by Dr. Manning Marable
Beyond Vietnam to the madness of IraqApril 16, 2007On April 4, 1967, exactly one year to the day before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his eloquent yet controversial address, “Beyond Vietnam,” at New York City’s Riverside Church. In his sermon, Dr. King announced his moral and political reasons for opposing the U.S. military escalation in Vietnam. “I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight,” King began, “because my conscience leaves me no other choice.” King noted that the presence of hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops in southeast Asia had only led to the deaths of thousands of innocent victims, and had cost American taxpayers billions of dollars. “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death,” King observed. It was impossible for the administration of then-President Lyndon Johnson to carry out his “Great Society” social programs, or his “War on Poverty,” when billions of dollars were being reallocated to destroy Vietnamese villages, towns and homes. As journalist Bob Herbert recently noted, King’s “Beyond Vietnam” address “unleashed a hurricane of criticism.” Both the NAACP and black leaders such as Bayard Rustin sharply criticized King for “stepping out of his perceived area of expertise, civil rights, to raise his voice against the evil of the war.” The New York Times joined these critics, proclaiming in an editorial headline, “Dr. King’s Error.” On April 1 this year, hundreds gathered again at Riverside Church, to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of King’s “Beyond Vietnam” address, and to link his analysis to the current national debate over U.S. military involvement in Iraq. The event featured keynote addresses by the Reverend Dr. C. T. Vivian, a veteran civil rights leader; the Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, former leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; and myself. Also speaking were Mrs. Kadiatou Diallo, the mother of the martyred victim of New York police brutality, Amadou Diallo; the current SCLC President, Charles Steele, Jr.; and the Reverend Dr. Thomas Stiers, Riverside Church’s interim Senior Minister. At one point in the Riverside Church program, scores of young people read sections of Dr. King’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech to the congregation. It was difficult to remember that Martin was talking about the tragedy of Vietnam, rather than the Iraq civil war today. King declared: “I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted … I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours.” For Martin, it was not too late for America to halt the madness of militarism and bloody destruction. “If we will make the right choice,” he affirmed, “we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our world into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood and sisterhood.” How would Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. respond to the current Iraq War? King would be deeply troubled by the recent opinion polls of Iraqis conducted in January 2007, that coincided with President Bush’s so-called “surge” of U.S. military forces. Over 70 percent of all Iraqis want Americans to leave their country within months, not years. More than 60 percent of Iraqis stated that they agreed with “the killing of U.S. troops.” President Bush insists that he alone, as Commander in Chief, is responsible for conducting war policy for the United States. King would rightly declare that Bush is ignorant of American history, and the powers of Congress as outlined in the U.S. Constitution. During both the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, and the Civil War in 1861-1865, Congress repeatedly used its appropriations powers to restrict the executive branch’s military initiatives. In the 1970s, Congress stopped the appropriation of funds to halt President Gerald Ford’s intervention into Angola’s civil war. Congress barred President Ronald Reagan’s military support for anti-Communist Contras in Nicaragua, and cut off President Bill Clinton’s 1994 intervention in Somalia. Two-thirds of all Americans, and over 80 percent of African Americans, want U.S. troops out of Iraq. Every day, the human costs continue to rise. Americans to date have suffered 26,000 killed and wounded soldiers, costing $500 billion that should have been invested in our schools, health care, transportation, and public housing. When U.S. bombs drop on Iraqi towns and cities, they also explode in East Los Angeles, Chicago’s South Side, and Harlem – because these billions of dollars aren’t being spent on human needs. Dr. King would demand that Congress must use its constitutional authority to halt all appropriations for the military presence of U.S. combat forces in Iraq now. In the spirit of Dr. King, we must half the madness of the Iraq War immediately.
Dr. Manning Marable is Professor of Public Affairs, History and African-American Studies, and Director of the Center for Contemporary Black History at Columbia University. “Along the Color Line” appears in over 400 publications internationally, and is available at http://www.manningmarable.net.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Imus apologizes for racial slur on ChicagoSports.com
Imus apologizes for racial slur on ChicagoSports.com
"Nappy headed hoes?"
