What looks like #WhiteSupremacy and #BlackDivisiveness on the 52nd Anniversary of #BloodySunday in #SelmaAlabama

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill touted Voter ID at Selma Service

For those who don't know the shameful, sordid history of Bloody Sunday let's recap.

On March 7, 1965, African-Americans seeking voting rights launched a march across the bridge en route to Montgomery but were attacked by police. That violent episode became known as "Bloody Sunday."

For or some reason Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill thought the church honoring the 52nd anniversary of Bloody Sunday at historic Brown Chapel in Selma was the perfect time and place to rub the Voter ID law in the faces of the attendees.   

"We want to make sure that every eligible U.S. citizen that is a resident of Alabama is registered to vote and has a photo ID so they can participate in the electoral process at they level that they want to participate," Merrill said.

Liar Liar sheet on fire!  EYE guess we are supposed to forget about how after passing the Voter ID Bill, our Governor closed most of the DMV's in the black belt before the 2016 election and that it was proven to be racially motivated after the election.

"Based on its investigation, DOT has concluded that African Americans residing in the Black Belt region of Alabama disproportionately underserved by ALEA's driver licensing services, causing a disparate and adverse impact on the basis of race," the department said.

EYE guess we are supposed to forget John Merrill said and threatened to do this: 

"If you’re too sorry or lazy to get up off of your rear and to go register to vote, or to register electronically, and then to go vote, then you don’t deserve that privilege," Merrill said.
He then lashed out at criticism of Alabama's registration process and threatened to prosecute a filmmaker who described registering to vote in the state as "complex and complicated."
Merrill threatened to prosecute Brian Jenkins if he was registered in two states, even though Jenkins never claimed to be registered in Alabama.

Enough about the political duplicity of John Merrill, he's who/what we thought he is.  EYE want to know whose big bright idea it was to invite him to speak at Brown Chapel in the first place? That's like inviting the fox into the hen house.  Note some people walked out on Merrill, not ALL people.   

Multiple spectators called out in opposition several times of having a photo ID including in the voting process. Many walked out of the church service while Merrill was still talking including NAACP president Dr. William Barber, according to WFSA.
"Standing on this historic ground, where people died for voting rights, we cannot accept this hypocrisy of voter suppression," Barber said.
The service continued, despite the moments of tension, with Congresswoman Terri Sewell calling for unity and activism and other leaders asking for respect and peace.

Psst!  Congresswoman Terri Sewell and other leaders asking for respect and peace,  your calls for unity, respect and peace are divisive and a pile of manure.  There can be no unity, respect, and peace with people who hate us for our freedom.  That is like asking a rape victim to unite and respect their rapist.  You should have joined Rev. Barber and the others who walked out on John Merrill.  Do the people from North Carolina need to come down here and give y'all lessons on leadership, courage, and conviction?

We the people are tired of politicians who have style but no substance.  EYE want some real leadership. If you are scared just say you are scared and move over and let those who aren't scared takeover.

Neither Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders "deserve the black vote." They have to earn the black vote. #BlackHistoryMonth2016

 Michelle Alexander, who EYE admire and respect, wrote a scathing article outlining why Hillary Clinton doesn't deserve the black vote.  She made some valid points in regards to former President Bill Clinton's Three Strikes Crime Bill, which led to the mass incarceration of black/brown/poor folks.  To be fair, Hillary was First Lady, and not the President of the United States.  She did not vote for or against the crime bill, but Bernie Sanders and The Congressional Black Caucus did.  It's not fair she be held responsible for the actions of others, including Bernie and the CBC.

 WASHINGTON -- With the switch of at least three votes, the Congressional Black Caucus made clear yesterday that it would come to President Clinton's rescue on the crime bill. 

After a meeting at the White House with Mr. Clinton, three Black Caucus members who had voted against bringing the $33 billion measure up for final House vote last week announced that they had succumbed to his appeals to save not only the crime bill but perhaps his presidency.

"He was selling his presidency, the party and the fact that we will not get a better bill than this," said Rep. Charles B. Rangel, a New York Democrat who found Mr. Clinton persuasive. "Every step forward in a positive way renews the confidence the people have in the president."

Now that the Angry White Primaries are over it's time for the Angry Black Primary, and believe me Black folks are mad as hell.  We are sick and tired of being sick and tired.  It's going to take more than soundbites, photo ops,  coat tails, and endorsements, to earn our vote this time.  We are not going to be a firewall , nor will our votes be taken for granted, for either democratic candidate.  That said, either candidate is better than the alternative, but neither will be the democratic nominee without the black vote.

