Thoughts on the "Great Division" proposed for Fulton County (Georgia)

I've been wondering and contemplating about this topic for months now.  For the life of me, I still don't fully understand the fundamental logic behind the desire to create or recreate the 160th county in Georgia, Milton County. 

Now for those that don't know, Milton County used to exist until 1932 when the Great Depression forced the county dissolve and merge into Fulton County.  The original boundaries of it was pretty much all of northern Fulton County from the Chattahoochee River and northward with the exception of a triangular shaped strip of land stretching from original Roswell land area including downtown to Chattahoochee River was originally apart of Cobb County.  Also Fulton County obtained the land north of present-day Dunwoody Club Road to the Chattahoochee from DeKalb County whose northern border was originally the river as well.  Regardless, the original Milton County went broke because of the disaster number of season of cotton harvest due to boll weevil devastating the crop.  However, the recent push as early as 2006 after a spring of municipal incorporation of Sandy Springs, John's Creek, Milton, and Mountain Park in northern Fulton County, the overwhelmingly Republican Georgia General Assembly delegation has pushed to sever Fulton County.  Interestingly enough, the "new" Milton County would include Sandy Springs, which was originally a part of the original Fulton County.  But, the recently-incorporated Sandy Springs is majority white (77% to be exact) and very Republican.  The 2010 general session of the General Assembly, the newly appointed House Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones has been pushing this HARD to secede northern portions from the rest of Fulton County.

The real question is it racially motivated?  Could very well be...  According to the 2000 Census data, the majority of the municipalities and former CDPs (that's census-designated places for those who don't know the statistical lingo) in northern Fulton County were on average 75% white and no more than 25% non-white.  It seems like a case where racial identity and partisanship politics meets and becomes quite ambiguous in definition.  The argument has been for years according to some is that the current Fulton County government is "too bloated and ineffective in providing services".  On the other hand, the proponents of keeping the now 1 million + inhabitant Fulton County unified hasn't really helped themselves with the site http://www.onefulton.org, but they do have some points as well.  The northern communities were given in recent years 3 new libraries from the Atlanta-Fulton County Library System with state of the art facilities and resources; whereas, the communities in the southern portions of the county aside from the locations in Buckhead and main branch in downtown Atlanta itself are still half-assed at best.

Now, this is my opinion on this since I have lived in another ineffective urban county, Jefferson County.  The efforts by the Republican delegation in the Georgia General Assembly is aversively bias in intent because they don't want to deal with the overwhelmingly non-white and politically different demographic groups of the rest of the county.  It is ineffectively pointless to secede from Fulton County when you could just write legislation to reform the county government to fix whatever issues ails the communities.  However, I've come to the conclusion this is another case where some socially conservative whites will walk and run around the main point here and that is "they don't want to be involved in anything where they feel they can't control or orchestrate on their grounds".  It's a shame that some whites will think this way and act that they should just sever an urban county because it doesn't represent them directly or politically, and you don't see too many non-whites or social progressives attempt to enact an usurp of power or government when we don't control things.  It's quite self-destructive and leads to further strife between the socially conservative whites against non-white and other non-WASP demographic groups in Metro Atlanta.  Nevertheless, it just shows that Atlanta is just as screwed up as Birmingham in a more ways than none.

A moment to speak on Arizona...

Well since Arizona is apart of the Sunbelt, in my humble opinion a de facto extension of the South, so I'll speak on the Florida-esque state where they recently passed one of the most racebaiting laws in modern history against Hispanics in particular.  (Don't act all brand new, come on you know they were aiming for them...)

I just love the quotes of the Arizona's appointed governor, Jan Brewer, who was put in place last year after Janet Napolitano became Homeland Security secretary said:

"We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act, but decades of inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation."

Now I will say the immigration situation has gone on for far too long, but remember the under the 8 years of the Bush administration nothing occurred either.  The pragmatic part of me says "yeah, I agree Gov. Brewer", but the rational socially alert practical side of me sides "Uh, this heifer just gave the A'OK to racial profiling by responding to conservative white ignorance to preserve her seat in office for a full term come election time."  This law is so poorly written that even municipal police chiefs including the former chief of Phoenix suburb, Mesa, are against it, and that says A LOT.

