The GOP's "Mamacita man ain't paying for no reparations.

People wonder why I am so hard on wingnuts and those of their ilk. It's because of people like Chris McDaniel and the people who support him.




In case you didn't know, Mr. McDaniel could be your next senator from the state of Mississippi.  He is pushing incumbent Thad Cochran in the GOP primary and he has the support of people like Sarah Palin.




"The Wall Street Journal reports that McDaniel once said, “If they pass reparations, and my taxes go up, I ain’t paying taxes.”


In addition McDaniel is alleged to have made derogatory remarks about Latinos.
McDaniel’s spokesman says, “The liberal press clearly loves to attack conservatives of all types. When Chris got into this race he knew they would throw mud, so it’s no surprise they’d dredge up decade-old comments made on conservative talk radio. Chris will continue to deliver his conservative message of controlling government spending, lowering taxes, and repealing Obamacare across the state.” [Source]




Of course ignorance like that will probably make him very popular among republican voters in Mississippi. He had more to say:




"On Mexico: “Why don’t we all immigrate south, let’s go to Mexico…You know, a dollar bill can buy a mansion in Mexico. And I think we all get together, go down there, build us a studio for like 26 pesos, uh and you know, put on a radio show right there in Mexico. Live the rest of our lives there.”


–Asked by someone else in the studio, “Do we have to learn Spanish?” Mr. McDaniel replied, “Yes, regrettably…You’ll have to learn just enough to ask where the bathroom is. Baños. Baños. That’s what you say.”


–Mr. McDaniel then asked someone to translate, “Do you have a sister?” “What about mamacita?” he offered. “Mamacita works….I’m an English-speaking Anglo. I have no idea what it means, actually, but I’ve said it a few times, just for, you know, fun. And I think it basically means, ‘Hey, hot mama.’ Or, you know, ‘You’re a fine looking young thing.’”


- Later, he weighed in on the momentary outcry over an ad released in international markets promoting the white version of a portable video-game console. The spot included a shot of a white woman and a black woman wrestling. “There’s a white woman, and she’s holding down a black woman. The world’s gone nuts. Listen to this. Minority groups in California screaming that the image is racist. ‘San Francisco politician Tom LeLand says ‘It’s racially charged, unnecessary and clearly offensive to our community.’ Well, she wasn’t holding down a gay guy.” [Source]




Nice. So he is a racist, a sexist, and a xenophobe. He will also probably be a US Senator soon, which probably says more about the modern- day republican party than it does Mr. McDaniel.




I wonder if any one of my black conservative friends will come forward to condemn his ignorant and benighted statements. If they do, I will be the first to praise them on this blog for standing up to someone in their gang.




I won't hold my breath, though; black conservatives don't like to "rock the boat". Go along to get along is their motto.




Finally, I am glad that O can joke about the "birther" movement, but there is nothing funny about those people. They are seriously taking this country backwards.


And if folks think that this movement was about anything other than race, I have a beautiful red statue with the words LOVE on it to sell you. It's sitting in a park here in Philly, just send me a check and you can go and pick it up.



“'And just to be clear, I know where my birth certificate is, but a lot of people don’t,' Obama added, to laughter from the crowd. 'I think it’s still up on a website somewhere.'


'Do you remember that? That was crazy' he remarked, clearly straying from his prepared speech. 'That was some crazy stuff. I haven’t thought about that in a while.”'




Sorry O, you should be thinking about it, because that's one of the reasons that you can't get things done in Washington. It wasn't "crazy"; it was wingnuts. They are the same folks who will be voting for Chris McDaniel.

How LBJ changed the makeup of America's two political parties.

So it's the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act, and LBJ is getting all kinds of love down in Austin, Texas.


Three of our former presidents will be there, and our current president gave a speech recognizing the occasion and honoring LBJ as well.


He deserves some praise of course, but as one of my twitter friends said, I am not comfortable with him getting all the shine for this act getting passed when I know how much blood sweat and tears other black leaders and foot soldiers put into getting civil rights for people of color in this country.


LBJ was a complex fellow, who no doubt, like the Vice President before this current one, did some shaky things to amass wealth, grab power, and gain influence.


Yet still, as president, he presided over our government's effort to take care of the least among us in America. And it was his signature as president on the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts. He helped to get those bills passed "against all odds" at a time in this country when it was cool to be a bigot.


"Historian Alan Brinkley has suggested that the most important domestic achievement of the Great Society may have been its success in translating some of the demands of the civil rights movement into law"


This is true. And, to his credit, he knew that the passing of The Civil Rights Act would cause the Democratic Party to lose the Southern white vote forever. And it did.


BTW, if it is true that he actually made this statement: "I'll have those niggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years." (Which I honestly think is a wingnut version of an urban legend.) It actually worked. Because when white Southerners left and joined the republican party, black folks knew where they weren't wanted. Equal rights for all was something that should have been easy to embrace, but it wasn't; simply because of the history of racism in this country. Now the two political parties reflect the racial divide that still exists.


