Wednesday, June 25, 2008
...but, I was still faced with; "How do you tell whether people are against Barak or his skin color?"
Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images. Michelle and Barack Obama at the Iowa State Fair on August 16, 2007.
So, I decided there were some 'sincere traits' of bigots when it came to an election within the USA that could be tainted by racism.
The OBVIOUS one is that they 'reason' about the Black Candidate rather than the issues.
Statements like, "I just don't like the man," "He is just a loud mouth," "I can't respect him."
Judgements rather than reasons. If anyone, regardless of their status in this election, makes judgements about him or any aspect of his life, then that is bigotry in its truest form.
This election. Any election is about the issues and what separates the standing of each candidate on any issue. The 'diverse' opinion of each of the Presidential candidates is enormous, so choices should not be that difficult at all. There are clear dividing lines.
I think that is an excellant way of measuring a voters ability to express their preference in voting. If they haven't got a good reason for their vote and they are simply judgemental of the candidate, then it is bigotry. Has to be. Skin color has no basis in dictating a President's performance and therefore is completely irrelevant to any decision making.
So, I decided there had to be some 'out of bounds' issues with racism and Barak.
Wright Says His Words Were Twisted (click here)
And I believe him when he states his words were twisted. I sincerely do. I do not consider Reverend Wright a 'bad man.' Not at all. Like bringing up the topic of the Reverand Wright especially after Barak, along with his family, has become so disgusted with Wright's grandstanding.
That to me is bigoted.
I find the entire mess bigoted, but, then I've already addressed that issue. I think every American, especially those disaffected by historical hardship has a right to be angry with the country where it is allowed in Freedom of Speech.
Historians seem to like him. Well, except for one of them and 'see' he is a white guy. You understanding my dilemma.
Thug Life on the Campaign Trail (click here)
November 27, 2007
Historians for Obama (click here)
Historians love Barack Obama. Some of them, anyway. Yesterday a group of 26 top-tier scholars in the field publicly endorsed the Illinois Democratic senator for president.
In a posting on the History News Network, the group, Historians for Obama, invoked Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy as examples of leaders who altered “the mood of the nation.” Mr. Obama, it continued, “has the potential to be that kind of president.”
The historians praised his “ambitious, yet sensible” platform and his “global citizen” background: “Not since John F. Kennedy has a Democrat candidate for president showed the same combination of charisma and thoughtfulness—or provided Americans with a symbolic opportunity to break with a tradition of bigotry older than the nation itself,” the group said in its statement.
Historians for Obama does not speak for the profession as a whole—the American Historical Association, for instance, has issued no endorsement, and none is expected. But the 26 scholars do include leading lights like Joyce Appleby, Michael Kazin, Ralph E. Luker, and James McPherson.
...and then there is this black guy running for President of the USA. The latest poll showed him with something like a 15 point lead over his rival.
I began to wonder, how do you tell if someone is voting against him or his skin color.
...and don't get me started about Anti-semitism. This is over 60 years from the Holocaust.
Can we ever leave Israel alone? Will there ever be a time when they aren't the enemy? It seems to me that Palestine needs to place priority on education, community development and seeking peace through cooperation. Will Hamas ever stop defining their identities with violence? All those 'ideals' actually sound comical given the 'political climate' of the Middle East.
Battling anti-semitism in 2008 (click here)
By John Mann MP - Thursday 3rd 2008f January 2008
2008 holds great promise our Parliamentary campaign to fight the oldest hatred and support the Jewish community. There will be a German “Bundestag” Inquiry, a government year-on report to Parliament and a global offensive to ensure world leaders are acting at home and abroad.
Due to this years effort, pressure is also building for an agreement over the precise delivery of enhanced security costs in Jewish schools paid by local authorities, a successful prosecution in the UK of an individual spreading of race hate using foreign internet based sites, amd the expulsion of the Latvian People’s Party from all European political organisations following the publication of the third overtly antisemitic book by the Party’s co –founder....
Denominations and Double Standards (click here)
...I'm unsure, in general, of what the standards we're supposed to apply to the political views of politicians' favored clergy. I have no idea what the rabbis at Temple Rodef Shalom (where I've gone to synagogue the past few High Holy Days) or at The Village Temple (where I had my bar mitzvah) think about political issues, but I assume I don't agree with them about everything, and certainly it'd be odd to drag up old statements made by any of the relevant rabbis about this or that and then ask me to either endorse the statement or repudiate the entire congregation....