I just love that good ol' anti-Washington sentiment where the talking conservative dittoheads do their dirty work blaming everybody but their own conservative representatives in Congress (HUH, John "I talk out of both sides of my mouth on everything" McCain, John Kyl, and the rest of the Congressional Republican brigade from AZ!).  Anyways, it gets even better when she said this:

"This bill strengthens the laws of our state, protects all of us, every Arizona citizen...  It does so while ensuring that the constitutional rights of all remain solid, stable."

Aww, how cute!  You are feeding the fodder for the alarmist crowd with the notion "we are now safe, now don't worry your pretty white head about those god-awful Mexicans".  A recent poll published in the Arizona Republic shows that the majority of the (white) Arizonians support this fuckery by 70%.  Yeah, this is bullshit at it extraordinarily worst, and we can see some white people will give life to ANYTHING and the foolish in the GOP (and to certain extension the Democratic Party) will feed into their ignorance to stay in office.  Yet the entire state of Arizona was a part of Mexico once upon a time, so the whites pushing this law are not only racist but subjecting those whose families may have a long history with the land than there was a state known as Arizona to racial profiling because of their paranoia.  TISK, TISK, TISK....

However, there is a more!  Arizona State House passed a bill about 2 weeks ago that requires the subjective declaration that Presidential candidates are native-born American citizens and want to see proof of their birth certificate shown to the Arizona Secretary of State, who handles candidates who appear on the ballot and other electoral issues.  In other words, they want to require the current sitting president, Barack Obama, proof of natural born citizenship before he can be placed on the ballot in 2012.  Yeah, these idiots are UNBELIEVABLE in Arizona, but at least they are now topping Virginia these days for once.  However, we are seeing the retrograding of previously pseudo-progressive or forward-thinking states, but Arizona has always been more conservative since it's high older white retiree population like Florida.  Also let's not forget it was the last 2 states (along with New Hampshire) to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday as a state holiday in 1990 (co-thanks to John McCain and then-sitting AZ governor Evan Mecham)...

The fallout is widespread from San Francisco city attorney is calling for a boycott of Arizona to Congressional Democrat, Raul Grijalva, from Arizona actually calling of a boycott of his own home state to tourism and economic development officials are worried to a refried bean swastika being painted on the windows of the Arizona State Capitol building in Phoenix. 

All this history of Arizona and its fuckery is enough to definitely hamper their economic development ventures among other things.  What ashame!  I once upon a time wanted to move to Phoenix, but after learning all this about Arizona and its socially conservative and aversive racist history and mindset, NOPE! 

Republicans are aiming for Alan Grayson ...

If you don't know who Alan Grayson is...  Well, you should most definitely should google or search on YouTube for clips of his rants and antics (and I like them all because the man speaks THE TRUTH for a Democrat but he is also a fellow progressive).  Anyways, the Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the Florida Republican Party aka Florida GOP has been reeling and scheming to take Grayson down.  I guess they can't handle somebody that tells it like it is...

They have apparently are hoping on the national scene a political nobody, but on the state-level clearly a mover and shaker (and former state senator representing the Greater Orlando area).  After reading the article it seems like the GOP will have a grand ole party with the Republican primary to prove who has the fortitude to take down Grayson in the November midterms elections.   Which I doubt they will because Grayson seems to have a number of fans in the politically moderate Greater Orlando 8th Congressional district of Florida. 

The EPA has been issuing grants to non-profits in Birmingham and Atlanta

The U.S. Department of Environmental Protection (EPA) has been issuing grants to clean-up and preserve of brownfields across the nation.  In Birmingham, the Freshwater Land Trust, a non-profit created in 1996 as a result of the Jefferson County violations of clean water regulations (which led to them being practically going bankrupt), has secured a $200,000 grant to purchase and preserve land surrounding Village Creek in the western portion of the Greater Birmingham area.  However, the majority of the Village Creek watershed is located within Birmingham corporate limits.  The grant would allow the Freshwater Land Trust to assess and clean up areas after years of abuse such as petrochemical dumping along Village Creek.

In Atlanta, the city is being rewarded $400,000 in brownfield grants to clean up parcels of lands along the proposed Beltline project and other redevelopment corridors.   The Beltline is one of the nation's largest urban redevelopment projects with it being proposed to have 22 miles of rail transit and green space.  Although the project has seen some major roadblocks, its most aggressive proponents have worked extensively to continue to push for it to come to fruition. 

Oh no! It's going to happen again!

