As I watched the election results last night, I was paying particular attention to North Carolina and it’s Amendment One vote. Amendment One is a bill that would ban Same Sex marriages, it also bans rights for Civil Unions whether your Gay or Strait. Understand that North Carolina already has a ban on Same Sex marriages. So what is this bill really about? It’s about denying human rights to couples of both persuasions. Rights like health benefits, visitation rights at hospitals, and even parental rights for divorced families. Imagine living with your soon to be wife/husband and they become deathly ill only to be denied access to them because your not family, or the doctor can’t discuss options with you that may affect both you and your love one. How silly and cruel is that? As the results came in, the amendment won by a 20% margin (60% in favor of the ban, 40% against).
Wow! North Carolina is a progressive state and more importantly a swing state in this coming Presidential election. How could this be? Either one of two things happened. Black people either didn’t come out to vote or took the supposedly high moral road. It’s probably a little of both. Either way it’s irresponsible. Homophobia in our community runs hard and deep. Gay rights in my opinion is both a human rights issue and a civil rights issue. Who are we to deny that from anyone one. We not to long ago had to fight the same battles, in fact we’re still fighting to maintain the rights that we have. I don’t agree with abortions, but I don’t have the right to decide what you do with a woman’s right to choose what’s best for her. I’m a straight black male, who am I to discriminate against a gay couple?
Forgive me Father, but I see a moral issue on both sides of this debate. The problem here is that most of us are one sided on this issue. What is moral about denying ones human rights?
I as much as most straight Black men have been silent on this issue for fear of being stigmatized for defending Gay rights. I won’t stand on the sidelines anymore while rights are taken away from others just because I don’t like their lifestyle or the choices they make. Neither should you! We need to stop being so one sided and look at the big picture.
In the end, the good Black folks of North Carolina was used by a right wing agenda to further their cause. A agenda to take as many rights from us as possible. One by one they are attempting to diminish your voice. Voting rights, Abortion rights, Contraceptive and healthcare, and the list goes on. It’s an attack on all of us. This amendment was never about a ban on Same Sex marriages, it’s already law. This amendment was about taking more of OUR freedoms away. Wake Up People!!!
Why are we still spending money with Wal-mart? I know that they have better prices and you can get all of your household needs from them. It’s time to rethink that and watch who you spend your dollars with. Would you spend money with a business that uses their profits to push policies and laws that go against everything that you believe in? Of course not! Well, if your spending money with Wal-mart, that’s what you’re doing.
Let’s follow the money….
For starters, Wal-Mart gives 97% percent of their political donations to the Republican Party and their causes. Check here to read article.
Let’s continue with Wal-Marts destructive policies against women. Not sure how many of you know that 1.5 million female workers filed a class action suit against Wal-Mart for gender discrimination in the workplace, only to have their case thrown out by a 5-4 vote with the Conservative leaning Supreme Court.
Moving on…
Since the killing of Trayvon Martin, Stand your Ground laws in Florida and over two dozen states have been introduced to us. The debate has raged as whether this law was a good law or not. Most would agree that the application of this law is under serious review. I submit that this law is much too vague and allows vigilantism to flourish. If we look at the genesis of this law, you will find the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is at its core.
ALEC Founded in the early 1970s to promote right-wing policies at the state level, the American Legislative Exchange Council’s focus has shifted to favor the promotion of state legislation and regulation that benefits its corporate sponsors. A fact that should come as no surprise given its funding by right-wing foundations and corporate membership fees ranging from $5000 to $50,000. The council boasts a large clearinghouse of research, model bills, and legislative strategies to promote its agenda. Read more about ALEC, Click here
To the point, ALEC is responsible for writing and promoting legislation such as Stand your Ground, Voter ID, privatizing the prison system and other public services. Wal-Mart among others sits on ALEC’s Private Enterprise Board for ALEC.
How do we get involved…?
Colorofchange.org, an African American organization exists to strengthen Black America’s political voice. Their goal is to empower members – Black Americans and allies – to make government more responsive to the concerns of Black American s and to bring about positive political and social change for everyone. They have circulating a petition among its members and social media to stop ALEC’s corporate members from continuing to support. As of today, Coke, Pepsi, Wendy’s, Intuit, and Kraft has pulled their support from ALEC.
