Tag: Racism

Of course said nuttiness joined by what we might have expected to see; a particular "wise Latina woman" making a mockery of equal protection under the law. A fascinating read of the first day's hearing on the case reveals even liberal biases will not paint the 2006 referendum result as an unconstitutional achievement.

"Arguing that a referendum that bans racial discrimination and preferences is itself a violation of the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause was always a stretch. Neal Katyal, a former solicitor general in the Clinton administration told USA Today that the lower court ruling striking down the referendum was  "an indefensible decision."  The liberal Slate writer Emily Bazelon called Schuette "the affirmative action case liberals deserve to lose."  And the Obama administration, which intervened in last term's affirmative action case of Fisher v. University of Texas, did not participate in the Schuette case."

Also revealed; the percentage changes mentioned in yesterday's post appearing to be more of a 'census guidelines' effect, and cannot be completely attributed to actual numbers of minorities attending the school. (given the President of the university promised to break the law anyhow, should we be surprised?) The numbers as noted by Michigan solicitor general John Bursch, revealed the changes as expected from a 30 school study are not different than what the actual percentages showed.

And I did mention the self designation of Sonya Sotomayer.  Her commentary should not really be of any great surprise, yet reveals that elections do indeed have consequence.

"It's always wonderful for minorities that they finally get in, they finally have children and now you're going to do away [with] that preference for them.  It seems the game posts keep changing every few years for minorities."

Sadly, its being sold from the equivalent of sniper on a clock tower using a scope that reaches the entire country.  We are all targets if a "wise Latina Woman" wishes it.

If this is a true and factual account, (there is no reason to suspect it is not) then there had best be some heads mounted on the Attorney General's trophy room wall before long. Scotty Boman, former US Senate candidate and current candidate for Detroit City Clerk underwent an assault on his person July 30, and his rights were violated by those who pledge to serve.  According to the Michigan Libertarian website:

Campaigning has become dangerous for Detroit City Clerk candidate Scotty Boman. According to Boman, a member of the WCCCD campus police attempted to intimidate him while he was taking pictures of his opponent's (Janice Winfrey) signage at the early voting location at the Northwest Campus of WCCCD on Tuesday July 30th. After he moved to where volunteers for other candidates were handing out literature, he was assaulted by the officer, then thrown to the ground by additional officers as he attempted to hand campaign literature to a passers-by. Boman said he was then held prisoner until a campaign forum, that the officers knew he was scheduled to attend, was nearly over.

"As soon as I took out my camera and pointed it at Janice Winfrey's banner (which was draped over the voting location's entrance) this one officer stormed out of the polling place and shouted, `What do you think your doing!' I responded that I was taking a picture of the banner." Boman went on to say, "I then went to take a picture of another nearby sign that read `Vote here Janice Winfrey City Clerk.' At this point a poll-worker, came out to where I was taking the picture. I started recording video of our conversation regarding Winfrey's signage when the Officer who previously shouted at me came out and told me to put away the camera. I asked if my photography was illegal, and which law it violated. I emphatically stated that I would follow her instructions immediately if she asserted I was breaking the law, but she could not cite any."

After he was detained in a closet by police.  

Trespassing?  On publicly owned property?

Had George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin in Michigan, the outcome of the trial would have been different.

....

But the case, says William Cataldo, "would not have played out the way it did."

....

Not here, says Cataldo, the chief of homicide for the Macomb County Prosecutors Office. In Michigan, by statute and by precedent, "If you are the aggressor in a fight, you cannot then claim self defense when you use deadly force."

We'll never know who actually shoved or punched first on a rainy night in Sanford, Fla. In this jurisdiction, it wouldn't matter.

After prosecutors and defense attorneys finished lobbing pretrial motions at one another, Cataldo says, "it's clear that a defendant who acted as Mr. Zimmerman did would be defined as the aggressor."

