Friday, April 25, 2014
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Atlanta the Violent
It seems that someone gets shot or killed in Atlanta every night. Chicago has nothing on us! And what's worse, there appears to be no outcry from the residents or mayor of the city. It is important to protect Atlanta's precious image as the gateway to the South. However, if the city's violent streak isn't addressed soon, the economic boom it enjoys will go bust as companies rethink relocating here.
Richard J. Daley Vs. Bull Connor
Was the late Richard J. Dailey the Bull Connor of Chicago? Dailey, who served as the city's mayor from 1955 to 1976, cracked down on demonstrators at the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago in 1968, many of whom vehemently opposed his harsh brand of leadership and the war in Vietnam. He also rooted out members of the Black Panther Party the way Southern sheriffs victimized Civil Rights workers in the South in the 1950s and '60s. City police even assassinated Panther leader Fred Hampton and fellow member Mark Clark in a shocking predawn raid of Hampton's residence during the mayor's tenure in 1969. Moreover, any Democrat seeking the party's nomination for president at the time had to first get the blessing or backing of the treacherous leader if he had any hope of making it to the White House. But unlike Connor, he saved his city from economic decline, which continues to this day.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Republican Domination of State Legislatures
It's been fifty years since Freedom Summer 1964 when hundreds of northern college students descended on Mississippi to register black voters despite diehard resistance in the state.
We need a similar movement in 2014 to fight the injustices of our time, such as the Republican domination of state legislatures across the country.
The Republican Party has sought to turn back the clock in state government since gaining the majority in the 2010 elections. For instance, in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin, the Grand Old Party has not only cut aid to public education to the bone but denied needy citizens access to Medicaid as authorized by the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, public pensions have been severely slashed or eliminated by Republican-controlled legislatures, with unions virtually outlawed. And what's worse, Republican leaders have introduced Jim Crow-style voter I.D. laws at the local level and have even vowed to circumvent early voting despite record voter turnouts in 2008 and 2012.
Voters have demonstrated nonstop against G.O.P.'s harsh reforms across the country. For example, concerned citizens in North Carolina have organized Moral Monday, a day when defiant residents storm the state house in opposition to the G.O.P. stronghold. Similar protests have been planned for Georgia later this year. And in Wisconsin, public employees and everyday Wisconsinites protested around the clock in 2011 following severe budget cuts by Republicans, which eventually led to a special election to recall the state's Republican governor. However, such protests desperately need the assistance of outsiders to be successful.
Without a sound or overriding voice in the state or local government, Democrats and independents will continue to suffer setbacks at the hands of one-sided Republicans. Pivotal legislation regarding voting, education, healthcare, and even racial profiling takes place in the states, which calls for a seismic shift in the balance of power at the polls in 2014.
We need a similar movement in 2014 to fight the injustices of our time, such as the Republican domination of state legislatures across the country.
The Republican Party has sought to turn back the clock in state government since gaining the majority in the 2010 elections. For instance, in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin, the Grand Old Party has not only cut aid to public education to the bone but denied needy citizens access to Medicaid as authorized by the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, public pensions have been severely slashed or eliminated by Republican-controlled legislatures, with unions virtually outlawed. And what's worse, Republican leaders have introduced Jim Crow-style voter I.D. laws at the local level and have even vowed to circumvent early voting despite record voter turnouts in 2008 and 2012.
Voters have demonstrated nonstop against G.O.P.'s harsh reforms across the country. For example, concerned citizens in North Carolina have organized Moral Monday, a day when defiant residents storm the state house in opposition to the G.O.P. stronghold. Similar protests have been planned for Georgia later this year. And in Wisconsin, public employees and everyday Wisconsinites protested around the clock in 2011 following severe budget cuts by Republicans, which eventually led to a special election to recall the state's Republican governor. However, such protests desperately need the assistance of outsiders to be successful.
Without a sound or overriding voice in the state or local government, Democrats and independents will continue to suffer setbacks at the hands of one-sided Republicans. Pivotal legislation regarding voting, education, healthcare, and even racial profiling takes place in the states, which calls for a seismic shift in the balance of power at the polls in 2014.
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De facto segregation existed in most American cities during the dark days of Jim Crow with the effects felt today. It involved, for the most...
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In the past, political bosses picked their party nominees for president even after the advent of the primary system to ensure the best possi...
