![[icon]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/70705198/14548406) |
Marianne
|
| | I just got done watching a show on Fox News about how evil the textbooks being used in the U.S. are. This is a synopsis: it's bad to be sensitive to others' feelings (especially homosexuals); it's bad to teach kids anything that implies that Americans have ever made mistakes; evolution is a fact, not a theory; Muslims are clearly the enemy, regarless of the fact that the Koran passages they quoted have parallel teachings in the Bible; it's just plain BAD in general to teach anything that is in opposition to what those at Fox News believe. I'm honestly surprised that I made it through the whole hour. | comments: Leave a comment   |
| | Subject: | :( | | Time: | 06:56 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/unsure.gif) contemplative |
|
| | I just saw on the news that John Travolta and Kelly Preston's 16-year-old son died. How sad. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Dear Friend,
A new report in The Nation[1] documents what many have claimed for years--for some Black New Orleanians the threat of being killed by White vigilantes in Katrina's aftermath became a bigger threat than the storm itself.
After the storm, White vigilantes roamed Algiers Point shooting and, according to their own accounts, killing Black men at will--with no threat of a police response. For the last three years, the shootings and the police force's role in them have been an open secret to many New Orleanians. To date, no one has been charged with a crime and law enforcement officials have refused to investigate.
The report is helpful, but given Lousiana's horrible record on protecting its Black citizens, justice will only come if we demand it.
I've joined ColorOfChange in calling on Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Louisiana's Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, and the U.S. Department of Justice--to conduct a full investigation of these crimes and any police cover-up. Will you join me? It takes only a moment:
http://www.colorofchange.org/nation/?id=2618-87316
In the two weeks after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, the media created a climate of fear with trumped-up stories of Black lawlessness. Meanwhile an armed group of White vigilantes took over the Algiers Point neighborhood in New Orleans and mercilessly hunted down Black people. "It was great!" said one vigilante. "It was like pheasant season in South Dakota. If it moved, you shot it."
The Nation's article tells the story of Donnell Herrington, Marcel Alexander, and Chris Collins--a group of friends who were attacked by shotgun-wielding White men as they entered Algiers Point on September 1, 2005. As they tried to escape, Herrington recalls, their attackers shouted, "Get him! Get that nigger!" He managed to get away. Alexander and Collins were told that they would be allowed to live on the condition that they told other Black folks not to come to Algiers Point. Herrington, shot in the neck, barely survived.
And there's the story of Henry Glover, who didn't survive after being shot by an unknown assailant.[2] Glover's brother flagged down a stranger for help, and the two men brought Glover to a police station. But instead of receiving aid, they were beaten by officers while Henry Glover bled to death in the back seat of the stranger's car. A police officer drove off in the car soon afterward. Both Glover's body and the car were found burnt to cinders a week later. It took DNA analysis to identify the body.
These are only a few of the stories of Black folks who were accosted in Algiers Point, and you can read more in The Nation. But unless you speak out, we may never learn the full extent of the violence. Journalists have encountered a wall of silence on the part of the authorities. The coroner had to be sued to turn over autopsy records. When he finally complied, the records were incomplete, with files on several suspicious deaths suddenly empty. The New Orleans police and the District Attorney repeatedly refused to talk to journalists about Algiers Point. And according to The Nation journalist A.C. Thompson, "the city has in nearly every case refused to investigate or prosecute people for assaults and murders committed in the wake of the storm."
The Nation article is important, but it's just a start. For more than three years now, these racist criminals have by their own admission gotten away with murder while officials in New Orleans have systematically evaded any kind of accountability. We have to demand it.
Please join me in calling on state and federal officials to investigate these brutal attacks and the conduct of Orleans Parish law enforcement agencies, and please ask your friends and family to do the same.
http://www.colorofchange.org/nation/?id=2618-87316
Thanks. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Time: | 06:30 pm | | Current Mood: | contemplative |
|
| | I think I'm gonna stop watching the news. Usually everything either depresses me or pisses me off. I wonder what would happen if I took a break? | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| Dear World,
Please stop trying to convert me. I went to church for 20+ years. If I haven't gotten by now, I'm probably not going to get it. I don't WANT to get it. I have no desire to be religious or spiritual or anything other than the way I am. I have no problem with me. I know I am a decent human being, regardless of the fact that I don't go to church. Stop trying to cram your beliefs down my throat, and concentrate on YOU.