Well, the long and drawn out narrative of Jefferson County government and its plethora of problems have a new chapter.  This time it could be a repeat of last year's shortfall during a fiscal year, but the results will be more permanent.  Bettye Fine Collins told the Birmingham News that she has already asked county officials to prepare 2 sets of FY 2011 budgets.  The current occupational tax that was passed into law last year during the special session is being threatened by yet another lawsuit by the same duo of greedy lawyers that brought down the original occupational tax that had been in placed since 1987.

Meanwhile, I'm more puzzled at the hysteria that a number of individuals are stirring about the county-run indigent Cooper Green Mercy Hospital.  These people are acting as if the existence of the hospital and county-ran nursing home is the pillage of the county government's existence.  Now personally, the county nursing home should be closed because most patients at other private nursing homes are on Medicare.  On the other hand, the county-run hospital isn't any different than the indigent care facilities like Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, or the Regional Medical Center of Memphis.  The fact that other non-profit facilities like UAB Hospital in Birmingham are essentially publicly funded like Cooper Green, but they will basically bankrupt uninsured individuals.  Also Cooper Green at least offers a reasonable plan for the uninsured than UAB which is operates as a for-profit hospital on taxpayers expense.

Another lesson for those who are overtly partisan and delusional in Alabama politics (to a certain extent Southern politics)

I'm so sick and tired of talking about the whole hoopla over the ANSC endorsement of Alabama Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ron Sparks over Artur Davis.  First thing first, at this point I honestly don't care either way since I'm absolutely convinced that the Alabama Democratic Party (ADP) is well on its way to collapse.  Secondly, I'm moving out of Alabama (likely to Metro Atlanta soon), so it is what it is in my opinion of how effective or aligned to the interests of certain groups either candidate is.  However, it seems like it is time (yet again) for another rant on partisanship over pragmatism along with other elements at work.

Let's get one thing straight, although I do agree with some things in principle on Artur Davis' positions, I don't care to vote for him because he is who he is, a politician and lawyer.  Now let's get to the point.  Davis is a pragmatist who knows that within the toxic political culture of Alabama you must be a Democrat yet not a typical Democrat.  Also if you are a black politician then you must not be a typical black politician, thus his positions and opinions on individual issues and items may differentiate in a variety of ways.  Regardless, a pragmatist in principle will take the realist approach to things on issues and vote with their head with conscientous influenced decisons.  When examining Davis from an objective perspective, the man is a moderate black politico with progressive leanings on certain issues.  His evolution into this wasn't subtle nor overt, but he has always been a moderate, but his progressive leanings exist only in a political vacuum where his record isn't the only spotlit upon.  I disgress, Davis has more likelihood of making it in the Alabama Gubernatorial General Election over Ron Sparks.  For the record, Sparks is very conservative Democrat, whose pragmatism is virtually nonexistant since he talks out of both sides of his mouth and doesn't seem to show a true stance on any political issues aside from ones already laid out by Davis or hot topic ones such as gambling, which has been the talk of Alabama for nearly year now.

The partisanship issues within the ADP isn't one unique to any Southern state, but it is one that is very problematic.  Alabama has one of the highest number of black politicos in proportion to its black population, yet most of those black politicos are pseudo-progressives and the rest flat out conservative black Democrats.  They are all products of the Alabama Democratic Coalition (ADC) and the more recent additions are products of both ADC and ANSC (Alabama New South Coalition).  These groups maybe increment in reaching certain segments of the black population who doesn't follow politics as closely as myself, they are reluctance to show any real fortitude to work towards making the state a more progressive environment.  Instead they hold their power over the heads of the majority of Alabama black legislators and politicos, thus telling them to fundamentally "waiting their turn" to make waves in the water.  It shows what is really wrong with them.  The few who doesn't show any allegiance are practically invisible outside of their respective districts since they would rather enjoy making it to the Alabama Legislature and its fringe benefits than making increment changes during the regular legislative sessions annually needed to move the state forward. This holds back black politicos who are more progressive and willing to take a chance and attempt make major strides towards producing a more progressive and fiscally conservative Alabama

