Tag Archives: black people

just another rant …

Someone gave me a link to look at a Ron Paul message board “discussion” or two at a political blog site. A character I will call AA was active and blowing some vile stuff …a devout Paul supporter

After reading some of his comments, I had to add my 2cents to his somewhat chauvinistic support of Ron Paul. While writing and reading the interaction between him and a Ron Paul hater my initial comment was still in approval stage, it got ugly; he and someone else decided to go against that so overlooked statement “be respectful” he decided to bring out his love of foul words to defend Paul for things that happened over 10years ago. I have to say if any well-known person of colour said or wrote half the things Ron Paul has over the last 2 days 2weeks 2months 2yrs let alone twenty – they, would have absolutely no professional career let alone an opportunity to be President of the Free World.

I know the people in my circle wonder what we should all take from those racist newsletters. The facts are in, Ron Paul’s name is on most if not all and let us all remember some of the comments he has made about Black People, specifically Black Men … only 5yrs ago. I came across his essay on Rethinking Birthright Citizenship months ago. The essay was offensive if not overt racist dogma and for a guy who claims a love for the constitution he believes we should strip several parts out along with the 14th Amendment . How can any American give Ron Paul a pass, ignore, and or explain away those things he said or had others write. Then AA pulls out the name calling card at some woman I will call N. Though in written form his patronizing tone was not just loud and clear, it was disturbing. Using “bleep” and “bleep” to make his point which can do that but it was to describe this woman and then he moved into generalities that seemed awfully like he didn’t like women …

he said, “N. is an example of why “women” should never be allowed in politics, vote or even open our mouths?

Ron Paul has plenty of faults and it is not just his comments about Iran Israel or FEMA . I do not know if AA was a bigot but he definitely seemed annoyed at women …a hater

Yes, if you peruse the message boards you have to know what you might encounter. I had to wonder if this guy was the example of those who support Ron Paul for President of the US of A. Again, comment- boards are many things some good and not so good things. I join in and add my 2cents knowing it might get ugly. I also admit that I try to stay away from overtly extreme people who pull folks in and then hit them with obscene and or vacuous comments though if given the choice between a face to face and a message board … give me the message board.

I do believe Ron Paul is not only an isolationist he talks of going back in time when it seems quite clear women and minorities probably seen but never heard.

Hardly Presidential material

Other News …

Q&A with Charles Blow

AHTV Looks at American Artifacts

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Millions disenfranchised …by Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org

12/14/2011 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

For years, the right wing has been trying to stop Black people, other people of color, young people, and the elderly from voting for partisan gain — and now some of America‘s biggest companies are helping them do it.

These companies have helped pass discriminatory voter ID legislation by funding a right wing policy group called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Voter ID bills linked to ALEC have already passed in seven states,1 and similar voter ID bills have been introduced in 27 other states.2

Supporters of discriminatory voter ID laws claim they want to reduce voter fraud (individuals voting illegally, or voting twice). But such fraud almost never actually occurs, and never in amounts large enough to affect the result of elections.3 What is clear is that voter ID laws prevent large numbers of eligible voters from casting a ballot, and could disenfranchise up to 5 million people.4

ALEC’s voter ID laws are undemocratic, unjust and part of a longstanding right wing agenda to weaken the Black vote. Major companies that rely on business from Black folks shouldn’t be involved in suppressing our vote. Please join us in demanding that these companies stop funding ALEC:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/alec

ALEC’s right wing agenda

The American Legislative Exchange Council is a behind-the-scenes group whose membership consists of legislators and corporations who work together to push legislation that benefits their interests. ALEC crafts model legislation, which its member legislators then introduce in statehouses across the country, without mentioning its corporate ties. The group has written legislation to impose harsher criminal penalties on juveniles, to privatize education, and to break unions.

ALEC is funded in part by the Koch Brothers, the same family that funds the radically conservative tea party. It also receives funding from large corporations, many of which are household names.

“Voter fraud” and discriminatory voter ID laws

Supporters of discriminatory voter ID laws say they’re needed to stop “voter fraud.” The fact is that voter fraud rarely occurs, and when it does occur it does not happen at a scale that would change the outcome of an election. The kind of voter fraud addressed by the ALEC voter id bill happens as infrequently as death by lightning.5

Over and over again, the myth of widespread voter fraud is used to justify stronger restrictions on voting and voter registration (like voter ID laws), as well as voter roll purges. It has also been used to attack organizations which register large numbers of low income and minority voters, by painting simple mistakes made during registration drives as organized efforts to commit voter fraud. These kind of made up scandals have helped the right wing convince the public that voter fraud is real and voter ID laws are necessary to protect the integrity of elections.

The truth is that voter ID laws are discriminatory — Black people, Latinos, the elderly, students, people with disabilities, and the poor are all less likely to have the photo IDs necessary to vote under these laws.6 For example, if you’ve recently moved because of foreclosure or some other economic circumstance, you’re more likely to have recently ended up in a new state which won’t accept your out of state driver’s license. If you don’t have a car, you’re less likely to have a driver’s license in the first place.

