count the ways!
Firstly, the Gop would love to eliminate early voter registration and Souls To The Polls in every state. Now Florida is making voteliar registration virtually impossible for organizations such as The League of Women Voters to register people by making it mandatory that filings be done within 48 hours of application! How can anyone keep up with that. In addition, there are scary clauses in the application forms implying hefty fines and imprisonment if something is written incorrectly! Both volunteers and registrants are afraid of this clause. The GOP would happily see this be in all states as well. Of course in Texas photo ID accepted in the past is not acceptable BUT if you have a gun permit that is just fine. I happen to support the Second Amendment albeit not as rabidly as some but this is just plain absurd!
As if disenfranchising the elderly, poor and minority voters wasn't enough. Newt now says he believes "activist" judges should be arrested and hauled away. In essence he wants to totally strip the power away from the judiciary Branch of our government. I find this appalling but consider this: what is activist judge? Sotomeir? Scalia? I want to know can we haul off off Scalia for handing over the Presidency to Bush? Hmmm. How about all those justices that decided corporations are people too?
This is an interesting philosophy which will simply not hold water because your right winger will not want democrats to be able to remove THEIR appointees. There is a reason, like it or not, that Supreme Court appointments are “lifelong”. It presumes (which in recent years especially with Republican appointees) that lifelong appointments will be a detriment to partiality. (Yeah, right!)
However, this IS CLEAR in the constitution that seem invalid at the whim of Republican extremists.
Cate Cavanagh has been a career family advocate and service coordinator for developmentally and physical disabled children and adults. She is a published syndicated columnist and author.
CATE CAVANAGH Author, HER GODMOTHER
CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR, CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL
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