That is beyond a slur. I bet he gets a raise for it.
He should lose his fcc licence.
"Nappy headed hoes?"
That is beyond a slur. I bet he gets a raise for it.
He should lose his fcc licence.
Friday, April 06, 2007
US has tried to topple Mugabe regime
Not surprising, considering Mugabe was once one of Pan-Africanism's brightest lights. I think he should begin paving the way for the future of PanAFricanism by not embracing authoritarianism.
Given the West's (THe US and Western Europe) history of plundering African wealth and and literally killing leaders who could have established a UNITED STATES OF AFRICA for AFRICANS, Mugabe is not entirely as crazy as the western media portrays him.
Given the West's (THe US and Western Europe) history of plundering African wealth and and literally killing leaders who could have established a UNITED STATES OF AFRICA for AFRICANS, Mugabe is not entirely as crazy as the western media portrays him.
Bush, Cheney Redeux? see also:
I pray that this is some kind of joke -- a very sad, sick and misplaced attempt at humor as twisted as the sneer on Darth Cheney's face.
From the always shady NYTImes, April 1:
Cheney/Bush May Challenge 22nd Amendment for THIRD Term
by Phillip Mckrack
April 1, 2007
NY TIMES
http://www.newyourketimes.com/content/article76649.html#secondParagraph
Mr. Cheney again cited the war in Iraq as a key component in the effort
to combat terrorism, saying "The war in Iraq is such a crucial part of
the greater war on terror that we currently have our legal advisors
looking into the possibility that the 22nd Amendment may not apply in 2008."
Because the speech was not publicized and was held on a secure military
base, very few journalists were present, and none were able to ask
questions about what the Vice President's comments might mean. Repeated
efforts to contact the Vice President's Office to clarify the comment
were unsuccessful.
The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution prohibits U.S. Presidents from
running for a third term, stating "No person shall be elected to the
office of the President more than twice...". The 22nd Amendment was
passed in 1951 after President Franklin Roosevelt broke a tradition that
dated back to George Washington, in which Presidents voluntarily refused
to run for a third term.
Political pundits and Constitutional experts are split on what the Vice
President's comments could mean. Some see the comments as an effort to
extend the Administration's "war powers" due to the fact that the
country is at war. They argue that there is a tenuous case to be made
that the 22nd Amendment doesn't apply during war time since the Congress
waited until after WW II to introduce such an Amendment. Others say that
the mere fact that the country had just ended the war in 1951, when the
Amendment was passed, suggests that the Congress would have put such an
exception into the language of the Amendment if they had intended it not
apply during times of war.
Others say that the Bush Administration will argue that the 2000 race
was not actually decided by an election and that the Bush administration
has technically only been "elected" once since the Supreme Court's
Decision in Bush v. Gore effectively nullified the popular vote.
Anonymous sources inside the White House have corraborated that this may
indeed be the Administration's plan.
Arguing that it was not actually elected would be a very interesting
approach for the administration to say the least, but most experts agree
that it is certainly possible given the Bush administration's history of
creative interpretation of the law with regard to such cases as:
# the assertion that The Geneva Conventions do not apply to U.S.
detainees captured on the battlefield,
# suggestions that the legal definition of "torture" only includes
activities that cause death or organ failure,
# the argument that U.S. Citizens do not have a right to "due process"
if declared "enemy combatants", which was recently rejected by the
Supreme Court,
# Attorney General Albert Gonzales's testimony before Congress that the
Constitution doesn't guarantee U.S. Citizens a right to Habeas Corpus,
# The Administration's claim that the FISA law does not apply to their
warrantless wire taps of Americans.
Critics of the Administration argue that these cases are all the proof
needed to believe that The Bush Administration would try to argue that
its own victory in 2000 demonstrates that it could run for a third term
in 2008.
