You have to love Eric Holder. If only because the very sound of his name causes wingnut's heads to explode. Holder is fast becoming the best AG ever. He is now calling for the restoration of voting rights for ex- felons, which is something many of us have been calling for over the years.
"Attorney General Eric Holder called on a group of states Tuesday to restore voting rights to ex-felons, part of a push to fix what he sees as flaws in the criminal justice system that have a disparate impact on racial minorities.
“It is time to fundamentally rethink laws that permanently disenfranchise people who are no longer under federal or state supervision,” Holder said, targeting 11 states that he said continue to restrict voting rights for former inmates, even after they’ve finished their prison terms.
“Across this country today, an estimated 5.8 million Americans – 5.8 million of our fellow citizens – are prohibited from voting because of current or previous felony convictions,” Holder told a symposium on criminal justice at Georgetown University.
Now into his fifth year as attorney general and hinting that this year might be his last, Holder survived political controversies that, early on, placed him on the defensive. Now, he is doubling down on the kinds of issues that have long held his interest during a career in law enforcement – prison overcrowding, overly harsh mandatory drug sentences and school disciplinary policies that he says push kids into street crime." [Source]
Selecting Holder as his AG is one of the best things that President Obama did while in office. And I really wish that he will stay on for O's full term, but I doubt it will happen. I just hope that this is not the last we will hear of Mr. Holder.
Finally, the passing of Shirley Temple Black has many Americans mourning her loss today. She was indeed an iconic figure.Sadly, though, when I see her in those black and whites dancing with Bill "Bojangles' Robinson, my memories of her aren't fond ones.
So, in a word, her passing is a bit complicated for me. America will miss her. I will not miss the memories she brought back.
*Pic from The Grio.