Pope prays for Middle East peace (click here)
6 days ago
VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Pope Benedict XVI called Thursday on leaders across the Middle East to work for peace, saying that he is praying "ardently" for the ability to visit the Holy Land in person.
In a clear reference to the fragile truce in the Gaza Strip, which began at 0300 GMT, the pope was speaking after meeting with international Roman and Eastern Catholic leaders, including representatives from the region.
"I am launching an appeal to national leaders so that the Middle East, and in particular the Land of Jesus, Lebanon and Iraq, can offer themselves peace and social stability, respecting fundamental human rights, including that of a genuine religious freedom," he said.
"I am praying ardently that I will be able to visit them in person, just as I am praying that certain signs of peace, which I welcome with great confidence, will come to full fruition," he added....
What happened to Tony Blair ?
Sarkozy offers himself as peace-broker for Middle East (click here)
By Francois Murphy
Tuesday June 24 2008
French President Nicolas Sarkozy stepped forward yesterday as a possible Middle East peace-broker, offering in a speech to Israel's parliament to help reach agreement and mobilise his troops if necessary.
"I ask you to trust us because we want to help you," said Mr Sarkozy, the first French president to address the Knesset since 1982.
Since taking office a year ago, Mr Sarkozy has broken rank with his predecessors by repeatedly describing himself as a "friend of Israel", fostering closer ties with the Jewish state and reiterating that there can be no compromise on its security.
"France is ready to provide its guarantee, ready to mobilise its diplomatic service, its resources, its soldiers," he said....
Battling anti-semitism in 2008 (click here)
By John Mann MP - Thursday 3rd 2008f January 2008
2008 holds great promise our Parliamentary campaign to fight the oldest hatred and support the Jewish community. There will be a German “Bundestag” Inquiry, a government year-on report to Parliament and a global offensive to ensure world leaders are acting at home and abroad.
Due to this years effort, pressure is also building for an agreement over the precise delivery of enhanced security costs in Jewish schools paid by local authorities, a successful prosecution in the UK of an individual spreading of race hate using foreign internet based sites, amd the expulsion of the Latvian People’s Party from all European political organisations following the publication of the third overtly antisemitic book by the Party’s co –founder....
Denominations and Double Standards (click here)
...I'm unsure, in general, of what the standards we're supposed to apply to the political views of politicians' favored clergy. I have no idea what the rabbis at Temple Rodef Shalom (where I've gone to synagogue the past few High Holy Days) or at The Village Temple (where I had my bar mitzvah) think about political issues, but I assume I don't agree with them about everything, and certainly it'd be odd to drag up old statements made by any of the relevant rabbis about this or that and then ask me to either endorse the statement or repudiate the entire congregation....
Pope prays for Middle East peace (click here)
6 days ago
VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Pope Benedict XVI called Thursday on leaders across the Middle East to work for peace, saying that he is praying "ardently" for the ability to visit the Holy Land in person.
In a clear reference to the fragile truce in the Gaza Strip, which began at 0300 GMT, the pope was speaking after meeting with international Roman and Eastern Catholic leaders, including representatives from the region.
"I am launching an appeal to national leaders so that the Middle East, and in particular the Land of Jesus, Lebanon and Iraq, can offer themselves peace and social stability, respecting fundamental human rights, including that of a genuine religious freedom," he said.
"I am praying ardently that I will be able to visit them in person, just as I am praying that certain signs of peace, which I welcome with great confidence, will come to full fruition," he added....
What happened to Tony Blair ?
Sarkozy offers himself as peace-broker for Middle East (click here)
By Francois Murphy
Tuesday June 24 2008
French President Nicolas Sarkozy stepped forward yesterday as a possible Middle East peace-broker, offering in a speech to Israel's parliament to help reach agreement and mobilise his troops if necessary.
"I ask you to trust us because we want to help you," said Mr Sarkozy, the first French president to address the Knesset since 1982.
Since taking office a year ago, Mr Sarkozy has broken rank with his predecessors by repeatedly describing himself as a "friend of Israel", fostering closer ties with the Jewish state and reiterating that there can be no compromise on its security.