Even further within that partisanship void lays 2 additional problems: racial identity and stance on social issues.  Overall, the ADP is a rural-oriented, socially conservative group of individuals that are mostly white.  However, with even further examination on that, the racial dynamics of the party is horrible to say the least.  In a recent vote to Alabama to block the enforcement of the federal health care reform law, the vote was clearly racial with all the white Democrats voting for it and all the black Democrats voting against. It shows the sift within the ADP on racialized issues such a health care reform, removing racist language from the state's archaic state constitution among other things.  Social issues within Alabama (and the rest of the South) are very racialized due to the whole "welfare queen" mantra.  Most white Democrats are still those who fall into this void of being manipulated by these issues and will vote against their own economic and social interest all due to this racialized undercurrent.  What's even more embarrassing is the notion that black Democrats will do this as well (with those aforementioned groups of ADC and ANSC) by playing up the notion of an outsider is not to be trusted and have malevolent intentions of obtaining public office in a predominately black district. This sift is clear and obvious to the most objective and attentive analysts of political and social issues.

Alabama is held back more predominately due to the Southern influence of covert racial cues used to play up the bases and unsettle the uninformed.  The main culprits of this are Alabama Democrats more so than Republicans because the Democrats control both houses of the state legislative body.  In conclusion, like all other Southern states, Alabama's Democratic Party will have a catharsis of this obviously toxic elements from power within its leadership position since they have brought nothing but status quo.  It's not going to change until that occurs...

Oh brother, Mississippi is still doing this...

On Tuesday, Senior Judge Tom S. Lee serving in the U.S. District Court of Southern Mississippi had to issue an order requiring that Walthall County in Southwestern Mississippi to desegregate their school district.  Apparently, school officials were allowing a large chunk of the white students to transfer to a majority white set of schools while depleting any sense of diversity in the reminder of the county schools, which are majority black. 

WASHINGTON – A federal court has ordered the Walthall County, Miss., School District to eliminate policies that have resulted in significant racial segregation among students in the school district, the Justice Department today announced.

The United States filed a motion on Dec. 21, 2009, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi arguing that the Walthall School District is in flagrant violation of a prior court order from 1970, the Equal Protection Clause and Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"More than 55 years after Brown v. Board of Education, it is unacceptable for school districts to act in a way that encourages or tolerates the resegregation of public schools," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. "We will take action so that school districts subject to federal desegregation orders comply with their obligation to eliminate vestiges of separate black and white schools."

According to the motion, the district's practice of permitting hundreds of students – the vast majority whom are white – to attend schools outside their assigned residential attendance zone without restriction prompted a disproportionate number of white students to attend a single school in the district, leaving a number of other schools disproportionately black.

Indeed, evidence in the case suggested that the community regarded certain schools in the district as "white schools" or "black schools." The United States also asserted that officials in certain district schools grouped, or "clustered," white students together in particular classrooms, resulting in large numbers of all-black classes at every grade level in those schools.

The order issued today by the court requires the district to modify its transfer policy to permit students to transfer to a school outside their residential zone only if the student can demonstrate a compelling justification for the transfer. The court further ordered the district to implement protocols to ensure that students within district schools will hereafter be assigned to classrooms in a manner that will not lead to segregation.

The enforcement of the Equal Protection Clause and Title IV in school districts is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

According to the Washington Post:

For years, the local school board has permitted hundreds of white students to transfer from its Tylertown schools, which are about 75 percent African American and serve about 1,700 students, to another school, the Salem Attendance Center, which is about 66 percent white and serves about 577 students in grades K-12. The schools are about 10 miles apart.

Salem became "a racially identifiable white school while the student enrollment of the Tylertown schools has become predominantly black" because of the transfers, U.S. officials alleged in December, based on data from the 2007-08 school year, according to Lee's order.

At the same time in Tylertown four K-12 schools, "District administrators group, or 'cluster,' disproportionate numbers of white students into designated classrooms . . . resulting in significant numbers of segregated, all-black classrooms at each grade level," the judge wrote, summarizing the Justice Department lawyers' case.

So the clustering of white students in majority white school and the cluster of black students in other school, huh?  Well, Mississippi Department of Education have a lot of explaining to do considering they likely knew of this when they did their annual enrollment and demographic profiles of each schools in each school district.  Considering this is the notorious for being still practically "Indentured Servitude Country" aka Southwestern Mississippi, I just not surprised that is occurred here at all.  This is portion of Mississippi that is still stuck in the early 20th century in so many ways more than one can explain.  Mississippi is making a name for itself this year and it's only been 4 months in; first, with the prom fiasco in Itawamba County and now this ignorance.  WOW, WOW, WOW! 

