"In any discussion of the problems in our world today, racism must rank high. Not because we are soft-minded liberals obsessed with countless crimes throughout history induced by colour, religion, tribalism or chauvinism of one kind or another. But because the poison which we hoped and believed had been eradicated in our own time by the knowledge of the ultimate evil- the gas-chamber murders committed by the Nazis--is in fact still present, not in any one area of discrimination or racism, or in a restricted number of specific rulers or governments, but in all humankind. I call it "Inner Racism."-

Gitta Sereny, "The Healing Wound"

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

A BRIDGE TOO FAR


from The Trump Diary

11/21/2016 


Monday afternoon in Trump's America-To-Be and just catching a segment of dear Andrea Mitchell's MSNBC show. (I had wondered during the long election years - lets face it, MSNBC has been covering this election since the Second Obama Inauguration- if there was more than met the camera eye with Andrea's coverage of Hillary. She at times seemed almost belligerent toward the former Secretary of State-  
an attitude that did not manifest when she was reporting on or interviewing other presidential candidates at least it seemed so to me and I have been watching Ms Mitchell for quite some time, certainly longer than she has been married to the strange and well-connected ayn rand comrade, Alan Greenspan, which made me snarkily remark once that Andrea didn't think Hillary was John Galt enough to be president, but that may have been during my late afternoon cocktail hour.) She was interviewing Senator Bob, Bob Corker, who is Chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations which should be quite busy in the coming months plodding through President Trump's multifarious foreign business dealings which he says he is leaving for his talented kids to handle but Bob and the Gang will probably find more important matters to investigate. I missed most of the interview but couldn't help notice the background that framed the closeup of Senator Bob. Corker was seen in front of what I think I recognized as the (should be famous) Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee- Cork, a lifelong Republican, used to be mayor and from what little I have read was a very civic-minded public servant. He did very well for himself in Chattanooga-business ventures in real estate and construction he could have retired long ago- I know this 'cause I'm 6 months older and spend my retirement hoping my postman is having a good day. But ol' Bob wanted more and so became a United States Senator in striding the halls of power where he makes sure he gets to keep his and makes it even harder for the working person to eke out a decent living by denying healthcare and a living wage whenever he is asked for his precious vote. There was some shady posturings back when he voted against the automaker "bailout" that did save the industry and his dealings with Volkswagon and an anti-union vote but Senator Bob is a much more important man now. So there he was with that bridge  just behind him- big as you please and I remember where I saw this bridge. On the cover of a book, entitled Contempt of Court by Curriden and Phillips detailing the story of the lynching of Ed Johnson and the subsequent criminal trial conducted by the Supreme Court itself as it brought contempt charges against the sheriff and members of the lynch mob. It was the only time the SC ever directly did that - about the time the Cubs won their First World Series. Mr. Johnson was hung and shot on that bridge. (see below from an earlier posting in our Spade in the Dark Loam Page)




     


(The WALNUT STREET BRIDGE spans the Tennessee River in Chattanooga. Built in 1890 it originally connected the white section (south) of the city with the Black section (north)- no kidding, I copied this info straight from the every-cop source, the Wikipedia-.On MARCH 19, 1906 a Black man named ED JOHNSON after a most mockingly unfair trial was hung and shot on this landmark by a white lynch mob for allegedly assaulting a white woman. Mr. Johnson's conviction was officially overturned 94 years later. Today the bridge is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world and every year- as far as we know- on March 19, the community remembers Ed Johnson with an organized memorial walk to the bridge)