"France is ready to provide its guarantee, ready to mobilise its diplomatic service, its resources, its soldiers," he said....
...and what is all this mess about adoptions? Sperm banks? Do heterosexuals have the corner on loving a child ?
Church loses opt-out fight over gay adoptions (click here)
By George Jones, Political Editor
Last Updated: 1:07AM GMT 31/01/2007
Roman Catholic adoptions agencies yesterday lost their battle to opt out of new laws banning discrimination against homosexual couples when Tony Blair announced that there would be "no exemptions" for faith-based groups.
The Prime Minister said in a statement that the new rules would not come into force until the end of 2008. Until then there would be a "statutory duty" for religious agencies to refer gay couples to other agencies....
(3/27/2007)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: media@aclu.org
LITTLE ROCK, AR - The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas cheered the decision of the Arkansas House Judiciary Committee today to reject SB 959, a bill that would have banned gay people and most unmarried heterosexual couples who live together from adopting or serving as foster parents.
"Child welfare research and scientific evidence have shattered the myth that gay people are not suitable foster parents, and legislators hearing real stories from families who would have been hurt by this bill really brought it home," said Rita Sklar, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arkansas. "The Arkansas legislature realized this is bad policy as well as bad law."
Scores of people crowded into the House Judiciary Committee meeting at the Arkansas State Capitol to observe this morning's hearing. Among those who testified against the bill were:...
Can a Gay Couple ask for a genetically Pre-Deposed Gay Donor? Hm? Would heterosexual couples actually seek sperm donations from 'known' genetically proven heterosexual men? What does that say about them? Would they reject a naturally born gay child?
Posted Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:19am AEDT
Updated Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:46am AEDT
Artificial insemination: Donors in New South Wales could ban their sperm from going to lesbian couples under a new law expected to pass today (Reuters: Alessandro Bianchi)
The Greens have criticised moves to allow sperm and egg donors in New South Wales to nominate the type of people they want as potential recipients.
Under the new laws, expected to pass the Upper House today, donors can veto certain religious and ethnic groups, single women and lesbians.
The Bill is primarily aimed at allowing donor-conceived children to access information about their donor when they turn 18.
But Greens MP John Kaye says discrimination is not in the best interests of the child.
"By allowing sperm donors to choose the class of people they don't want their gametes to go to, this Bill institutionalises bigotry and prejudice," he said.
"It sends an appalling message that it's okay to discriminate on grounds that are completely irrelevant."...
Artificial insemination: Donors in New South Wales could ban their sperm from going to lesbian couples under a new law expected to pass today (Reuters: Alessandro Bianchi)
The Greens have criticised moves to allow sperm and egg donors in New South Wales to nominate the type of people they want as potential recipients.
Under the new laws, expected to pass the Upper House today, donors can veto certain religious and ethnic groups, single women and lesbians.
The Bill is primarily aimed at allowing donor-conceived children to access information about their donor when they turn 18.
But Greens MP John Kaye says discrimination is not in the best interests of the child.
"By allowing sperm donors to choose the class of people they don't want their gametes to go to, this Bill institutionalises bigotry and prejudice," he said.
"It sends an appalling message that it's okay to discriminate on grounds that are completely irrelevant."...
Some folks want a National Rosa Parks Day. Maybe? If it would stop hatred, then definately !
Civil Rights Pioneer Rosa Parks, 92, Dies (click here)
Campus bigotry continues despite efforts (click here)
Sara Amato and Chelsea Merta IDS Date: 11/26/2007
Editor's Note: This is part one in a two-part series about continuing intolerance on campus. Tuesday’s story will examine Indiana’s unusual hate crime laws.Despite recent University efforts to prevent racially and religiously charged incidents on campus, the IU Office of Student Ethics and Anti-Harassment Programs received the same amount of complaints in the 2006-07 school year as in previous years, and officials claim many incidents go unreported.Within the last year, 45 complaints were reported on campus to IU Student Ethics. Although no increase in incidents is considered a step in the right direction, Pamela Freeman, director of the IU Office of Student Ethics and assistant dean of students, said incidents on campus are extremely under-reported....
