Sen. Joe Lieberman Must Go

There is a movement to get rid of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) is building steam.

 

AAPP says: I agree, Joe Must Go!  I have been very clear regarding my opinion of this snake for some time.

Get this, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) plans to join with Republicans to filibuster any health care bill that contains a public option. Alone, the Republicans don't have the votes for a filibuster. So by joining with them, Lieberman would be tipping the balance of power in order to sink health care reform.

We need to push the leaders of the Democratic caucus to take a tough stand against Lieberman. Tell Harry Reid to fire Joe Lieberman as chair of the Homeland Security Committee.

Last year, the New York Times quoted an anonymous "member of the Senate Democratic leadership" who said about Lieberman: "We need every vote. He's with us on everything but the war." Apparently Joe lied to the Senate Democrats.

Now is the time for Senate Democratic leadership -- Senators Reid, Schumer, and Durbin -- to stop making excuses for Joe Lieberman. 

Tell Harry: Joe Must Go 

 

African-Americans Demonstrate At White House Protest.

Why are black folks demonstrating against President Barack obama? Is this crabs in the barrel mentality or do black folks have a reason and or right to demonstrate against the first African American president? are they right to say the Government doesn't have our back on unemployment?

According to the news Outlet AFP, African-Americans slam Obama in White House protest.

WASHINGTON — Decrying Barack Obama as "white power in black face," hundreds of African-Americans marched on the White House Saturday to protest policies of the first black US president, and demand that he bring US troops home.

More than 200 people gathered for the first public demonstration by African Americans against the Obama administration since his historic inauguration in January, and slammed the president for continuing what they described as Washington's "imperialist" agenda around the world.

"We recognize that Barack Hussein Obama is white power in black face," civil rights activist Omali Yeshitela, chairman of the Black is Back coalition which arranged the protest, called into a megaphone as the group marched outside the mansion's gates.

"He is a tool of our imperialist enemies and we demand our freedom. And we demand that Obama withdraw all the troops from Afghanistan right now."

Protesters also called for Obama to order troops out of Iraq and to scrap Africom, the controversial year-old United States Africa Command, and demanded "hands off" Venezuela and ends to the Cuba embargo and the Zimbabwe blockade.

Several demonstrators held up placards bearing messages such as "US out of Afghanistan" and "Stop US war against Iraq."

Charles Baron, a New York city councilman and former member of the Black Panthers, a Black Power movement in the mid-1960s and 1970s, attacked the president for turning a cold shoulder to the plight of African-Americans.

"We're not satisfied with him, and... this hope and change rap has not been a reality for black people," Baron told AFP during the demonstration.

"We are glad that Barack Obama broke up the white male monopoly on the White House, but we were not looking for a change in the occupant of the White House from white to black, we were looking for change in foreign policies and domestic policies," he added.   More HERE

AAPP says:  The fact of the matter is African-Americans are the hardest hit by the recession in America. In fact, African-Americans have been in a recession for the past ten years. If there is a nation wide un-employment rate of 10%, then its 20-30% in our black communities. According to a 2008 report by United for a Fair Economy, a research and advocacy group, from 1998 to 2006 (before the subprime crisis), blacks lost $71 billion to $93 billion in home-value wealth from subprime loans. The researchers called this family net-worth catastrophe the “greatest loss of wealth in recent history for people of color.” And the worst was yet to come. Read More HERE  Now blacks are being hit by a third and fourth wave of foreclosures caused by unemployment. Do black folks have a right to be pissed off. YES! 

The fact of the matter is Black unemployment is now at possibly 20-30% percent, compared with 10 percent for whites. In New York City, black unemployment has been rising four times as fast as that of whites. By 2010, according to Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute, 40 percent of African-Americans nationwide will have endured patches of unemployment or underemployment. Do black folks have a right to be pissed off. YES! 

Should black folks be pisssed off at our President for bailing out some of the country's largest Wall Street firms, who have now set aside billions of dollars for bonuses to executives and traders -- many of whom are the same people whose reckless risk-taking led to the current recession?

What Do You think?

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/bailed-out-wall-street-fi_b_323480.html&cp

Ayanna Pressley first African-American woman to serve on the Boston City Council

In my home town of Boston, Massachusetts.