Besides William Cataldo talking out his a$$ about our Law in comparison to Florida's Law.  Why yes, how dare George batter Trayvon's fists with his nose, then make poor li'l Tray sit on his chest while George bashed the back of his skull repeatedly onto a sidewalk.  Clearly, that would be "defined as the aggressor" by... Cataldo's office.  Yannow, after a cursory once over of William Cataldo's background, the following quote is fitting and appropriate.

"The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who hold power, in power." - Gerry Spence

At least according to Ivory Tower editor Stephen Henderson.  Apparently mr Henderson is not happy about the verdict, and is one of those who would foment violence against another human being because HIS VERSION of justice is not served.

H/T to Dan Calabrese of the News, and writer for Cain's politics blog, who opines:

" ..  how out-of-control the media has gotten on the Zimmerman story that anyone would even think about writing what Stephen Henderson, editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press, wrote yesterday. And it's all the more so because it was Stephen Henderson, who in my experience is a thoughtful liberal ..

Calabrese is of course, objecting to Hendersons rant:

"My job is typically to make policy sense of news events. But here, I'm at a loss. As a parent, as an African American, I can't get much past thinking Zimmerman has earned every day of the hell his life should be from here on out. Injustice? I hope it visits with him often."

Zimmerman was tried, the media tried like hell to convict him in the court of public opinion, the president's administration has ORGANIZED rallies in an attempt to 'threaten' the court that a not-guilty verdict would be a not-so-acceptable result, and then we have the ivory tower ginning up hate via soy ink. While hundreds of murders have happened in Detroit, Chicago, DC in the meantime, the focus is on a man who was found to have defended himself against a real physical threat and assault.  And a publication that bears the name of one of the principle murder capitals in our nation cannot see the irony of his racial screed.

Normally, we should not pretend to understand what is in the hearts of men, and motivations which move them with regard to their acts and deeds, but we can certainly witness the failure of an editor to couch his hatred a little more carefully.

I'll let Henry cover this one

Replacing retiring President Mary Sue Coleman offers the University of Michigan a historic opportunity to reboot with an administrator who embraces a 21st century, colorblind admissions policy that is succeeding in states like California. The university's board could signal the new era by including Jennifer Gratz on its presidential search committee.

The editorial today equating the birthers to racists crosses the line  from responsible editorial opinion to unoriginal baiting and an attempt  to stifle discussion.  In its editorial "parsing the subtext of the  racist birther conspiracy" Traverse City Record Eagle editorial staff  has again used the "R" word to label those who hold a differing view  from their own.  The paper has called those who questioned the effort of  Obama to hide his birth certificate for the last three years, outright  racists.

The editorial starts off:

It's time to recognize the "birther" conspiracy wingnuts for what they are.
They're racists.
There is no other explanation for the circus sideshow that's been going on since the inception of the Obama administration.

The birthers ... just can't stand the fact that a man  born to a white mother and a black father could ever succeed ...After  all black people - even those of mixed race - are lazy and dumb, goes the real birther subtext.
...
Regardless of the code words, its all about race. particularly about the  race of one man - the sitting president of the united states.

... enough is enough. It's time for the birthers like Trump and Taitz  and their Tea Party sympathizers - and yes even their cowardly fellow  travelers in the party of Lincoln and Fox News - to shut up and slither  away.

A very bad thing happened yesterday.  A deranged man attacked a public figure, for a reason that only he might know.  In the process, he also attacked and killed others who may, or may not have been intended targets.  Apparently the initial target was a Democrat, and he used a gun.

As was expected, there is posturing in the editorial theater about where the responsibility lays for yesterdays horrific act.  As was also expected, the initial barrage was aimed at conservative groups or individuals for 'fanning the flames' with talk radio, tea parties etc.  And there is no surprise that Sarah Palin, whom the left fears with the darkest and seemingly largest parts of their souls, would become a target yet again.

"The great irony is that abortion has done what the Klan only dreamed of" - Dr. Alveda King, niece of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.