We don't know who they are, but we need to find out. If they are not charged criminally, they should should at least be subjected to civil suits.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Identifying The Bad Guys
Sept 25th, 2011
In the footage and on the scene reports from the Occupy Wall Street rally in New York, it does seem to be the white collar police officers in particular who are instigating a majority of the violence.
We don't know who they are, but we need to find out. If they are not charged criminally, they should should at least be subjected to civil suits.
We don't know who they are, but we need to find out. If they are not charged criminally, they should should at least be subjected to civil suits.
The MSM Starts To Pay Attention
Spet 25th, 2011
If anyone can identify officers who have used violence or excessive force during Occupy Wall Street, contact the New York ACLU at 212-607-3300
The coverage is biased, but at least it's something.
If anyone can identify officers who have used violence or excessive force during Occupy Wall Street, contact the New York ACLU at 212-607-3300
The coverage is biased, but at least it's something.
Inequalstan
Sept 25th, 2011
I must admit, the new Chris Hayes weekend show is off to a fine start. Yesterday, he did a great job of exposing just how dishonest one very familiar conservative talking point really is. Oh, and he took a righteous shot at David Brooks, as well.
I must admit, the new Chris Hayes weekend show is off to a fine start. Yesterday, he did a great job of exposing just how dishonest one very familiar conservative talking point really is. Oh, and he took a righteous shot at David Brooks, as well.
Great. We're Mad. We Still Need A PLAN To Get Even.
Sept 25th, 2011
F. Grey Parker (NSFW post)
Ongoing streaming coverage of events in New York can be viewed at AnonOps
There has been a lot of discussion in the last 24 hours about the ongoing Wall Street protests. What, exactly, are the goals? I have asked this. Other folks that I genuinely respect have asked this.
Even some of those who are on the scene in New York have begun asking this.
The pushback against these legitimate questions has been fairly intense.
These petulant reactions to reasonable queries need to stop and they need to stop right now.
F. Grey Parker (NSFW post)
Ongoing streaming coverage of events in New York can be viewed at AnonOps
Even some of those who are on the scene in New York have begun asking this.
The pushback against these legitimate questions has been fairly intense.
These petulant reactions to reasonable queries need to stop and they need to stop right now.
Quote Of The Day
Sept 25th, 2011
"Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves."
-- Henry David Thoreau
-- Henry David Thoreau
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Moderation On Display
Sept 24th, 2011
Thousands of Muslims gathered publicly today in London to condemn extremism.
From AP via NPR:
"Thousands of Muslims held a rally in London on Saturday against extremism and to promote a moderate, inclusive version of Islam.
The event in Wembley Arena was led by Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, a respected Pakistan-born Islamic scholar, who gained recognition outside the Muslim world after he published a detailed fatwa — or religious ruling — against terrorism and suicide bombings last year.
"I want to address those who are lost, who have a total misconception of jihad I want to send them a message come back to normal life. Whatever you're doing is totally against Islam," he told the audience, which included families with young children and students.
Some Islamic scholars, including Tahir-ul-Qadri, have warned that a power vacuum in North Africa and the Middle East could lead to militant and extremist groups gaining ground in upcoming elections caused by the so-called Arab Spring.
"If these elements come into power, it will be a big disaster," Tahir-ul-Qadri told The Associated Press."
Thousands of Muslims gathered publicly today in London to condemn extremism.
From AP via NPR:
"Thousands of Muslims held a rally in London on Saturday against extremism and to promote a moderate, inclusive version of Islam.
The event in Wembley Arena was led by Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, a respected Pakistan-born Islamic scholar, who gained recognition outside the Muslim world after he published a detailed fatwa — or religious ruling — against terrorism and suicide bombings last year.
"I want to address those who are lost, who have a total misconception of jihad I want to send them a message come back to normal life. Whatever you're doing is totally against Islam," he told the audience, which included families with young children and students.
Some Islamic scholars, including Tahir-ul-Qadri, have warned that a power vacuum in North Africa and the Middle East could lead to militant and extremist groups gaining ground in upcoming elections caused by the so-called Arab Spring.