"You know, four days into his sudden presidency, and the night before he would address a joint session of the Congress in which he once served, Lyndon Johnson sat around a table with his closest advisers preparing his remarks to a shattered and grieving nation.

He wanted to call on senators and representatives to pass a civil rights bill, the most sweeping since Reconstruction. And most of his staff counseled him against it. They said it was hopeless, that it would anger powerful Southern Democrats and committee chairmen, that it risked derailing the rest of his domestic agenda.


And one particularly bold aide said he did not believe a president should spend his time and power on lost causes, however worthy they might be, to which, it is said, President Johnson replied: Well, what the hell's the presidency for? (Laughter, applause.) What the hell's the presidency for if not to fight for causes you believe in?


Today as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, we honor the men and women who made it possible. Some of them are here today. We celebrate giants like John Lewis and Andrew Young and Julian Bond.


We recall the countless unheralded Americans -- black and white, students and scholars, preachers and housekeepers -- whose names are etched not on monuments but in the hearts of their loved ones and in the fabric of the country that they helped to change.

But we also gather here, deep in the heart of the state that shaped them, to recall one giant man's remarkable efforts to make real the promise of our founding. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.


And somewhere down in Alabama George Wallace is turning in his grave.






  


  

The hopeless and those who make us hopeful.

My goodness, so many stories so little time.


Where does a blogger start?


Let me see now, I think I will start with Jim DeMint. He is the guy who quit being a politician to take the big bucks and run the right wing Heritage Foundation. It's a "think tank" (stop laughing) for right-wingnuts, and I am still trying to figure out what exactly they contribute to making our government run better.


Anyway, Jim had a curious thing to say about slavery:


"No liberal is going to win a debate that big government freed the slaves," Heritage Foundation president and former senator Jim DeMint told a radio host on Wednesday. And he's right, unless you consider the U.S. government circa 1865 a "big government.   

Well the reason that the slaves were eventually freed was the Constitution, it was like the conscience of the American people. ... But a lot of the move to free the slaves came from the people, it did not come from the federal government. It came from a growing movement among the people, particularly people of faith, that this was wrong. People like Wilberforce who persisted for years because of his faith and because of his love for people. So no liberal is going to win a debate that big government freed the slaves.

DeMint then continued. "In fact, it was Abraham Lincoln, the very first Republican," he said, "who took this on as a cause and a lot of it was based on a love in his heart that comes from God."

The Constitution? The same document that stated that black folks are three-fifths of a human being back then? "People of faith" in the South didn't think that slavery was wrong. They owned slaves, and they used their "faith" to justify it.


Then there is my man "Hammerin Hank". He has pissed off republicans (even Braves fans) with his recent comments about the racism behind the hatred of Barack Obama.


"Hank Aaron, who was celebrated Tuesday night in Atlanta on the 40th anniversary of breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, compared Obama critics to the KKK as he opened up about the state of race relations in an interview with USA Today.


The Braves legend, who told the newspaper he still has the bigoted letters and death threats he received during his pursuit of one of baseball's most cherished records, said that little has changed despite the decades that have passed.


"The biggest difference is that back then they had hoods," Aaron said. "Now they have neckties and starched shirts." [Source]


"He is a racist! Typical black race-baiter. How can he dare say that when America has been so good to him?"


Get ready Hank, because it's coming. You are just lucky you are already in the Hall of Fame.


I know who will be all over Hank for "race baiting", the folks over at the GOP News network.


Race is always on their minds, because they know how to exploit it to appeal to their base.


This is why we get Freudian slips such as this:


"Fox News host Heather Childers was very excited to announce on Tuesday that the University of Connecticut Huskies were the new "NAACP National Champs." There was just one small problem: the Huskies are the new NCAA basketball champions, not the NAACP champions. That's...something else." [Source]


Well, you know, all those Negro players and all....


But race is not only on the minds of their news anchors, it's on the minds of their candidates for the United States senate as well.


"Republican Iowa Senate candidate Sam Clovis says President Obama’s race is standing in the GOP's way of their goal to impeach him.


A number of people in the House want to start the process, he said in an interview with The Daily Times Herald in Carroll, Iowa.


"And I think the reason that they're not is because they're concerned about the media," he said. 


The impeachment of former President Bill Clinton didn’t end well, Clovis added. 
“Now we have a situation where race is thrown into the cards as well," Clovis said. "Whether we like it or not, race is an issue." [Source]


My man is straight out of central casting for a Boss Hogg role. Let's send Mr. Clovis to Washington. We need more "colorful characters" (pun intended) like Sam.


Finally, I will end on a sad note.


That little girl (Lacy Holsworth) who was befriended by MSU basketball star, Adreian Payne, lost her battle with cancer.


Payne became close to the little girl, and their story is heartwarming and hopeful. This young man is a class act.


I have always had love for those Michigan State Spartans, because that's my father's Alma Mater, but now, because of this story, I love them even more.