From the always shady NYTImes, April 1:
Cheney/Bush May Challenge 22nd Amendment for THIRD Term
by Phillip Mckrack
April 1, 2007
NY TIMES
http://www.newyourketimes.com/content/article76649.html#secondParagraph
Mr. Cheney again cited the war in Iraq as a key component in the effort
to combat terrorism, saying "The war in Iraq is such a crucial part of
the greater war on terror that we currently have our legal advisors
looking into the possibility that the 22nd Amendment may not apply in 2008."
Because the speech was not publicized and was held on a secure military
base, very few journalists were present, and none were able to ask
questions about what the Vice President's comments might mean. Repeated
efforts to contact the Vice President's Office to clarify the comment
were unsuccessful.
The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution prohibits U.S. Presidents from
running for a third term, stating "No person shall be elected to the
office of the President more than twice...". The 22nd Amendment was
passed in 1951 after President Franklin Roosevelt broke a tradition that
dated back to George Washington, in which Presidents voluntarily refused
to run for a third term.
Political pundits and Constitutional experts are split on what the Vice
President's comments could mean. Some see the comments as an effort to
extend the Administration's "war powers" due to the fact that the
country is at war. They argue that there is a tenuous case to be made
that the 22nd Amendment doesn't apply during war time since the Congress
waited until after WW II to introduce such an Amendment. Others say that
the mere fact that the country had just ended the war in 1951, when the
Amendment was passed, suggests that the Congress would have put such an
exception into the language of the Amendment if they had intended it not
apply during times of war.
Others say that the Bush Administration will argue that the 2000 race
was not actually decided by an election and that the Bush administration
has technically only been "elected" once since the Supreme Court's
Decision in Bush v. Gore effectively nullified the popular vote.
Anonymous sources inside the White House have corraborated that this may
indeed be the Administration's plan.
Arguing that it was not actually elected would be a very interesting
approach for the administration to say the least, but most experts agree
that it is certainly possible given the Bush administration's history of
creative interpretation of the law with regard to such cases as:
# the assertion that The Geneva Conventions do not apply to U.S.
detainees captured on the battlefield,
# suggestions that the legal definition of "torture" only includes
activities that cause death or organ failure,
# the argument that U.S. Citizens do not have a right to "due process"
if declared "enemy combatants", which was recently rejected by the
Supreme Court,
# Attorney General Albert Gonzales's testimony before Congress that the
Constitution doesn't guarantee U.S. Citizens a right to Habeas Corpus,
# The Administration's claim that the FISA law does not apply to their
warrantless wire taps of Americans.
Critics of the Administration argue that these cases are all the proof
needed to believe that The Bush Administration would try to argue that
its own victory in 2000 demonstrates that it could run for a third term
in 2008.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Reframing the immigration debate and uniting communities of color
The Minneapolis Urban League, The Council On Crime And Justice, The NAACP, African American Family Services, Jewish Community Action, Council on Black Minnesotans, African American Men’s Project, Micah-OPACC, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Chicano Latino Affairs Council, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Community Justice Partners, Sabathani Community Center, Women Planting Seeds, Organizing Apprenticeship Project and the Barbara Schneider Foundation present:
* Outline new strategies to combat racial profiling!
* Discuss current immigration policies & plans for change!
* Promote shared interests in racial justice!
April 5, 2007
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (really tasty supper @ 5:30 PM)
Minneapolis Urban League
2100 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis
612-302-3100
This will be an incredible Minnesota Pipeline Experience! Please plan to attend. Bring everyone you know who wants to work on uniting our communities.
RACIAL PROFILING & IMMIGRATION IN MINNESOTA:
Reframing the Immigration Debate & Uniting Communities of Color!
Join community activists & neighbors from across the state as they:Reframing the Immigration Debate & Uniting Communities of Color!
* Outline new strategies to combat racial profiling!
* Discuss current immigration policies & plans for change!
* Promote shared interests in racial justice!
April 5, 2007
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (really tasty supper @ 5:30 PM)
Minneapolis Urban League
2100 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis
612-302-3100
This will be an incredible Minnesota Pipeline Experience! Please plan to attend. Bring everyone you know who wants to work on uniting our communities.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Mumia Update
Oral arguments for Mumia Abu-Jamal begin May 17.
