Sunday, June 30, 2013
Dem Rep. Ellison: Obama should be ‘firmer’ on voting rights - The Hill's Video
Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn.) on Wednesday called on President Obama to be “firmer and clearer” in pushing Congress to reform a portion of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the Supreme Court in a landmark ruling.
“I think the president really cares about voting rights, he made it clear in the State of the Union speech how much he cared, he talked about the need to protect the right to vote and I think he’s been pretty consistent,” Ellison said. “But I would really welcome a statement from the president that’s firmer and clearer and tries to really pull all parties together to come up with a consensus around setting up a new formula.”
Read more: http://thehill.com/video/house/307837-dem-rep-ellison-obama-needs-to-be-firmer-and-clearer-on-voting-rights-act#ixzz2XiOC3EMx
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Dem Rep. Ellison: Obama should be ‘firmer’ on voting rights - The Hill's Video
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Beyond Black and White, New Force Reshapes South - NYTimes.com
This is the real reason for voter suppression. It will ultimately fail. I can hardly wait to see the day when the South changes demographically enough to become blue. Texas does not have a long way to go. I really want to see it happen to Georgia. LOL I will laugh my behind off.
Beyond Black and White, New Force Reshapes South - NYTimes.com
Beyond Black and White, New Force Reshapes South - NYTimes.com
American Mayors - Let Them Smoke Pot - NYTimes.com
It has been more than seven months since voters in Colorado and Washington State chose to legalize marijuana for recreational use, in contravention of federal drug laws. It has been more than three months since Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he would announce his department’s response to the new statutes “relatively soon.”
American Mayors - Let Them Smoke Pot - NYTimes.com
American Mayors - Let Them Smoke Pot - NYTimes.com
Roberts Pulls Supreme Court to the Right Step by Step - NYTimes.com
Chief Justice Roberts has proved adept at persuading the court’s more liberal justices to join compromise opinions, allowing him to cite their concessions years later as the basis for closely divided and deeply polarizing conservative victories.
Roberts Pulls Supreme Court to the Right Step by Step - NYTimes.com
Roberts Pulls Supreme Court to the Right Step by Step - NYTimes.com
Friday, June 28, 2013
Mayor Bloomberg: NYPD ‘Stops Whites Too Much And Minorities Too Little’ - "“Mayor Bloomberg needs a math lesson. The NYPD’s own data shows that only 11 percent of stops last year were based on suspicion that the individual has committed of a violent crime. More than half of the stops were based on ‘furtive movement’ a catch-all category that encompasses all sorts of innocent behavior. But perhaps the most compelling fact is that since Mayor Bloomberg took office in 2002, nearly 9-10 of more than 5 million police stops were of completely innocent people. That is some truly troubling math." People like Bloomberg need to be heckled and followed wherever they go. Give them peace. Let them know how it feels to be harassed.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
All In : Killing the Voting Rights Act - Chris Hayes argues that John Roberts' Supreme Court is trying to kill Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act without admitting that that's what they're doing. He is joined by Congressman John Conyers, D-Mich., as well as Debo Adegbile, who argued the case before the court, and Julie Fernandes of the Open Society Foundations.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
All In : Killing the Voting Rights ActAll In : Killing the Voting Rights Act - Chris Hayes argues that John Roberts' Supreme Court is trying to kill Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act without admitting that that's what they're doing. He is joined by Congressman John Conyers, D-Mich., as well as Debo Adegbile, who argued the case before the court, and Julie Fernandes of the Open Society Foundations.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
John Lewis: Supreme Court stabbed civil rights law "in its very heart"
Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), who was a key civil rights leader during the 1960s alongside Martin Luther King, spoke out today about the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby v. Holder.
Shelby, explained in more detail below, gutted a key enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act, leaving it to Congress to “fix” it.
As if the Republicans in the House, or even those in Senate, would lift a finger to help blacks and other minorities ensure their voting rights.
John Lewis: Supreme Court stabbed civil rights law "in its very heart"
Supreme Court guts landmark civil rights law — MSNBC
The Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-4 decision that a key part of the Voting Rights Act—the landmark civil-rights law protecting racial minorities from discrimination at the polls—is unconstitutional in its current form.
