"Remembering the Legacy of A. Phillip Randolph on Labor Day"

the grio.com

 

“We are the advance guard of a massive moral revolution for jobs and freedom. This revolution reverberates throughout the land, touching every village where black men are segregated, oppressed and exploited,” the 74-year-old A. Philip Randolph told the estimated 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom fifty years ago on August 28, 1963.

The idea for the March on Washington began in December 1940

A. Philip Randolph led the planning for a March on Washington that was slated to take place on July 1, 1941. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order banning military contractors from discriminating on the basis of “race, creed, color, or national origin,” Randolph called off the march — but the power of a black march on Washington was now a reality.

Labor Day Must Read(s)

Why I oppose military intervention in Syria

This is not about humanitarianism. It is about geopolitics and the control of natural resources. If Syria was not located in an oil rich region, there would be no calls for military action. Thousands of innocent civilians are dying in the Central Republic of Congo, Nigeria and many other countries around the world. Yet, the US does nothing. Clearly, this is not about protecting civilians.

Tavis Smiley:  Obama "Dishonoring" MKL's Memory with push for war in Syria

 “There’s the issue of violence. War, Dr. King would say were he here, is not the answer. We cannot worship at the altar of retaliation,” Smiley said. “It’s either non-violent co-existence or violent co-annihilation, Dr. King would say were he here.”

9 Cases That Prove We don't live in a Post Racial America

At the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, speakers continually reminded us of how far we’ve come since the original march, but judging from just a few stories in the last 30 days, we haven’t come nearly as far as some seem to think.

GOP: it's all about slavery.  Update: Obama's Speech Today (Blast from the past)

This is Labor Day. Alan Grayson is up with a great offering, What Robert Kennedy Said.
But here's the bottom line: What the Republicans are fighting against, the reason they are pursuing a scorched earth policy that would rather see every last bit of progress in this country come to a grinding halt than give one inch to a government that might regulate them, is to ensure that what they have built over the past 30 years is never taken away.

Wishing all my readers, lurkers and commentators a safe and happy Labor Day.

Update~Awkward Annal's of American Politics on Labor Day

As you can see from the comments I am being accused of "technically repeating libel/slander in regards to this post regarding the Romney Campaign slogan/them.  Although I don't agree with the premise or the argument , I am editing the post to read;

Did you know one of the themes/slogans adopted by the Romney campaign, "Keep America America" is a variation of  Keep America American, once a slogan of the Ku Klux Klan?  The question is did Team Romney know his campaign slogan was once used by the KKK?  Awkward.

It is being reported by the Huffington Post that Romney’s campaign slogan “Keep America American” was the driving theme of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. The slogan was the rallying cry for groups seeking to intimidate and terrorize black, Jewish and gay people all throughout the United States.

That said, did Romney/Ryan technically repeat Libel/Slander when they said President Obama ended the work for welfare requirement?  Are the Birthers technically repeating Libel/Slander when they claim the President wasn't born in America, implying he is not an American?  I guess it depends on what the definition of technically repeating Libel/Slander IS, because it looks like the republicans can technically dish out Libel/Slander, but they can't take it.

The same genius who came up with the KKK slogan for Romney must be the same genius who thought the Alabama, Mississippi and Florida delegations  Democratic National Convention kickoff party should be held at Historic Rosedale Plantation in  Charlotte, North Carolina.   Oh well, at least it wasn't held in the slave quarters.

This photo of Historic Rosedale Plantation is courtesy of TripAdvisor


 How do they expect us to move forward when there is always something there to remind us?

Martin Luther King Jr spoke for workers and unions.  His last campaign was a labor fight.

Labor Day Links I Love~Edited

The only thing standing between the gop infused, media enabled Tea Party and a return to the land of cotton where old times there are not forgotten is Y-0-U! It's all about slave labor.

What the Republicans are fighting against, the reason they are pursuing a scorched earth policy that would rather see every last bit of progress in this country come to a grinding halt than give one inch to a government that might regulate them, is to ensure that what they have built over the past 30 years is never taken away.

And what they have built is a system of exclusive privilege, exclusive wealth and exclusive power and control. Of, by and for those very, very few at the very top. Ostensibly made possible by "free trade".

Free trade is put in quotes because it doesn't exist, and it isn't free.

What free trade is really all about is the freedom to build wealth beyond all imagination by exploiting people with no protection and no rights.

It is about the unfettered use of slave labor.

The very thing that tore this country apart one hundred and fifty years ago, and is destroying it again as we sit here. Only this time, the slaves are hidden from view.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ron Sparks may not want to see Richard Shelby get beat like a drum by William Barnes but I sure do. I don't condone what Ron Sparks said, but I understand.

I see two possible explanations of this move by Sparks, and they can be classified as (1) cynical, and (2) very cynical. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t approve of either, but if either helps regain the Governor’s Mansion, my criticism will be tempered.

You see, unlike the pseudo dims, Davis supporters and Sparks haters who weren't going to vote for Sparks anyway, I don't see this as a reason not to vote and just hand the Governors Mansion over to the Tea Party, I mean gop. What Dardango said;

One must never forget the Obama mindset of using a scalpel instead of an axe. There are still many brilliant Democrats in Alabama. And I still support Sparks, despite his bonehead endorsement. Do people want some progress with Sparks or none at all with Bentley?

I'm voting for Ron Sparks AND William Barnes. It looks like leaning Left in Alabama Cats and Tommy Stevenson are trying to Shirley Sherrod Ron Sparks. You know the drill, take a snippet out of context and spin it like a top.

This was not an endorsement of Sen. Shelby. It was an acknowledgement that I will work with him across party lines to create new jobs in Alabama and that federal money plays an important role in Alabama's economy. Our problems are so great they can only be solved by all of us working together, and I will unite with anyone, Republican or Democrat, to get my top priority done: bringing good jobs to the working families of Alabama.
The reporter declared the endorsement, not Sparks. Sparks has clarified what Sparks was saying.

President Obama, you aren't the only one special interest and the status quo talk about like a dog. Anyone that dares stand up for working people, the disenfranchised, women, minorities, labor, public schools and public school teachers is talked about like a dog, so you are in good company.