"If these elements come into power, it will be a big disaster," Tahir-ul-Qadri told The Associated Press."
The Spineless GOP Hopefuls
Sept 24th, 2011
We've now heard Republican audiences cheer for the death of the uninsured and boo a soldier serving in Iraq because he's gay. Ryan Lizza is aghast at the unwillingness on the part of the hopeful GOP candidates during the last two debates to show leadership and condemn these outbursts on the spot:
"These debates have exposed a strain of conservatism that usually only exists in liberal caricatures. My experience covering Republican politics for years is that these sentiments don’t represent the majority of G.O.P. voters, and everyone knows that political events attract some exotic characters. But I don’t recall a field of Presidential candidates—ostensibly, the top political leaders of their party—so fearful to speak out when these eruptions do occur. It’s been shameful."
It is not merely shameful, it is also inexplicable. Do these candidates actually think a plurality in America wants a President and Commander in Chief who is afraid of confronting ugly, rabble-rousing outliers in a dark room?
We've now heard Republican audiences cheer for the death of the uninsured and boo a soldier serving in Iraq because he's gay. Ryan Lizza is aghast at the unwillingness on the part of the hopeful GOP candidates during the last two debates to show leadership and condemn these outbursts on the spot:
"These debates have exposed a strain of conservatism that usually only exists in liberal caricatures. My experience covering Republican politics for years is that these sentiments don’t represent the majority of G.O.P. voters, and everyone knows that political events attract some exotic characters. But I don’t recall a field of Presidential candidates—ostensibly, the top political leaders of their party—so fearful to speak out when these eruptions do occur. It’s been shameful."
It is not merely shameful, it is also inexplicable. Do these candidates actually think a plurality in America wants a President and Commander in Chief who is afraid of confronting ugly, rabble-rousing outliers in a dark room?
Where Are All The Terrorists?
Sept 24th, 2011
by F. Grey Parker
Did you know that the "Ground Zero Mosque" and its army of evil-doers in waiting is, gasp, open to the public?!
Well... it is.
The Park 51 Community Center, which is not a mosque per say, held its first major event this past Wednesday evening.
What kind of horrible, anti-American propaganda was being spewed?
What kind of venomous calls to impose Sharia Law were made?
How many demands for the destruction of Israel were issued?
NONE
L.S Carbonnell writes:
"Centering around a exhibit of Danny Goldfield’s photographic essay of the multinational, multi-cultural scope of New York City’s children, the Park 51 Islamic Community Center has opened its doors to give the City a taste of things to come. A small orchestra of Middle Eastern musicians played in the background as people representing the breadth of New York’s ethnic mix mingled and admired the photographs."
Goldfield's work is remarkable. The exhibit and the space are a great contribution to New York and, frankly, the world. This is something to proud of.
The occasion of its opening is also time for those of us who fought in defense of Park 51's very right to exist to loudly and forcefully shame those that opposed it. They are worse than mere bigots, racists and Islamaphobes.
Their battle against this community center was, and is, un-American.
Do you remember when Larry Klayman wrote that its construction was a "dastardly scheme" and that it was "crazy and evil?"
I do. Feel free to contact him on Twitter HERE. Or, you can call him at 310-595-0800
Do you remember when Dick Morris wrote that "It would be — as many mosques throughout the nation are — a terrorist recruitment, indoctrination and training center"?
I do. Feel free to contact him on Twitter HERE. Or, you can e-mail him HERE
Perhaps you might recall RedState rushing to the defense of the ADL after they had publicly smarmed that building the center was "not a question of rights, but a question of what is right."
by F. Grey Parker
Well... it is.
The Park 51 Community Center, which is not a mosque per say, held its first major event this past Wednesday evening.
What kind of horrible, anti-American propaganda was being spewed?
What kind of venomous calls to impose Sharia Law were made?
How many demands for the destruction of Israel were issued?
NONE
L.S Carbonnell writes:
"Centering around a exhibit of Danny Goldfield’s photographic essay of the multinational, multi-cultural scope of New York City’s children, the Park 51 Islamic Community Center has opened its doors to give the City a taste of things to come. A small orchestra of Middle Eastern musicians played in the background as people representing the breadth of New York’s ethnic mix mingled and admired the photographs."