America's story is certainly big enough to remember the murder of Ed Johnson and the court actions that it instigated. Unfortunately not many of us know of this particular incident nor of the historic court case (United States v. Shipp) that came as a result; our Supreme Court today with obvious exception is only rife with partisanship and a narrow willfulness to do the bidding of one political party. As the authors state in their epilogue : "Nearly every single federal constitutional issue raised by Mssrs Parden and Hutchins (the two African-American attorneys that appealed on behalf of Ed Johnson) became legal precedent in the decades that followed. Most notably, the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution are applicable in state-court cases- a position argued by them and supported by Justice John Harlan: a few cited are a 1923 case in which Justice Holmes said that a "trial in which a lynch mob puts undue pressure on the judge, the lawyers, or the jury is a violation of the defendant's constitutional rights of due process; in 1932 the SC ruled that people accused of capital crimes in state or federal cases must be afforded the effective assistance of a lawyer-(Scottsboro Case)- that right has been extended to all criminal cases; in 1948 it was decided that all criminal trials in state or federal courts must be open to the public; in 1963 the Court ruled in the Miranda v Arizona case; in 1967 the justices ruled that a defendant has the right to have an attorney present when police conduct a witness-identification lineup; in 1970 the Supreme Court ruled that local courts may not systematically exclude Black people from juries; in 1972 it ruled that the death penalty could no longer be used as punishment in rape cases.

According to Prof. Thomas Baker from Texas "this case is the clearest example of the Supreme Court preserving its place in history and the integrity of the law."

Perhaps Senator Bob should have a change in heart and reconsider his "principled positions" of not extending unemployment benefits in emergency situations or denying COBRA payments to those suddenly out of work or denying a woman's right to choose because he Sen Bob is a man of principle and character- perhaps he would be better off taking his esteemed colleague and attorney general designate Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions and His party's leader Mitch McConnell and maybe quite a few others - take them all in hand -including Rep Paul Ryan and have a long, slow walk on the Walnut Street Bridge.




Sunday, November 20, 2016

Making America Grate Again


In the spirit of bi-partisanship and as our president-elect so boldly blurted out during his victory speech last week that it was "time for us to come together as one people" to renew the good ol' American dream we thought we might offer the young and enthusiastic up and comer, Kris Kobach, the Secretary State of All Kansas and now a key member of the president-elect's fabulous transition team and the proud originator of the popular "Papers, Please" legislation - you remember,
 thats where the cops get to stop you for whatever reason and ask for some I.D., to prove you belong here in America- we've mooched the inserted story by Jen Hayden to help you recall and , please, enjoy the fun picture of Kris with his good buddy Ted Nugent the American icon- we might offer as we said the following  helpful suggestions in light of the current discussion that Kris has seemed to encourage as to what might be considered historical precedents ( the internment of Japanese-Americans was mentioned on one enlightened TV show) in fashioning a way to keep all of us true Americans from being harmed by the hordes of evil Muslims wanting to come here and destroy our country, not to mention the ones that are already here; so for the sake of your kids and not mine herewith our small contribution to making us truly one people -

- Prohibition of intermarriage between Christians and Muslims (we'll get to the Jews later) Call it the Law for the Protection of American Blood and Honor.
- Moslems are barred from dining cars.
- Moslem are not allowed to hold public office-Call it the Law for the Re-establishment of the Professional Civil Service.
- Moslems will not be permitted to employ Christian servants or possess Christian slaves (just in case)
- Moslems are not permitted to show themselves in the streets during Passion Week and other holidays you'd like to add.
- Moslems are not permitted to patronize Christian doctors.
- Christians will not be permitted to live in Moslem homes.
-Moslems will not be permitted to institute civil suits.
- The marking of Moslem clothes with a badge ("Copied from the legislation by Caliph Omar II (634-644) who had decreed that Christians wear blue belts and Jews yellow.
- Moslems will not be allowed to attend Christian ceremonies.
-Compulsory ghettos (perhaps towns or villages) perhaps a Reservation set-up
-Moslems will not be permitted to sell or rent real estate to Christians.

Kris can choose which ones he may like to implement or not. The possibilities are ongoing, of course. And we wish him only the best in his new position with the transition team. 

