Someone posted a picture of a policeman macing a young child at a protest which completely stunned my Middle Eastern friend and pen pal from Egypt. Egypt has seen it's fair share of protest so I tried to explain to him what has been going on. In so doing I had to back peddle for his benefit and wrote back:
This has become common here at protests of late. In the sixties cops used to beat people with their nightsticks and clubs, use fire hoses on Black protesters (and their supporters) on Freedom (to vote) Marches. There were many Black deaths, most of which were ignored by the cops in the south. What gets those of us who are championing for the poor here and those whose benefits are threatened is that these protests are for the police too who would stand to lose everything if the wrong person gets elected president. Now there is a law making it illegal to protest which is guaranteed in our Constitution. Ironically two opposing factions the 'left" comprised of unions and the "right" meaning Tea Party people are joining forces to fight this law! I can only pray this is the beginning of getting the USA back on track. Under the Patriot Act ANYONE could accuse anyone of subversive activities which would get that person arrested and held without charge with no information as to the whereabouts of this person to even family. A person could be held indefinitely just as it has been happening in the Middle East and elsewhere. Us diehards however continue to protest and petition for human rights EVERYWHERE. But the US is no longer the beacon of freedom dear friend. The fascist elements in this country have taken over! My family and friends have expressed concerns about my writings and that I would be gathered up never to be seen or heard from again. The government monitors everyday on the internet. I know I have a huge file on me and I don't care! I KNOW the keywords I use put up more red flags but I DON'T CARE! I am inspired by the Bahraini poet who has suffered so much for expressing herself in the name of love of country and freedom. Many people here are hateful, ignorant or just plain stupid to be blunt and do not see or cannot believe or do not want to see what has been going here. The boy murdered in Florida (Trayvon Martin) is a symbol of all that is wrong. The whole so called investigation was a farce slanted to protect the killer. We have stupid laws in many states that have extended STAND YOUR GROUND laws from shooting to kill in your home to the streets at large. One state passed a law that even the cops could be shot if someone felt "threatened". Now why would a cop respond to a neighbor calling for help for say someone being beaten or raped in the home? Now this killer, Zimmerman (my jury is in--I believe him guilty of a hate murder) is claiming Trayvon attacked him and gave him a bloody nose and bashed his head on concrete. There are videos taken within a half hour of this shooting in which Zimmerman does not even have blood on his shirt! Reports say he was treated in the back of the squad car. This is the first time I have ever heard of someone injured not being escorted to the hospital and treated under police watch! Now there is a witness that says he and Trayvon were on the lawn. Frankly, if a big guy stalks me and knocks me down I would put up one hell of a fight. If there was such an altercation why wouldn't Trayvon have the right to do so? He stalked Trayvon despite instructions from police not to do so.
There are many that say people are race baiting this tragedy but from the beginning the parents have only called for due process...an investigation (a proper one) in which an alleged perpetrator is arrested while the investigation takes place. How this was handled flies in the face of how true investigation and forensics are to be applied...or used to be.
I agree with the many opinions that express the belief that even under this insane law Trayvon had the right to stand his ground. Apparently he got killed because he did.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
The Mew of Women
As a woman I am beyond outraged at the Right Wing War on women! State by state, sneaking under the auspices of STATES RIGHTS conservative leaning states have been stripping the power of women.
Panels of WHITE MEN gathered to present their conclusions on the situation of women of all races and economic status. I want to scream, "HOW DARE YOU?" But to be honest if I scream anything it must be "How dare US?"
Who is "US?" The us I refer to women! You see for whatever the reason state legislatures in which this abomination is running rampart are predominantly conservative men. And, for all the numbers saying how many women are voters, blah, blah BLAH it begs the question: where were the women in these states?
In Texas the women are screaming "DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS WOMEN" but, apparently lacking foresight and conventional wisdom these Texas women allowed the extreme right to control their state's congress!
Now women are waking up but true power will not be ours until we admit that instead of ROARING, women have been mewing instead!