In many states, it can be expensive and time consuming to secure the proper ID. Even when the ID itself is free, it often requires supporting documents like a birth certificate which cost money to achieve. There are already stories of voters who have been eligible for years struggling to navigate a frustrating bureaucratic maze in order to vote. Requiring ID to vote amounts to a modern day poll tax. And that’s the real purpose of voter ID laws – they are an important part of the modern effort to suppress the votes of groups that usually vote against right wing politicians.

These laws are part of a long history of voter suppression directed at Black folks and other underrepresented groups. No longer is the Black vote suppressed through violence, intimidation and literary tests. It’s now suppressed through laws that make it burdensome and difficult for many Black folks to vote.

Corporate-backed voter suppression

Some of the companies supporting ALEC may simply be unaware that the group is involved in voter suppression. Others might think that voter suppression will benefit their political interests, and hope that they can get away with supporting it because so few people have even heard of ALEC.

We’ve started reaching out to these companies to make sure they know what they’re supporting, and to demand that they stop. Adding your voice to this campaign will help us convince these companies that continuing to support ALEC will hurt their reputation with consumers. We hope that many of them will simply do the right thing and stop supporting ALEC. If they don’t, we’ll be prepared to shine a spotlight on them and make sure the world understands what they’re involved in.

Please take a moment to join us in standing up to corporate-backed voter suppression. And please ask your friends and family to do the same. It takes just a moment:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/alec

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, James, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
December 8th, 2011

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

References

1. “New Evidence of ALEC Connections in All Successful Voter ID Legislation,” Campus Progress, 09-08-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1065?akid=2314.1174326.9Z8yxY&t=7

2. “First, show your face,” The Economist, 09-17-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1066?akid=2314.1174326.9Z8yxY&t=9

3. “The Myth of Voter Fraud,” Washington Post, 03-29-07
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1067?akid=2314.1174326.9Z8yxY&t=11

4. “GOP, ALEC Could Make It Harder For 5 Million To Cast Ballots,” Mother Jones, 10-3-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1068?akid=2314.1174326.9Z8yxY&t=13

5. See reference 3.

6. “Citizens without proof,” Brennan Center For Justice, 11-2006
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1069?akid=2314.1174326.9Z8yxY&t=15

~ Culture & History

The Untold Story … Horne of Africa

12/13/2011 Nativegrl77

The recent images of men, women and children starving in the Horn of Africa tell a painful story of famine and suffering. How does a nation recover from a devastating food crisis? To find out, Chip Duncan and Salim Amin returned to a Ethiopia, to a place where famine caused a massive death toll over 25 years ago. What they discovered was surprising and hopeful. In partnership with One, they created a documentary showing the contrast between 1984 and present-day Tigray. Read their words below, view a preview and watch their powerful short film. << click on link for VIDEO

In Somalia, innocent people are dying needless deaths due to a famine driven by politics and war. Those who are dying need our help and our voice.

Drought is a challenge faced by people around the world. Climate change is now making droughts more common and less predictable. But drought shouldn’t equal famine. Famine is the outcome of poor infrastructure, corrupt governments and warring factions who choose to use food as a weapon.

During our recent work in Ethiopia, we had a chance to revisit the site of the 1984 famine. Our film uses footage and stills from that famine to remind us of the suffering and of its causes. Our story also chronicles the policies and infrastructure put in place during the last two decades to build sustainable agriculture. Water retention systems, irrigation, improved transportation systems, terraced farming, training programs, improved seeds and fertilizers – this is the new legacy in Tigray Province. It’s a story worth sharing so people everywhere can promote small scale agriculture while motivating governments to make similar investments in the future.

Chip Duncan
Director, “The Untold Story”

I made a journey following the footsteps of my father from 25 years ago. When Mohamed Amin made that journey a quarter of a century ago, he never imagined it was one that would change his life forever. He had covered every major story in Africa over four decades, but nothing prepared him for what he saw in Korem in October 1984.

A famine of biblical proportions, with more than 5 million people on the verge of starvation. A famine that was, to a large extent, man-made. The ruler of Ethiopia at the time, Colonel Haile Mariam Mengistu, was using the famine as a tool to suppress the rebel movement that was rising against his brutal regime from the north of the country. He didn’t want the world to know this famine existed.

The pictures that my father shot on the plains of Korem changed his life and changed the world. They prompted the greatest single act of charity of the 20th century and saved the lives of millions of Ethiopians. After this story, he changed the way he looked at news coverage. He cared for the first time in his life and did everything he could to keep the story in the headlines. Those images were amongst the most powerful and iconic images in television history.

I was expecting to see Korem still reeling from the effects of that massive famine. It takes generations to repair that kind of damage, but I was in for a shock. I went in with the best TV production team I had ever worked with, and what we saw stunned us all! A massive drought is taking hold of the Horn of Africa once again, but Korem and Tigray Province is an oasis of crops. Irrigation schemes that have been put in place over the last decade. There’s also a new awareness of the types of crops to grow and how to market and sell them for the best prices; and new resilient seeds have all transformed a community from being “takers” to being “providers”.

The farmers of Tigray Province have proved that drought doesn’t have to equal famine, and smart aid can work.

Salim Amin
Chairman Camerapix/A24 Media