It depends on what the defintion of a #HateCrime IS in Sweet Home Alabama

Racism alive and well in Limestone County, Alabama http://t.co/siEv8Gzpne pic.twitter.com/9qCNf7uBTf
— Mic (@micnews) January 5, 2015

"We can't change what we refuse to acknowledge."

Poor Alabama Media Group. they can't decide if they are for Hate Crimes or against Hate Crimes.  *Sigh* Yesterday they reported the FBI is now assisting the  Limestone County Sheriffs Office in the case, and said  This is 2015, not 1965, and hate crimes shouldn't be tolerated by the community or law enforcement:

"In the short term, the Limestone County Sheriff's Office should make it a priority to find out who committed this crime and prosecute them to the fullest extent the law allows."

Yes, this from the group who allows anonymous commenter's to spew all manner of hate speech on a daily basis.

 If you want to take the pulse of Huntsville, and find out what's really going on, who the people in positions of power and influence cater and pander to, and how they really feel about an issue, look no further than the comment section of Al.com.

Well, not only have they deleted the offensive comments from the comment section, today they ran a story asking if the incident is a hate crime  reporting the DA says "It depends". 

Jones said charges can be elevated to a hate crime after the suspect is caught but the use of the slur doesn't automatically make it a hate crime. "It'll come down to, 'Why did you do this?'" he said. "We have to catch the person first to determine why somebody would do this."

Huh?  It will come down to why did you do this? Uh, why does someone spray the N-word on someones door Mr. Jones?  Because they can?  Because rappers and rap music?  Because it's a term of endearment?  Because Obama?  I mean, really?

Jones said, for example, if someone spray-painted the word "honky" on his home, would it be considered a hate crime if a white person was charged?

Now if this isn't a classic example of false narrative and a straw man argument I don't know what is.   Of course it wouldn't be a hate crime if a white person spay-painted the word "honky" on his home, but it would it an African American did it. A better example would be if someone of either race spray painted the F-word on your home.

But then.... this is Sweet Home Alabama.....

Case in point: Artur Davis’ recent vote AGAINST the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The purpose of the bill is to provide Federal assistance to States and local jurisdictions to prosecute hate crimes. Considering that Davis represents Alabama’s blackbelt, the ancestral home of hate crimes, you would think he would support such a bill. Well, actually, he did support it two years ago when he voted FOR hate crimes legislation. But I guess that was before he was trying to run for Governor and before he realized he could use some of those KKK votes.

In a recent statement released after his vote against the current bill, Davis “explains” what influenced his decision. He says:

Some of my constituents ask why our federal laws should pick out some Americans for more protections than others. Some wonder why, in a culture that rejects violence against any human being, we should say that an attack on a black, or a woman, or a gay individual should be punished more severely than an attack on someone who happens to be a senior citizen, or a soldier, or a teacher. Others ask why some motives based on certain ideas should be punished by our criminal laws more aggressively than others.

 Racism won't end until it's confronted.  We can't confront racism until it is defined. 

 What can you do to end racism?  Nothing.  You can't control peoples thoughts and feelings, but you can stop electing and giving power to the the people who have those thoughts and feelings. You can speak up and speak out. Silence equals consent.

Redeye's Week in Review~Alabama

Lock and load, cross hairs, empty the clip. Republicans are pro life,pro guns and anti health care. Go figure.

And how did the new and improved Alabama Democratic Party respond to gop hate? With a whimper. Snicker

If gay people go to redneck bars in Opelika, AL they get what they deserve. Gay people are twice as likely to be the victims of hate crimes than black people. Still can't understand why former AL Congress Critter Artur Davis voted against the Hate Crimes bill. Snark

Boss Hoggs Haley Barbour out, Gooberner heck of a job Brownie Bob Riley in.

Congress Critter Terri Sewell is hard at work. So is Congress Critter Mo Brooks. Psst! Where are the jobs?

The goppers still have a diversity problem and more

Just because the gop added two African American members (and I use the characterization loosely) to it's formally Lilly white house congressional ranks doesn't mean they aren't still bigots, nor does it mean African Americans will be flocking to the grand old party like flies to molasses. You see, contrary to the popular, but misguided opinion of some, democrats, strike that, real democrats will vote for someone based upon their political views rather than the color of their skin.