Friday, March 9, 2012
One Short Observant Snark!
You know how all the pundits are wondering why the GOP is not criticizing Rat Limbaugh? I think I figured out why! First Bush carried his luggage in the White House! Younger Shrub sang happy birthday to him and carried his cake. Don't you think they all huddled and made their "comments and remarks?" NOW they are afraid if they rebuff him he will spill the beans about those fireside chats!
Friday, March 2, 2012
I'm Sorry, What Did You Say?
Between "Blunt", bastardy and blunders yesterday's gamut of GOOPHER (GOP) rhetorical display of yet another "ism" exemplified by laughable if not so dangerous "Rat" Limbaugh's attack on a student as being a "femnazi" the day was wrought with attacks or defenses of the wall of racism, Nazism, misogynism being erected higher and higher against THE MAJORITY by a monied few. it would seem there is something we, THE MAJORITY, aren't noticing. It seems to me EVERYONE is bucking for a fiefdom in their anticipated NEW REGIME of American society in which WE THE PEOPLE become WE THE SERVANTS.
Can you imagine Seamus's Abusive Owner saying, " What? You said DON'T push the button? I'm sorry. I misunderstood." How about Pope Sanctimonious condemning women to the death penalty for a medically required abortion? The Blunt amendment would have, by it's generalization, left women prey to arbitrarily determined health care coverage on a case by case basis. I am sure if Rat Limbaugh was told viagra was not covered, he would have a fit (one I would like to see on video BTW if for no other reason than to see him furious if a man is infringed upon.)
What we have seen, only since yesterday, is the face of a dangerously connected power play to rich, powerful WHITE, ANGRY men who have decided the lower echelons have no right to rights.
Talk about white-washing!
Can you imagine Seamus's Abusive Owner saying, " What? You said DON'T push the button? I'm sorry. I misunderstood." How about Pope Sanctimonious condemning women to the death penalty for a medically required abortion? The Blunt amendment would have, by it's generalization, left women prey to arbitrarily determined health care coverage on a case by case basis. I am sure if Rat Limbaugh was told viagra was not covered, he would have a fit (one I would like to see on video BTW if for no other reason than to see him furious if a man is infringed upon.)
What we have seen, only since yesterday, is the face of a dangerously connected power play to rich, powerful WHITE, ANGRY men who have decided the lower echelons have no right to rights.
Talk about white-washing!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
STATES' RIGHTS...A BLIGHT ON OUR COUNTRY!
The Radical has been working overtime pitting citizens against each other. Citizens that have more in common with each other than they do with any of the "GOOPHER" candidates running under the disgraceful tent of the GOP. Seamus' abusive owner would those of us to are informed to believe he is the man of the people. If he abused Seamus to the point of running away up in Canada what can he possibility understand of the lower income people whose votes he hopes to wrest away from...well...ANYBODY!Claiming a victory in Michigan he plays down that were only a few districts that carried him: the richest districts. Santorum, vying for the new movie remake of THE OMEN carried the lower and middle class districts in Michigan. Using a Rev. Al story it appears Santorum got the gigantic pieces of pie! Delegates were split equally between Mitt the Magician who magically outsourced jobs at much cheaper rates, broke unions and whose wizardry to have Detroit go bankrupt went Ppfft in the face of the so called novice magic maker, Barack Obama. He who shall never again by named by me is this political cycle's Voldemort all appearing preened for success until the nonsense spills out of his mouth, of course ruining his magic moment. While at Daytona our villain admitted not being as great a fan as many and garbled his spell by adding his friends own the teams. A BP-esque way of calling everyone else "Little People". But as I wax the pen of whimsy there truly something serious going on here. In many states, legislatures have already passed state voting laws making state issued IDs the only pass into the voting booth. In Texas, to be fair, a gun permit is also acceptable.