Like JM says, the mainstream continues to portray Mumia as a cold-blooded killler by omitting any evidence that may debunk that theory. Only the independents and guerrillas have had the cajones to do the real research.
Like JM says, the mainstream continues to portray Mumia as a cold-blooded killler by omitting any evidence that may debunk that theory. Only the independents and guerrillas have had the cajones to do the real research.
I, Plaintiff: Blatantly unconstitutional 'false reporting' law passed MN legislature
by Rashard Zanders
It's true. Since 2005 MN statute 609.505 has been amended to criminalize "false" complaints of police brutality and misconduct.
What is the motivation behind this statute? Essentially, it is to intimidate people and the press from reporting police misconduct and brutality statewide. Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB), the Pulse's Lydia Howell, and myself have been joined by others as plaintiffs against this latest round of idiocy. Stay tuned for more.
The Office of Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota describes 609.505 as follows:
Subdivision 1. False reporting. Whoever informs a law enforcement officer that a crime has
been committed or otherwise provides information to an on-duty peace officer, knowing that the
person is a peace officer, regarding the conduct of others, knowing that it is false and intending
that the officer shall act in reliance upon it, is guilty of a misdemeanor. A person who is convicted
a second or subsequent time under this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
Subd. 2. Reporting police misconduct. (a) Whoever informs, or causes information to
be communicated to, a peace officer, whose responsibilities include investigating or reporting
police misconduct, that a peace officer, as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1, paragraph
(c), has committed an act of police misconduct, knowing that the information is false, is guilty
of a crime and may be sentenced as follows:
(1) up to the maximum provided for a misdemeanor if the false information does not allege a
criminal act; or
(2) up to the maximum provided for a gross misdemeanor if the false information alleges
a criminal act.
(b) The court shall order any person convicted of a violation of this subdivision to make
full restitution of all reasonable expenses incurred in the investigation of the false allegation
unless the court makes a specific written finding that restitution would be inappropriate under
the circumstances. A restitution award may not exceed $3,000.
History: 1963 c 753 art 1 s 609.505; 1971 c 23 s 52; 1993 c 326 art 4 s 26; 2005 c 136
art 17 s 30
Follow the link below if you would like to sign the petition for overturning MN statute 609.505.
http://www.petitiononline.com/cuapb02/petition.html.
See also:
http://www.law.uconn.edu/journals/cpilj/contents/archives/vol4/gee.pdf.
Apologies for several tech flubs. I tried to make the web address directly above a link, but blogger is screwy this morning and linked the later to the former....go figure.
Thanks Blogger.
I am open to suggestions if anyone can refer me to a new blogging site where I can write, then instantly post to my blog.
Hit me up at:
rashard.zanders@gmail.com
It's true. Since 2005 MN statute 609.505 has been amended to criminalize "false" complaints of police brutality and misconduct.
What is the motivation behind this statute? Essentially, it is to intimidate people and the press from reporting police misconduct and brutality statewide. Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB), the Pulse's Lydia Howell, and myself have been joined by others as plaintiffs against this latest round of idiocy. Stay tuned for more.
The Office of Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota describes 609.505 as follows:
609.505 FALSELY REPORTING CRIME.
Subdivision 1. False reporting. Whoever informs a law enforcement officer that a crime has
been committed or otherwise provides information to an on-duty peace officer, knowing that the
person is a peace officer, regarding the conduct of others, knowing that it is false and intending
that the officer shall act in reliance upon it, is guilty of a misdemeanor. A person who is convicted
a second or subsequent time under this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
Subd. 2. Reporting police misconduct. (a) Whoever informs, or causes information to
be communicated to, a peace officer, whose responsibilities include investigating or reporting
police misconduct, that a peace officer, as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1, paragraph
(c), has committed an act of police misconduct, knowing that the information is false, is guilty
of a crime and may be sentenced as follows:
(1) up to the maximum provided for a misdemeanor if the false information does not allege a
criminal act; or
(2) up to the maximum provided for a gross misdemeanor if the false information alleges
a criminal act.