The decision, announced Monday morning, invalidates—at least for now—Section 5, a crucial tool for fighting racial discrimination in voting, and comes at a time of rising concern over efforts to restrict access to the ballot box. It represents a victory for conservatives, and a blow to the voting rights of millions of non-white Americans.
“If the Court struck down or weakened Section 5, it would lead to the largest rollback of American democracy since the end of Reconstruction,” Wade Henderson, the president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, told reporters recently in advance of the ruling.
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires that certain jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination, including most southern states, submit any changes to their election systems to the U.S. Justice Department for “pre-clearance.” The Justice Department is empowered to block changes that could reduce minority voting power. In the decision announced Thursday, Shelby County v. Holder, the court ruled that the formula used by Congress to decide which jurisdictions are covered under the law, known as Section 4b, violates the Constitution.
Supreme Court guts landmark civil rights law — MSNBC
Supreme Court guts landmark civil rights law — MSNBC
The Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-4 decision that a key part of the Voting Rights Act—the landmark civil-rights law protecting racial minorities from discrimination at the polls—is unconstitutional in its current form.
The decision, announced Monday morning, invalidates—at least for now—Section 5, a crucial tool for fighting racial discrimination in voting, and comes at a time of rising concern over efforts to restrict access to the ballot box. It represents a victory for conservatives, and a blow to the voting rights of millions of non-white Americans.
“If the Court struck down or weakened Section 5, it would lead to the largest rollback of American democracy since the end of Reconstruction,” Wade Henderson, the president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, told reporters recently in advance of the ruling.
Supreme Court guts landmark civil rights law — MSNBC
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
The F.B.I. Deemed Agents Faultless in 150 Shootings - NYTimes.com
WASHINGTON — After contradictory stories emerged about an F.B.I. agent’s killing last month of a Chechen man in Orlando, Fla., who was being questioned over ties to the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, the bureau reassured the public that it would clear up the murky episode.
The F.B.I. Deemed Agents Faultless in 150 Shootings - NYTimes.com
The F.B.I. Deemed Agents Faultless in 150 Shootings - NYTimes.com
Monday, June 17, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Racially Biased Arrests for Pot
"New federal data, included in a study by the American Civil Liberties Union, now shows that the problem of racially biased arrests is far more extensive that was previously known — and is getting worse. The costly, ill-advised “war on marijuana” might fairly be described as a tool of racial oppression."
Racially Biased Arrests for Pot
Racially Biased Arrests for Pot
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Man Cuffed On DUI Charge After Testing 0.000 On Sobriety Test. The Price For Being Black In America.
newsone.comMan Cuffed On DUI Charge After Testing 0.000 On Sobriety Test
How can someone be charged with DUI and not have a drop of alcohol in his or her system?It’s something that has puzzled Jessie Thornton (pictured) since the night he was pulled over by officers from the Surprise Police Department in Surprise, Ariz., last week. According to police documents obtained by KNXV-TV in Phoenix, Thornton was pulled over because he crossed the white line in his lane. An officer allegedly told him that he knew he was driving drunk because of how Thornton’s eyes looked. The 64-year-old retiree from Ohio says his eyes may have been red because he had just finished swimming at a local fitness center.
newsone.comMan Cuffed On DUI Charge After Testing 0.000 On Sobriety Test
How can someone be charged with DUI and not have a drop of alcohol in his or her system?
It’s something that has puzzled Jessie Thornton (pictured) since the night he was pulled over by officers from the Surprise Police Department in Surprise, Ariz., last week. According to police documents obtained by KNXV-TV in Phoenix, Thornton was pulled over because he crossed the white line in his lane. An officer allegedly told him that he knew he was driving drunk because of how Thornton’s eyes looked. The 64-year-old retiree from Ohio says his eyes may have been red because he had just finished swimming at a local fitness center.
newsone
Monday, June 10, 2013
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Saturday, June 08, 2013
In Hours, Thieves Took $45 Million in A.T.M. Scheme
It was a brazen bank heist, but a 21st-century version in which the criminals never wore ski masks, threatened a teller or set foot in a vault.
In two precision operations that involved people in more than two dozen countries acting in close coordination and with surgical precision, thieves stole $45 million from thousands of A.T.M.'s in a matter of hours.
In New York City alone, the thieves responsible for A.T.M. withdrawals struck 2,904 machines over 10 hours starting on Feb. 19, withdrawing $2.4 million.