I'm loving this foolishness

Today, Alabama Democratic gubernatorial candidate announced today that he isn't looking for endorsement from either the Alabama Democratic Coalition, Alabama New South Coalition, etc.  This is following the press release from the New South Coalition that would meet and decide to endorse a candidate in the Alabama Democratic gubernatorial primary on Saturday.  He made it pretty clear with this statement:

“The night I was elected to Congress in 2002, I declared that while I have great respect for the legacies of ADC, the Alabama New South Coalition, and the Jefferson County Citizen’s Coalition, the day has ended when these groups decide who wins the support of black voters in this state.  My election that night-- in the face of unanimous opposition from these groups and their leadership-- proved as much.  The latest proof will be our win on June 1 over the traditional power-brokers who are backing Ron Sparks.

Sparks and the Montgomery insiders who fuel his candidacy still believe that black voters require a sample ballot and an “x” to know who they need to vote for. They also believe that the old politics of “GOTV” money and “influence” over appointed positions is the path to win black political support.  Finally, they have the nerve to seek African American support while offering coded language about the “electability” of black candidates.

The old politics and the old ways of doing things have broken down in this state and Alabamians of all races deserve a new approach.  Democrats who are tired of losing five of the last six governors’ races should also welcome a campaign that is about reforming our politics and our economy and our schools and not stale arguments over “electability” or closed door promises and deals.

For these reasons, I have decided not to participate in the screening processes of ADC, New South, or the Coalition. As much as I admire the legacy of these groups and their current contributions, the African American voters who will participate in the primary need no permission, and no sample ballots, to decide who they favor in this Governor’s race.  In fact, the best way to honor the legacy of Senator Sanders, Dr. Reed, and Dr. Arrington is for candidates to give black Alabamians the respect of honoring their independence and their capacity to make informed judgments.”

LMAO, this is too much for me since I know Joe Reed would have let hell froze over before he would allow ADC to endorse Davis.  However, if the ADC does endorse Sparks over Davis and he loses their credibility would be shot.  Now, I'm not really aversive toward the Alabama New South Coalition, but they like the increasingly useless ADC shouldn't use their pull to wield some power of progressive black politicos so they can further their power into another generation.  It's got to cease and desist with these groups because their reasons of existence is purely political and truly lacks the social activism of NAACP or SCLC.  Davis is so right to ignore them both...

Georgia's 1st black female and youngest chief justice is being considered for departing U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens

While I was under the weather for the last few days (literally after I returned from Atlanta), Leah Ward Sears, Georgia's 1st black and youngest chief justice name has popped up on the list of names to replace John Paul Stevens on the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS).  According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Sears' name now is among more than half a dozen candidates being considered by the president to replace Justice John Paul Stevens, who is retiring this summer.

Well, this is an interesting series of developments involving the foolishness that has been pedaled by Senatorial Republicans at the idea of President Obama appointing another justice to the SCOTUS like Alabama's very own junior senator Jeff Sessions (backwoods, aversive racist asshole).  According to the Mobile Press-Register, Session released a long, yet convoluted statement commending and condemning President Obama if even thinks about attempting to nominate anything other than a social conservative to the post currently held by the clearly liberal John Paul Stevens.  This excerpt is so tale-telling about the double standard that Sessions along with the majority of the Senatorial Republicans on this process:

Justice Stevens' approaching retirement sets in motion an important constitutional process to nominate and confirm the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. In exercising its 'advise and consent' role, the Senate must act on behalf of the American people to carefully scrutinize the nominee's qualifications, prior speeches and writings, and record. Senate hearings are the public's best opportunity to become involved in this process, and it is critical that the Judiciary Committee conduct a fair and thorough evaluation of whomever President Obama nominates for this extraordinary lifetime appointment.

We know from the nomination of Justice Sotomayor last spring that the public is rightly concerned about the future of our judiciary. The product of her confirmation hearing was a near-universal rejection of President Obama's empathy standard, the flawed notion that judges should allow personal feelings, political opinions, and social views to guide judicial decision-making. Senators on both sides of the aisle--and the nominee herself--disavowed the president's standard because it lies contrary to the traditional role of a judge in our legal system. Such an approach opens the door to an anti-democratic abuse of power where unaccountable federal judges set national policy according to their own views and political agendas. That approach is deeply unpopular with the American people, and any nominee who subscribes to it should expect bipartisan opposition.