 
















As reported in the wickedlocal.com,  Ayanna Pressley will be the first African-American woman to serve on the Boston City Council. Read more on Pressley HERE

According to the Boston Globe, minorities and women won big on the ballot.

Congratulations Ayanna Pressley!

 

Heath Care Reform, Democrats, High-Fives and Black Folks

As reported by the NY Times, the Chicago Sun Times,  and various blogs. After a daylong clash with Republicans over what has been a Democratic goal for decades, lawmakers voted 220-215 to approve a plan that would cost $1.1 trillion over 10 years. Democrats said the legislation would provide overdue relief to Americans struggling to buy or hold on to health insurance. Read More HERE Check out who voted for the Affordable Health Care for America Act.

Alex Brandon / Associated Press / November 7, 2009 President Obama made a personal appeal, visiting with Democrats as the House began to discuss the healthcare bill in a rare Saturday session.

 Democrats say the House measure — paid for through new fees and taxes, along with cuts in Medicare — would extend coverage to 36 million people now without insurance while creating a government health insurance program. It would end insurance company practices like not covering pre-existing conditions or dropping people when they become ill. 

Republicans condemned the vote and said they would oppose the measure as it proceeds on its legislative route. “This government takeover has got a long way to go before it gets to the president’s desk, and I’ll continue to fight it tooth and nail at every turn,” said Representative Kevin Brady, Republican of Texas. “Health care is too important to get it wrong.” More HERE.

Only one Republican, Representative Anh Cao of Louisiana, voted for the bill, and 39 Democrats opposed it.

After the vote, Mr. Obama issued a statement praising the House and calling on the Senate to follow suit. “I am absolutely confident it will,” he said, “and I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year.” Read:With victory in House, health care reform moves to Senate.

AAPP says: OK so Black lawmakers have lauded the health care vote.‎  Yet, as the Joint Center points out, "from the cradle to the grave, African-Americans have poorer health outcomes: African-American infant mortality is more than double that of whites; African-American women make up 70 percent of new HIV/AIDS infections; three times as many black Americans die from diabetes as white Americans; and the life expectancy for whites is 78 years, compared with 73 years for all African-Americans and less than 70 years for African-American males."

AAPP says: "Yes, we need health care reform, I only hope that the current bill passed by congress addresses the needs of affordable mental health care, AIDS treatment, Breast Cancer Treatment, drug/alcohol rehabilitation, stress management and the preventive care needs of our communities. Otherwise, it's nothing more than black elected officials telling black folks what a wonderful job they have done, without any substance."  we also have to ask, will black folks be left out of the newly revised system of health care delivery?


Let's hope the Republican "nut jobs" are wrong and Joseph Cao is right.

1. "House Democrats pass health-care bill," The Washington Post, November 8, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85143&id=17860-8045350-7UIr8qx&t=5

2. "Abortion an obstacle to health-care bill," The Washington Post, November 9, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85142&id=17860-8045350-7UIr8qx&t=6

3. "Affordable Health Care for America Act," Speaker Nancy Pelosi, November 7, 2009
http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/legislation?id=0327

What do You Think?

The Tea Party Bigots are Coming, the Tea Party Bigots are coming!

File this under: The Bigots are coming, The Bigot's are coming!

Well, the Tea Party folks are planning another color aroused event at capitol hill tomorrow. Let me tell you, this is NO Paul Revere event.

Politico.com's Jake Sherman reports that Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is planning a second anti-health care reform Tea Party at the Capitol -- this one scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday -- approximately the time when the House is due to vote on Democrats' public option bill, POLITICO's Jake Sherman reports.

King and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) organized a rally Thursday that drew thousands to the west front of the Capitol, drawing chants of “Kill the Bill.” There were a handful of arrests.

“We can kill this bill and stop the government takeover of health care,” King said in a news release. “We need the help of every American willing to stand up for freedom and liberty. I urge all Americans who oppose this bill to come to Washington tomorrow morning and join us to stop this bill.”  More HERE

 

Birthers and The Republican Party of HATE

Why are Americans allowing extremist like the birthers wrestle the GOP voices into more HATE? 

Have you had the opportunity to read and see some of the extremist images from the blog post by the Center for American Progress.Thank you Matthew Yglesias for the link.

