by Cynthia Gordy Essence.com
The growing legal battle against President-elect Barack Obama's presidency is heading to the U.S. Supreme Court this week. The justices will decide whether or not to look into a lawsuit challenging Obama's citizenship. While the lawsuit is a continuation of a New Jersey case, the citizenship question has sparked a number of lawsuits from Obama's opponents.
Among those who have filed lawsuits is Alan Keyes, who ran an unsuccessful race against Barack Obama in 2004 for the Illinois Senate. Now, U.S. Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has taken an interest in the legal question and asked the rest of the bench to look into the case. Obama received dual citizenship since his father was a Kenyan-born national, which arguably doesn't qualify him as a "natural born citizen" as required by the U.S. Constitution.
A petition to stop the Electoral College from confirming Obama as the forty-fourth President of the United States on December 15 has already been rejected by Justice David Souter, but in a rare move, Thomas has stepped in and granted the case time before the high court in a conference scheduled for tomorrow.Read the full Alan Keyes interview at Essence.com
Perhaps the police should do investigative work and recognize that criminals normally commit crimes with few or no witnesses. Do some police work and stop unsolved cases work on an imaginary campaign.
Why don't we ever see photos of all of these "stop snitching" shirts? I have been working in neighborhoods across the country and have not seen one of those shirts for many years. What campaign are you talking about? The media campaign? That's the ONLY place you hear about a don't snitch campaign. Yes there is witness intimidation. That's because CRIMINALS are CRIMINALS and they may threaten people so they won't go to jail. This applies to criminals in the 'hood or those in the White House. Perhaps if you stop writing about the "campaign" there will be no campaign.
Find something newsworthy to talk about.
Hot Line Hurt By 'Stop Snitching' Campaign
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Crime Stoppers TIPS Hot Line coordinators say a campaign of intimidation is keeping many unsolved crimes unsolved.
"For a family member or friend, man, I'll do it. But if I don't know the person, what could I do?" asked one Kansas City resident.
LaMont Williams, whose nephew Marcus was killed by a bullet from a passing car a year ago, said, "I'm sure someone knows who did it. They may not have been at the scene, but that person who committed the murder knows someone and talked to someone about committing that type of thing."
Marcus Williams was a father of two and had no criminal record. His family recently held a vigil in his memory, asking for information from anyone who knows anything about not only Marcus' killing, but all the other unsolved homicides. Full story here
I keep telling people, the only thriving legal industries in America making money are the Prison Industrial Complex and the companies making money off the war. Forget the auto industry - we've got prisons! Low and behold... when you trace the money back, look who's involved. When are people going to wake up and smell the coffee?
Texas grand jury indicts Cheney, Gonzales of crime Reuters News
HOUSTON (Reuters) - A grand jury in South Texas indicted U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and former attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Tuesday for "organized criminal activity" related to alleged abuse of inmates in private prisons.
The indictment has not been seen by a judge, who could dismiss it.
The grand jury in Willacy County, in the Rio Grande Valley near the U.S.-Mexico border, said Cheney is "profiteering from depriving human beings of their liberty," according to a copy of the indictment obtained by Reuters.
The indictment cites a "money trail" of Cheney's ownership in prison-related enterprises including the Vanguard Group, which owns an interest in private prisons in south Texas.
Former attorney general Gonzales used his position to "stop the investigations as to the wrong doings" into assaults in county prisons, the indictment said. Read the full story here
By Gref Gordon, McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama's 8.5 million-vote margin over John McCain was fueled by a more than 20 percent surge in minority voting, a new analysis of exit polling data suggests.
While Obama won a lopsided number of electoral votes, his popular-vote margin was increased by an outpouring of minority balloting as the number of whites who cast ballots declined overall.
The analysis estimated that about 5.8 million more minorities voted in this year's presidential election than in 2004, while nearly 1.2 million fewer whites went to the polls.
Separate opinion polls and election results themselves indicate that an overwhelming majority of African-Americans and Latinos backed Obama.
The surge in minority voting was even more pronounced in some election swing states, including Ohio, the liberal-leaning nonprofit group Project Vote reported.
Project Vote also said that the number of voters ages 18-29 increased by more than 1.8 million, the biggest jump of any similarly sized age group, reflecting a depth of support for Obama among younger voters. Read the full story here
by Jesse Washington, Associated Press
Cross burnings. Schoolchildren chanting "Assassinate Obama." Black figures hung from nooses. Racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars.
Incidents around the country referring to President-elect Barack Obama are dampening the postelection glow of racial progress and harmony, highlighting the stubborn racism that remains in America.
From California to Maine, police have documented a range of alleged crimes, from vandalism and vague threats to at least one physical attack. Insults and taunts have been delivered by adults, college students and second-graders.
There have been "hundreds" of incidents since the election, many more than usual, said Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate crimes.