Thanks,
Love,
Marianne | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | WTF? | | Time: | 09:05 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/mad.gif) annoyed |
|
| | So, because I bought my DMB tickets through Ticketmaster I got a free copy of their Live Trax 2008 album on iTunes. So, that's great, right? Well, I'm kind of annoyed, because the version of Crush they put on the album has Dave singing the wrong words! I mean, he seriously fucks them up! Why would they put that on there? Surely they must have performed Crush more than once over the summer. Someone screwed up. How did they not catch that? | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | I've been thinking...I'm incredibly happy that the nation finally elected its first African-American president. But you know what would make me REALLY happy? If a non-believer was elected (if he/she was qualified, of course). Unfortunately, I really, really, REALLY doubt it's ever going to happen. At least not in my lifetime. And that makes me sad. | | comments: 5 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | Prop 8 | | Time: | 07:19 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/pirate.gif) determined |
|
| Hi,
Have you seen Keith Olbermann's "Special Comment" about Prop 8? Keith eloquently expresses why the passage of Prop 8 is so tragic, and he addresses supporters of the proposition directly.
Here is a link to watch a YouTube video of Keith's comments. Please check it out and then join me and over 100,000 other people in signing a pledge from the Courage Campaign and CREDO Mobile to repeal Prop 8 and restore marriage equality to California:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/prop8repeal
Usually, discussions of political issues wind down after elections, but Prop 8 is not about politics. It is about love, equality and civil rights. That's why we cannot let the passage of Prop 8 stand.
We all need to talk to our family and friends about the importance of restoring marriage equality to California.
That is why I am asking you to watch what Keith Olbermann said and then sign the pledge to repeal Prop 8.
Thanks. | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| Awesome editorial by Campbell Brown:
NEW YORK (CNN) -- You may find it hard to believe that this remains an issue in this campaign, but it does.
The candidates, both candidates, are still getting questions about Barack Obama's ethnicity and religion. If you are even semi-informed, then by now you already know that of course, Barack Obama is an American.
Of course, Barack Obama is a Christian. Yet just a few days ago, there was a woman at a rally for John McCain incorrectly calling Obama an Arab:
Woman at rally: I don't trust Obama. I have read about him and he's an Arab.
Sen. John McCain: No ma'am, no ma'am. He's a decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. That's what this campaign is all about. He's not, thank you.
Now, I commend Sen. McCain for correcting that woman, for setting the record straight. But I do have one question -- so what if he was?
So what if Obama was Arab or Muslim? So what if John McCain was Arab or Muslim? Would it matter?
When did that become a disqualifier for higher office in our country? When did Arab and Muslim become dirty words? The equivalent of dishonorable or radical?
Whenever this gets raised, the implication is that there is something wrong with being an Arab-American or a Muslim. And the media is complicit here, too.
We've all been too quick to accept the idea that calling someone Muslim is a slur.
I feel like I am stating the obvious here, but apparently it needs to be said: There is a difference between radical Muslims who support jihad against America and Muslims who want to practice their religion freely and have normal lives like anyone else.
There are more than 1.2 million Arab-Americans and about 7 million Muslim-Americans, former Cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, successful business people, normal average Americans from all walks of life.
These are the people being maligned here, and we can only imagine how this conversation plays in the Muslim world. We can't tolerate this ignorance -- not in the media, not on the campaign trail.
Of course, he's not an Arab. Of course, he's not a Muslim. But honestly, it shouldn't matter. | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| Have y'all seen this!?
Judge Tosses Hair Dye Lawsuit for Blonde Who Had Less Fun as Brunette
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A judge has brushed off a Connecticut woman's claim that L'Oreal Inc. ruined her social life when she accidentally dyed her hair brunette with one of its products.
Charlotte Feeney of Stratford said she can never return to her natural blonde hue, a shock that left her so traumatized she needed anti-depressants.
She says she suffered headaches and anxiety, missed the attention that blondes receive and had to stay home and wear hats most of the time.
A Superior Court judge dismissed Feeney's 2005 lawsuit Monday, saying she never proved her allegation that L'Oreal put brown hair dye in a box labeled as blonde. The company also had disputed the claim.
