Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
sheshe2
sheshe2's Journal
sheshe2's Journal
March 29, 2015
I had three things that I wanted to communicate in 6 minutes last evening: Ferguson is not an isolated problem; there are deep connections between the shakedown schemes used by America's police against non-whites, and the poor more generally and Jim and Jane Crow; and that "hands up, don't shoot" is the truth.
Because time is a variable in a TV segment, I was not able to get to my last point, but I did pivot to the context of Austerity and Neoliberalism as two of the primary driving forces behind the nationwide violations of civil rights by the prison industrial complex in the United States and elsewhere.
Plus, I got to mention "social control", "the carceral society", and "goons" all in one segment.
[Thom Hartmann's segment--which immediately follows mine--where he discusses Ferguson, "hands up, don't shoot", O'Reilly, and white privilege closely echoes much of what I have written about as of late. I take that as a complement.]
Read More: http://www.chaunceydevega.com/2015/03/semi-open-weekend-thread-chauncey.html
Great segment, listen if you can.
Chauncey DeVega on 'The Big Picture' Discussing America's Police and Their Debt Peonage Racket
Semi-Open Weekend Thread: Chauncey DeVega on 'The Big Picture' Discussing America's Police and Their Debt Peonage RacketI had three things that I wanted to communicate in 6 minutes last evening: Ferguson is not an isolated problem; there are deep connections between the shakedown schemes used by America's police against non-whites, and the poor more generally and Jim and Jane Crow; and that "hands up, don't shoot" is the truth.
Because time is a variable in a TV segment, I was not able to get to my last point, but I did pivot to the context of Austerity and Neoliberalism as two of the primary driving forces behind the nationwide violations of civil rights by the prison industrial complex in the United States and elsewhere.
Plus, I got to mention "social control", "the carceral society", and "goons" all in one segment.
[Thom Hartmann's segment--which immediately follows mine--where he discusses Ferguson, "hands up, don't shoot", O'Reilly, and white privilege closely echoes much of what I have written about as of late. I take that as a complement.]
Read More: http://www.chaunceydevega.com/2015/03/semi-open-weekend-thread-chauncey.html
Great segment, listen if you can.
March 26, 2015
I also have to note that, in the midst of this conversation, President Obama points out something that I wrote about a few weeks ago:
the fact that one of the reasons why the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) remains low is that our over-incarceration during the war on drugs has produced a record number of Americans with felony records (mostly brown and black men).
UPDATE: Question: Why would President Obama do this interview now? He's laying the groundwork and setting the stage. Somethin's up.
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-two-men-i-admire-mostin-conversation.html
The Two Men I Admire Most...In Conversation (updated)
As soon as I saw this, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven 
Barack Obama and David Simon talked about The Wire and our failed war on drugs.
I also have to note that, in the midst of this conversation, President Obama points out something that I wrote about a few weeks ago:
How much does having a criminal record affect employment prospects? It outright blocks people from being hired for many government jobs.
In the private sector the question is blurrier. An outright ban on hiring people with criminal records is considered to be a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Some states are banning asking about a criminal record on an initial employment application. But in practice, there are plenty of ways around that. Employers are allowed to consider a criminal record as part of a larger application.
That increase from 13% of the population in the early 90's to 20-22% more recently is a direct result of our war on drugs and "get tough on crime" policies that disproportionately affect people of color. And it is likely a huge factor in explaining why the unemployment rate for African Americans has typically been double the rate for whites. From a systemic standpoint, this is where we find the intersection between anti-racism efforts, criminal justice reform and policies to address wage stagnation. What affects one affects all.
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2015/01/unpacking-last-stage-of-economic.html
In the private sector the question is blurrier. An outright ban on hiring people with criminal records is considered to be a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Some states are banning asking about a criminal record on an initial employment application. But in practice, there are plenty of ways around that. Employers are allowed to consider a criminal record as part of a larger application.
That increase from 13% of the population in the early 90's to 20-22% more recently is a direct result of our war on drugs and "get tough on crime" policies that disproportionately affect people of color. And it is likely a huge factor in explaining why the unemployment rate for African Americans has typically been double the rate for whites. From a systemic standpoint, this is where we find the intersection between anti-racism efforts, criminal justice reform and policies to address wage stagnation. What affects one affects all.