(b) The court shall order any person convicted of a violation of this subdivision to make
full restitution of all reasonable expenses incurred in the investigation of the false allegation
unless the court makes a specific written finding that restitution would be inappropriate under
the circumstances. A restitution award may not exceed $3,000.
History: 1963 c 753 art 1 s 609.505; 1971 c 23 s 52; 1993 c 326 art 4 s 26; 2005 c 136
art 17 s 30
Follow the link below if you would like to sign the petition for overturning MN statute 609.505.
http://www.petitiononline.com/cuapb02/petition.html.
See also:
http://www.law.uconn.edu/journals/cpilj/contents/archives/vol4/gee.pdf.
Apologies for several tech flubs. I tried to make the web address directly above a link, but blogger is screwy this morning and linked the later to the former....go figure.
Thanks Blogger.
I am open to suggestions if anyone can refer me to a new blogging site where I can write, then instantly post to my blog.
Hit me up at:
rashard.zanders@gmail.com
Monday, April 02, 2007
Sunday, April 01, 2007
MPR: Minn. Senate votes to raise income taxes on highest-paid
Silly senate! Don't they know taxes are for sports stadiums for billionaires.
How about a statewide tax for education similar to the one Hennepin County has to pay (3 cents on every $20 spent) for Carl Pohlad's baseball team. Surely education is as worthy a cause as baseball...
Isn't it?
Hello? Hello?
How about a statewide tax for education similar to the one Hennepin County has to pay (3 cents on every $20 spent) for Carl Pohlad's baseball team. Surely education is as worthy a cause as baseball...
Isn't it?
Hello? Hello?
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Mandela boycotts Bristol, England's slavery commemoration - Independent Online Edition > This Britain
Mandela boycotts Bristol's slavery commemoration - Independent Online Edition > This Britain
Boycott..that's a good word: for Nike, Coca-Cola, MN Star-Tribune, etc....
Boycott..that's a good word: for Nike, Coca-Cola, MN Star-Tribune, etc....
The Raw Story | Hagel: There are ways to deal with' a president who says 'I don't care'
The Raw Story | Hagel: There are ways to deal with' a president who says 'I don't care'
This is from a GOP member! Where o Where is our opposition party to expedite the way for impeachment?
This is from a GOP member! Where o Where is our opposition party to expedite the way for impeachment?
Friday, March 23, 2007
Willie Lynch playbook alert: Obama, Sharpton rivalry concocted by mainstream press
Divide and conquer, light skin from dark, black men from black women, etc.
Why these tactics are still effective today should be the subject of Pan African discussions.
Why these tactics are still effective today should be the subject of Pan African discussions.
The Raw Story | Ex-CIA agent claims he buried Che Guevara, not Cuba: report
Thanks, Che' for helping end Jim Crow in Cuba.
Wish you were here to end Jim Snow in Minnesota!
Wish you were here to end Jim Snow in Minnesota!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Not the lesson they intended - Los Angeles Times
"Administrators at a LA charter school forbade students from reciting a poem about civil rights icon Emmett Till during a Black History Month program recently, saying his story was unsuitable for an assembly of young children.
RZ: What happened to Emmett Till is American History, and is reflective of an attitude millions of people still harbor against Blacks, and people of color in general.
The administrators at that school are white washers of history and detrimental to they youths whose education they have been entrusted with. Shame on them.
Black people, we NEED some boycotts around this mutha.'
RZ: What happened to Emmett Till is American History, and is reflective of an attitude millions of people still harbor against Blacks, and people of color in general.
The administrators at that school are white washers of history and detrimental to they youths whose education they have been entrusted with. Shame on them.
Black people, we NEED some boycotts around this mutha.'
'Groove Back' author sues ex-husband for $40M - CNN.com
Stella wants more than just her groove back, apparently.