Feeney's attorney, David Laudano, declined to comment and she could not be reached after the judge's decision. | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | Petition | | Time: | 07:16 pm | | Current Mood: | determined |
|
| Hi,
This is outrageous. Bush wants taxpayers to give his administration a $700 billion check with no strings attached, which they'll hand over to the Wall Street firms that got us into this financial mess.
Would it help families struggling to keep their homes? NO. Do taxpayers get any share of the firms we're bailing out, so we can benefit from any eventual profit? NO. Would the firms we're bailing out be required to stop paying their executives multimillion-dollar salaries? NO. This is a pure giveaway.
I signed a petition urging Congress to put Main Street before Wall Street, and to not give Bush a blank check. Can you join me at the link below?
http://pol.moveon.org/wallstreet/?r_by=13979-4550561-9mWjQux&rc=comment_paste
Thanks! | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | Ugh! | | Time: | 01:50 pm | | Current Mood: | annoyed |
|
| This is one of the letters published in today's Dear Amy column.
Dear Amy:
This is one more honest guy view on breast-feeding that I haven't seen mentioned. It's just plain arousing to some of us. This can make us extremely uncomfortable.
My wife and I made a few concessions that kept our children happily nursed, and others comfortable. She nursed before or after we ate out in public; or she took expressed milk in a bottle; and we chose to dine out where there was access to some "private" space--or she simply went to our car.
Honest Dad
They're BREASTS, guys. Their sole purpose is to FEED BABIES. They're not TOYS. Can't you look at a breast without thinking about sex? You make me sick! | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | Uh oh! | | Time: | 10:39 pm | | Current Mood: | busy |
|
| I've found a new toy. Goodreads.com. I've sent a few of you invitations to join and check out what books I've read, etc. Hope you don't mind.
Anyway, the site is pretty fun. I'm currently making my list of books I've read. It's hard because I don't actually OWN a lot of books--I get most of my books out of the library--and I've read hundreds and hundreds (if not thousands) of books in the past 25 or so years. So far I have 50. I'm racking my brain...
At any rate, if you're a book lover (EMILY!) you may want to check it out. You can read reviews and get recommendations and all kinds of fun stuff. Great for book sluts like moi! | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Dear Friend,
Three years after Hurricane Katrina, there's finally a bill in Congress that will give Katrina survivors a fair chance to rebuild their lives. But it won't become law if enough representatives don't stand up to support it.
The Gulf Coast Civic Works Act would hire 100,000 Gulf Coast residents and evacuees, providing them with training and jobs to rebuild their homes and communities. It started as nothing more than a good idea, but after thousands of ColorOfChange.org members called on Congress to support the plan, and after years of persistent activism from students and Gulf Coast organizations, it now has a real chance of bringing some justice to the Gulf.
Even though it's come this far, it will take massive public pressure on each member of Congress to get the bill passed. If we want justice for Katrina survivors, we need to make our voices heard now as the media focuses its attention on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
I've signed on with ColorOfChange.org to tell my member of Congress to co-sponsor the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act, will you join us?
http://www.colorofchange.org/gulfcoast/?id=2618-87316
The Gulf Coast Civic Works Act represents a powerful shift from what's currently happening in the Gulf. It calls for hiring 100,000 Gulf Coast residents to rebuild New Orleans and the surrounding region. They'll be provided with temporary housing and job-training and will build and repair houses, schools, parks, and other civic buildings.
The idea behind the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project is not new. During the Great Depression, the federal government believed it had a responsibility to ensure that those hit hardest did not fall through the cracks. It also knew that those Americans wanted a hand up, not a handout. So, in 1935, Congress created a program to hire out-of-work Americans to get things done to benefit their communities.
It's a plan that makes sense--for displaced survivors, for the communities of the Gulf Coast, for the nation as a whole. It provides an opportunity to invest in Americans while reversing the most glaring problems that plague current rebuilding plans: gentrification, government waste, and massive corporate profiteering. It would revitalize the Gulf Coast's economy while rebuilding its infrastructure, and it's a model that could be applied to solve similar problems across the country.
Learn more and please join us by calling on your representative to co-sponsor the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act. It only takes a minute:
http://www.colorofchange.org/gulfcoast/?id=2618-87316
Thanks. | | comments: Leave a comment |
|
Marianne
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
tribelover1976's journal![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/surprised.gif){kind=small}
shocked![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/artistic.gif){kind=small}
accomplished
![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/shy.gif){kind=small}
thankful![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/bigeye.gif){kind=small}
amused