Which party is more successful in electing minority candidates from non-minority districts? Not Democrats. A small little embryo now, this has the potential to morph into a huge problem for Democrats down the road.

Where would the gop be without minority members to carry the water for them?

Congressman-elect Allen West (R-Fla.), who said he plans to become the only black Republican in the Congressional Black Caucus, accused the organization of failing the black community by promoting dependence on government welfare programs.

"The Congressional Black Caucus cannot continue to be a monolithic voice that promotes these liberal social welfare policies and programs that are failing in the Black community, that are preaching victimization and dependency, that's not the way that we should go," West said on Fox News Friday. "And those are not the types of principles that my mother and father raised me with in the inner city of Atlanta, Georgia."

The gop elects two a$$ clowns but the democrats have a diversity problem? I don't think so.

This means Democrats lack a bench of minority candidates who can run for statewide office, no less national office. Most Democratic minorities make a career in the House, accruing seniority and influence but lacking broad-based political support.

The prime culprit in preventing minorities from having broader appeal is the process of gerrymandering majority-minority seats. It has guaranteed blacks and Hispanics representation, but at the cost of creating seats where candidates would have to appeal to a broader constituency, white and non-white alike. For decades, such districts were judicially mandated; in the South, officials still need clearance from the Justice Department to decrease the proportion of blacks voters in a district.

So now we get to the real nitty gritty, it's them there gerrymandered majority-minority voting districts that's the problem for white folks. Newsflash! The majority-minority seats weren't created where candidates would have to appeal to a broader constituency i.e. white folks because they know the only way white folks will vote for a black candidate is if they share their political point of view. The majority-minority districts were created so black folks would have someone to represent their interest, and not let white folks decide who their leaders would be.

The logic behind gerrymandering stems from the Civil Rights era, when white voters were highly unlikely to vote for African-American candidates, so districts needed to be drawn so black voters could elect their own to Congress. It was effective—and necessary—to bring diversity to a homogeneous body. But now, the consequence of these contortions comes at great expense to Democrats and civil rights leaders alike.

It's not consequences of these contortions that come at a great expense to Democrats and civil rights leaders, it's the consequences of white folks who would rather lose than stand with black folks.

“It’s not in the best interests of Southern voters, it’s certainly not in the interest of people who want a non-racial politics focused on substance and identity, and the content of a candidate’s character, not the color of their skin,” said outgoing Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., a centrist black congressman who lost his state’s gubernatorial primary this year.

I guess it depends on what the definition of a non-racial politics focused on substance and identity IS considering His 7th District gave Barack Obama nearly 73 percent of the vote in 2008.

Davis' majority black congressional district in Alabama is one of the poorest in the country, boasts the state's highest HIV/AIDS rates and is the epicenter of the state's syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia epidemic, "among the highest in the country", reports WKRG.

Says Davis of his vote against expanding health care to his district's poor and low income residents: "I just don't see this as a racial vote or a racial issue."

Of course it isn't. Priorities, priorities ...

Davis and his ilk are a scourge, they shortchange their constituents to be better accepted by white conservatives.

Apparently, history means nothing, disparities in education, housing, health, crime, economics in the black community are not significant enough to tackle for a politician whose campaign was "never about race".

Never about race my Donkey. It's all about race. It's always about race. Davis tried to ride Obama's coat tails to the governors mansion while stabbing him in the back. White Alabama democrats and conservatives saw his candidacy as symbolic, a way to make America forget about Alabama's shameful racial history. In other words they wanted to put a black face on the problem then claim they were moving forward on substance.

In one of the reddest of the red states, Sparks ran an issue-oriented campaign that offered solutions to the hopes and fears of voters threatened by further job loss and inadequate health care. Voters were enticed by Sparks advocacy of gambling as a job-creator and source of government funding. And, most recently, many feared the horror of the BP's oil drilling catastrophe.

Furthermore, significant segments of the Democratic base suspected Davis of making self-serving deals with their Republican enemies to help his own career.