The courtroom is a place reserved for the search for truth and the fair adjudication of disputes, free from politics. The American people want judges of the utmost integrity who have demonstrated a commitment to the Constitution and a willingness to impartially apply the law to the facts to reach a just outcome, without regard to the parties involved. There is a growing movement that is calling for more fidelity to our constitutional order, not less.

This idiot is telling me that he made sure that Roberts and Alito were properly vetted in the Senatorial approval process?  That one is HIGHLY DOUBTFUL considering how bias on opinions Alito clearly is on rulings moreso than any other justice on the SCOTUS.  I hope that Obama nominates Sears for the SCOTUS since it would bring another open-minded moderate with progressive leanings and bonus of this one would a black female.  On the flip side, according to the Washington Post, Sears is friends with current sitting justice Clarence Thomas, so it would be interesting to see if he will do some backdoor campaigning in her favor. 

This is going to be a three-ring-circus and the Senatorial Republicans of the socially conservative and hyper-partisan ilk are just going to make this one so more dubious and annoying...

Oklahoma bill that would block local law enforcement from assistancing in a federal hate crime investigation is dead

Another thing that occurred while I was away in Atlanta was the death of the bill in the Oklahoma State Legislature that would have blocked law enforcement from assisting in the investigation of a hate crime.  Oklahoma State House Representative Mike Shelton of Oklahoma City, co-chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and member of the Oklahoma Black Caucus took the State Senate bill and being the House sponsor of it and killed it.  Shelton asked specifically for the committee to not hear the bill and essentially killing it.  However, the bill's senatorial author socially conservative Republican Steve Russell also of Oklahoma City said if local law enforcement didn’t object to turning over the information, court approval would not be needed, Russell said.  Also that the law is needed to protect free speech after the passage of a federal law that added sexual orientation or gender identity to the categories protected under the federal hate-crimes law would have prohibited Oklahoma law enforcement agencies from cooperating with any federal agency in the investigation of a federal hate crime.  (Bigoted idiot...  Oh well...)

HUH?

Again Virginia's socially conservative Republican governor Bob McConnell has made an ass of himself and the Commonwealth of Virginia this time with the proclamation of April as Confederacy History Month.  This idiot is a simple as an Easy-Bake Oven, and had the audacity to deliberately omit the acknowledgment of the enslavement of black Americans and the ramifications. Interestingly, McConnell unlike his Democratic predecessors, feels that this proclamation will help with the state's tourism involving the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War...

Interestingly, Virginia's first black governor and the first one of a Southern state L. Douglas Wilder, who refused to endorse that Democratic pushover in last year's gubernatorial race and tacitly endorsed McConnell, spoke out against this proclamation.  According to the Washington Post, Wilder called it "mind-boggling to say the least" and "Confederate history is full of many things that unfortunately are not put forth in a proclamation of this kind nor are they things that anyone wants to celebrate. It's one thing to sound a cause of rallying a base. But it's quite another to distort history." Also Shelia Johnson, BET founder Bob Johnson's ex-wife, who also endorsed McConnell called him out as well.  Now Johnson had endorsed McConnell because he was for "job, jobs, jobs" according to her advertised endorsement from last year's campaign.  Also word on the street is that heifer was also looking for a nod-and-wink from McConnell and the mostly Republican Virginia General Assembly over tax incentives for a real estate venture she was attempting to construct in Northern Virginia. (Too little, too late Johnson and we all know you have something against anybody that isn't black and wealthy as yourself).  McConnell half-assed attempted to apologize for the omission of slavery, but will keep the proclamation to appease the idiots.

The idiocy continues although it wasn't as highly publicized Alabama's socially conservative buffoon governor Bob Riley did the same thing on March 22nd.  I've yet to understand what is the purpose of these Southern Republican governors attempting to appease the lowest common denominator of their populous hoping to buy some political cool points and capital along the way.  Whereas, these idiotic gestures are solidifying their dissonance with non-white Southerners particularly blacks and to a certain extent young, educated whites.  Funny when they have the Southern Republican Leadership Conference this weekend in New Orleans hoping to strategize and reclaim a majority in Washington and in their individual Southern state capitals. 

I can't even step away and go to Atlanta for a few days without having more stupidity and racial omission at its very worst going on...

I want some people to STFU on this whole Obama Census form crap!