I only wish that they could have gone all the way in the tournament to bring this little girl a little more joy before she passed away.


To the parents of this little girl I offer my condolences. To Adreian Payne I say thank you for restoring my faith in our young people, and for making me realize that there is hope for us all.  


"Words can't express how much I already miss Lacey. She is my sister, and will always be a part of my life. She taught me how to fight through everything with a smile on my face even when things were going wrong. I'm a better man because of her. … She said she first liked me because of my smile, but it's her smile that made America fall in love with her. … I know she's smiling and dancing in heaven right now. My princess is now an angel."










 





















   














 

Confidential informant number seven, and another hypocrite is exposed.

"Where is Bagawire, he's nowhere to be found
He can't be found
First betrayer who gave away Marcus Garvey
Son of Satan, First prophesy,
Catch them, Garvey old
Catch them Garvey, catch them Woo -oo- oo"


Burning Spear was singing about a race traitor in the black community who betrayed Black Nationalist, Marcus Garvey.


This has been going for as long as there were people in the black community who would sell out others for their own personal gain.


The FBI under J. Edgar Hoover knew this, and they exploited it to their benefit. Under Hoover there were many Negro informants working for the FBI and getting paid handsomely do it. Google COINTELPRO when you get a chance, you will be find that this was a very effective tool in Hoover's arsenal.


Recently we found out that a famous photographer during the civil rights movement-- and a man with access to Dr. King ---was a "prolific informant" for the FBI. Sad but true.


This brings me to the latest revelations about Rev. Al Sharpton. I must confess that when I first heard that the Rev. was an informant for the FBI back in the day, the first person I thought of was Bagawire. And then I thought of Ernest Withers.


Could Rev. Sharpton have been taking money to spy on the black community for the FBI? I suppose that he could. But then I heard more about the story and I found out that Rev. Al was actually working as an informant for the FBI to bring down the New York Mob. 


"The Rev. Al Sharpton on Tuesday addressed his long-known role in assisting a joint FBI-NYPD investigation in the 1980s, CBS New York reported.
At a news conference, Sharpton said he was threatened by "music industry goons" years ago and went to the government for protection.


"They were threatening to kill me," Sharpton said. "I did the right thing and would do it again."



As WCBS 880′s Paul Murnane reported, Sharpton's paying a price with what he says is an old chapter in his life story being replayed across the front pages, with tabloid headlines including "Rev. Rat."


"I was not and am not a rat, because I wasn't with the rats. I'm a cat. I chased rats," Sharpton said Tuesday.


The Smoking Gun website said Monday that it obtained hundreds of pages of secret court filings and FBI memos providing new details about Sharpton's relationship with the feds.


The report shows Sharpton's work as "Confidential Informant #7″ helped develop cases on the Genovese crime family, including Vincent "The Chin" Giganti, the so-called "Odd Father," known for walking around in a bathrobe and pajamas, CBS 2′s Marcia Kramer reported.


The report said Sharpton acted as a confidential informant and secretly recorded conversations with the mob by using a bugged briefcase


When asked if he wore a wire to record the conversations, Sharpton replied, "The conversations were recorded."


Sharpton said he cooperated with the FBI, but didn't consider himself an informant." [Source]


I can hear some of my Italian friends now: " I always knew that fat Bingo-Bongo Moolie was no good. He is a rat! "


Hey, as long as I don't hear about Rev. Al passing on information to the FBI about what happened in New York's black community I will be fine with what he did. Sorry my mob friends, you all needed to be off the street. It might not be cool what Sharpton did, but he didn't do it to us.


Still, this is not a good look for the Rev. Was he cooperating with the FBI because he wanted to get bad guys off the street, or was he cooperating because he was caught up in some shady stuff himself?


"The FBI "came in 1982, '83, after Don King tried to entrap me in a drug deal that didn't work," Sharpton said. "Then seven months later, when I was threatened by members of the mob because I was saying that a lot of concerts should be going to black artists, and I went after them. I was threatened. I called these FBI guys back, since some of the guys were from California, and told them these are the kind of things they ought to be investigating."


He said of The Smoking Gun: "They know that President Obama is speaking at my convention this week and (U.S. Attorney General) Eric Holder is speaking, and they're just trying to get some attention, because at the end of the day, I'm not accused of committing a crime. So are you saying it's scandalous for me to help the good guys? It's crazy."


Sharpton said he's used to the attacks and the distortions, Murnane reported. His lawyers are now reviewing the documents posted on The Smoking Gun.
The revelations threaten to embarrass Sharpton ahead of his national convention. While the civil rights activist said he initiated the government cooperation, others have said he was pressured to cooperate after being ensnared in a drug sting, Kramer reported.


A video of the sting, which aired on HBO in 2002, appears to show Sharpton nod when an agent offers him a cut from future drug sales."


Watch that past Rev., it always comes back to haunt you.


Finally, speaking of stuff coming back to haunt you.