Some white Alabama democrats and conservatives saw Davis's candidacy as symbolic, a way to make America forget about Alabama's shameful racial history. In other words they wanted to put a black face on the problem then claim they were moving forward on substance.

There is no nice way to say this, so I'm going to be blunt, Artur Davis was who the conservative wing of the democratic party wanted to be the defacto leader of African Americans instead of Joe Reed. In other words, they were so busy trying to screw Joe Reed they screwed themselves right out of the majority in Alabama State Legislature.

Artur Davis has to walk the fine line in this campaign: convince the big middle of the electorate to judge him on the issues -- he's a fairly moderate reformer with broad appeal -- without turning off voters who may have followed Joe Reed's advice in the past. He needs to convince those voters to judge him on the issues instead of listening to Reed's advice.

What's the problem with listening to Reed's advice you ask? Well for one thing, he's largely responsible for creating them there gerrymandered majority-minority voting districts in Alabama which gave black Alabama taxpayers representation in the legislature and the United States House of Representatives. Reed has spent his life fighting for black representation, Davis has spent his taking advantage of Reeds work. This was a move to replace Reed, who fights for the rights of black folks, teachers, unions, etc. with Davis who goes along to get along and is not threatening to the white power structure.

Long time, respected Alabama Civil Rights Attorney Jerome Grey breaks it down in relation to Bombinghams contested District 54 election between Patrica Todd and
Gaynell Hendricks.

In 2000, the district was drawn with a 63 percent black majority. In the years since, gentrification has shrunk that proportion, and some estimate the current black population at about 50 percent. In his letter endorsing Hendricks, [Joe] Reed warned black community leaders that if they elected a white candidate, the district could be redrawn without a black majority.

“If a district became a Republican district, Republicans would fight like the dickens to keep the district Republican,” said Jerome Gray, field Director for the ADC. “The same is true if a district is majority black. Black activists and black leaders are going to fight for the dickens to keep it majority black.”

While some have attacked the ADC’s stance as reverse racism, Gray said that white Democrats simply will not spearhead the same issues as their black counterparts. He gave the restoration of felony voting rights as an example.

And there you have it. Black activist and black leaders are going to fight for our rights. The question is will white democrats fight with us or fight against us?

Forgive Them For They Know Not What They Do

According to part time Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Artur Davis, Congressmen and civil rights icon John Lewis, and Congressmen Jesse L. Jackson Jr, support his efforts to *cough cough* change Alabama, and will be featured in radio ads (probably in the black community), before the June 1 primary, because Artur Davis, his campaign, and his supporters must think black voters in Alabama are stoopid.

Artur Davis wants to change Alabama all right (pun intended). He wants to change it back to the land of cotton where old times there are not forgotten. He has run one of the most divisive, republican style campaigns in Alabama history, and just about torn the Alabama Democratic Party to shreds.

One thing I will say about Davis's candidacy, it is pitting democrat vs democrat, white vs black, conservative vs liberal, white progressives vs black progressives, pro choice vs anti choice, north AL vs south AL, rural voters vs urban voters. And some call me "divisive"? Go figure.

Davis panders to the right, who are wrong about everything, to the detriment of the, as he calls them,  democratic base(women,minorities,labor,public school teachers,civil rights leaders,African American political organizations). You know, the traditional democratic base that marched, bleed and died to change Alabama. The traditional democratic base that made it possible for him to be the sitting Congressman from the 7th district (which includes the black belt) of Alabama.

According to The Birmingham News, many are saying these traditional organizations are out of step because they endorsed Ron Sparks over Artur Davis. Translation, these traditional organizations aren't falling for the Okey Doke.

Traditional black organizations aren't supporting Artur Davis just because he's black. What The Birmingham News, and those who claim these traditional organizations are out of step, don't realize is African American voters don't vote for candidates based on the color of their skin, they vote for candidates based on the content of the character. African American voters don't vote against their common interest. Ask Alan Keys and Michael Steele.

Rep. Jesse Jackson said this at the Democratic National Convention in Denver regarding President Obama and leadership (emphasis mine);

I know that while America may not be perfect, our union can always be perfected. I know what we can achieve when good people with strong convictions come together around a common purpose. And I know what a great leader can do to help us find common ground.