States Rights. If this state by state movement weren't so threatening I would laugh at the desperate measures the GOOPHERS are utilizing because they must really know it is not likely a Republican will win a Presidential election. But goes even further than this. Republican legislatures have now closed hundreds of polling places in their states citing this will not prove inconvenient as it will only require another five minute walk and a little longer wait on line. They do not seem to care that it is highly noticeable and suspicious that these closings are taking place in minority districts that tend to vote democratic. They are giving us transparency alright. Loud and clear.
States Rights. This is a phrase that sends shudders down my spine! As a student of history I know that after the Civil War, President Johnson a rebel sympathizer turned away giving implied consent to what would become an indentured servitude class, despite being outlawed, called peonage. this made it possible for a white man to walk up to any Black man or woman and say "You owe me money". Well justice being as it was back then and, if the Goophers have their way we will all be reduced to this in time. But what happened is state by state these laws were passed making it possible for a Black person to be imprisoned under conditions that in many cases were worse than slavery because as the prisoners were leased out for hard labor, there was no need to even feed them!
Of course there was a conspiracy among the rich White ANGRY men, such as we are witnessing today to ensure prisons terms were far longer than the alleged debt.
Am I nuts to believe I am seeing history being repeated here? Am I nuts that the more States' Rights legislation is being bargained for, bought and instilled the rights of Americans are being trampled down to the days when the Good Ol' (WHITE AND ANGRY OF COURSE) boys club ruled over everything like a fifedom?
If there is war fare going on here it is NOT to the wealthy but to the poor, minorities, liberal voters consisting of rabble rousing vitriol designed to reach the least open minded and educated of us all. Yet, like in Civil War Times Santorium sneers at college education in a disparaging way. I guess it's the modern times' version of it being against the law for slaves to read. He would have it be a disgrace to be a person who THINKS!
To my dismay my doomsday conspiricist nature was right when long, long ago I saw a plot. A plot to destroy a rising class of educated thinkers from the ranks of our society in favor of fans who will cheer the loss of even their rights so long as no one else has them and jeer those among us who see the imminent danger being posed to us. Under the guise of so called success, under the shroud of coming from a poor family, under the guise of the bully pulpit These are the true Barbarians only they have been inside our gates for a very, very long time.
States Rights. If this state by state movement weren't so threatening I would laugh at the desperate measures the GOOPHERS are utilizing because they must really know it is not likely a Republican will win a Presidential election. But goes even further than this. Republican legislatures have now closed hundreds of polling places in their states citing this will not prove inconvenient as it will only require another five minute walk and a little longer wait on line. They do not seem to care that it is highly noticeable and suspicious that these closings are taking place in minority districts that tend to vote democratic. They are giving us transparency alright. Loud and clear.
States Rights. This is a phrase that sends shudders down my spine! As a student of history I know that after the Civil War, President Johnson a rebel sympathizer turned away giving implied consent to what would become an indentured servitude class, despite being outlawed, called peonage. this made it possible for a white man to walk up to any Black man or woman and say "You owe me money". Well justice being as it was back then and, if the Goophers have their way we will all be reduced to this in time. But what happened is state by state these laws were passed making it possible for a Black person to be imprisoned under conditions that in many cases were worse than slavery because as the prisoners were leased out for hard labor, there was no need to even feed them!
Of course there was a conspiracy among the rich White ANGRY men, such as we are witnessing today to ensure prisons terms were far longer than the alleged debt.
Am I nuts to believe I am seeing history being repeated here? Am I nuts that the more States' Rights legislation is being bargained for, bought and instilled the rights of Americans are being trampled down to the days when the Good Ol' (WHITE AND ANGRY OF COURSE) boys club ruled over everything like a fifedom?
If there is war fare going on here it is NOT to the wealthy but to the poor, minorities, liberal voters consisting of rabble rousing vitriol designed to reach the least open minded and educated of us all. Yet, like in Civil War Times Santorium sneers at college education in a disparaging way. I guess it's the modern times' version of it being against the law for slaves to read. He would have it be a disgrace to be a person who THINKS!