The fight over the African-American vote is central to any Democratic candidate getting elected,” said Todd Shaw, a political scientist at the University of South Carolina.
Though polls show Clinton has the overwhelming majority of the state’s black voters, Winthrop University political scientist Scott Huffmon said after New Hampshire, she needs a big win to sustain the notion that she has a wider appeal than Sanders.

Which brings me to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations', not to be confused with the Congressional Black Caucus, endorsement of Hillary Clinton.  Words matter.  The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is not the Congressional Black Caucus.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) is an American educational foundation. It conducts research on issues affecting African Americans, publishes a yearly report on key legislation, and sponsors issue forums, leadership seminars and scholarships. Although linked with theCongressional Black Caucus (CBC), the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is a separate nonprofit group that runs programs in education, healthcare and economic development.
Established in 1976 by members of the CBC, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) began as a non-partisan research institute. Today, the Foundation is organized as a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy, research and educational institute with an office located near Dupont Circle inWashington, D.C., as well as a Board of Directors and two Advisory Councils. R. Donahue Peebles is the Chairperson of CBCF and A. Shuanise Washington is its president and chief executive officer.
Fundraising events and corporate partners support CBCF programs. The CBCF funds many of its activities by hosting an Annual Legislative Conference each September.[1] The Foundation often works with the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses, a group of wives and husbands of the African American members of the United States Congress.

The headline should read;   The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation endorses Hillary Clinton. See it's media enabled, GOP style stuff (for lack of a better word) like this, that turns me off.  That, and the fact the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation doesn't speak for the masses as is implies.

A New York Times article that investigated the caucus’s connections to corporate interests reported that from 2004 to 2008, the Congressional Black Caucus’s political and charitable wings took in at least $55 million in corporate and union contributions.[2]
The caucus says its nonprofit groups are intended to help disadvantaged African Americans by providing scholarships and internships to students, researching policy and holding seminars on topics like healthy living.[2]
In 2008, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation spent more on the caterer for its signature legislative dinner and conference — nearly $700,000 for an event one organizer called “Hollywood on the Potomac” — than it gave out in scholarships, federal tax records showed.[2]
The Dallas Morning News reported in August 2010 that congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson had awarded thousands of dollars in college scholarships to four relatives and a top aide's two children using foundation funds. The recipients were ineligible under anti-nepotism rules of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which provided the money, and all of the awards violated a foundation requirement that scholarship winners live or study in a caucus member's district.[3]
The foundation's former chairman, Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., said that neither the foundation nor the Congressional Black Caucus "will allow unethical behavior in the awarding of scholarships or any programs that are designed to benefit the community." [4]

Another reason the distinction is important is because member of the CBC PAC and some (not to be confused with all) black leaders who support Hillary Clinton slam Bernie Sanders on race issues. Implying Bernie Sanders didn't start supporting black folks until he wanted to be the President.  Well that's not factually correct.  Bernie Sanders filibustered the Sugar Coated Satan Sandwich, aka The Debt Ceiling  Compromise, and the Congressional Black Caucus, not to be confused with the Black Caucus Foundation, joined him.  

"You can call what I am doing today whatever you want, you it [sic] call it a filibuster, you can call it a very long speech," said Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. "I'm not here to set any great records or to make a spectacle. I am simply here today to take as long as I can to explain to the American people the fact that we have got to do a lot better than this agreement provides."

"We are simply here to say that we want a fair deal," said Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.). "You know, there was the New Deal under Roosevelt, and then there was a Fair Deal under Truman. Every new deal is not necessarily fair, and we see this new deal as not necessarily fair."
Payne was joined by other members of the Congressional Black Caucus - considered President Obama's most loyal backers - who announced that the "vast majority" of caucus members would oppose the plan as it is currently drafted.

So no, EYE am not impressed, or moved, by the Congressional Black Caucus PAC's endorsement of Hillary Clinton.  As a matter of fact it's a turn off.   EYE am still undecided which candidate will get my vote in the democratic primary, but EYE will support the democratic nominee, because the alternative is terrifying.