Campus bigotry continues despite efforts (click here)
Sara Amato and Chelsea Merta IDS Date: 11/26/2007
Editor's Note: This is part one in a two-part series about continuing intolerance on campus. Tuesday’s story will examine Indiana’s unusual hate crime laws.Despite recent University efforts to prevent racially and religiously charged incidents on campus, the IU Office of Student Ethics and Anti-Harassment Programs received the same amount of complaints in the 2006-07 school year as in previous years, and officials claim many incidents go unreported.Within the last year, 45 complaints were reported on campus to IU Student Ethics. Although no increase in incidents is considered a step in the right direction, Pamela Freeman, director of the IU Office of Student Ethics and assistant dean of students, said incidents on campus are extremely under-reported....
...but racism is entrenched in USA jurisprudence. I can't imagine arguing a case emphasising 'I am a White Man.' Like? This is the USA? Really?
Thurgood Marshall (center) with George E.C. Hayes and James Nabri congratulate each other for winning an important case against segregation in 1954
7. United States v. Thind (1923)An Indian-American U.S. Army veteran named Bhagat Singh Thind attempted the same strategy as Takeo Ozawa, but his attempt at naturalization was rejected in a ruling establishing that Indians, too, are not white. Well, the ruling technically referred to "Hindus" (ironic considering that Thind was actually a Sikh, not a Hindu), but the terms were used interchangeably at the time. Three years later he was quietly granted citizenship in New York; he went on to earn a Ph.D. and teach at the University of California at Berkeley.
8. Lum v. Rice (1927)In 1924, Congress passed the Oriental Exclusion Act to dramatically reduce immigration from Asia--but Asian Americans born in the United States were still citizens, and one of these citizens, a nine-year-old girl named Martha Lum, faced a catch-22. Under compulsory attendance laws, she had to attend school--but she was Chinese and she lived in Mississippi, which had racially segregated schools and not enough Chinese students to warrant funding a separate Chinese school. Lum's family sued to try to allow her to attend the well-funded local white school, but the Court would have none of it.
Judge stresses legal responsibility (click here)
Katie Perry
Issue date: 1/25/06 Section: News
Lawyers and judges should be responsible for their work, William Pryor Jr., U.S. Circuit Judge of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, said in an address to the Federalist Society at the Notre Dame Law School Tuesday.Pryor spoke about specific historical instances of racial and religious bigotry and emphasized the dire need for lawyers to exert morality in their profession in the first of his two speeches delivered at the University Tuesday.To illustrate his argument, Pryor employed the 1921 Birmingham, Ala. court case of State vs. Stephenson. The trial followed the alleged murder of Catholic priest Father James Coyle by Methodist preacher and Ku Klux Klan member E.R. Stephenson.Pryor said Stephenson became so enraged when he discovered his daughter Ruth had converted to Catholicism - thus becoming a member of Coyle's St. Paul's Church - and wed a Puerto Rican that he shot the priest three times on the steps of his rectory. A fervent member of the Birmingham Ku Klux Klan, Stephenson had a deep-seated animosity for Catholics, as the Klan's discrimination extended beyond racial lines and into the religious realm, Pryor said...
Racism seen in Wal-Mart Web site lists (click here)
YLAN Q. MUI; The Washington PostPublished: January 6th, 2006 02:30 AM
WASHINGTON – Wal-Mart apologized Thursday after its retail Web site directed potential buyers of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Planet of the Apes” DVDs to also consider purchasing items with African American themes.
The world’s largest retailer said in a statement that it was “heartsick” over the racially offensive grouping and that the site was linking “seemingly random combinations of titles.”
“It’s just simply not working correctly,” said Mona Williams, vice president of corporate communications for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
The company said it was alerted to the problem early Thursday afternoon after word began spreading among bloggers.
When visitors to Walmart.com requested “Planet of the Apes: The Complete TV Series” on DVD, four other movies were recommended under the heading “Similar Items.” Those films included “Martin Luther King: I Have A Dream/Assassination of MLK” and “Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson.”
Williams said similar titles were called up when the DVD of the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was requested. There were three such combinations involving those two movies and African American films, she said.
Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart said it planned to shut down its entire cross-selling system overnight.
Like most other major retail sites, such as Amazon.com, Wal-Mart’s site directs users searching for movies to other titles that might interest them. Wal-Mart said Thursday that the system was malfunctioning but did not explain why or how.