Goldfield's work is remarkable. The exhibit and the space are a great contribution to New York and, frankly, the world. This is something to proud of.
The occasion of its opening is also time for those of us who fought in defense of Park 51's very right to exist to loudly and forcefully shame those that opposed it. They are worse than mere bigots, racists and Islamaphobes.
Their battle against this community center was, and is, un-American.
I do. Feel free to contact him on Twitter HERE. Or, you can call him at 310-595-0800
I do. Feel free to contact him on Twitter HERE. Or, you can e-mail him HERE
Big Time Republican Flip Flops
Sept 24th, 2011
Yesterday, Joshua Holland shined some light on nine issues about which the Republican party has gone through the looking glass altogether over the last few decades, most notably, the concept of a health care "mandate."
"Late last year, when a federal judge ruled against the mandate (two other courts disagreed, and the Supreme Court will end up deciding the question), Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, rejoiced. "Today is a great day for liberty," he said. "Congress must obey the Constitution rather than make it up as we go along." It was an odd testament to freedom, given that Hatch himself co-sponsored a health-care reform bill built around an individual mandate in the late 1990s.
Journalist Steve Benen noted that while "the record here may be inconvenient for the right ... it's also unambiguous: the mandate Republicans currently hate was their idea."
"Late last year, when a federal judge ruled against the mandate (two other courts disagreed, and the Supreme Court will end up deciding the question), Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, rejoiced. "Today is a great day for liberty," he said. "Congress must obey the Constitution rather than make it up as we go along." It was an odd testament to freedom, given that Hatch himself co-sponsored a health-care reform bill built around an individual mandate in the late 1990s.
Journalist Steve Benen noted that while "the record here may be inconvenient for the right ... it's also unambiguous: the mandate Republicans currently hate was their idea."
It was championed by the Heritage Foundation ... Nixon embraced it in the 1970s, and George H.W. Bush kept it going in the 1980s. For years, it was touted by the likes of John McCain, Mitt Romney, Scott Brown, Chuck Grassley, Bob Bennett, Tommy Thompson, Lamar Alexander, Lindsey Graham, John Thune, Judd Gregg, and many other ... notable GOP officials.According to NPR, the mandate was the Right's response to progressive proposals to establish a single-payer system. Mark Pauly, the conservative economist widely credited with the idea, explained that "a group of economists and health policy people, market-oriented, sat down and said, 'Let's see if we can come up with a health reform proposal that would preserve a role for markets but would also achieve universal coverage.'"
Yup. I am sure they were secret-communists all.
Class Warfare?
Sept 24th, 2011
Krugman looks at the numbers:
"Detailed estimates from the Congressional Budget Office — which only go up to 2005, but the basic picture surely hasn’t changed — show that between 1979 and 2005 the inflation-adjusted income of families in the middle of the income distribution rose 21 percent. That’s growth, but it’s slow, especially compared with the 100 percent rise in median income over a generation after World War II.
Meanwhile, over the same period, the income of the very rich, the top 100th of 1 percent of the income distribution, rose by 480 percent. No, that isn’t a misprint. In 2005 dollars, the average annual income of that group rose from $4.2 million to $24.3 million.
So do the wealthy look to you like the victims of class warfare?"
No.
Krugman looks at the numbers:
Meanwhile, over the same period, the income of the very rich, the top 100th of 1 percent of the income distribution, rose by 480 percent. No, that isn’t a misprint. In 2005 dollars, the average annual income of that group rose from $4.2 million to $24.3 million.
So do the wealthy look to you like the victims of class warfare?"
No.
What Next?
Sept 24th, 2011
Troy Davis is gone. As along as there is a death penalty, there will be more Troy Davises.
What comes next? Greg Bluestein asks that very question over at HuffPo:
"Minutes before he was put to death, Troy Davis asked his supporters to "continue to fight this fight" – but will they, and how?
The Georgia inmate's case outraged hundreds of thousands of people around the world who found the evidence against him weak, and opponents of the death penalty hope their anger provokes a backlash against capital punishment. Some activists say a fitting legacy of the case would be laws that bar death sentences for those, like Davis, whose convictions are based on eyewitness testimony.