In Hours, Thieves Took $45 Million in A.T.M. Scheme
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Atlanta man Jon-Christopher Sowells arrested during BMW test drive - GA Daily News
America can be a horrible country to live in. There are a lot og ignorant, dumb, racist cops with guns. They are very dangerous. Something must br done about them.
Atlanta man Jon-Christopher Sowells arrested during BMW test drive - GA Daily News
Atlanta man Jon-Christopher Sowells arrested during BMW test drive - GA Daily News
NSA collecting phone records of millions of Verizon customers daily | World news | The Guardian
NSA collecting phone records of millions of Verizon customers daily | World news | The Guardian
The National Security Agency is currently collecting the telephone records of millions of US customers of Verizon, one of America's largest telecoms providers, under a top secret court order issued in April.
The order, a copy of which has been obtained by the Guardian, requires Verizon on an "ongoing, daily basis" to give the NSA information on all telephone calls in its systems, both within the US and between the US and other countries.
The document shows for the first time that under the Obama administration the communication records of millions of US citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk – regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing.
The secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (Fisa) granted the order to the FBI on April 25, giving the government unlimited authority to obtain the data for a specified three-month period ending on July 19.
Under the terms of the blanket order, the numbers of both parties on a call are handed over, as is location data, call duration, unique identifiers, and the time and duration of all calls. The contents of the conversation itself are not covered.
The disclosure is likely to reignite longstanding debates in the US over the proper extent of the government's domestic spying powers.
The National Security Agency is currently collecting the telephone records of millions of US customers of Verizon, one of America's largest telecoms providers, under a top secret court order issued in April.
The order, a copy of which has been obtained by the Guardian, requires Verizon on an "ongoing, daily basis" to give the NSA information on all telephone calls in its systems, both within the US and between the US and other countries.
The document shows for the first time that under the Obama administration the communication records of millions of US citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk – regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing.
The secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (Fisa) granted the order to the FBI on April 25, giving the government unlimited authority to obtain the data for a specified three-month period ending on July 19.
Under the terms of the blanket order, the numbers of both parties on a call are handed over, as is location data, call duration, unique identifiers, and the time and duration of all calls. The contents of the conversation itself are not covered.
The disclosure is likely to reignite longstanding debates in the US over the proper extent of the government's domestic spying powers.
Former drone operator says he's haunted by his part in more than 1,600 deaths - Open Channel
A former Air Force drone operator who says he participated in missions that killed more than 1,600 people remembers watching one of the first victims bleed to death.
Brandon Bryant says he was sitting in a chair at a Nevada Air Force base operating the camera when his team fired two missiles from their drone at three men walking down a road halfway around the world in Afghanistan. The missiles hit all three targets, and Bryant says he could see the aftermath on his computer screen – including thermal images of a growing puddle of hot blood.
Former drone operator says he's haunted by his part in more than 1,600 deaths - Open Channel
Brandon Bryant says he was sitting in a chair at a Nevada Air Force base operating the camera when his team fired two missiles from their drone at three men walking down a road halfway around the world in Afghanistan. The missiles hit all three targets, and Bryant says he could see the aftermath on his computer screen – including thermal images of a growing puddle of hot blood.
Former drone operator says he's haunted by his part in more than 1,600 deaths - Open Channel
Wednesday, June 05, 2013
The Sorrow of Trayvon Martin’s Mother. "We as a people are too forgiving". John Henrik Clarke
Sybrina Fulton hasn’t been able to visit her son Trayvon Martin’s grave site since the Florida teenager was buried 15 months ago.
“In my mind, I don’t believe he’s there. I believe, and I want to believe, that he’s in heaven, and I just want to believe that he’s looking down on me, and he’s smiling and he’s the one that’s helping God to help me move forward,” she told me in a nearly hourlong interview Wednesday morning in a New York City restaurant.
In that hour, Fulton talked openly about her pain, her loss, her hopes for the trial, her new role as a public figure and her overarching faith.
She is preparing for Monday, when George Zimmerman will go on trial for killing her son. Zimmerman claims that he shot and killed the unarmed teenager in self-defense. The prosecution — and Trayvon’s family — contend that Zimmerman profiled the boy, pursued him and murdered him.