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2015/01/unpacking-last-stage-of-economic.html
the fact that one of the reasons why the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) remains low is that our over-incarceration during the war on drugs has produced a record number of Americans with felony records (mostly brown and black men).
UPDATE: Question: Why would President Obama do this interview now? He's laying the groundwork and setting the stage. Somethin's up.
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-two-men-i-admire-mostin-conversation.html
[/img][/url]
March 16, 2015
Damn good read http://www.thepeoplesview.net/main/2015/3/15/president-barack-obama-the-right-man-for-this-moment-in-history
President Barack Obama - The Right Man For This Moment In History
Just after the election I saw the President in a press conference and in a few interviews and from listening to him and observing him something was quite evident about his appearance- he seemed as if a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He seemed solid and strong and he had a sense of peace about him that seemed new to this moment. It was clear to me that this now so called lame duck president was aware of something that I wasn't and that brought a sense of relief to me.
Many people who come to this site have also expressed that if only this president had experienced cooperation and support he could have accomplished so much more. I also share in these sentiments. But I think it's very important to note and to realize that the resistance President Obama has faced is exactly what needed and needs to take place. You can't treat an infection or an infestation unless you know that it's there and if you don't get down to the root or the cause it will continue to fester. This infection or infestation can only continue to survive in the shadows and the darkness where it is able to do it's damage. As soon as it is exposed to the light of day it wants to scramble back as hide in the shadows.
Another important understanding about this resistance that is now being exposed is that the resistance will want to rise up to the level of that which it is facing. Another way of expressing this is that the depth of goodness and intelligence and strength that exists in the person of Barack Obama has called forth a barbaric and primitive resistance that attempts to be as potent as the force that it is opposing. What this means is that the presidency of Barack Obama has exposed this massive amount and degree of vulgarity that we are seeing in this country. It is being brought out of the shadows and it is now being fully exposed to the light of day.
Many people who come to this site have expressed the similarity we see today to the time of the Civil War. That war manifested due to a rise in tension that necessitated some major event to take place to attempt to address that tension. The Civil War was fought by the Confederacy in large part to prevent exactly what has taken place today where we see a man of color living the White House in the position that can be seen as the most powerful person in the world.
Many people who come to this site have also expressed that if only this president had experienced cooperation and support he could have accomplished so much more. I also share in these sentiments. But I think it's very important to note and to realize that the resistance President Obama has faced is exactly what needed and needs to take place. You can't treat an infection or an infestation unless you know that it's there and if you don't get down to the root or the cause it will continue to fester. This infection or infestation can only continue to survive in the shadows and the darkness where it is able to do it's damage. As soon as it is exposed to the light of day it wants to scramble back as hide in the shadows.
Another important understanding about this resistance that is now being exposed is that the resistance will want to rise up to the level of that which it is facing. Another way of expressing this is that the depth of goodness and intelligence and strength that exists in the person of Barack Obama has called forth a barbaric and primitive resistance that attempts to be as potent as the force that it is opposing. What this means is that the presidency of Barack Obama has exposed this massive amount and degree of vulgarity that we are seeing in this country. It is being brought out of the shadows and it is now being fully exposed to the light of day.
Many people who come to this site have expressed the similarity we see today to the time of the Civil War. That war manifested due to a rise in tension that necessitated some major event to take place to attempt to address that tension. The Civil War was fought by the Confederacy in large part to prevent exactly what has taken place today where we see a man of color living the White House in the position that can be seen as the most powerful person in the world.
Damn good read http://www.thepeoplesview.net/main/2015/3/15/president-barack-obama-the-right-man-for-this-moment-in-history
March 16, 2015
All of the bogus arrest records should be thrown out. The Ferguson leadership ran a straight GANGSTA racket. They use police to target poor blacks, arrested them and then the courts shook them down for money, gave then criminal records which was sure to keep them from voting and they’d stay in power…until Darren Wilson murdered Michael Brown and the corruption was exposed.
Huffington Post: To give some context as to how truly extreme this is, a comparison may be useful. In 2014, the Boston Municipal Court System, for a city of 645,000 people, issued about 2,300 criminal warrants. The Ferguson Municipal Court issued 9,000, for a population 1/30th the size of Boston’s.