With Davis gone, however, the loose coalition of groups who pushed for his freedom may simply crumble. Much may depend not on the death penalty's most strident opponents, but on less politically active people who were drawn into the debate by Davis' two-decade struggle."
The attention of America and the world is quickly moving elsewhere. This is unacceptable. I implore those of good conscience to become more regularly involved in the movement to abolish capital punishment.
Please join me in supporting the ACLU, Amnesty International and the NCADP
Troy Davis is gone. As along as there is a death penalty, there will be more Troy Davises.
What comes next? Greg Bluestein asks that very question over at HuffPo:
"Minutes before he was put to death, Troy Davis asked his supporters to "continue to fight this fight" – but will they, and how?
The Georgia inmate's case outraged hundreds of thousands of people around the world who found the evidence against him weak, and opponents of the death penalty hope their anger provokes a backlash against capital punishment. Some activists say a fitting legacy of the case would be laws that bar death sentences for those, like Davis, whose convictions are based on eyewitness testimony.
With Davis gone, however, the loose coalition of groups who pushed for his freedom may simply crumble. Much may depend not on the death penalty's most strident opponents, but on less politically active people who were drawn into the debate by Davis' two-decade struggle."
The attention of America and the world is quickly moving elsewhere. This is unacceptable. I implore those of good conscience to become more regularly involved in the movement to abolish capital punishment.
Please join me in supporting the ACLU, Amnesty International and the NCADP
Quote Of The Day
Sept 24th, 2011
Please join Amnesty International, the NCADP and the ACLU in our commitment to ending state sanctioned murder
"Death is not only an unusually severe punishment, unusual in its pain, in its finality and in its enormity, but it serves no penal purpose more effectively than a less severe punishment."
-- Justice William J. Brennan
Please join Amnesty International, the NCADP and the ACLU in our commitment to ending state sanctioned murder
 |
| Image via |
-- Justice William J. Brennan
Friday, September 23, 2011
State Sanctioned Murder Is Always Wrong
Sept 23rd, 2011
by F. Grey Parker
Please join Amnesty International and commit to ending state sponsored murder
There has been some vulgar pushback following the state sanctioned murder of Troy Davis in Georgia. Those of us who have been steadfast in our opposition to the practice of capital punishment for years have been accused of only recently taking an interest. It has been suggested, with ominous undertones, that we "didn't care" about the other victim in the Davis case, the late Mark MacPhail. Our motives have been made suspect. This is not only dishonorable, it is vile.
What's more, we have been called "hypocrites for "ignoring" the execution in Texas of the notorious Lawrence Russell Brewer that same evening.
We weren't ignoring it. We were also fighting against Brewer's execution on general principle. However, having a provably reasonable doubt in the Davis case made it a greater imperative not only for us, but for millions of educated and informed citizens of the world. Let's face it. The cause of Brewer was not a popular one. The public's reluctance to sign our petitions on his behalf isn't exactly hard to fathom.
Others have spent time today lamenting the decision of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute the death sentence of Samuel David Crowe yesterday evening. This is wrong.
Is it shocking that his sentence was not carried out and that he will now spend life in prison, rewarded for simply having said he is "sorry" for his crime?
Yes, it is.
Is it suspicious that this commutation came just a day after after Davis' execution?
Absolutely.
The apparent hypocrisy begs a serious inquiry into the workings of the Georgia system.
That said, we who fought for Troy Davis should celebrate the Crowe decision. We should also condemn the killing of Brewer. That this penalty is allowed at all is the problem.
There is no deterrent value. It is revenge. Some receive it while others don't at the whim of judges and juries.
Allen Ault, the former warden of the Jackson, Georgia prison in which the Davis sentence was carried out, was one of six former penal officials who called for clemency in the Davis case. Mr Ault, a man who has overseen executions in that very death chamber, had this to say to MSNBC in the hours following Davis' death:
"When you're in the death chamber ordering an execution, and even if in your mind, if you're a man of conscience, actually believe somebody is guilty, it's still a very premeditated murder. I mean, it's scripted and rehearsed. It's about as premeditated as any killing that you can do."