Wal-Mart has so far refused and has no intentions on pulling their support from ALEC and its destructive policies. Why, because they haven’t seen a change in their profits. African Americans shop at their stores by the droves. We’re spending our money with a company that does not have our best interest in mind. It’s like their laughing at us in their board rooms, thinking that the best place to hide from African Americans is in broad daylight. Let’s show them differently.
It’s time to pull our support from Wal-Mart until it recognizes that it cannot continue to do business as usual. We are paying close attention and we will not continue to spend our hard earned money so that they can turn around and use our money on policies that have an adverse affect on our families and community at large.
By Donald Blount, March 20, 2012
The Urban Politician
The recent killing of Trayvon Martin, while BEING BLACK and doing no wrong, has caught our attention and angered us all. Yet another young Black male gets killed with no justice. How could this happen? Where is the justice? Fortunately, the Justice Department has intervened in this case. However, there is a MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM going on here. While our outrage is justified, we need to look much deeper into the laws that protected George Zimmerman from being arrested, on the spot, in the first place. One of the laws that I’d like to bring particular attention to is the “Stand-Your-Ground” law.
Stand-your-ground
“Other states expressly relieve the home’s occupants of any duty to retreat or announce their intent to use deadly force before they can be legally justified in doing so to defend themselves. Clauses that state this fact are called “Stand-Your-Ground”, “Line in the Sand” or “No Duty To Retreat” clauses, and state exactly that the defender has no duty or other requirement to abandon a place in which he has a right to be, or to give up ground to an assailant. States often differentiate between altercations occurring inside a home or business and altercations in public places; there may be a duty to retreat from an assailant in public when there is no duty to retreat from one’s own property, or there may be no duty to retreat from anywhere the defender may legally be. Other restrictions may still exist; when in public, a person must be carrying the firearm in a legal manner, whetherconcealedoropenly.”
One of the most powerful lobbying groups, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has consistently been lobbying states to pass this bill. As of this date, 16 states have adopted the “Stand-Your-Ground” legislation. Those states with “Stand-Your-Ground” laws are: AL, AZ, FL, GA, IN, KY, LA, MT, NV, NH, OK, PA, TN, TX, UT, WA”. The state of Michigan is in the process of adopting it and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Republican controlled legislature in Virginia isn’t far behind.
In a striking departure, police departments across the country are against this law. They are unable to properly investigate and arrest perpetrators who claim self defense. In the 5 months after Florida passed this bill there were 10 cases in which an individual claimed self defense, 6 of the cases resulted in death and the remaining 4 were injured. Only one victim is cited for having a gun.
My fear….is now that this case has national exposure….and more people are familiar with these laws….it will be open season on all of us. The Justice Department can intervene in all these cases. It’s time to repeal these laws. It’s time to contact your state politicians and ask them to repeal it. if they are unwilling to do so, then exercise your right to vote them out of office.
While we are going about our daily lives, politicians are enacting laws that continue to violate our Civil Right to walk down the street drinking an iced tea and munching on a bag of skittles while “Being Black.” They are taking away our right to vote and rolling back women’s reproductive rights. WE can no longer take the position that there is nothing we can do about it. Changes need to be made, and it begins with you and I. We have rights, and it’s time that we hold our politicians accountable for their actions. Make it happen people!!!
It’s not enough that it’s the land of wildly anti-immigrant laws and sheriffs, and the crooked-fingered governor who feels “threatened” by … um… tall presidents. Now, Arizona is out-Wisconsining Wisconsin.
“Wisconsin on steroids” –a sweeping set of anti-union laws even more severe than those passed in Madison last March over massive public outcry—is now on the legislative agenda in Arizona. Arizona Republicans seek to ban local unions of teachers, firefighters, police, and other public servants from collective bargaining, and would even prohibit local officials from conferring with unions. These and other proposals set a new low in proposed restrictions on union rights.
The draconian package of bills includes:
A ban on local officials from bargaining with unions. It would even ban state and local units of government from conferring with unions.
Public employees could no longer have their dues deducted from their paychecks.
Enforcement of a “paycheck protection” plan making it harder for unions to get contributions for pro-labor candidates.