Currently Bernie Sanders is leading Hillary Clinton in Sweet Home Alabama, to be honest,  that worries me. How can a self described democratic socialist be leading in red, republican, Alabama?  EYE think it's more about hating Hillary than supporting Bernie.  If Bernie is the winner and carries Alabama, it will prove me wrong. If Hillary is the winner, and Alabama remains solidly conservative, it will prove me right.  Pun intended.

#BlackHistoryMonth2016


RedEye

Paging President Obama, Vice President Biden, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Somebody please help us #BlackHistoryMonth2016

Dear All,
EYE know you like to come to Alabama to take pictures,  raise money, and give speeches , but we are in desperate need of some some substantive help down here in Sweet Home Alabama.

The White House announced President Obama plans to visit #Selma on March 7, 2015 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the signing of the Voting Rights Act, which was gutted under his administration, but I digress.

EYE hate to say it, but your election seems to have bought out the worst in white Alabamians.  Because we dared get out and vote for you twice, EYE fear they have lost their collective minds.

If the cries of Montgomery politicians under indictment don’t generate sympathy, certainly the lamentation of unemployed workers in the Black Belt does. One effect of the bribe-induced Riley-Canary war on bingo in Alabama is the closure of bingo operations in Greene, Macon and Houston Counties, that employed literally thousands of workers, and brought millions of dollars annually to local government treasuries. We all wish that overwhelmingly black Greene and Macon Counties had bulldozers clearing land for new automotive and electronics plants, or for high-powered biology labs or computer engineering firms, but that’s the progress of the next generation. Right now, those counties are absolutely dependent on the entertainment and gaming business for their economic survival, and Obama’s what-me-worry attitude about Canary has placed that survival in jeopardy. Even in the white-majority Wiregrass, it’s probably safe to assume that Country Crossing employed a fair number of African-Americans in its service sector jobs. Had Bob Riley needed to worry about a U.S. Attorney with integrity in Montgomery, he would likely not have earned his Mississippi Choctaw bribes by shutting down the bingo halls, and the Legislature would probably have put a bingo referendum on this November’s ballot. As it is, there is no way to know when, or if, these businesses will reopen. At some point, even the President’s biggest supporters have to ask if he’s paying attention.

EYE know you are busy with ISIS and all but could you spare us some of your time and attention too? There is a mean spirit on the loose with our Governor leading the pack.   EYE need you to come to Alabama and do for the people who did vote for you, what you did for the people who didn't vote for you.  And could you please hurry?

Because Bentley has refused to accept assistance from the federal government, almost entirely out of political posturing, many working Alabamians — people with jobs, trying to do their part — who are caught in the so-called health care gap have to go without coverage of any kind.

#BlackHistory2016

How the children of Birmingham changed the Civil Rights Movement

RedEye

Update 2: Richard "Dick" Shelby standing up to Obama everyday is proof no good deed goes unpunished #BlackHistoryMonth2016

This is a picture of President Obama touring the damage in Tuscaloosa, AL in the aftermath of the deadly storms that struck Alabama in 2011.

This is a picture of President Obama touring Birmingham, Al in the aftermath of the deadly storms that devastated Alabama in April, 2011.

The Storm is Passing Over

I hate to say it, but as an African American supporter of President Obama, his actions continue to disappoint me. Don't get me wrong, although it took a tornado to bring him to Alabama, I'm glad he came. But, Tuscaloosa was not the only area hit hard by the storms. Entire neighborhoods were devastated in nearby Birmingham also.
President Obama did not carry Tuscaloosa County, and he will never carry Tuscaloosa County. President Obama did carry Jefferson County, and he can count on carrying Jefferson County again. So why did he pander to the ones who will never vote for him at the expense of those who did, and will, vote for him?

Why indeed?  And who are these Obama Haters Richard Shelby panders to?  An Internet search of pictures of President Obama's visit to T-Town shows a lot of  people who are very happy to see and be seen the President and the First Lady.

Richard Shelby's Wag The Dog political ads are proof there is more than a whiff of hypocrisy in Sweet Home Alabama.

BTW:  Happy first day of  #BlackHistoryMonth2016

On this date, in 1965, the Selma Demonstration ended, with the arrest of 700 individuals, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. #History#BlackHistoryMonth

RedEye

Tell Congress to #RestoreTheVote

EYE am sick and tired of being sick and tired of the media enabled  fake outrage , and demands for a DOJ investigation, after Alabama closed 31 DMV offices in mostly poor, rural counties with majority African-American populations. under the guise of saving money.