HAHAHAHAHAHa!.....sometimes you just gotta laugh -- maniacally.
HAHAHAHAHAHa!.....sometimes you just gotta laugh -- maniacally.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
International Criminal Court names first defendants in Darfur, Sudan Crimes
Article - Diaspora Digest
Why can the ICC name defendants in the so called Third World, but have no power to bring charges against the criminal Bush Administration?
What and who is the ICC, really?
Why can the ICC name defendants in the so called Third World, but have no power to bring charges against the criminal Bush Administration?
What and who is the ICC, really?
Action alert for the Twin Cities
1. Call Congressman Keith Ellison, if you live in the Fifth Congressional District (Minneapolis), and tell him to tell Washington that his constituents won't let him vote on appropriating more money for war on Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison has publicly stated that he will not vote for more money for war on Iraq and Afghanistan. That means NO on the Supplemental Appropriations bill which is expected to reach the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives this Thursday, March 22. However, we hear that Keith is under terrific pressure from Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic caucus to vote yes on Appropriations. A yes vote means more money--$125 Billion--to keep the war going. Keith needs to be able to say that his constituents will not allow him to vote for money for war!!
Congressman Keith Ellison
612-522-1212; D.C.: 202-225-4755
Web: <http://www.house.gov/ellison>
2. Attend the Town Hall Forum with U.S. Senator Norm Coleman and help prevent an attack on Iran!!:
Sunday, March 25, 1:00 P.M. Sabes Jewish Community Center
4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, St. Louis Park. Free and open to the public. The title of this Town Meeting" "The Iran Crisis: How should the United States deal with Iran's Nuclear Ambitions and Hostility to the West?" is designed to frighten people into believing that Iran is an imminent nuclear threat to the West and sounds eerily similar to the build up to the war on Iraq with propaganda based on the Project for a New American Century, the neo-con plan to take over the Middle East and dominate oil supplies and more.
Presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council. Co-sponsored by: AIPAC (American Israeli Political Action Committee), Israel Program Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, Minnesotans Against Terrorism, and the Sabes Jewish Community Center
3. Protest Military/Industrial/U of Minnesota/ Senate Complex
Monday, April , 7:30 AM- 11:00 P.M. McNamara Alumni Center, University of Minnesota, 200 Oak Street Southeast, Minneapolis.
Senators Coleman and Kloboucher "will contribute to the discussion on strengthening the Defense and Homeland Security Industries in Minnesota. Here is the description from the The Defense Alliance, together with the U of M's Center for the Development of Technological Leadership.
"Join us to hear from our senate leadership, and contribute to the discussion on strengthening the Defense and Homeland Security Industries in Minnesota...Stay to hear from the Center for Development of Technological Leadership. CDTL's skill set includes technology foresight and forecasting, innovation, strategic management of technology, new product and business development,science and technology policy, and intellectual property. With an eye on helping high-tech firms maximize their growth potential, CDTL shows high-tech companies how to move more adeptly within the gray zone by exploring ways to:
> . map technology strategies
> · maximize intellectual property assets
> · marshal technologies
> · stimulate innovation
> · marshal technologies
> · stimulate innovation
> · commercialize ideas
[http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?tTuesday, March 20, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Senseless War: 5 years and counting...
It's STILL the oil: Secret Condi Meeting on Oil Before Invasion | AfterDowningStreet.org
And Dems STILL aren't expediting impeachment proceedings.
Complicit, Complicit, Complicit them Dems be!
And Dems STILL aren't expediting impeachment proceedings.
Complicit, Complicit, Complicit them Dems be!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
African-American caregivers often miss early signs of Alzheimer's
This is the disease that took my Aunt Barbara away from us on New Years Day '07.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Mohammed's tortured testimony:
The Raw Story | Matt Lauer: Can Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's 'tortured' testimony be trusted?
Heck, if I was 'vacationing' at Gitmo with no legal representation for four years, will becoming 'intimate' with Lanley's worst, I'd confess to inventing plaid, among all sorts of things.