  

Hat Tip Huffington Post slide show:

"OBAMA - Gov't TAKE OVER ... JUST LIKE NAZI GERMANY!" From the Huffington Post slide show:

Pelosi: "UnAmerican McCarthyite." From MSNBC.com:

"Maoism is not reform." From the Huffington Post slide show:

"Obama Listens to Mao, I listen to Fox News." From the Huffington Post slide show:

"KEN-YA TRUST OBAMA." From MSNBC.com:

Check out the November 5 post on the rally, the MSNBC.com blog

More Here: Fox News owns the extremist images featured at Capitol Hill rally

AAPP says: Now we learn that Obama's own Homeland Security Department which was suppose to target right wing Tea Party Extremists, has let these extremist, along with ex-GOP Leader Dick Armey and other right wing  congressional wing nuts, Hot AIR types, along with lobbyist, come join together to fight with HATRRED ladden images, against our government. 

Some are asking the question, is the Tea Party Gang turning GOP Into a Party of Hate? My response: "The Republican Party has been the party of hate for some time. Now they have a black guy as the head following in the birthers down KKK lane."

Do you agree? Here are some of the more jaw-dropping signs seen at the rally:

• "Get the Red Out of the White House."

• "Waterboard Congress"

• "Traitor to the U.S. Constitution" (Picture of Obama on sign)

• "Ken-Ya Trust Obama?" (Rep. Steve King, R-IA, autographing the sign)

• "I'm the King of the World: Remember the Titanic?" (Drawing of Obama in the mold of the 'Jovial Sambo' from the Jim Crow era doing the Leo Titanic pose." 
  

Powerful words from Rihanna.

Thank you blogger "This Sista's Page" for the link and your observations.Rihanna on GMA: “I Feel Ashamed…Eff Love.”

Mia Love, first black female mayor in the state of Utah

Sarasota Springs, Utah, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A city councilwoman in Saratoga Springs, a 12-year-old fast-growing city in Utah, has been elected the first black female mayor in the state.

 

When she takes office, Mia B. Love will be the city's second mayor, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Saratoga Springs was incorporated in 1997 and has grown from just over 1,000 residents in the 2000 Census to an estimated 11,570 in 2007.

"I am absolutely honored," Love said. "I am so excited."

Both Saratoga Springs and Utah

are overwhelmingly white, with blacks accounting for about 1 percent of the population. More HERE

Edward Brooke, Congressional Gold Medal, and the black power movement

Here is great political news. A man who I have respected since my youthful days growing up in Boston received an appropriate award last week.

As reported by CNN, Edward Brooke, the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, was honored last week with a Congressional Gold Medal. "At a time when so many doors were closed to African-Americans, others might have become angry or disillusioned," President Obama told an audience in the Capitol Rotunda, where the ceremony honoring Brooke for Congress' greatest honor was held.

Brooke grew up in segregated Washington and served in the Army during World War II. Afterward, he received a law degree from Boston University and eventually ran for attorney general of Massachusetts. Read more HERE

Check out a bit of history here:

A list of African-American Firsts: Government

Here is an interesting list of African-American Firsts: Government

• Local elected official: John Mercer Langston, 1855, town clerk of Brownhelm Township, Ohio.
• State elected official: Alexander Lucius Twilight, 1836, the Vermont legislature.
• Mayor of major city: Carl Stokes, Cleveland, Ohio, 1967–1971. The first black woman to serve as a mayor of a major U.S. city was Sharon Pratt Dixon Kelly, Washington, DC, 1991–1995.
• Governor (appointed): P.B.S. Pinchback served as governor of Louisiana from Dec. 9, 1872–Jan. 13, 1873, during impeachment proceedings against the elected governor.
• Governor (elected): L. Douglas Wilder, Virginia, 1990–1994. The only other elected black governor has been Deval Patrick, Massachusetts, 2007–
• U.S. Representative: Joseph Rainey became a Congressman from South Carolina in 1870 and was reelected four more times. The first black female U.S. Representative was Shirley Chisholm, Congresswoman from New York, 1969–1983.
• U.S. Senator: Hiram Revels became Senator from Mississippi from Feb. 25, 1870, to March 4, 1871, during Reconstruction. Edward Brooke became the first African-American Senator since Reconstruction, 1966–1979. Carol Mosely Braun became the first black woman Senator serving from 1992–1998 for the state of Illinois. (There have only been a total of five black senators in U.S. history: the remaining two are Blanche K. Bruce [1875–1881] and Barack Obama (2005– ).
• U.S. cabinet member: Robert C. Weaver, 1966–1968, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Lyndon Johnson; the first black female cabinet minister was Patricia Harris, 1977, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Jimmy Carter.
• U.S. Secretary of State: Gen. Colin Powell, 2001–2004. The first black female Secretary of State was Condoleezza Rice, 2005–.
• Major Party Nominee for President: Sen. Barack Obama, 2008. The Democratic Party selected him as its presidential nominee.
• U.S. President: Sen. Barack Obama. Obama defeated Sen. John McCain in the general election on November 4, 2008, and was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States on January 20, 2009.     Source: Infoplease.com

