New York City

A Major Day For Civil Liberties And Civil Rights In NYC And Nationally!

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Today was a day of major victories on civil liberties and civil rights, both in New York City and in the nation!

A federal court judge declared New York City’s “Stop And Frisk Law”, which targeted young black and Hispanic males in 90 percent of the cases of utilizing this law. People were being stopped based on racial profiling, simply because police chose to consider young black and Hispanic males as suspect, forcing them to be checked on whether they had guns or drugs, without any obvious reason to believe so, and with 88 percent of those stopped sent on their way without charges or arrests.

The federal court judge ruled that the “Stop And Frisk” law violated the 4th Amendment, and the 14th Amendment, and ordered that federal monitors watch over changes in the law.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly denounced the decision, and plan an appeal, but it is clear that minority youth are being victimized, with only a small percentage actually engaged in crimes and wrongdoing.

Attorney General Eric Holder also gave a speech today in San Francisco before the American Bar Association, and called for a new policy on those arrested and incarcerated for drug possession, which puts many people in prison, ruins their lives for the future when they leave prison, and if anything, teaches them about crime because of the environment they live in while in prison. It also undermines the ability of their families, including children, to advance out of poverty in the long run.

It is amazing that population has gone up about 40 percent since 1980, but 800 percent increase in people in prison and jails, and it is costing the nation $80 billion a year to house and supervise 2.2 million people in prison, dooming the drug offenders with a disadvantage they cannot overcome when they leave incarceration.

This is all due to Richard Nixon’s War on Drugs, which began in 1971, and has totally failed, another part of the Nixon tragedy for our nation.

One can be sure that the Republican Party will oppose both developments today, but it is essential to promote justice and equality in a country that claims to believe in freedom and liberty.

And the idea that 5 percent of the world (the US), houses 25 percent of all prisoners worldwide is atrocious, unacceptable, and great cannon fodder for our enemies overseas, besides being morally wrong! And much of this imprisonment is in the South, with private corporations making incarceration a profit making business, which is, in itself, despicable!

The Bill of Rights and other civil liberties is in constant combat with those who have no concern for these rights,but today has been a good day for civil liberties and civil rights!

Financial And Sexual Scandals Seem More Endemic Than Ever!

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Even for one who loves politics, it is becoming disillusioning how politicians seem unable to control their behavior, whether financial or sexual!

So just now, we see Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell facing the end of his political career, even as he is due to finish the one term limited office in his state, with the possibility of having to resign before the end of the term, facing possible prison time if put on trial for his willingness to accept massive gifts for himself and his family from corporate interests who do business with the state of Virginia, and dreams of being President going by the wayside!

And Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett seems to be facing similar accusations, and probable political destruction, proving once again that Republican officeholders are particularly obsessed with money, never having enough of it, and thinking that they are entitled to favors from their corporate friends!

But then Democrats have problems with sexual scandals, not unique to them, but right now the center of the political realities in San Diego and New York City!

San Diego Democratic Mayor Bob Filner, once a quite outstanding Congressman, hardly in his first term as Mayor, is obviously a male chauvinist, who is unable to control his behavior with women, is under fire to resign, refuses to do so, and instead is undergoing soon a two week course in how to behave, as if a 70 year old man with a major problem, can somehow resolve it almost overnight! To top it off, he is being sued for sexual harassment, and wants his legal fees paid by the city government of San Diego! What gall, and outrageous conduct, and Filner needs to be run out of town on a rail, so to speak!

And the biggest story in New York City is not the problems the city faces, but the inability of former Congressman Anthony Weiner to stop sexting, after having been caught at it two years, forcing him to resign, and claiming he had changed his behavior when he announced for Mayor, and then the discovery that he had continued to sext even recently, in an embarrassing charade for New York CIty, for his wife, and for his own reputation! And yet, he refused to quit the Mayoral race, leaving it to the voters in the primary in six weeks, to determine his fate! This man is eating up all the oxygen in the room, and the thought that he could be Mayor of the nation’s largest city is enough to make the whole concept of the importance of the Mayoralty a total joke! His wife needs to stop defending him, and push him out of the race, or else declare she is leaving him, divorcing him, and condemning him, as anything else only hurts the whole point of a suffering wife making clear she is not going to tolerate such public misbehavior any longer!