It's murder. You can dress it up, you can engage in hyperbole about the "worst of the worst," you can argue about and distort "tradition" and you can generally find a good number of Americans who are willing to do as many rhetorical back flips as they need to in order to call it something else. It's still murder.
Lawrence O'Donnell did a fine job of pointing out why commitment to the end of all capital sentences is a moral duty. You might not be aware that there was a third execution yesterday. The cameras weren't there. They had already folded up shop. We didn't get very many supporters for Derrick O'Neill Mason. There was no question of his guilt and his crime was monstrous. And yet, some of us were fighting for him. Yes, even him. Here's why...
In O'Donnell's words, "as long as we have Derrick O'Neill Masons and Lawrence Russel Brewers we are going to have Troy Davises." Period.
by F. Grey Parker
Please join Amnesty International and commit to ending state sponsored murder
 |
| Troy Davis image via |
What's more, we have been called "hypocrites for "ignoring" the execution in Texas of the notorious Lawrence Russell Brewer that same evening.
 |
| L.R. Brewer image via |
 |
| S.D. Crowe image via |
Is it shocking that his sentence was not carried out and that he will now spend life in prison, rewarded for simply having said he is "sorry" for his crime?
Yes, it is.
Is it suspicious that this commutation came just a day after after Davis' execution?
Absolutely.
The apparent hypocrisy begs a serious inquiry into the workings of the Georgia system.
That said, we who fought for Troy Davis should celebrate the Crowe decision. We should also condemn the killing of Brewer. That this penalty is allowed at all is the problem.
There is no deterrent value. It is revenge. Some receive it while others don't at the whim of judges and juries.
Allen Ault, the former warden of the Jackson, Georgia prison in which the Davis sentence was carried out, was one of six former penal officials who called for clemency in the Davis case. Mr Ault, a man who has overseen executions in that very death chamber, had this to say to MSNBC in the hours following Davis' death:
"When you're in the death chamber ordering an execution, and even if in your mind, if you're a man of conscience, actually believe somebody is guilty, it's still a very premeditated murder. I mean, it's scripted and rehearsed. It's about as premeditated as any killing that you can do."
It's murder. You can dress it up, you can engage in hyperbole about the "worst of the worst," you can argue about and distort "tradition" and you can generally find a good number of Americans who are willing to do as many rhetorical back flips as they need to in order to call it something else. It's still murder.
Lawrence O'Donnell did a fine job of pointing out why commitment to the end of all capital sentences is a moral duty. You might not be aware that there was a third execution yesterday. The cameras weren't there. They had already folded up shop. We didn't get very many supporters for Derrick O'Neill Mason. There was no question of his guilt and his crime was monstrous. And yet, some of us were fighting for him. Yes, even him. Here's why...
In O'Donnell's words, "as long as we have Derrick O'Neill Masons and Lawrence Russel Brewers we are going to have Troy Davises." Period.
As If We Didn't Know
Sept 23rd, 2011
via Media Matters:
"Ari Rabin-Havt on Current TV's Countdown: News Corp. is "a news company that exists to lie to its viewers."
via Media Matters:
"Ari Rabin-Havt on Current TV's Countdown: News Corp. is "a news company that exists to lie to its viewers."
Warren Is Scaring The Hell Out Of The GOP
Sept 23rd, 2011
"Washington Is Rigged." So said Elizabeth Warren last week in announcing her bid for the Massachusetts senate seat now held by Scott Brown.
Well, she certainly has already caused a stir. Robert Kuttner notes:
"Elizabeth Warren’s surprise lead in Massachusetts polls only days after she got into the Senate race to oust Republican Scott Brown has thrown GOP operatives off balance.
Their first storyline was that Warren was either a creature of the Beltway or a pointy-headed Harvard professor. Neither seems to be sticking.
On Tuesday, when the Democratic-affiliated polling firm, Public Policy Polling, reported Warren narrowly leading Brown, 46 to 44 among likely voters, Brown spokesman Colin Reed put out a statement contending that "we have always known that Scott would be the underdog against whichever candidate wins the Democratic primary next September."