From the USA to the Kingdom of the Blind.
Heck, if I was 'vacationing' at Gitmo with no legal representation for four years, will becoming 'intimate' with Lanley's worst, I'd confess to inventing plaid, among all sorts of things.
From the USA to the Kingdom of the Blind.
Today! Urgent action needed at state capitol
Communities United Against Police Brutality
EMAIL NEWSLETTER
March 13, 2007
**********************************************
ACTIONS NEEDED ASAP!EMAIL NEWSLETTER
March 13, 2007
******************************
There are important happenings in both the state legislature and the Minneapolis city council that need your immediate attention. Please get involved.
Public Hearing on HF1130
Thursday, March 15
12:30 p.m.
State Office Building, Room 10
(Building adjacent to the Capitol on the west)
During a previous session, the state legislature passed a horrible law criminalizing the reporting of police brutality that can't be proven. This law was shoved into a funding bill and passed without any public hearings. Because it prohibits criticism of government officials, it is unconstitutional--an identically-worded law in California was struck down by the federal courts.
This time around, Mullery, a right-wing representative from northeast Minneapolis who runs the House Public Safety Committee, has introduced HF1130 to make this horrible law even worse. Under his proposal, the law would not only apply to reporting brutality to cops but would extend this law to cover reporting to the Attorney General's office and to attorneys who investigate cases of brutality in conjunction with internal affairs departments in rural communities. Keep in mind that the State Attorney General's office runs a hotline for racial profiling incidents. Is this an effort to frighten the community away from filing complaints about such incidents?
Come out to this public hearing and let it be known that the law itself is bad and extending it is worse. If you want to speak during the hearing, call 651-296-4262 to have your name added to the list.
******************************
Take Action to End the Lurking Ordinance
A very successful community meeting was held last week on overturning the lurking ordinance in Minneapolis. A broad coalition of groups has come together to take this effort on--and there is some work we need to do. Council member Cam Gordon is the prime mover on this effort at city hall. At the community meeting, he explained that the process starts by a council member introducing the subject. To hold public hearings, a majority (7) of the council members have to vote to let the subject go forward. Almost always, this happens as a matter of courtesy for the council member who raised the issue. However, this time we are going against some powerful forces and can't afford to take anything for granted. Some, like council president Barb Johnson, are apparently ignorant of the Constitution. See her comments in the City Pages article below. She doesn't seem to realize that cops actually need a reason to stop people and that the lurking ordinance gives them cover when they have no real reason.
We need YOU to call your council member and nicely but firmly tell them that when the subject comes up, to vote in favor of it moving forward. Even if he or she doesn't support overturning this ordinance, democracy demands at the very least that hearings are held to allow the community to air our concerns. To find your council member's contact info, go to http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn
******************************
Critics say a Minneapolis law criminalizes walking while black
What Lurks Beneath?
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Gov.: Fla. Should Pay in Boot Camp Death - washingtonpost.com
Gov.: Fla. Should Pay in Boot Camp Death - washingtonpost.com
This refers to the beating death of Martin Lee Anderson, 14 years old, at the hands of boot camp guards in Fla.
His case is by no means unique except for the fact that it was caught on film. That it took this long to determine guilt despite the video is yet another example of the devaluation of Black life in the USA.
Viewer discretion is advised.
This refers to the beating death of Martin Lee Anderson, 14 years old, at the hands of boot camp guards in Fla.
His case is by no means unique except for the fact that it was caught on film. That it took this long to determine guilt despite the video is yet another example of the devaluation of Black life in the USA.
Viewer discretion is advised.
Monday, March 12, 2007
History of Bootsy's Space Bass!
This is a brief but insightful interview for any Funkateers out there who can't get enough of P-Funk
BBC World Service | The Interview with Harry Belafonte
BBC World Service | The Interview with Harry Belafonte
'He dismisses the appointment of Condoleezza Rice and before her, Colin Powell, to positions of genuine power in George W Bush's administration. He has described them as "house slaves", and doesn't feel their presence has helped his cause in any way.'