Prohibit local governments from granting release time for union activities, so that union leaders would have to use personal time to resolve issues with management.
“We consider this even worse than the [anti-public union] legislation that Gov. Walker pushed in Wisconsin, “said AFL-CIO Executive Director Rebeka Friend. She believes the new wave of legislation is aimed at preventing union members from speaking out against the privatization of public services in Arizona.
Privatization has long been a central goal of both the American Legislative Exchange Council (see here and here), a national group funded heavily by the billionaire Koch brothers that drafts and promotes state legislation, and the Arizona-based Goldwater Institute, an ALEC affiliate.
“This is a Goldwater Institute attack,” Friend explained. “They’re a think-tank very prominent in anti-union activities, and their main goal is privatizing public services.
Arizona went 54%/45% for John McCain in the 2008 election, and yet it’s considered only this much of a Republican lean this year:
Why is that? Because in 2008, John McCain was the hometown candidate. There is no hometown candidate on the ballot this time, unless you count the sizable Mormon population in Arizona, and the sizable militia population, which will also probably not be voting for President Obama.
McCain did no better than George W. Bush did in Arizona in 2004 (54/44) and only slightly better than Bush did in 2000 (51/45 over Al Gore). Bill Clinton actually won Arizona 47/44/9 in 1996, with Ross Perot siphoning off that 9 percent. So that doesn’t mean Arizona is going blue … at least not right now.
2010 Census Reapportionment: Arizona saw the 2nd largest percentage growth in population over the past decade (about 25%) and will gain one electoral vote, giving it 11 for the 2012, 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. This is the 6th consecutive Census where Arizona has gained at least one electoral vote.
Arizona joined the Union in February 1912 as the 48th state and final piece of the continental United States. The state has traditionally gone Republican in presidential elections. Except for Bill Clinton’s win in 1996, Arizona has voted Republican since 1952. The Grand Canyon State’s population has grown rapidly in the past half century, and its number of electoral votes has almost tripled from four in 1960. While Arizona went “red” in 2008 with home state Senator John McCain as the nominee, the changing composition of the population may lead to it being considered as more of a swing state in future elections.
Right now, Arizona’s population is 70 percent white, 29.6 percent Hispanic. But it’s the Hispanic part that’s growing. That’s why the rash of anti-immigrant laws — the fear of a growing Hispanic minority with both citizenship and potential political power. To keep the state Republican, it’s important to minimize the Hispanic vote, and to cripple the Democratic party’s ability to function in elections, which means killing off the unions, their fundraising, and their organizing ability on the ground at voter registration and get out the vote time.
Because if Republicans can essentially make Arizona a one-party state, like Wyoming or Kansas, it won’t matter how large the Hispanic population grows. Even as a minority, white conservatives will control the state, because their opponents will have no ability to organize themselves electorally. That’s the game, both in Arizona, and nationally. Because demographics are not on Republicans’ side.
And right now, this is how the polls look in the state:
Meanwhile, Gov. Crooked Finger is keeping her distance from the union-busting bills, at least for now.
For the 35th straight month the United States unemployment rate has been above 8 percent and the White House wants to cut into that statistic by bringing jobs back to the America. President Obama Wednesday hosted a forum called Insourcing American jobs. President Obama is offering tax incentives to companies that bring their business back home. The overall unemployment rate is 8.5% and the black rate stands at 15.8 %. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed attended the event and discussed the impact on the black job market in Atlanta with the Presidents efforts.
As I watched the election results last night, I was paying particular attention to North Carolina and it’s Amendment One vote. Amendment One is a bill that would ban Same Sex marriages, it also bans rights for Civil Unions whether your Gay or Strait. Understand that North Carolina already has a ban on Same Sex marriages. So what is this bill really about? It’s about denying human rights to couples of both persuasions. Rights like health benefits, visitation rights at hospitals, and even parental rights for divorced families. Imagine living with your soon to be wife/husband and they become deathly ill only to be denied access to them because your not family, or the doctor can’t discuss options with you that may affect both you and your love one. How silly and cruel is that? As the results came in, the amendment won by a 20% margin (60% in favor of the ban, 40% against).
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