But this past summer, before Warren enjoyed decent name recognition, Republicans were touting early polls showing Brown leading Warren 53-28, and declaring him a winner."
The establishment GOP is scrambling. Scott Wong and John Bresnahan carried some of their water in a borderline hit-piece over at Politico yesterday. The article casts doubt on Warren's integrity by alleging a "lack of transparency" during her tenure as the head of the Congressional Oversight Panel which controlled TARP. Wong and Bresnahan should be ashamed. The fact that the panel adhered to all of the requirements placed upon it by congress and that congress has all of the information she is portrayed as having kept from the public is spun to the margins. It's not on a website for the masses, you see.
One wonders if the Wong/Bresnahan piece hadn't been ghost-written by longtime foe, Rep Patrick McHenry (R-NC).
This week also saw the GOP's fear of Warren exposed elsewhere in the form of some truly frantic antics, as Julie Ryan Evans points out:
"When it comes to politics, we've seen so many crazy moves and outrageous tactics, we're almost numb to them, but I have to say I'm shocked by the Massachusetts Republican Party's latest attack. They are demanding that Harvard University stop paying Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren her salary for doing her job as a professor there.
Their reasoning, according to the Boston Globe: It sends a message that Ivy League schools support Democratic candidates. Can you say desperate?
The salary is in exchange for her services to the university. She will certainly be busy campaigning, but lots of professors have outside employment. She will still be expected to fulfill her obligations to Harvard, and the salary is just in exchange for those obligations, not to fund her campaign."
"Washington Is Rigged." So said Elizabeth Warren last week in announcing her bid for the Massachusetts senate seat now held by Scott Brown.
Well, she certainly has already caused a stir. Robert Kuttner notes:
"Elizabeth Warren’s surprise lead in Massachusetts polls only days after she got into the Senate race to oust Republican Scott Brown has thrown GOP operatives off balance.
Their first storyline was that Warren was either a creature of the Beltway or a pointy-headed Harvard professor. Neither seems to be sticking.
On Tuesday, when the Democratic-affiliated polling firm, Public Policy Polling, reported Warren narrowly leading Brown, 46 to 44 among likely voters, Brown spokesman Colin Reed put out a statement contending that "we have always known that Scott would be the underdog against whichever candidate wins the Democratic primary next September."
But this past summer, before Warren enjoyed decent name recognition, Republicans were touting early polls showing Brown leading Warren 53-28, and declaring him a winner."
The establishment GOP is scrambling. Scott Wong and John Bresnahan carried some of their water in a borderline hit-piece over at Politico yesterday. The article casts doubt on Warren's integrity by alleging a "lack of transparency" during her tenure as the head of the Congressional Oversight Panel which controlled TARP. Wong and Bresnahan should be ashamed. The fact that the panel adhered to all of the requirements placed upon it by congress and that congress has all of the information she is portrayed as having kept from the public is spun to the margins. It's not on a website for the masses, you see.
One wonders if the Wong/Bresnahan piece hadn't been ghost-written by longtime foe, Rep Patrick McHenry (R-NC).
This week also saw the GOP's fear of Warren exposed elsewhere in the form of some truly frantic antics, as Julie Ryan Evans points out:
"When it comes to politics, we've seen so many crazy moves and outrageous tactics, we're almost numb to them, but I have to say I'm shocked by the Massachusetts Republican Party's latest attack. They are demanding that Harvard University stop paying Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren her salary for doing her job as a professor there.
Their reasoning, according to the Boston Globe: It sends a message that Ivy League schools support Democratic candidates. Can you say desperate?
The salary is in exchange for her services to the university. She will certainly be busy campaigning, but lots of professors have outside employment. She will still be expected to fulfill her obligations to Harvard, and the salary is just in exchange for those obligations, not to fund her campaign."
They don't have much to work with. That fact leads me to expect new lows in both ugliness and innuendo as the campaign heats up.