EYE am sick and tired of the pretense and hand wringing. Let's get real. This is #Sweet Home Alabama people.

The home of Jimmie Lee Jackson.
The Home of some First Class Funerals. 
The Home of Viola Luzzio.
The Home of Amelia Boynton Robinson.
The Home of Bull Conner. 
The Cradle of the Confederacy. 
 he Home of Segregation Today, Segregation Tomorrow, Segregation Forever.
The Home of Shelby Co. vs Holder. 
The Home of Selma.
It's not rocket science.

Talk is cheap. Now is the time to put up or shut up. Instead of calling for investigations after the fact, call on Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act. Instead of complaining about the results after enabling the results, call on the Alabama State Legislature to repeal the Voter ID Bill.

We must strongly encourage both Houses of the U.S. Congress to enact strong legislation to restore, strengthen and modernize the Voting Rights Act of 1965 when they return to Washington, D.C. after the November election for the “lame duck” session. We need to ensure that Americans’ right to vote is not compromised!

Action We Should Take >>

Looking back at #Selma50, what has changed?

Retired Alabama State Trooper James Bonard Fowler, 77, center, plead guilty to killing Jimmie Lee Jackson in 1965 during a Civil Rights protest and will serve 6 months in jail. (Carr/AP)Add caption

In looking back at Selma we should be taking note of the role and function of police then and seeing what progress has been made with respect to their role in society 50 years later..In 1965 police saw protestors as LAW BREAKERS. They saw protestors as folks who were unruly, had a potential for VIOLENCE and thus needed to be contained, dispersed jailed and beaten.. Words like 'outside agitators' and 'troublemakers' were used to describe SNCC and used to describe Dr King. What has changed in 50 years?


 “What other people – besides Blacks – are asked to feel grateful for remaining in the same place economically, educationally and politically for 50 years?”

It's the Media. There is a reason why black people hate the media: they hyper-criminalize us.


After Selma, What's Next for Black America?  Without a new and relevant agenda, black America will continue to march in an endless circle of celebrations and parties while it languishes in a permanent state of despair.

So why is President Obama going to discuss payday lending on his trip to Birmingham that is closed to the public, you know, the only group of people in Sweet Home Alabama who voted for and continue to support him?

No matter how many Black people are shot down in the streets by cops, no matter how far Black people fall in the relative to whites in the economy, Barack Obama has always denied that racism is endemic to the United States. He amended that slightly, in Selma this weekend. “Obama now admits that racism had once been endemic to the country, but that it is now limited to Ferguson-like localities.”

Meanwhile, the Confederate Flag License Plate Case reaches the Supreme Court.  I thought the South lost the Civil War?

RedEye

The United States of #Ferguson

#Ferguson is everywhere #Ferguson is America. pic.twitter.com/vYNsi2JErh
— Black Autonomy (@BlackAutonomy) March 13, 2015

Now that the made for TeeVee  #Selma50 celebration is history (pun intended),  let's get back to the reality of  life in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

 The world saw a magnificent celebration last weekend in Selma, Ala., of the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery marches. The racially mixed crowds were huge, exciting and orderly. More than 120,000 attended the two days of commemorative events.

Foot soldiers mingled with dignitaries from the public and private sectors. President Barack Obama gave one of the most brilliant speeches I have ever heard. More than 100 members of Congress joined him in Selma. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley attended the ceremonies, along with scores of state and local officials. A host of corporate sponsors toasted this splendid occasion under VIP tents that were erected for the privacy and convenience of privileged guests.

The theatrics and photo opportunities knew no bounds. The cinematography was simply breathtaking. It was a made-for-TV event.

 The Department of Justice (sic) released a scathing report   detailing racism in the Ferguson Police Department and all the apologist saw was vindication of #DarrenWilson.  Huh?

For years, the Ferguson Police Department has humiliated, harassed, profiled, abused and oppressed black people. When Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed unarmed black teen Michael Brown, the police left Mike's body laying in the street for hours as if his life had no value. Instead of the prosecutor actually prosecuting the case, he essentially served as counsel for the killer. When the prosecutor announced the grand jury's decision not to indict Darren Wilson, that arrogant prosecutor practically gloated and talked down to the people of Ferguson.

Meanwhile, scores attend the funeral of #TonyRobinson, the latest unarmed, black male, shot, and killed by law enforcement.