I am sure you all have heard by now about the congressman from Louisiana who was caught getting a little freaky with someone other than his wife. This wouldn't be a big deal if the guy wasn't such a hypocrite.


This is what happens when you profess to the world that you are a "family values Christian" while wearing your religion on your sleeve, and you act like a pig behind closed doors.


Yes, Bill Clinton was a pig, but he never pretended not to be. In fact, when he was being impeached for being a pig by all those self-righteous house republicans, some of them were doing exactly what Vance McAllister was caught doing, recently. (Remember Bob Livingston?)


Now, as is to be expected, Vance is asking for our forgiveness.


"Freshman U.S. Rep. Vance McAllister says he's asking his family and constituents for forgiveness after a West Monroe newspaper published a video that it says shows the congressman kissing a woman who wasn't his wife.


In a statement issued Monday, the Republican congressman said, "There's no doubt I've fallen short and I'm asking for forgiveness."


The Ouachita Citizen posted a video Monday of what it said was Dec. 23 surveillance video from inside McAllister's congressional office in Monroe, showing McAllister and a member of his staff.


"I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I've disappointed," McAllister said." [Source]


Vance, you might want to start with your wife.

When Negroes get tricked on matters of race.

I have a lot in common with Bill Maher: We are both, I suppose, what the right would consider secular progressives, we both share a love for black women, and we both love to debate politics and culture.


One thing that we do not have in common is skin color. That is what will always separate me from folks like Bill Maher, no matter how much of the other things we might have in common.


Negroes like W. Kamau Bell (I see you Touré) like to give out "black cards" to certain white folks. They give it to people like Bill Maher and Stephen Colbert because their politics is the same, and for some of the reasons that I outlined above. This is a mistake.


Bill Maher, when all is said and done, is no different than any other white person in America. Sure his politics and religion (or lack of it)might be different, but, at the end of the day, they share something that Negroes like W. Kamau Bell do not: The color of their skin.


Mr. Bell was set up and played  by Bill Maher on his show. The entire episode has become very popular in conservative circles as an example of out of control black racism.

“Real Time” host Bill Maher stunned his liberal guests Friday night after a racial quote they thought was uttered by Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan was actually said by First Lady Michelle Obama.


Mr. Maher started off the segment with Mr. Ryan’s recent comments about inner city poverty and the cultural dynamics that perpetuate such cycles. The HBO host then asked if Mr. Ryan was simply making an honest observation or something motivated by racial ill will.

---

Comedian W. Kamau Bell intimated that some sort of racial malice was involved.

“You can’t blame the people living in the inner cities, blacks and latinos, for not having jobs where there are no jobs in the inner cities. You can’t blame them when the schools suck, the hospital sucks, there’s no grocery store, all of their fathers are in jail,” Mediaite reported. The panel’s fellow left-leaning guest agreed.


Then the “Real Time” host tricked his guests, saying: “Let me read something else. Here’s something else Paul Ryan said. He said: ‘When it comes to getting an education, too many of our young people just can’t be bothered. They’re sitting on couches for hours playing video games, watching TV instead of dreaming of being a teacher or a lawyer or a business leader — they’re fantasizing about being a baller or a rapper.’ Oh wait, that wasn’t him. That was Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama said that.”


The camera showed Mr. Bell stunned, at which point Mr. Maher turned to the audience and said: “Hushed silence! […] Is something less true if a white person says it about black people?”


“We talk to each other differently than when we talk to [white people],” Mr. Bell responded.


During the segment, former Republican congressman Rick Lazio of New York defended Rep. Ryan, saying that most cities with high poverty have been controlled by Democrats for decades." [Source]


So why was "Mr. Bell stunned"? He was stunned because his ideological soul-mate set him up. He never saw it coming. What he will realize one day is that when all is said and done, Bill Maher is no different than any other white person in America when it comes to how he views race and racial issues. The fact that he (Mr. Bell) had to be "punked" in front of millions to prove that point is a sad commentary on him and other Negroes like him.


Now, as is to be expected, Mr. Bell is trying to explain his disappointment with Maher and himself.


"Kamau Bell, who, until recently, hosted his own late night show on FXX called Totally Biased, published a post on his website expressing his frustration with the way Maher made him and the other guests feel foolish by telling them the quote was made by Paul Ryan and getting their reactions before revealing the truth.


“I (apparently) lost a game on Bill’s show that I didn’t know I was playing,” Bell wrote. “The game was ‘Gotcha!’ And according to the Internet (and the number of misspelled and nigger filled — the word, not the people — tweets in my timeline), I got gotcha’ed!”


He went on to explain that the show’s producers gave him a heads up about the first, real quote from Ryan that had turned into one of the week’s big political controversies, and even asked him “as an African-American” to jump into the discussion first. “Anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for conversations about race and racism in America,” Bell wrote. “Well, I got played for a sucker.”
Bell took offense to the point Maher was apparently trying to make (“Is something less true if a white person says it about black people?”), writing, “this clip has turned out to be a Rorschach test for ignorance. If you think he gotcha’ed me or the panel, I feel sorry for you.”