Over the New York Times story discussing how Barack Obama filled out on the race identification section of the U.S. Census form for himself.  REALITY CHECK: if Barack Obama was an average citizen that was seen on the streets or (God forbid) pulled over for an offense by law enforcement do you realize that his race would be identified as a black male.  Yeah, he was raised by his clearly white mother along with his second generation Irish American maternal grandparents, but he said in his own autobiographical story that he has come to identify himself as an 'African American' or in my terms, black.  It's not that hard to understand that since the one-drop rule has been enforced in most social circles of our society in this nation since the times of slavery that if a person appears have more physical traits uncommon to most white Americans then they are considered 'non-white'.  This following quote by a commentator on The Huffington Post sums it up quite eloquently:

Most people do not consider biracial black/whites to be white 9.5/10 no matter what. If Barack Obama was some hustler in Chicago, or a janitor in Idaho no one would look at him and say "Oh, he's half white so he really could be white". That just doesn't happen. Like he's said in his books, Obama has always been treated and regarded as a Black man.

The only time anyone wanted to seriously talk up his "White" side was when it looked like he was about to become President and afterwards. Just like South Koreans wanted to claim Hines Ward 'after' he became MVP. In lesser circumstances these men would be considered (and treated) as black period.

Obama's white side never helped him catch cabs. It never stopped many whites from calling him an affirmative action candidate. His white side didn't stop Glenn Beck from saying he has a deep seated hatred of white people. His white side didn't help him in the Louis Gates incident last year when whites freaked out after he said police officers acted stupidly (which they did). His white side hasn't helped convince ignorant masses that our Democratically elected president is a legal citizen of the US.

He can identify as he likes and he identifies as Af-American. I'm not sure why some whites are getting upset over a societal norm that they created, promoted, and complacently live by everyday.

The fact that some whites want to claim Barack Obama as a member of the in-group when many doesn't even consider their own biracial or multiracial relatives as 'white' although their blood says A LOT of the trivialized mindset of a number of individuals in that demographic group.  It's quite simple, the man sees himself as black and if you don't respect then that is your problem.  However, don't conveniently consider a person a part of a demographic group when otherwise other individuals who have more apparent traits associated with being white are denied instantly because of their lack of prominence or achievements.  It's hypocritical and very evident of the apparent sift and dissidence in our society when it comes to concepts of race identification and white privilege.  (I'll leave that to the blog Stuff White People Do to discuss since it's entirely dedicated to such topics). 

I guess Michael Steele has finally read the memo

That memo is if you're black then your ass is always on the line...


He addressed that very factoid on ABC's Good Morning America this morning when asked about the controversy that I intentionally neglected to cover of the past week involving the Republican National Convention (because controversy and the RNC or social conservatives are as common as people farting and belching, so Google it if you want to know it was).  However, silly ole Steele finally realize those white guys and (white women) in the RNC doesn't have much patience for his black ass or any of his antics, but he's not stepping down. (Obviously because the paycheck, perks, and speaking engagements along those financial benefits from them are too good to relinquish without being officially forced out).

Here's a quote from his interview:

"The honest answer is, 'yes,' Barack Obama has a slimmer margin. A lot of folks do. It's a different role for me to play and others to play and that's just the reality of it. But you take that as part of the nature of it....  My view on politics is much more grassroots oriented, it's not old boy network oriented, so I tend to, you know, come at it a little bit stronger, a little bit more street-wise, if you will. That's rubbed some feathers the wrong way"

It's ironic yet rather potent how he now wants to acknowledge what most black professionals deal with daily in prominent position although the U.S. alleges it is post-racial since the election of Barack Obama as president.  Well, it's not and until that time comes, you got be assertive and call it like you see and experience.

My open letter to Constance McMillian

This is my official response in form of a letter to the scheme that apparently Itawamba County School District officials and parents did this past weekend to Constance McMillian, her girlfriend, and a handful of other students.  They invited Constance and those others to an alleged fake prom while hold an actual prom sponsored by the school district unofficially at another location and later confirmed by the local newspaper, Tupelo Daily Journal.  Apparently, the parents and the officials of the district felt it was more important to scheme and set a ploy so that the district wouldn't be held in contempt of court, and with that alone I shake my head.