The teen was shot by Madison Police Department Officer Matt Kenny on March 6 after a confrontation, police say. NBC News reports that an autopsy report released by the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office Friday said Robinson was shot in the head, torso and upper body.

RedEye tiptoeing away from the computer humming God Bless the United States of Ferguson....

It turns out that nearly everyone in the city is wanted for something. Even internal police department communications found the number of arrest warrants to be "staggering". By December of 2014, "over 16,000 people had outstanding arrest warrants that had beenissued by the court." The report makes clear that this refers to individual people, rather than cases (i.e. people with many cases are not being counted multiple times). However, if we do look at the number of cases, the portrait is even starker. In 2013, 32,975 offenses had associated warrants, so that there were 1.5 offenses for every city resident.
That means that the city of Ferguson quite literally has more crimes than people.

I hate to rain on this lovely parade (Honest I do!) but it seems perfectly clear to me that what went down a half a century ago in Selma, Alabama was merely a sweet little overture for what is coming. Not only has Jim Crow been raised from the dead, he's on a nationwide comeback tour. This is a show that won't be closing any time soon. ~ Tom Degan

When a comment becomes a blog post #Selma50 #WhiteGuilt

In the 1800s, the Black Belt area of Dallas County, Alabama -- home of Selma -- was one of the most prosperous areas in the country, enjoyed by the white elite. Today it has the highest poverty rate in the state. (Photo: Chris Kromm/Facing South)

In a lame attempt at tone deaf, racial, concern trolling, Upset Resident, aka FED Up, aka DARYAL Pinchon, had this to say in response to my #Selma50 Round Up. 

Selma: "One small step for a black man, one giant leap for inducing white guilt"
By every possible metric measuring social capital in a community, the 80 percent black city of Selma is a monumental failure.


Here’s a brief overview of 80 percent black Selma in 2015 (courtesy of Hunter Wallace):

In 2015, Selma is 80 percent black and now has a black mayor, a black chief of police, a black district attorney, a black school superintendent, a majority black city council, and a majority black police force.

In 2015, Selma City Schools are 97 percent black. Last year, the Alabama Department of Education’s Board of Education voted unanimously to take over Selma City Schools in the aftermath of a scathing state investigation.

In 2015, fifty years after the Voting Rights Act was passed, Selma has lost a third of its population, around 10,000 White people.

In 2015, 42 percent of the population of Selma lives in poverty, which is twice the state average in Alabama.

In 2015, Selma is represented in the US Congress by a black woman, Rep. Terri Sewell, in the Alabama House of Representatives by a black man, State Rep. Darrio Melton, and in the Alabama Senate by a black man, nine-term incumbent State Sen. Hank Sanders.

In 2015, Selma is the fourth most dangerous city in Alabama with the third highest number of murders per capita and the fourth highest number of property crimes.

In 2015, Selma is struggling with code enforcement on numerous blighted, abandoned homes.

In 2015, Selma is one of the worst cities in which to do business in Alabama.

In 2015, Selma is an epicenter of new HIV infections in rural Alabama. The HIV infection rate in Dallas County is 106.8 percent above the national average.

So, the new and improved Selma in 2015 is plagued by extreme poverty, STDs, high crime, terrible schools, a terrible business climate, high unemployment, low property value, low civic engagement and racial strife by the likes of Faya Rose Toure. Yet the Voting Rights Act was unquestionably a huge success in Selma where blacks now occupy every public office which their numbers allow them to dominate.

It's their city now, with Selma's current conditions a reflection of its majority black population. [Selma's message on civil rights 50 years later:As President Obama prepares to visit Selma five decades after 'Bloody Sunday,' how the civil rights struggle has – and hasn't – changed an epicenter of the movement., Christian Science-Monitor, 3-6-15]:

True, Selma now has black leaders in positions of power, including the mayor, police chief, district attorney, six out of eight city council members, and four out of five school board members. True, Selma’s black population is quick to speak out against injustices – and has overcome innumerable ones.

But the journey toward equality is still a long march. Black children here are more likely to grow up in poverty, less likely to graduate, less likely to attend college, and less likely to become homeowners. Sections of Selma remain sharply segregated, partly because of white flight and partly by choice. Jobs are scarce, and even harder to obtain for those who lack adequate education and skills.

But none of this matters, because Selma is only recognized every March when every last ounce of white guilt can be squeezed out of the crumbling majority black city.

March 10, 2015 at 5:00 AM

 This is my response with links inserted for emphasis and clarity. 