Williams said “we have absolutely no evidence” that the problem was intentional. She said news of the problem was first posted on a blog. The company then learned about the offensive combinations when a reporter called to ask about it.
The blog Firedoglake, run by Jane Hamsher in Oregon, posted news of the combination Thursday afternoon under the heading “So Wrong.”
Retired Justice Ortique dies after suffering stroke (click here)
06:55 AM CDT on Monday, June 23, 2008
WWL-TV
Louisiana’s first African-American justice on the state’s Supreme Court died Sunday from complications of a stroke....
Bigotry has many faces and it would seem many solutions.
Fashion is being used to fight sectarianism among fans (click here)
12:00AM Sunday July 31, 2005
By Kerre Woodham (click title to entry)
During World War I, a chap called Howard Elliott toured the length and breadth of New Zealand, attempting to gather support for his fledgling group, the Protestant Political Association. The group had no policies as such. What its members sought to do was whip up the fear and uncertainty that existed during wartime into prejudice against Catholics which the group would then translate into political power. Elliott's speeches seldom varied. At each meeting the crowd was told Catholics were pro-German, the Pope was in league with the Kaiser, Catholic teaching clergy were getting preferential treatment while state-school teachers were being sent to the front, and that all Irish immigrants were Fenians and anti-British who simply couldn't be trusted. Spice up the speech with some near-pornographic tales of the goings-on in convents, and you can see why the Reverend Elliott drew a crowd....
But, Don Imus is an easy call ... and then there is that 'dividing line' of racism vs bigotry. Do anti-racists also condemn bigotry? Hm?
Alleged KKK member trying to overturn conviction (click here)
Associated Press - June 2, 2008 10:53 PM ET
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A lawyer for a reputed Ku Klux Klan member has argued that James Seale's conviction for his role in the abduction and deaths of 2 black Mississippi teenagers should be thrown out.
A public defender has told a New Orleans federal appeals court that there is a 5-year statute of limitations on kidnapping, under a 1972 congressional act that also abolished the death penalty for kidnapping. The two teenagers died in 1964, and Seale was convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy just a year ago.
The Justice Department is arguing that the statute of limitations was not changed retrospectively. A lawyer has told the court that a crime that is capital when committed, remains capital -- even if the death penalty can not be imposed.
The bodies of the two teenagers were pulled from the Mississippi River in July 1964.
Imus defends 'color' comment as sarcastic
And anyone knows this character. He is always 'explaining away' his racist comments as humor. Got that one? Humor. Now, racist remarks in the year 2008 are simply humor. Right. A little humor here. A little humor there. What's a little humor between folks anyway?
...and some of the most heinous acts against another human being ever witnessed. These people are 'posing' for this picture, by the way.
The Omaha Courthouse Lynching of 1919
"Pretty little Agnes Loebeck ... was assaulted ... by an unidentified negro at twelve O'clock last night, while she was returning to her home in company with Millard [sic] Hoffman, a cripple."
The Gallows Pole by Led Zepplin as interpreted from Leadbelly
Hangman hangman hold it a little while
Think I see my friends coming
Riding a many mile.
Friends did you get some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me my dear friends
To keep me from the Gallows Pole?
What did you bring me to keep me from the Gallows Pole?
I couldn't get no silver I couldn't get no gold
You know that we're too damn poor
To keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while,
I think I see my brother coming,
Riding a many mile.
Brother, did you get me some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me, my brother,
To keep me from the Gallows Pole?
Brother, I brought you some silver,
I brought a little gold,
I brought a little of ev'ry thing
To keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Yes, I brought you to keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Hangman, hangman, turn your head awhile,
I think I see my sister coming,
Riding a many mile, mile, mile.
Sister, I implore you, take him by the hand,
Take him to some shady bower,
Save me from the wrath of this man,
Please take him,
Save me from the wrath of this man, man.
Hangman, hangman, upon your face a smile,
Pray tell me that I'm free to ride,
Ride for many mile, mile, mile.
Oh, yes, you got a fine sister,
She warmed my blood from cold,
Brought my blood to boiling hot
To keep you from the Gallows Pole,
Your brother brought me silver,
Your sister warmed my soul,
But now I laugh and pull so hard
And see you swinging on the Gallows Pole
Keep-a-swingin'!
Swingin' on the gallows pole
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