Preach Harry!
'He dismisses the appointment of Condoleezza Rice and before her, Colin Powell, to positions of genuine power in George W Bush's administration. He has described them as "house slaves", and doesn't feel their presence has helped his cause in any way.'
Preach Harry!
Friday, March 09, 2007
Cheney's Fall From Grace -- TIME
Cheney's Fall From Grace -- TIME
Dick Cheney, a 'man' whose first name is more adjective than anything else; a 'man' who had FIVE opportunities to serve his country in the military and got a deferment every time, yet rose through the corporate/political ranks to become the most hawkish vice presidential sneer ever to hold the office. Sending others off to die is his forte.
The most cowardly traitor in the annals of American History.
Dick Cheney, a 'man' whose first name is more adjective than anything else; a 'man' who had FIVE opportunities to serve his country in the military and got a deferment every time, yet rose through the corporate/political ranks to become the most hawkish vice presidential sneer ever to hold the office. Sending others off to die is his forte.
The most cowardly traitor in the annals of American History.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
U.S.: Black men seven times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than whites
World Crises | Reuters.co.uk
You know there are some segments in society who see these disparity reports as GOOD news. The cynic in me sees these reports as a type of nod and wink to those responsible for the inception and spread of AIDS/HIV.
You know there are some segments in society who see these disparity reports as GOOD news. The cynic in me sees these reports as a type of nod and wink to those responsible for the inception and spread of AIDS/HIV.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Libby Guilty of Lying in C.I.A. Leak Case - New York Times
Libby Guilty of Lying in C.I.A. Leak Case - New York Times
How do you spell "scapegoat?"
L-I-B-B-Y.....
I, like many other dupes, actually once believed Fitzg-err-ald had the cajones to go after Bush, Cheney, Rove, and expose the constitutional crisis this administration created.
Amazing. Bush is really going to escape impeachment and a criminal court for crimes against humanity, after having looted the U.S. Treasury for multiple tragic misadventures, while the last president was impeached for WHAT?!
This case was fixed from the start.
How do you spell "scapegoat?"
L-I-B-B-Y.....
I, like many other dupes, actually once believed Fitzg-err-ald had the cajones to go after Bush, Cheney, Rove, and expose the constitutional crisis this administration created.
Amazing. Bush is really going to escape impeachment and a criminal court for crimes against humanity, after having looted the U.S. Treasury for multiple tragic misadventures, while the last president was impeached for WHAT?!
This case was fixed from the start.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Monday, March 05, 2007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Friday, March 02, 2007
Mpls council member faces music for thoughtless high school burning statement
Though the writers and editor at Pulse give Don Samuels blanket approval for targeting the public school system, NO ONE has addressed the fundamental problem the nation's public schools face: A diverse student population being taught white supremacist curriculums.
That's my take.
That's my take.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
IMPEACH, IMPEACH, IMPEACH!
There is no political opposition. The Democrats are owned by the same interest groups that own the Republicans and Bush-Cheney.
If Clinton can be impeached by the House for lying about a sexual affair, Bush-Cheney most certainly can be impeached for committing numerous felonies by violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and spying on Americans without warrants; for deceiving Congress, the UN, and the American Public with lies about Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction; for 30,000 American casualties and hundreds of thousands of Afghan and Iraqi casualties in wars launched by lies; for violating the Geneva Conventions against torture of prisoners; for violating the US Constitution's separation of powers and protection of civil liberties; for ignoring the will of the people and continuing to pursue war despite the objection of a majority of the electorate; for changing US war doctrine to permit nuclear attack on non-nuclear powers; and, perhaps, for permitting or orchestrating the 9/11 attack in order to create a "new Pearl Harbor" to justify wars of aggression against the remaining independent Middle Eastern states.
Paul Craig Roberts
RZ: This from a conservative no less. Reread that line about the so-called opposition party; also note that the constitution says that the administration can be impeached for both high crimes and misdemeanors, so shooting your hunting buddy also merits the political gallows.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