Selma is a crumbling black majority city located in a majority white/republican state, with a white/republican Governor, two white/republican Senators, and 6 white/republican and one black/democrat (who will vote with white/republican) members of Congress, a majority white/republican state legislature,  a white/republican State Attorney General, a majority White/republican State Board of Education, and an all white/republican State Supreme Court.

A white/republican Governor who refuses to expand medicaid despite the FACT " The HIV infection rate in Dallas County is 106.8 percent above the national average."
A white/republican Governor who is closing State Mental Health Hospitals and Women's Wellness and Health Clinics despite the fact "42 percent of the population of Selma lives in poverty, which is twice the state average in Alabama." Then whine about the STD rate.

A majority white/republican state legislature that cuts the budgets of law enforcement while passing Open Carry gun laws,  then whine about the crime rate.

A majority white/republican state legislature whose first order of business when they took control of the state legislature was to file Shelby County v. Holder paving the way for the majority white/republican Supreme Court to gut section 5 of the voting rights act, allowing white/republican legislature to pass Voter ID bills and Gerrymander they way into lifetime jobs.

A white/republican Governor/Senator, Congress and State Legislature who have made sure Selma is one of the worst cities in which to do business in Alabama.

Selma Behind the Scenes

In 1965, Selma was about half-white; today only 18 percent of residents are. Many affluent whites live near the Selma Country Club, located just west of downtown and the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The Los Angeles Times reports that the club today doesn't have a single black member.

Across the street from the country club is Live Oak Cemetery, divided into "Old" and "New" sections. In 2012, protests erupted when whites moved a statue of Confederate and Klan member Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest to the site; at one point the bust was stolen off of Forrest's statue.

Rolling under the Edmund Pettus Bridge is the Alabama River. A recent report found Alabama to have the third-most toxic waterways in the country, including the lower sections of the Alabama. The biggest employer in Dallas County is International Paper Co.'s Riverdale Mill, which ranks 21st in the state for toxic releases -- more than 1.3 million pounds annually (although some have applauded the company's pollution-reduction efforts). The short-changing of the environment for economic development usually affects poor and black communities the most: Just north of Selma, majority-black Perry County -- where local civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson was murdered in 1965, helping spark the Selma protests -- became the dumpsite for toxic coal ash spilled in 2009 in Tennessee. The dump is the target of civil rights complaint.

The Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was busy under cover of night distributing leaflets around Selma. Atlanta Progressive News obtained an image of one of the flyers.
Also a billboard, visible from the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge, features a Confederate flag and invites visitors to tour “Selma’s War Between the State’s Historic Sites.”

"But none of this matters, because Selma is only recognized every March when every last ounce of white guilt can be squeezed out of the crumbling majority black city." 

 As well it should be, and not just in March, but year long.

"I think that George Bush’s presence is really an insult to me and people who do not believe in non-violence.” ~MLK Footsoldier #DianeNash on #Selma50

 You are doing a "Heck of a job" Terri

No More Mister Nice Blog: ON THE 50TH SELMA ANNIVERSARY, RIGHTIES PAUSE TO REMEMBER THE REAL VICTIMS: GEORGE AND LAURA BUSH

Enabled by none other than the lone  democratic (and I use that term loosely) member of the  Alabama Congressional delegation,  Terri Sewell.  I weep for the residents of the 7th Congressional District.  Really, I do.

My worst fear has come to past. Republicans, enabled by the media (again) and the neo liberals (again) bought and paid for the only African American seat in congress (again). I'm sure they are patting themselves on the back and high fiving their "victory" this morning, but this is wrong on so many levels. For one thing it proves it's not about the people, it's about the money, the power and the influence. It's proof the residents of the 7th district didn't get to decide who represents them in congress (again).

I have more respect for the GOP Lawmakers that didn't attend than I do for the GOP Lawmakers  that did attend.  There is more than a whiff of hypocrisy.

Talking Points Memo:  In Selma, GOP Lawmakers  Explain Why They Don't Support John Lewis To Restore Voting Rights Act

The U.S. has not made progress on race relations under President Obama, said Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the first African-American senator from the South since Reconstruction.

So much for HOPE for CHANGE we can BELIEVE in.

Blast from the Past: Alabama has it's first elected African American Congresswoman #NetanyahuSpeech

Terri Sewell: "It's an historic election because it's about you, not about me"

Yeah right.  In light of the fact the elected Congress Critter from Alabama's 7th Congressional district, and the only African American Democrat who attended  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address before a joint session of Congress I thought it appropriate to re post this blast from the past.