And ironically, this Weiner caper is undermining the Bill and Hillary Clinton reputation, reminding voters of the unfortunate willingness of Hillary to tolerate Bill’s sexual misbehavior, supposedly to promote her own political career, but demeaning the concept of what a wife’s reaction to her husband’s misdeeds should be!

Who can say that this Weiner disaster might not affect Hillary Clinton’s supposed status as frontrunner for the Democratic Presidential nomination? Every day this goes on, it is as if it is dripping poison on the image of the Clintons, for those who believe in common decency in their politicians, something we are failing to see much too often at any point, but most notably right now!

Time For Anthony Weiner To Withdraw From NYC Mayoral Race Immediately!

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Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner was forced out of office in 2011 after a sexting scandal online, including photos of his private parts. Many thought that was the end of his political career, if for nothing else than stupidity, and disloyalty to his new wife, who was pregnant at the time.

Weiner apologized profusely to his wife, and said he was going to get professional help to overcome his behavior.

Then, suddenly, he decided to enter the NYC Mayoral race this year, claiming he had been reformed, and that he wanted to serve the city, and his ratings in polls soared, due partially to people knowing who he was, and many wanting to give him another chance, due to the belief in redemption. He was even ahead in some polls for the NYC Democratic primary.

But now, news has emerged of continued sexting and sending of nude pictures of his private parts, and extremely racy language used by Weiner, and NOT from before his resignation from Congress, but occurring in 2012, a year AFTER his resignation, after so called psychological help was sought, and his wife and he had their son!

So, in other words, nothing has changed, as Weiner is unable to control his impulses, has been disloyal to his wife again, overlooked his responsibilities to his son, and is a true embarrassment to himself and the city he claims to want to govern responsibly!

How in the world can Weiner be a legitimate, credible Mayor if he cannot control his impulses, even after resignation and humiliation two years ago?

This man is sick, and needs real, substantial help, as his behavior is self destructive, and we cannot be confident that he would not get involved in similar sexting or other sex scandals as Mayor of the largest city in America, often called the second toughest job in America, after the Presidency!

It is time for Anthony Weiner to back out of the race for NYC Mayor, and get the help he needs, and try to save his marriage and the stability his son needs! He would be a disgrace to NYC as Mayor, no matter what his capabilities!

And if he does not withdraw, the intelligent people of the Democratic Party in NYC need to send him the message of repudiation, which will finally send him to private life, where he belongs permanently!

150th Anniversary Of New York City Draft Riots: A Disgraceful Moment In NYC History!

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150 years ago, starting on July 13 and raging until July 16, New York City saw the worst rioting that had ever occurred up to that time, in the third year of the Civil War, due to the passing of a draft law by the US government, requiring the first ever military draft for all able boded men, unless they were wealthy enough to pay the government $300 to avoid service.

The Irish immigrants in New York City, among the poorest of all ethnic groups in the city, who could not afford the $300 fee, rioted and burned and destroyed, and sadly, set about to kill and lynch African Americans living in the city, blaming them for the Civil War.

At least eleven black men were lynched, but estimates go much higher, and the total loss of life is estimated as being at least 120 but potentially more, with at least 100 blacks being murdered in total.

At least 2,000 people were wounded, and possibly more, and property damage would be estimated in modern terms as at least $75 million. The film GANGS OF NEW YORK portrayed these events in a very dramatic way, and estimated much higher numbers of killed and wounded, and even higher property damage.

Blacks were forced to leave their residences by their landlords, afraid of bloodshed and property damage, and many left the city forever, and never returned, relocating elsewhere!