NAACP Creates "War Room" For Health Care Reform

I just received a notice that the NAACP, the National Urban League and the Black Leadership Forum have formed a unique partnership in the final days of the health care debate. Hmmm... I guess it is better late than never, but I have to wonder why it took these groups so long to come together? They are asking members and non-members of the NAACP to Join their work in "The War Room." Ouch...

 

Why does everything that America does have to be related to "War" ?

Any-who, the NAACP is asking that you Join their War Room — from your home or office — by taking 2 minutes to call your Member of Congress today and let him or her know that you support health care reform with a strong public option.

My question to the NAACP is "what does a strong public option mean"? what specific proposal has the NAACP created and put out their for the public to review?  Just a question....

Have the answer? Please share...

GOP the "Taliban Ticket" Wins in Virgina

A reported in the Washington Post, U.S. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) also likened the Republican ticket in Virginia this year to Afghanistan's radical Taliban movement in comments broadcast Sunday by WAMU radio.

At a get-out-the-vote rally in Fairfax County, Moran said: "I mean, if the Republicans were running in Afghanistan, they'd be running on the Taliban ticket as far as I can see."

So... Don't hate me, I'm just agreeing with  U.S. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.).

Yes, I'm talking about Republicans Robert F. McDonnell who is now Governor Elect, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and state Sen. Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, who is now Attorney General, Elect. As the washington post noted, "by some accounts, the three represent the most conservative Republican ticket to run in Virginia in many years."

Look out blacks, Gays and Lesbians. We may be going back in time with these three stooges. 

 

Police used a Taser gun to restrain a resident outside of his home as it burned

As a posted in the Dailykos, a man tased as his house burned - No kidding!

According to Sarah Steimer at at Kent News Net the resident, Mike Bartlett, said he was returning from downtown for his cell phone when he noticed his sister's room on fire. He ran in to make sure she was not there and continued to find his friends in the basement and alert them of the fire. He said his cousin's girlfriend was sleeping upstairs so he went back in the house to retrieve her.

"As I was running downstairs, I could hear the window glass popping because of the heat," Bartlett said.

When he went got outside, Bartlett said police officers were at the end of the driveway. He said he approached them for help, but they dismissed him. As he walked toward one of his friends, he said the officers tackled and restrained him with the Taser gun, giving them no reason for their force.

According to the Kent City Police levels of resistance report, Bartlett used psychological and physical active resistance to avoid arrest. The report stated he was both combative and intoxicated. No one from the Police Department was available for comment.

Bartlett said he was not offered medical attention by the officers. Instead, he was taken directly to the police station. Bartlett went to the hospital following his court appearance Sunday. He said he was treated for first- and second-degree burns. Read More HERE

AAPP:  Get this, the Kent City Police said that Bartlett used psychological and physical active resistance to avoid arrest. Why was this man arrested for saving people's lives? Don't you think the police are out of control with these tasers?

I have had enough of the tasering of our children, teens,  the disabled, pregnant mothers, handicapped, and the blind. Join us on December 4th as we bring people of all backgrounds together on this issue. "Stop Taser Torture, blogging for Justice." as we raise awareness and trigger a global discussion. 

Contact us at: stoptasertorture@gmail.com to register your blog.

Don’t forget to support the petition to the United States Congress calling for public hearings on the systemic human rights violations occurring with Federal funding for the use of Tasers® against American citizens.

As Micheal Jackson wrote. It does not matter if your Black or White.