Dear Constance,


I understand your aggravation and disappointment with your local school district, the parents, students, and even the federal justice system on the case of your senior prom this year.  It's clear that the school district's legal team has made it apparent that the prom isn't an official school event, so the federal judicial circuit could not force them to invite you and your girlfriend or hold it as originally planned.    However, I look at this as a blessing in disguise as you wouldn't have to subject yourself or your girlfriend to the foolishness those idiots have been in their hearts and soul because of ignorance.  If that was me, I wouldn't want to be in the company of anybody who doesn't appreciate my time or presence.  People like your fellow classmates, their parents, and school officials are what is wrong with a great chunk of the South and Midwest where people find it A'OK to discriminate, but you and your girlfriend should graduate from school at the end of next month and move somewhere you and her can live productive and happy lives rather than entertain the idiocy of a significant number of citizen in northern Mississippi.


Sincerely, 


J.L. 

Why Erykah Badu? Why?

Why would you think it was a good idea for your black ass to film a music video without a permit in Dealey Plaza of the central business district of Dallas and then strip nude in front of a group of majority white bystanders?
Hello?  You are in TEXAS for all sense and purposes; although you are a native of the region, you KNOW this is the Bible Belt and one of the most socially conservative states in the Union. SMDH! 



Personally, I think it is a good song, but the video sucks ass.  Reeks of low-budgetness compared to the other videos I know of in her decade and half long music career, so WTF?  It's not really artistic when you are trying to make a psuedo-sociopolitical statement in your hometown when nobody including your fans doesn't even get it...

Now you have the simple-minded white suburbanites of the Metroplex blogging and talking about how "indecent",  "unartistic", and "needs to be rebuked" along with the Dallas City Council is looking to tighten its city ordinances on film production within the city limits.  On top of that now you have to deal with a disorderly conduct charge within Dallas Municipal Court.  I'm just saying if you going to make a point then at least make on that is solvent or coherent to the point that most of us would understand what you are trying to say rather than looking like a desperate attention whore in anticipation of your latest album.   Going to jail over something that is miscellaneous like this when you could be protesting much more important things like the economic and social issues then you are a lost soul truly.

Houston's mayor issues all encompassing executive orders including ethnicity, race, sexuality, and gender identity

According to the Houston Chronicle, Houston's first LGBT mayor, Annise Parker, has issueed 2 executive orders including all city employees from discrimination, slurs, or harassment including race, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, and gender identity.  This order essentially extends the order issued by former Houston mayor and Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Bill White, which included all homosexual and bisexual city employees after Dallas.  This first order now includes transgenders city employees and the second one prohibits in form of harassment or intimidation based on the aforementioned category of groups.

However, all within Houston municipal government is showing much enthusiasm associated with the orders like City Attorney Arturo Michel, who said the city orders only extend to city employees only. This leaves individual citizens vulnerable existing ordinances which pretty much excludes transgenders.  Also the socially conservative community activist, Dave Wilson, who campaigned against Parker in last year's mayor's race because of the fact that she is openly gay, said he fears the executive orders may be “only the beginning” of city efforts to strengthen gay rights under Parker's leadership. 

Oh hell, oh well!  I mean Houston is now one of the 4th largest city in the nation, so if they are going to hold the title then it's best they act as if they are a major city.  The fact those naysayers are whining shows that the South still has a long way to go before as a whole it's a more progressive region although this is the 4th largest municipality in the U.S. 

Poll: Black voters show aptness towards voting again in November

Black voters seem to be still enticed to vote in the Congressional midterm elections later on this year although President Obama won't be on the ballot.  A poll conducted by the nonpartisan Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies surveyed 500 blacks in the states of Missouri, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Indiana about the upcoming election cycle.  2/3rd of their responses were very optimistic about voting again come November.  This might be a good sign for Democrats in these states since the majority of these black voters also identified as Democrats.

However, as I warned Democrats up for reelection in February, to stop being so damn literal and reactive towards rural and exurban white voters since most of them are going to vote emotionally rather rational or logically.  The true swing voters in this election cycle may just be the turnout of non-white voters who seem to be more reactive towards economic, social, and political conditions rather than the 2 of the 3 issues associated with most of the aforementioned demographic of white voters.  

It's going to be an interesting year politically with so many people who spent their wheels in the first quarter of the year shitting on anybody that didn't agree with their point-of-view.  Now with the healthcare reform issue resolving itself with the Congressional bill's passage, it's time for those to either get-over-it or focus on more tangible issues like immigration, the economy, jobs, or social issues.  All of which is something those who bitch and moan are better at rationalizing a legitimate argument.