Quite coincidentally, I am sure, Rush Limbaugh found it necessary today to breathlessly warn his listeners that Elizabeth Warren is a "parasite." One might surmise from this that the Kochs are now involved.
via Media Matters
via Media Matters
DOJ Slams Texas Redistricting
Sept 23rd, 2011
Via TPM:
"The Justice Department said late Friday that based on their preliminary investigation, a congressional redistricting map signed into law by Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry appears to have been "adopted, at least in part, for the purpose of diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to Congress."
DOJ's Civil Rights Division is specifically contesting the changes made to Texas Districts 23 and 27, which they say would not provide Hispanic citizens with the ability to elect candidates of their choice.
They say they need more information on the congressional plan to determine what the purpose of the redistricting plan was for sure. But the federal agency came out stronger against the state House of Representatives plan, which they flat out said "violates Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in that it was adopted, at least in part, for the purpose of diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to the Texas House of Representatives."
Just a small part of the big GOP disenfranchisement plan for 2012
Via TPM:
 |
| Image via |
DOJ's Civil Rights Division is specifically contesting the changes made to Texas Districts 23 and 27, which they say would not provide Hispanic citizens with the ability to elect candidates of their choice.
They say they need more information on the congressional plan to determine what the purpose of the redistricting plan was for sure. But the federal agency came out stronger against the state House of Representatives plan, which they flat out said "violates Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in that it was adopted, at least in part, for the purpose of diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to the Texas House of Representatives."
Just a small part of the big GOP disenfranchisement plan for 2012
"The Ultimate Recipe For Revolution"
Sept 23rd, 2011
A video from Anonymous for the Occupy Wall Street action.
The full text from the video via Ampedstatus
A video from Anonymous for the Occupy Wall Street action.
The full text from the video via Ampedstatus
Perry Watch - Foreign Policy Nonsense
Sept 23rd, 2011
There isn't really an issue in foreign policy that should currently concern us more than the potential insecurity of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. Except, of course, the prospect that a President Perry would have to deal with the situation. Gov. Perry has been legitimately savaged for his response to a question on that topic during last night's debate.
Kevin Drum writes that the answer was little more than a "Palinesque bit of word salad." I think this is unfair to Palin. So obtuse was his response that it should end his candidacy. First of all, Perry is wrong on the facts of our strategic arms agreements with India. Second of all, what the hell good does a "relationship" with India do in the event that the Taliban actually gains control of one or more warheads? Lastly, trying to score points with his party's old school hawks by bringing up arms sales to Taiwan simply made no damn sense.
One of Romney's advisors is quoted by the Weekly Standard as having described the statements as "completely unintelligible." That didn't stop Perry's biggest backer, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, from piling on in his defense
"You gotta have a relationship to know what’s going on. I’ve worked with the Pakistanis, and particularly in Pakistan you need a relationship, because the country’s a pretty unstable place, and it’s run by the army. You gotta know the guy that’s the head of the place."
Mkay. Except the "relationship" Perry discussed was with India.
Team Perry, mired in stunning yokelism, has no business running an American state much less the Armed Forces.
There isn't really an issue in foreign policy that should currently concern us more than the potential insecurity of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. Except, of course, the prospect that a President Perry would have to deal with the situation. Gov. Perry has been legitimately savaged for his response to a question on that topic during last night's debate.
Kevin Drum writes that the answer was little more than a "Palinesque bit of word salad." I think this is unfair to Palin. So obtuse was his response that it should end his candidacy. First of all, Perry is wrong on the facts of our strategic arms agreements with India. Second of all, what the hell good does a "relationship" with India do in the event that the Taliban actually gains control of one or more warheads? Lastly, trying to score points with his party's old school hawks by bringing up arms sales to Taiwan simply made no damn sense.
One of Romney's advisors is quoted by the Weekly Standard as having described the statements as "completely unintelligible." That didn't stop Perry's biggest backer, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, from piling on in his defense
"You gotta have a relationship to know what’s going on. I’ve worked with the Pakistanis, and particularly in Pakistan you need a relationship, because the country’s a pretty unstable place, and it’s run by the army. You gotta know the guy that’s the head of the place."
Mkay. Except the "relationship" Perry discussed was with India.
Team Perry, mired in stunning yokelism, has no business running an American state much less the Armed Forces.
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