To my dismay my doomsday conspiricist nature was right when long, long ago I saw a plot. A plot to destroy a rising class of educated thinkers from the ranks of our society in favor of fans who will cheer the loss of even their rights so long as no one else has them and jeer those among us who see the imminent danger being posed to us. Under the guise of so called success, under the shroud of coming from a poor family, under the guise of the bully pulpit These are the true Barbarians only they have been inside our gates for a very, very long time.
Monday, February 20, 2012
This Post Modern Reconstruction Era
If you have not seen it you MUST watch the PBS special, SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME. As I watched this incredibly informative program about life after the Emancipation Proclamation I saw saw frightening similarities between then and now.
To briefly recap, after Lincoln's assassination the new President (Johnson) was allied with southern interests. Being an economy based on free labor run by a small number of aristocrats (sound familiar?) and with a majority of poor whites who were also uneducated and poverty stricken, free Black people were feared as competitors for work aka survival.
In 1864 slavery was outlawed by The 13th Amendment was issued as a temporary act which read, "Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
In 1868 to further ensure equality the 14th Amendment was passed stating (Section 1)
that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
In 1870 the 15th Amendment was passed stating the prime objective in Section 1 as being, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
Basically what happened thereafter was a backlash in the south that resulted in the placement of congressional leaders that passed laws EMPOWERING INDIVIDUAL STATES to govern according to their own laws (Sound familiar?) The result, as brilliantly illustrated in this documentary, was laws that made (for example) loitering being defined as being unemployed with loitering being a crime punishable by imprisonment. Of course there were other laws such as the Pig Laws that made stealing a pig punishable by eight years in prison! the south then found a way to get back cheap labor by sentencing man, many more Black men than white men so they could be hired out to hard labor for the newly growing Industrial Economy.
With the push for States' Rights being bandied about in a frighteningly serious manner and with ignorance not only being catered to but lauded as a virtue can we not see where this is going?
Fast forward to our present. The elite one per cent is doing the very same thing to circumvent rights such as federal laws to which states must comply. States' Rights, if put in place could over ride federal law and cancel the Civil rights Acts, Women's Voting rights and even freedom of religion! this sounds far fetched some may say but, is it really?
With misinformation being bandied about that many people are not minimally educated enough to know States' Rights might appeal to a particular religious or philosophical point of view.
Now consider this: Have the ninety-nine per cent, over time, becomes slaves by another name?
To briefly recap, after Lincoln's assassination the new President (Johnson) was allied with southern interests. Being an economy based on free labor run by a small number of aristocrats (sound familiar?) and with a majority of poor whites who were also uneducated and poverty stricken, free Black people were feared as competitors for work aka survival.
In 1864 slavery was outlawed by The 13th Amendment was issued as a temporary act which read, "Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
In 1868 to further ensure equality the 14th Amendment was passed stating (Section 1)
that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
In 1870 the 15th Amendment was passed stating the prime objective in Section 1 as being, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
Basically what happened thereafter was a backlash in the south that resulted in the placement of congressional leaders that passed laws EMPOWERING INDIVIDUAL STATES to govern according to their own laws (Sound familiar?) The result, as brilliantly illustrated in this documentary, was laws that made (for example) loitering being defined as being unemployed with loitering being a crime punishable by imprisonment. Of course there were other laws such as the Pig Laws that made stealing a pig punishable by eight years in prison! the south then found a way to get back cheap labor by sentencing man, many more Black men than white men so they could be hired out to hard labor for the newly growing Industrial Economy.
With the push for States' Rights being bandied about in a frighteningly serious manner and with ignorance not only being catered to but lauded as a virtue can we not see where this is going?
Fast forward to our present. The elite one per cent is doing the very same thing to circumvent rights such as federal laws to which states must comply. States' Rights, if put in place could over ride federal law and cancel the Civil rights Acts, Women's Voting rights and even freedom of religion! this sounds far fetched some may say but, is it really?
With misinformation being bandied about that many people are not minimally educated enough to know States' Rights might appeal to a particular religious or philosophical point of view.
Now consider this: Have the ninety-nine per cent, over time, becomes slaves by another name?
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