One was in Snellville, Ga., where Denene Millner said a boy on the school bus told her 9-year-old daughter the day after the election: "I hope Obama gets assassinated." That night, someone trashed her sister-in-law's front lawn, mangled the Obama lawn signs, and left two pizza boxes filled with human feces outside the front door, Millner said. Read the full story here
Dr. Height at 96 partied last night celebrating our great victory. Long before CNN declared a winner our DJ was rocking Sam Cooke's "Change", James Brown-Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud, Aretha's R-E-S-P-E-C-T, and even Parliament's One Nation Under a Groove, and of course Ray Charles' America and Marvin Gaye's National Anthem not to mention multiple versions of Lift Every Voice and Sing as well as incredible Obama songs. We celebrated our UNITY knowing that we had done all. We celebrated each and every check for Obama with shouts and dance but when that final check came in for just one moment--less than a second--but a clear moment in time we stood as one with one collective breath before exploding in a great jubilee. Dr. Height had tears streaming down her face seated next to former Lincoln University president Niera Sudarkasa. My daughter Illai took off her Black Youth Vote tee shirt and replaced it with an Obama President tee shirt signaling the change. When Dr. Height spoke of the meaning of this election on a personal level she said that "It means my work was not in vain."
My father joined the ancestors this year but not before he had an opportunity to vote for Obama in the primary. I identified with the painfully sweet essence of such a victory actually made possible by those no longer here to see the day. My father was a deep, philosophical thinker fond of profound instructive quotes. Dr. Height left us with the same quote that my father shared as the single most instructive. It was powerful then and resonated throughout my being when Dr. Height selected the same quote last night: "At the banquet table of nature, there are no reserved seats. You get what you can take, and you keep what you can hold. If you can't take anything, you won't get anything, and if you can't hold anything, you won't keep anything. And you can't take anything without organization." A. Philip Randolph
There is very little time left and my heart goes out to all of the Black folk that could vote that will soon miss the train. I just blogged about responsibilities so now it is time to make it known that there are no excuses, not for Black America. The nationalists can't say anything about imperialism, I don't want to hear about faith in God preventing participation, as Dr. Lowery always says for some "voting is a sacred right but for Blacks it is a moral obligation." There are only 15 minutes left I want to dedicate this last blog to the sisters and brothers who would give anything to have the right to vote. Some have made mistakes but there was one young brother incarcerated in Florida who sent a letter and $10 to the National Coalition because he wanted to play a small part in making history even if he could not vote. There are so many that moved with great physical challenge to make their way to the polls one 82-year-old grandmother in Michigan preferred to stand in line with her daughter and grandson so that 3 generations could vote together while training a 4th too young to vote. I am all for removing obstacles to voting but we have to be willing to make small sacrifices for the greater good. Standing in line does not compare to standing in a swamp with dogs following, or being attacked by dogs for demanding the right to vote, come on people there are 7 minutes left. My heart is breaking for those who were turned away but at least they came forward to represent. Each and every vote today celebrated an ancestor that kept the flame of freedom alive. Five minutes left, my job is to blog it on out, free style, I close honoring Barbara, Lee, Marie, Eleanor, Chaneys, Davis, Hobsons,to Illai, Tashonie, Kemauhl, Kwahme, Edrea, Omar, remembering Jr.,Alvin, thanking Andy, Ronald, Michelle, Bernetta, Wanda, Pam, Anita, Dempsey, LeRoy, Eula, Henrietta, Woodrow,Roscoe,Percy,Henry,Matthew, Maurice,Joe,there is only one minute left until the polls close. Out of time
I can't believe the sun is going down and I am just getting around to mentioning resources. If you did not contribute to the Black Campaign you can go to blackcampaign.org or support a young person to attend the Black Youth Vote. We mobilized on the strength of our desire for change and the Black community gave time, money, creativity, and passion. This is movement and it is bottom up but make no mistake, if we are to move the agenda forward it is essential that we get our priorities in order. Like it or not brothers will have to pull up their pants that is a giant first step and will signal to the world that we have embraced change that we can all appreciate. Next we have to knit together families. Mend, blend what ever we need to do to build relationships that are strong and healthy...the type of environment needed to rear children. Focus on family and finances is key along with community. It is all about the village. We must support institutions and businesses so that we create jobs that anchor an care for people especially elders. We must discipline our children so that their creativity is channeled into constructive enterprise. The election today is a great and historic event if we are to embrace the full significance we must let this day usher in a new era of industry, education, and advancement for Black America that permeates all of America. It is a good sign the markets are soaring let's make sure we stay in the black.
Dr. Height has just arrived for the NCBCP Election Night Watch Party. Melanie greeted her mentor & shero introducing Dr. Height to a room full of volunteers who are taking a break from monitoring the field. Dr. Dorothy Height is regal as always sith a sky blue signature hat and matching sweater. She is sharp in dress and mind. At the moment she is listening to William Kellibrew the national coordinator for Black Youth Vote. We enjoy the images of our elders making it to the polls in wheel chairs, with walkers and canes. Looking back on how far we have come it is clear that once again Black America is redeeming the soul of America. In this blog I want to publicly thank Dr. Dorothy Irene Height for her vision, leadership, hospitality, and most of all her love. FeliciaD
|