After laying out the more interesting points of comparison between the Ryan and Obama quotes, Bell argued that an intelligent conversation about those issues was never what Maher intended:

Bill obviously didn’t want to have that conversation because if he had, he woulda had his awesome and gracious staff give the panel the Michelle Obama quote, too. He wanted to play “Gotcha!” Hey, good on him. It’s easy to trip people up if that is your sole intention. Go outside right now and see how many people you can trip while they walk around. I guessing it’s damn near 100%. Does it feel good? Not to me. 

But again, who am I to judge? Bill’s got the rightfully acclaimed, long running hit show, and mine was canceled. I’m not even sure why he would waste his time gotcha’ing me. Was Al Sharpton not available?"

Kamau, he didn't need Al Sharpton; he had you.  


  

"Deltopia" is a riot, and Captain America is a hit.

Those wonderful white suburban college kids are at it again. This time it's out in California.


"An annual Spring Break party near the University of California Santa Barbara turned into a sprawling riot after a university cop was smashed in the face with a backpack full of liquor bottles, authorities.

More than 100 people were arrested and 44 treated at hospitals during the Isla Vista street bash known as Deltopia before cops and sheriff’s deputies cleared the crowds with tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets.

“It was an emergency situation where we had to call in mutual aid,” Santa Barbara Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said. “They have had civil disturbances before in Isla Vista, but it has been many years since something like this.” [Source]


It might have been many years since they had something like that in Santa Barbara, but they just had something like that in Arizona, and East Lansing, and Cincinnati, and Lexington....are you starting to see a trend? If you don't I can't blame you. This is not the type of thing that our media focuses on. Just harmless college kids blowing off a little steam. Not like those "knockout games" those black urban kids play which is far more dangerous. *sarcasm off*


Finally, congrats to Captain America for pulling in over 90 million dollars this weekend.


Nothing like wrapping a super hero in red white and blue to get Americans to go buy some pop corn and watch a movie with a few of their closest friends.


I am not sure what this says about America or our politics, maybe it says nothing. Maybe we just want to see a nice kick ass action movie with interesting characters.


Ethan Sacks, writing for the New York Daily News, says that the movie cuts it right down the middle.


"One of the keys to Captain America's successful political acrobatic act is that the writers — since the days of Joe Simon and Stan Lee — have for the most part dodged any direct partisan political messages. Quick, where does good old Steve Rogers stand on immigration reform or universal health care?
"I can't answer you what lever he'd pull at the ballot box," says "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" co-screenwriter Stephen McFeeley.




Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige says that even though Captain America runs around draped in a flag, he's far from the company's most controversial character.


"I've always argued that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.'s character in the 'Iron Man' movies) should be a much more polarizing figure than Steve Rogers," Feige recently told the News, "Tony is a billionaire, a one-percenter who used to build weapons, sell them to the military and then they were used all over the world. You don't get more polarizing than that.


"What was great was and ('Iron Man' director Jon) Favreau got this all the time, people would go, 'You totally get the conservative viewpoint, it's wonderful.' And Democrats or liberals would say 'It's such a liberal testament it's wonderful.' It works for everybody."


Still, it was a lot easier to write the character when creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby debuted him in March 1941, punching out Hitler on the cover of his first issue. After all 12-year-old boys didn't want to have a helping of vegetables with their dessert.

 "I did my best to avoid actual politics," says Stan Lee, who wrote the character in the '60s. "He just saw things in their raw form-- either good or bad, and he felt it his duty to battle the bad."
It's harder to do that nowadays in an era of more sophisticated movie-going audiences.


“That is part of the difficult aspect of the character for sure,” said Anthony Russo, who directed the movie with brother Joe, of the political tightrope they walked.


“It’s one thing to dress up in the flag during World War II and rally the troops, it’s another thing in present-day America to do it.”' [Source]


Oh yes, "present -day America", where everything comes down to your politics; even how you watch a damn movie.


















  

No place to learn.

There is a public high school here in Philly that has been having all sorts of problems.


If you are up on You Tube you have probably seen some of the videos coming out of that excuse for a school, lately. Right in the middle of lunch there was an all out brawl that took place in the school cafeteria.


And, as if that isn't bad enough, a staffer was knocked unconscious by a hooligan masquerading as a student, and the same student was back in school a few days later.


This school is so out of control and dysfunctional that the school district has no idea how to deal with it. Before they can even talk about educating children they have to create a safe environment. And that, as it stands, is far from happening. 


"Rudy Helton, the building engineer, has been busy replacing door handles and locks damaged when students break into classrooms, he said. He installed a slide bolt on locker-room doors, because unruly teens were using their ID cards to pick locks and cause trouble.

'There's no control,' Helton said.


Bartram made headlines during Pfeiffer's first year there, 1999, when an assistant principal was shot by a student in the school. Pfeiffer said things were worse now.