(WITH APOLOGIES TO RAUL HILBERG)


____________________________________________________________________

The architect of the most racist law in modern American history has been named to Trump's team 

By Jen Hayden   

Kris Kobach and Ted Nugent
Kris Kobach with his notable racist rockin' friend, Ted Nugent
Kris Kobach, the extremely controversial Kansas secretary of state, has been named to Donald Trump's transition team.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has been asked to join President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team.
The team will advise Trump on policy issues leading up to his swearing-in in January, preparing him to begin his first 100 days in office. It’s an unpaid position for Kobach.
Kobach called the transition from Obama’s presidency to Trump’s “one of the sharpest transitions we’ve seen,” a 180-degree turn for the country.
Why should this terrify you? Because Donald Trump has just named one of the most racist politicians in all of America to his transition team. Kris Kobach was the architect of the most racist law in modern American history. SB 1070 passed in Arizona in 2010. What did it mean? If you have brown skin or an accent, police had a right to stop you, detain you and demand you prove your citizenship.
Arizona’s S.B. 1070 compels police to ask for papers from anyone they have a reasonable suspicion of being without status. Under this law any person of color, or anyone with a foreign accent, can be required to prove their status and be jailed—regardless of whether they are a citizen or an immigrant—until they can do so. The Supreme Court indicated that prolonged detention would be impermissible, but people’s rights will likely be violated before that limitation can be enforced.
By targeting certain groups of people living within the state, the Arizona law amounts to an ethnically divisive and deeply hostile social policy. It raises the specter of states treating people differently based solely on their appearance rather than on their actions. Every person in Arizona and states that pass S.B. 1070-like legislation will be required to carry proof of their legal status at all times or face the possibility of being detained. In practice it will be people of color that bear the brunt of these policies.
It was nicknamed the “Papers Please” law and thanks to Kris Kobach and the right-wing ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), two dozen copycat bills quickly spread to other conservative states. Can you imagine walking down the street and police having the power to stop you and your children and throw you in jail on the suspicion alone that maybe you don’t belong? Because you have brown skin or an accent? Terrifying, right?
What if I told you that same man, Kris Kobach, spoke to a group of White Nationalists just last year?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, November 8, 2016


THE HOUSEWIVES OF MERRICK, LONG ISLAND, NY SEND THEIR BARBARIC ELECTION DAY YAWP OVER THE ROOFTOPS OF THEIR SPLIT LEVEL FACEBOOK WORLD



(with more Likes coming)
Danielle M 
18 hrsMerrick
I couldn't have said it better myself! Choo choo!!




Comments
Gina SI'm so scared for tomorrow I don't know what to do with myself lol!!!!!!!
LikeReply318 hrs

Danielle M Me too. I have very strong feelings on this and just know she will be our countries ruination. We will not be able to recover after her 😢
LikeReply618 hrs

Gina SI feel the same. And I think I might have to delete Facebook because I won't be able to deal with it on here lol
LikeReply118 hrs

Danielle MI said the same exact thing yesterday! I might go MIA for a while if hitlery wins
LikeReply218 hrs

Gina SAnd I'll have to delete my husbands account...he will be worse thrn all of us lmao. He'll be fighting everyone
LikeReply218 hrs

Danielle M I might have to friend him!

Gina SLmao....yes you should
LikeReply118 hrs

Noreen M :This is my husband's background photo 😂😂


LikeReply417 hrs

Danielle M This is awesome!!
LikeReply117 hrs


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NO, IT'S NOT. BUT TRY AGAIN...




Later the same day:

Choo choo 🚊🚊🚊🚊

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Comment
Brian F:  Riding the Trump train!!!! Choo choo mutha fucka'zzzzz!!!!
#endclinton

LikeReply27 hrs

Nickie LLove this!
LikeReply16 hrs

Yambrina C : I 6year old has been saying for months trump is the next president mommy today he says mommy i voted for trump lol mind you we dont talk about politics in front of the kids .... have no idea how he even knows his name lmao Da
LikeReply14 hrs

Danielle MLove it!!!
LikeReply13 hrs
Chris Vwhoops - fixed that for ya

Brian F : I just threw up in my mouth.......

Danielle M I was going to show support of your candidate by deleting your post but I have morals and changed my mind
LikeReply21 hr

Chris VI voted for Keith
LikeReply21 hr

Danielle M lmfao!!!!!
LikeReply1 hr

Brian F : ðŸ˜‚😂
LikeReply1 hr

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