A few bad cops and a few bad police department policies that allow the torture of Blacks, Whites, Asians, Latino, Native American, Progressives, Liberals, and yes, even the blind with cancer.

We all must come together and become activist on this issue of Taser Torture in Barack Obama's home town of of Chicago and across America.

Yes, we must stop torture in our own American back yard.

We are hoping you will join the movement.

Related blog posts:

- Police State: Cop Caught On Camera beating special education student for not having his shirt tucked in
- Police State: Florida cop attempts drive-by Tasering, runs over suspect
- Police State: 14-Year-Old Girl Tasered In The Head
- Police State: Cops Taser a 76-Year-Old Tractor Driver in Parade
- Police State: Mother Watched Son Tasered To Death
- Police State: Cops pepperspray, taser mentally challenged, deaf man, while using the toilet
- Police State: Cops Taser Child 19 Times Leaving Him in a Coma
- Police State: Cop Tasers Mom In Front of Her Children
- Unedited Dash Cam Footage of Grandmother Being Tased
- Taser use to obtain DNA not unconstitutional: NIAGARA COURTS RULING
- Prison officer zaps children with 50,000-volt stun gun ‘to show them what a day at work is like’
- Top cop fired for allegedly using Taser on wife
- Ex-NFL Player Tasered For Pointing At Cop

The Atlanta Election in Black and White

The City of Atlanta will hold municipal elections on Tuesday, Nov. 3 in an effort to fill the offices for Mayor, multiple City Council seats and the Board of Education. The incumbent mayor, Shirley Franklin will be ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits on her office. As a result, the mayoral campaign has been left wide open and has led to a hotly contested race. More HERE

Now the big question is will a veteran City Council member (who is white), who hails from the largely white neighborhood of Buckhead be the next mayor of Atlanta?

Is this post-racial politics in Atlanta? No I don't think so. But as reported by The LA Times, Norwood's success among black voters has become the most important dynamic in the closing days of the contest to succeed second-term Mayor Shirley Franklin.

More HERE

In a poll Thursday of registered Atlanta voters conducted by local firm InsiderAdvantage, Norwood received 45% support overall. (A SurveyUSA poll showed her with 46%.) Among the African Americans polled, Norwood received 34% support in the InsiderAdvantage poll -- a narrow plurality.

The black support has helped place Norwood far ahead of three other serious contenders, all of them African Americans with impressive resumes. Her closest competitor is Reed, a former state senator, who had 25% overall support in the InsiderAdvantage poll.

As reported in the Atlanta Journal, For months, Franklin refused to say which candidate she supports. She's been clear she wouldn't endorse the front-runner, Councilwoman Mary Norwood. Franklin wrote a blog entry on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Political Insider column last week saying that Norwood has not demonstrated "vision, competence or integrity in her public life."

The mayor has also been critical of Norwood for not voting in June with the majority of the council in favor of raising taxes, which Franklin said was necessary to end furloughs on police officers.

ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - During an Atlanta Mayoral debate today, candidate Mary Norwood dismissed critical comments made by outgoing Mayor Shirley Franklin. More HERE

As reported by The LA Times, Norwood's commanding lead in the polls has raised the possibility that she may win more than 50% of the vote, obviating the need for a runoff. Her success has also prompted a new line of attack from foes, including Reed, who have accused her of being a closet Republican in a Democratic-leaning city.

AAPP: At the end of this day we will see if Atlanta will experience a post racial moment and elect its first white mayor in over 35 years. I can't wait to see the results, can you?

Man with his hands on a squad carTasered on his neck by Minneapolis Police

The Minneapolis Police Department is again defending itself against accusations that an officer went too far during an arrest. 

Video given to WCCO-TV late Monday night shows a man with his hands on a squad car when an officer uses a Taser on his neck.

Attorney Albert Goins is suing the City of Minneapolis on behalf of his client, Rolando Ruiz. They're asking for $75,000 and that the officer involved be reprimanded. 

The video given to WCCO starts only seconds before the Taser is used on Ruiz, not what led up to the incident. But in that time, no struggle can be seen before the officer used his Taser on Ruiz. What is seen is Ruiz with his hands on the hood of the officer's car.

The dash camera of the squad car was rolling when the officer approached Ruiz with Taser in hand.  see Video HERE

Another reason why you should join the stop taser torture movement. We need to stop Police Taser Abuse.