In interviews over the last week, more than 20 Bartram staffers and students described a school that's often in chaos.


Superintendent William R. Hite Jr., who made his fourth unannounced visit to Bartram on Thursday, acknowledged the school has problems. On Monday, he will send respected former district principal Ozzie Wright to help calm the school.


Hite also said he, the assistant superintendent responsible for the school, and its principal, Kimberly Collins, would work together on Bartram's discipline plan and to emphasize restorative practices, a program that stresses building relationships to prevent conflict.


Bartram, on South 67th Street in Southwest Philadelphia, has long struggled academically, but for a time, its climate was relatively good, thanks to a principal who stayed for a decade and was backed by a large, strong support staff.


But the principal left last year. And this year, the Philadelphia School District's budget crisis has hit hard - Bartram absorbed 100 students from a school that closed, yet still has fewer staffers. Over the last few years, it has lost assistant principals, a disciplinarian, librarian, counselors, and others.


Hite said the school was down two employees over the last year and the issue was "how to effectively deploy the resources that are there."'


OK, so let's talk about the elephant in the room: The parents of these children.


Just what the hell are they doing? Why aren't they training these children at home to prepare them for school? At some point we have to stop blaming the teachers, the school district, the counselors, and the damn building engineer for crying out loud! It's time to start pointing fingers at the people who brought these children here and are just turning them loose on the rest of us.


Another sad aspect of this story is that there are children at Bartram High School who want to learn, but who cannot because they find themselves in an environment that is not much better than one of the county prisons up on State Road here in Philly.


In fact, one might argue, the conditions at the prisons are safer.


"There are a number of vacancies at the school, with a number of teachers out for long stretches.


"Some kids have substitutes all day," said the teacher who asked not to be identified. "It's just a warehouse for these kids."


Even veteran Bartram teachers say they're worried.


"I'm even getting anxious to walk the halls any more," said another teacher who asked to remain anonymous.


Staffers like Stevenson are victims, certainly. But others suffer, too.


"There's a lot of talented, intelligent kids there that are getting the bad end of the stick," one teacher said.


Students interviewed at dismissal on Friday talked about fights and rowdy hallways, about trouble in the cafeteria.


"Kids do whatever they want," said senior Catherine Biziens, 18. "There's no structure."


Bartram is "out of control right now," said sophomore Ramira Andrews. She said she used to be afraid. Then, she said, "I got used to it."' [Source]


When children start getting "used" to fear we are in trouble as a society.


*Pic from Philly.com










 

A sad anniversary.

On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.


Folks forget why Dr. King was in Memphis in the first place. It was to march with sanitation workers who were catching hell down in the land of Elvis from the powers that be.


"During a heavy rainstorm in Memphis on February 1, 1968, two black sanitation workers had been crushed to death when the compactor mechanism of the trash truck was accidentally triggered. On the same day in a separate incident also related to the inclement weather, 22 black sewer workers had been sent home without pay while their white supervisors were retained for the day with pay. About two weeks later, on February 12, more than 1,100 of a possible 1,300 black sanitation workers began a strike for job safety, better wages and benefits, and union recognition. Mayor Henry Loeb, unsympathetic to most of the workers' demands, was especially opposed to the union. Black and white civic groups in Memphis tried to resolve the conflict, but the mayor held fast to his position.


As the strike lengthened, support for the strikers within the black community of Memphis grew. Organizations such as COME (Community on the Move for Equality) established food and clothing banks in churches, took up collections for strikers to meet rent and mortgages, and recruited marchers for frequent demonstrations. King's participation in forming a city-wide boycott to support the striking workers was invited by the Reverend James Lawson, pastor of the Centenary Methodist Church in Memphis and an adviser to the strikers. Lawson was a seasoned veteran of the civil rights movement and an experienced trainer of activists in the philosophy and methods of nonviolent resistance."


It was in this environment that King found himself ready to march for economic justice in Memphis before losing his life to a sniper's bullet.


In light of the recent Supreme Court decision, and the growing wealth inequality  in this country, Americans would do well to remember what folks like Dr. King fought for. It wasn't only about civil rights and social justice; it was about economic justice as well.


There are quite a few poor Americans in this country who still don't get it. They really believe that the haves will look out for them, and that somehow, if they align themselves with the 1%, their wealth will miraculously find itself into their pockets. It will not. Wealthy people are greedy; it's how they became wealthy in the first place.


There is a political party in this country whose job it is to protect the wealthy and to maintain the status quo of wealth inequality. If you want to know the name of that party look at the budget being proposed by one Paul Ryan. That will tell you all you need to know about who is being protected by certain people in Washington. "Raise the minimum wage? Why should we? That's bad for business." "Let's cut food stamps and unemployment benefits. All that stuff just encourages laziness."


If MLK was around today he wouldn't be happy with what is going on in America. He would feel that all the hard work and organizing he did was for nothing. Because while people of color have achieved civil rights, poor people ---of all colors--- have gained little economic rights. We have moved backwards as a country when it comes to the issue of economic justice.