It's no secret I am not a supporter of Terri Sewell, not because she isn't nice, accomplished young lady from a good family, but because I don't believe she has the experience or the political skills to represent the interest of the voters of the 7th district. I'm going to be frank, and say the out of state money and the wall street connections worry me. I fear this is another case of affluent white folks deciding who should represent poor black folks.

My worst fear has come to past. Republicans, enabled by the media (again) and the neo liberals (again) bought and paid for the only African American seat in congress (again). I'm sure they are patting themselves on the back and high fiving their "victory" this morning, but this is wrong on so many levels. For one thing it proves it's not about the people, it's about the money, the power and the influence. It's proof the residents of the 7th district didn't get to decide who represents them in congress (again).

So much for waiting, watching , and HOPING , Congresswoman Terri Sewell makes us all proud as the first Alabama African American Congresswoman.

#SkipTheSpeech

"Republicans say no fixes need be made in gutted Voting Rights Act", so let's go to #Selma for Photo Op with President Obama

H/T The Progressive Cynic

Let's recap:

In the summer of 2013, in a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court eviscerated a key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 requiring that several whole states and parts of several others "pre-clear" any changes in their voting laws.

Let's go back to  Bloody Sunday

On "Bloody Sunday," March 7, 1965, some 600 civil rights marchers headed east out of Selma on U.S. Route 80. They got only as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge six blocks away, where state and local lawmen attacked them with billy clubs and tear gas and drove them back into Selma.

The events of “Bloody Sunday,”  led Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA).

The voting rights bill was passed in the U.S. Senate by a 77-19 vote on May 26, 1965. After debating the bill for more than a month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 333-85 on July 9. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, with Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders present at the ceremony.
The act banned the use of literacy tests, provided for federal oversight of voter registration in areas where less than 50 percent of the nonwhite population had not registered to vote, and authorized the U.S. attorney general to investigate the use of poll taxes in state and local elections (in 1964, the 24th Amendment made poll taxes illegal in federal elections; poll taxes in state elections were banned in 1966 by the U.S. Supreme Court).

Fast forward to the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday

Rep. John Lewis said this year's 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march should reflect the dignity of the original event, which is why he arranged for President Obama to visit the day before local officials in Alabama hold their commemoration.
The result will be two marches in Selma — one on Saturday, March 7, with Obama, Lewis and a record number of congressional lawmakers, and one on Sunday, March 8, run by local leaders.
Local Alabama politicians have objected. They say the anniversary has always been held on a Sunday because March 7, 1965, when protesters marching for voting rights for blacks were clubbed and tear gassed by police, is known as Bloody Sunday.

Compromise Complete?

Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, one of the key proponents of the annual Selma events, said groups involved in planning the 50th anniversary of the historic day have agreed there would be one march this year and it would begin on the day it is traditionally held, Sunday.
Sanders said his initial concern was that there would be a march on Saturday or other competing marches.
"What I was trying to do was make sure the march on Sunday was sacred and that it is going on," said Sanders, who along with several other public officials raised the concerns in a State House news conference a month ago.

So what brings George W. Bush, and the GOP to #Selma after they've done everything they can do to keep minorities and women from voting?

Republicans have been working hard to drum up attendees for the Selma march. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. are not attending. Rep. Martha Roby, R-AL, said she is working to get more of the GOP to join her at the commemoration.
"My motivation is my love for the state and the importance and significance of this anniversary," Roby said in a recent interview. "I want as many of my colleagues (as possible) to be a part of that. The civil rights movement belongs to everybody. It's not a Republican or Democratic issue."

Mission Accomplished thanks to President Barack Obama and Representatives Terri Sewell and John Lewis.

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Birmingham and GOP Rep. Martha Roby of Montgomery, are co-hosting the pilgrimage and helped recruit members to attend. Leaders in the Senate include Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Tim Scott, R-S.C.
The organization's annual trip to Alabama is led by Alabama native and Democratic congressman John Lewis of Georgia, who was among those beaten during the 1965 march.
Lewis, in a recent interview, said he was happy to see greater interest from Republicans this year.

This bill will strike down restrictions to voting in all elections, federal, state and local, which have been used to deny Negroes the right to vote.