Ferguson and the Modern Debtor’s Prison
Debtor’s prisons are supposed to be illegal in the United States but today poor people who fail to pay even small criminal justice fees are routinely being imprisoned. The problem has gotten worse recently because strapped states have dramatically increased the number of criminal justice fees….Failure to pay criminal justice fees can result in revocation of an individual’s drivers license, arrest and imprisonment. Individuals with revoked licenses who drive (say to work to earn money to pay their fees) and are apprehended can be further fined and imprisoned. Unpaid criminal justice debt also results in damaged credit reports and reduced housing and employment prospects. Furthermore, failure to pay fees can mean a violation of probation and parole terms which makes an individual ineligible for Federal programs such as food stamps, Temporary Assistance to Needy Family funds and Social Security Income for the elderly and disabled.
Read More: http://3chicspolitico.com/2015/03/16/ferguson-town-leadership-was-running-a-multi-million-dollar-racketeering-extortion-scheme/
#Ferguson town leadership was running a multi million dollar racketeering & extortion scheme
Where are the arrest warrants for those involved in the shake down of poor black people in #Ferguson Missouri? In a city with a population of 21,000 people, 16,000 have outstanding warrants. Nearly everyone was criminalize. The police and courts made it a crime to exist in black skin. We live in a country where a state government is running a multi million dollar racketeering & extortion scheme targeting black people & no one is arrested. Kwame M. Kilpatrick was convicted of racketeering, fraud and extortion but Ferguson town leaders got severance pay. It’s disgraceful when those in power see a crime and squeeze their eyes shut because the racketeer & extortionist have white skin. But when you’re white, it’s alriiiight.All of the bogus arrest records should be thrown out. The Ferguson leadership ran a straight GANGSTA racket. They use police to target poor blacks, arrested them and then the courts shook them down for money, gave then criminal records which was sure to keep them from voting and they’d stay in power…until Darren Wilson murdered Michael Brown and the corruption was exposed.
Huffington Post: To give some context as to how truly extreme this is, a comparison may be useful. In 2014, the Boston Municipal Court System, for a city of 645,000 people, issued about 2,300 criminal warrants. The Ferguson Municipal Court issued 9,000, for a population 1/30th the size of Boston’s.
Ferguson and the Modern Debtor’s Prison
Debtor’s prisons are supposed to be illegal in the United States but today poor people who fail to pay even small criminal justice fees are routinely being imprisoned. The problem has gotten worse recently because strapped states have dramatically increased the number of criminal justice fees….Failure to pay criminal justice fees can result in revocation of an individual’s drivers license, arrest and imprisonment. Individuals with revoked licenses who drive (say to work to earn money to pay their fees) and are apprehended can be further fined and imprisoned. Unpaid criminal justice debt also results in damaged credit reports and reduced housing and employment prospects. Furthermore, failure to pay fees can mean a violation of probation and parole terms which makes an individual ineligible for Federal programs such as food stamps, Temporary Assistance to Needy Family funds and Social Security Income for the elderly and disabled.
Read More: http://3chicspolitico.com/2015/03/16/ferguson-town-leadership-was-running-a-multi-million-dollar-racketeering-extortion-scheme/
March 9, 2015
This weekend brings tears to my eyes and hope in my heart, may we bend toward justice.
POTUS just dropped the Mic for the ages.
Ambassador Gaspard @patrickgaspard
Follow
POTUS just dropped the Mic for the ages.
3:50 PM - 7 Mar 2015
Vox ✔ @voxdotcom
Follow
Read the full transcript of Obama's rousing, emotional speech in Selma: http://vox.com/e/7932126?utm_campaign=vox&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter …
3:52 PM - 7 Mar 2015
Ambassador Gaspard @patrickgaspard
Follow
POTUS speech at Selma was a love letter to America.
3:51 PM - 7 Mar 2015
View image on Twitter
Trymaine Lee ✔ @trymainelee
Follow
THIS photo of Obama and John Lewis in Selma yesterday. The long arc of 50 yrs ago bent toward his presidency. (WashP)
12:24 PM - 8 Mar 2015 Selma, AL, United States
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_iHqDAXEAAjC44.jp
Breathtaking #Selma50
6:56 PM - 7 Mar 2015
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/03/08/a-tweet-or-two-229/
This weekend brings tears to my eyes and hope in my heart, may we bend toward justice.
Profile Information
Member since: Sat Oct 13, 2012, 08:33 PMNumber of posts: 83,763