Sadly, this is just how some people want it.

"Ghetto tendencies".

*Folks in Philly can be really rough around the edges. Even our police officers ---whose job it is to protect and serve--- carry a big ass chip on their shoulders. And, if we are going to be honest, some of them really shouldn't be police officers in the first place.




"A PHILADELPHIA police officer was arrested yesterday for an off-duty incident last fall in which he allegedly drove into a pedestrian - and then threatened to kill the man, shouting a racial slur at him and flashing his gun.


Edward Sawicki III, 34, was off-duty on Oct. 20, 2013 around 3 a.m. when he backed his car into a 37-year-old pedestrian on the 1100 block of S. 9th Street. 

Sawicki hit the man in the knee. The victim then pounded on the trunk of Sawicki’s vehicle with his hand to alert the driver, according to the District Attorney’s Office. 

Sawicki exited the car, pulled up his shirt and showed his gun. And then he rushed at the victim. Sawicki then yelled racial epitaphs at the victim and threatened to kill him.


At one point Sawicki stated “N#!!er, I’ll smoke you” while keeping his hand on the holstered, city-issued gun, according to the DA’s office.

Sawicki, who is a 9-year veteran of the force, was last assigned to the 25th District.

He turned himself into police earlier today. Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey suspended Edward Sawicki for 30 days with the intent to dismiss.

Sawicki was charged with making terroristic threats, possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault, harassment, and disorderly conduct." [Source]


Officer Sawicki might or might not be off the street soon. Still, if what is alleged is true, Chief Ramsey (*in pic) really needs to be going through his force with a fine tooth comb.


When he does, I am sure he will find not only racists, but he will find more drug dealers and thieves as well.


Finally, I saw "Prime Time's" comments about Johnny Manziel, and I must admit that it made me uncomfortable. It did because I hate it when we stereotype people based on their actions.


Yes, "Johnny Football" plays and carries himself with some swag, but why does this have to be equated with "ghetto" or black culture? The kid is white, Texan, and comes from a wealthy family. But he is also a product of his environment, which, as far as I can tell, is one that fostered a sense of cockiness and "swag" from day one.


I read what Clay Travis had to say about the subject, and I found his article interesting. He was basically celebrating the fact that Johnny Manziel was helping to shatter stereotypes when it comes to quarterbacks. Which I suppose is fine. And yes, I do acknowledge that such stereotypes are out there.


But when folks like "Prime Time" celebrate the stereotypes and embrace the image that America chooses to project on men of color who want to play quarterback, it sends the wrong message.


"Oh, please. I love Johnny Football. See, the reason people won’t accept Johnny Football is because Johnny Football has ghetto tendencies. I love Johnny Football."


What exactly is "ghetto tendencies"? And why should it (whatever it is) be celebrated?


"Because he was successful, he made it, and he let you all know he made it, and he was cocky, he was flamboyant, and he let you know."


Couldn't this just be a wealthy white kid who has an incredible amount of talent and who is sure of himself and his skills on the football field? Rhetorical question. Of course it could be.


"Manziel's a creative entertainer, a border-defying, cross-pollinating cultural icon. He's a rich, white Texan who identifies more with black culture than with white culture, a polyglot melange in the our American mixing bowl.


But, look out, that still makes some people uncomfortable. As much as America may be a multi-cultural society, we still want to put people in boxes, identify them as one thing or another, create delineated spaces within our culture where some people fit and others don't.


But you ain't putting Johnny Manziel just in one box. "


But that's exactly what you are doing: putting him in a box. (Albeit a "ghetto" one.) And just like those old rich white owners;  it makes me uncomfortable, too. Although I suspect for a totally different reason.  







 

Sawicki then leaped out of his car, pulled up his shirt to show his city-issued gun and rushed at the pedestrian, yelling: "N-----, I'll smoke you!" while keeping his hand on his holstered gun, the D.A.'s office said in a statement.
The victim called police, prompting Internal Affairs officers to confiscate Sawicki's gun and launch an investigation into the incident.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140403_Cop_arrested_for_bumping_man_with_car__then_threatening_him_with_gun.html#DXX7mhekuHLhuGCf.99

A PHILADELPHIA police officer was arrested yesterday for an off-duty incident last fall in which he allegedly drove into a pedestrian - and then threatened to kill the man, shouting a racial slur at him and flashing his gun.
Officer Edward Sawicki III, 33, surrendered to police yesterday morning. He faces charges including terroristic threats, simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime, harassment and disorderly conduct.
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey suspended Sawicki for 30 days, with intent to dismiss the nine-year veteran officer, who was most recently assigned to North Philly's rough-and-tumble 25th District.
The incident occurred Oct. 20 at 2:45 a.m. as a pedestrian was walking on 9th Street near Wharton in South Philadelphia, according to the District Attorney's Office. Sawicki was backing up in his car when he hit the 37-year-old man in his knee. The victim pounded on the trunk of Sawicki's car with his hand to alert Sawicki that he'd hit him.