The Sorrow of Trayvon Martin’s Mother
Joint Chiefs’ Testimony on Sexual Assault Dismays Senators. This is why you cannot trust any military or paramilitary force like police officers to supervise themselves. The very nature of their organizational structure fosters tribalism, corruption and cover ups. These organizations are necessary but they are inherently a necessary evil.
Bradley Manning Trial Transcripts
The US military has refused to release transcripts of Bradley Manning's trial. In addition, they've denied press passes to 270 out of the 350 media organizations that applied. Without public transcripts or a press pass, it's virtually impossible for media organizations to accurately cover the trial and for the public to know what the government is doing in its name.
In response, Freedom of the Press Foundation has crowd-sourced funding to place a professional stenographer in the media room covering the trial. We will post full transcripts shortly after each day's proceedings end. The morning session with be posted by 7 pm the same evening. The afternoon session will be posted by 9 am the next morning. The transcripts will be released under an Attribution 3.0 Unported Creative Commons license.
Bradley Manning Trial Transcripts
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Hardball: McCaskill: You don’t confront sexual assault in the military by ‘just training’. These sexusal predators and the officers which have condoned this behavior need to spend at least twenty years in jail. Commanding officers should have absolutely no say over prosecutions.
All In : You cant keep a secret and neither can the government
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Monday, June 03, 2013
WikiLeaks Source Put Soldiers at Risk, Prosecutor Says - NYTimes.com
FORT MEADE, Md. — A military prosecutor told a judge on Monday that Pfc. Bradley Manning was no ordinary leaker, as the court-martial opened for the former Army intelligence analyst who has confessed to being the source for vast archives of secret military and diplomatic documents made public by WikiLeaks....
But a defense lawyer for Private Manning told the judge that his client had been “young, naïve, but good-intentioned” and that he had, in fact, tried to make sure that the several hundred thousand documents he released would not cause harm.
“He was selective,” said the defense lawyer, David Coombs. “He had access to literally hundreds of millions of documents as an all-source analyst, and these were the documents that he released. And he released these documents because he was hoping to make the world a better place.”
WikiLeaks Source Put Soldiers at Risk, Prosecutor Says - NYTimes.com
But a defense lawyer for Private Manning told the judge that his client had been “young, naïve, but good-intentioned” and that he had, in fact, tried to make sure that the several hundred thousand documents he released would not cause harm.
“He was selective,” said the defense lawyer, David Coombs. “He had access to literally hundreds of millions of documents as an all-source analyst, and these were the documents that he released. And he released these documents because he was hoping to make the world a better place.”
WikiLeaks Source Put Soldiers at Risk, Prosecutor Says - NYTimes.com
Sunday, June 02, 2013
Traitor or hero whistleblower? Court-martial is set for Bradley Manning - U.S. News
Traitor or hero whistleblower? Court-martial is set for Bradley Manning - U.S. News: "Pfc. Bradley Manning says he was driven by an unquenchable thirst for information and wanted to show the world the truth about the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military says he helped enemies of the United States. Now a judge will decide his fate. Manning, a 25-year-old former Army intelligence analyst, goes on trial Monday in a military court at Fort Meade, Md., for his release of hundreds of thousands of secret documents to WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy website."
(Via.)
Racist School Closings in Washington, DC
The District of Columbia's planned public school closings disproportionately affect minority and special needs students and there is no evidence the plan will improve educational outcomes or save the district money.
"I don't want my school to close because they have a lot of fun things that I like there," said 9-year-old McKea, a third-grader at Ferebee-Hope Elementary School in Washington, DC. "If they take that away, I won't have nothing else fun to play with or do.”
Dressed in their Ferebee-Hope cheerleading uniforms, McKea and her teammates were accompanied by Shannon Smith, who has two grandchildren at Ferebee-Hope, one of 15 schools slated for closure by DC School Chancellor Kaya Henderson. Smith led the children to a rally outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse, where several DC parents, students and activists had gathered to support a lawsuit against the closings.
It turns out that all 15 schools are located east of Rock Creek Park, an unofficial dividing line between poor minority communities on the east side and affluent white neighborhoods west of the park, leading to allegations that school closings are an attempt to privatize public education at the expense of the city's most vulnerable residents.
"They keep taking things away from our kids and expect our kids to achieve," Smith told Truthout. "This is discrimination against our black kids.”
Racist School Closings in Washington, DC
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