IMHO, Congressman Davis doesn't have strong convictions. Strike that, Congressman Davis doesn't have strong liberal/progressive convictions. He wants to win at any cost, and will do or say anything to achieve that goal, including throwing his constituents under the bus.

Alabama District 7 is 61.7% African-American. 72.2% live in urban areas (primarily Birmingham, Bessemer, Tuscaloosa, Selma and Demopolis). The district’s median per capita income was $26,672.

NO group is disproportionately uninsured than Black folks, and he voted AGAINST healthcare reform.

Uh huh.

No group is at the BOTTOM of nearly all healthcare statistics like Black folks, and he voted AGAINST healthcare reform.

Uh huh.

Davis can't help us find common ground because there is no common ground.  How are we supposed to find common ground with those who oppose everything we stand for? That would be like a chicken finding common ground with Colonel Sanders.

Artur Davis and his supporters also tout his Lily Ledbetters endorsement, and that's good. No one can argue women don't deserve equal pay for equal work, but if Lily Ledbetter had been Lily Jones, a poor black/brown female would he have jumped on the band wagon? I seriously doubt it. Just because Davis voted for, and supported, the equal pay for equal work Act doesn't mean he's a friend of women. Strike that, it doesn't mean he's a friend of poor/minority women.

What about the Lily Jones who work at minimum wage jobs and don't have access to health care?

What about the Lily Gonzales who are fired from their jobs because they develops breat cancer?

What about the Lily Washingtons, who are recent college graduates with severe asthma and can no longer be carried on their parents' health insurance, but can't find jobs when future employers find out about their pre-existing condition?

What about the Lily Smiths, who for what ever reason, chose to have a safe, legal abortion but can't afford to pay for it because they can't afford health insurance?

The Davis campaign, and his supporters, routinely bash, trash, smear and smash the American heroes like s, Dr. Joe Reed and State Senator Hank Sanders, who fought and continue to fight for the Lily's mentioned above. The only traditional civil rights leaders they like are the very few who support and endorse Davis.

Artur Davis also voted against the hate crimes bill. Every time I see the pictures of Bloody Sunday, or mark the anniversary of the 4 little black girls killed while attending Sunday school, or think about Matthew Sheppard, it makes my blood boil to know Artur Davis voted against the hate crimes bill for his own personal, political gain.

It will be will be impossible for me and my house to support Artur Davis, IF he wins the democratic primary. I don't care if Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, comes down from Mt. Zion and endorses him.

As for me and my house, we will stay our Donkey's at home on election day if Artur Davis is the democratic nominee, and let the best republican win.

Redeye's Top Ten Ways You Know Your Campaign is in Deep Doo-Doo.

#10 Pander to the right at the expense of the traditional base i.e. women, minorities, LBGT's, Labor,public school teachers and administrators.

#9 Vote against the hate crimes bill in an attempt to get the haters to vote for you.

#8 Vote against the health care reform bill to pander to the Obama haters.

#8 Stop showing up for forums and debates because you don't want to answer questions.

#7 Diss African American Political organizations before they can diss you because you voted against the hate crimes bill and the health care reform bill and call yourself a new democrat.

#6 Recycle the Lilly Ledbetter endorsement in order to appeal to "working women" after you've thrown women under the health care reform bus by voting for the Stupid, I mean Stupak amendment.

#5 Release a poll to your supporters telling them everything is fine go back to sleep. Black voters are going to vote for you despite the fact you voted against the hate crimes bill and the health care reform bill because you're black, and white voters are going to vote for you despite the fact you are black because you voted against the health care reform bill and the hate crimes bill. Do you need some Dramamine to go with that spin?

#4 Start a controversy about your opponent's campaign bank loan because you can't talk about the issues or your agenda.

#3 Pretend like you don't understand why State Senator Hank Sanders and the UMWA endorse your opponent.

#2 Share some unfortunate news about your opponents campaign.

#1 When all else fails, play the race card and resort to race baiting. "Race tinged letter" my Donkey.