Sawicki then leaped out of his car, pulled up his shirt to show his city-issued gun and rushed at the pedestrian, yelling: "N-----, I'll smoke you!" while keeping his hand on his holstered gun, the D.A.'s office said in a statement.
The victim called police, prompting Internal Affairs officers to confiscate Sawicki's gun and launch an investigation into the incident.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140403_Cop_arrested_for_bumping_man_with_car__then_threatening_him_with_gun.html#Erk12bJXBUZmVKer.99

A PHILADELPHIA police officer was arrested yesterday for an off-duty incident last fall in which he allegedly drove into a pedestrian - and then threatened to kill the man, shouting a racial slur at him and flashing his gun.
Officer Edward Sawicki III, 33, surrendered to police yesterday morning. He faces charges including terroristic threats, simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime, harassment and disorderly conduct.
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey suspended Sawicki for 30 days, with intent to dismiss the nine-year veteran officer, who was most recently assigned to North Philly's rough-and-tumble 25th District.
The incident occurred Oct. 20 at 2:45 a.m. as a pedestrian was walking on 9th Street near Wharton in South Philadelphia, according to the District Attorney's Office. Sawicki was backing up in his car when he hit the 37-year-old man in his knee. The victim pounded on the trunk of Sawicki's car with his hand to alert Sawicki that he'd hit him.

Sawicki then leaped out of his car, pulled up his shirt to show his city-issued gun and rushed at the pedestrian, yelling: "N-----, I'll smoke you!" while keeping his hand on his holstered gun, the D.A.'s office said in a statement.
The victim called police, prompting Internal Affairs officers to confiscate Sawicki's gun and launch an investigation into the incident.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140403_Cop_arrested_for_bumping_man_with_car__then_threatening_him_with_gun.html#Erk12bJXBUZmVKer.99

A PHILADELPHIA police officer was arrested yesterday for an off-duty incident last fall in which he allegedly drove into a pedestrian - and then threatened to kill the man, shouting a racial slur at him and flashing his gun.
Officer Edward Sawicki III, 33, surrendered to police yesterday morning. He faces charges including terroristic threats, simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime, harassment and disorderly conduct.
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey suspended Sawicki for 30 days, with intent to dismiss the nine-year veteran officer, who was most recently assigned to North Philly's rough-and-tumble 25th District.
The incident occurred Oct. 20 at 2:45 a.m. as a pedestrian was walking on 9th Street near Wharton in South Philadelphia, according to the District Attorney's Office. Sawicki was backing up in his car when he hit the 37-year-old man in his knee. The victim pounded on the trunk of Sawicki's car with his hand to alert Sawicki that he'd hit him.

Sawicki then leaped out of his car, pulled up his shirt to show his city-issued gun and rushed at the pedestrian, yelling: "N-----, I'll smoke you!" while keeping his hand on his holstered gun, the D.A.'s office said in a statement.
The victim called police, prompting Internal Affairs officers to confiscate Sawicki's gun and launch an investigation into the incident.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140403_Cop_arrested_for_bumping_man_with_car__then_threatening_him_with_gun.html#Erk12bJXBUZmVKer.99

Another shooting at Fort Hood, and Omari Grant's close call.

It looks like there has been yet another mass shooting at Fort Hood , Texas. Sadly, we are not quite four years away from the last one.


These men and women who put on a uniform to protect their country should not have to worry about being shot to death while stateside on a military base.


The good news is that the scumbag killed himself, the bad news is that he shot eight other people (two of them to death) before he did it.


Anyway, as is always the case when we have situations such as this, we have a terrible twitter post from some idiot who works for Breitbart News named Patrick Dollard.


"Patrick Dollard @PatDollard Follow

If there is even one more act of Muslim terrorism, it is then time for Americans to start slaughtering Muslims in the streets, all of them.

6:35 PM - 2 Apr 2014

270 Retweets 70 favorites" [Source]

Wow, dude had 70 favorites for his ignorant and churlish tweet.

Unfortunately, America is fast becoming a country of very bad people. And I am not only talking about people like the shooter.

Finally, if you happen to be the parent of a young black male, please teach him not to make any sudden moves when the police pulls a gun on him. Even if it is for no justifiable reason.

Fortunately, Omari Grant's parents taught him well.

“I was thinking that I don’t want to be shot today, so I just listened to what they said,” Grant recalled."

Good for you Omari, that type of thinking saved your life.

"Omari Grant, 11, of Henry County, Ga., (pictured) said that he was terrified after a police officer pulled a gun on him while he and his friends were building a tree fort in their neighborhood, WSB-TV 2 reports.


Grant, a 5th grade student, says he and his friends often play in the wooded area behind his home, but a neighbor in his subdivision called the cops to complain about their activities. What exactly happened that lead up to the cop allegedly pulling the gun on the boy is not clear, but Grant said he followed the cop’s orders." [Source]