This bill will establish a simple, uniform standard which cannot be used, however ingenious the effort, to flout our Constitution. It will provide for citizens to be registered by officials of the United States Government, if the state officials refuse to register them. It will eliminate tedious, unnecessary lawsuits which delay the right to vote. Finally, this legislation will insure that properly registered individuals are not prohibited from voting. I will welcome the suggestions from all the members of Congress--I have no doubt - See more at: http://www.blackpast.org/1965-president-lyndon-baines-johnson-voting-rights-act#sthash.76dsg6Zy.dpuf

 What a difference three years makes in Sweet Home Alabama.

This bill will strike down restrictions to voting in all elections, federal, state and local, which have been used to deny Negroes the right to vote.

This bill will establish a simple, uniform standard which cannot be used, however ingenious the effort, to flout our Constitution. It will provide for citizens to be registered by officials of the United States Government, if the state officials refuse to register them. It will eliminate tedious, unnecessary lawsuits which delay the right to vote. Finally, this legislation will insure that properly registered individuals are not prohibited from voting. I will welcome the suggestions from all the members of Congress--I have no doubt that I will get some--on ways and means to strengthen this law and to make it effective. - See more at: http://www.blackpast.org/1965-president-lyndon-baines-johnson-voting-rights-act#sthash.76dsg6Zy.dpuf

Former pResident George W. Bush coming to #Selma to help republicans hijack the anniversary of Bloody Sunday

 

 Bush and his wife, Laura, will join President Obama and a  bipartisan congressional delegation, in Selma, Alabama on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday so republicans can pretend they care about black people being denied the right the vote,  and, because republicans must think we are stuck on stupid in AmeriBama.

“The Roberts Court proved again that it will not be deterred by Supreme Court precedent, the realities on the ground in our nation; nor will it defer to Congress even when the legislative branch is granted clear authority by the Constitution to remedy our nation's long history of discrimination against racial and language minorities,” said J. Gerald Hebert of the Campaign Legal Center. “The Court today declared racism dead in this country despite mountains of evidence to the contrary.”

And then there is THIS 

Now, the actual effect of the recount is obviously something of a side issue when assessing the actions of the Court. Nobody knew the outcome of the recount, only that it threatened to make Al Gore president, and stopping it would guarantee Bush’s victory. That is the environment in which five Republican-appointed justices essentially invented a one-time-only ruling to stop the recount. And that’s the relevant history in which to understand the Court’s decision to make up its own new legal theories about the regulation of the health-care market now.

Separate but equal Bloody Sunday commemorations coming right up, enabled by President Obama.

It's the republican way!

From the Files of Stuck on Stoopid in #AmeriBama Tuesday Edition

Fist Dap Frank Matthews

How often does a newspaper fire a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter?

 As nonsensical as it sounds, al.com/The Birmingham News pulled off the unusual feat by ushering reporter Joey Kennedy out the door recently. Veronica Kennedy, Joey's wife, broke the news on her Facebook page and said he received no severance pay, just a final paycheck and notice that his insurance would end on February 28.

Left in Alabama, the Informed. Involved. Progressive. Blog of record, has the nerve to  blame the Alabama Democratic Party, and the Alabama Education Association for the Decline and Fall of the ADP and the AEA,  they enabled. 

In 2010, many Alabama Democratic candidates forgot their base, ran from their party, and failed to run on any issues that mattered to Alabama families.

Eye tried to tell some of Y'all, A party divided will NOT stand.  But did you listen?  Noooo.  That would have been too much like right(pun intended).

What Nancy Worley said all the damn way!

Worley said in a phone interview Monday it was unfortunate that Kennedy decided to resign and “take his toys and go home,” but she feels that people will return to the Alabama Democratic Party as they see the policies of the Republican super majority in the Legislature “taking care of the rich” and how those decisions affect them.
“We’re looking at a golden opportunity in the upcoming election in 2014, because quite frankly the Republicans have so many negative situations they have created for the state that I think people are going to feel the pinch in their pocketbook and they’re going to vote Democratic, like they once did,” she said.

Psst President Obama...please read this letter in preparation for your speech in #Selma on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday.

Dear President Obama,
This letter is in part to let you know that we are proud of you and your leadership. We are proud of the positive images you and your family provide for the nation in general and African Americans in particular.
However, we also write to share serious concerns voiced by many African Americans. We feel that an open letter will stimulate a broader dialogue.

Read On. Read Often.