This was a horrible example of racial violence that has stained the history of New York City, and now, at the 150th anniversary of these terrible events, it becomes clear that racial harmony, racial justice, racial equality has NOT made as much progress as one would like to believe!

Top Three American Cities Now Have Jewish Mayors, A First, But Will New York City Elect Anthony Weiner To Succeed Michael Bloomberg In November?

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For the first time in American history, the top three cities in America will have Jewish Mayors.

We already had Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, and now we have Mayor Elect Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, who has a Jewish mother, and a fafher of Spanish, Italian, and Indigenous heritage, which is why his name does not sound Jewish! Garcetti will also be the youngest Mayor of Los Angeles, at age 42, in the past century.

However, Bloomberg is finishing up his third and last term, and the only Jewish candidate who could succeed him in the Mayoralty is former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who was forced to resign over his exposure of x rated pictures on the internet two years ago.

Weiner is attempting a comeback, and has $5 million in his bank account, plus name recognition, although a lot of it might be seen as negative, because of the sex scandal which brought him to resignation.

Is there redemption for Weiner, as there was for former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who won back the former Congressional seat he held before he was Governor, and in the wake of his pursuit of a lover in Argentina, while married and having three sons?

It is hard to know at this point, as New York City can be a forgiving place, and has already as an announced candidate the Speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, a woman who is a declared lesbian and is married to her partner: and Bill De Blasio, the NYC Public Advocate, whose wife is African American, while De Blasio is white.

Certainly, there are some who would not like someone involved in a sex scandal; or a married lesbian; or a white guy married to a black woman! So there is plenty of room for outrage by people of different stripes, who do not like any or all of these situations.

But this is modern America, and NYC represents a microcosm of that America, and the issues of sex, sexual preference, and race will play out and, likely, elect one of these three individuals as the next Mayor of NYC, and if Weiner wins, again, we will have the top three cities in America with Jewish Mayors!

Obama Aided Greatly By Events Of The Past Week: Colin Powell, Chris Christie, Michael Bloomberg

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Barack Obama is closing out his Presidential campaign with some fortunate developments and an image of dealing with the crisis of Hurricane Sandy in a very effective manner.

First, he received the endorsement of Republican former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who despite working for George W. Bush, has kept his credibility and his stature as a great American.

Then, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who had been a key backer of Mitt Romney, put politics aside, worked with President Obama on hurricane relief, and highly praised Obama, who he finally got to know well, and the two men bonded. Christie is still a Romney backer, but showed bipartisanship and statesmanship, which is sorely needed.

And today, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, after first planning not to endorse any candidate for President, changed his mind, and gave his support to Obama because of his stand on abortion rights, gay rights, and climate change. In the process, the former Republican, and former Democrat, now an Independent mayor, criticized Mitt Romney for having abandoned all of his earlier moderate principles, including support of his own RomneyCare in Massachusetts, once it became ObamaCare.

The tragedy of a natural disaster helped to lead to the second and third events, and the support of both Powell and Bloomberg, and the growing friendship and relationship between Obama and Christie, are developments that give hope for a better future, if Obama can be reelected, and these steps help to bring that desired result next Tuesday!

And the criticism of the right wing on radio, Fox News, and in print is something to be totally ignored, as their hate and divisiveness needs to be totally repudiated by sane, intelligent, open minded people! Good riddance, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, and the rest of the hate mongers who earn millions dividing America, instead of uniting it!

The Unsung Public Employees Prove Themselves Again: Time To Stop Trashing Them!

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The massive human and property tragedy of Hurricane Sandy has proved once again how much we depend upon, and yet overlook, the sacrifices of public employees.

When one sees the sacrifices, hard work, and dedication of New York fire fighters, police officers, nurses, paramedics and others, who are working non stop in the crisis presented by the hurricane, it reminds us of September 11.

And this is multiplied by the similar sacrifices of public employees all over the Northeast, not just New York City.

And yet, we have politicians, particularly Republicans, who love to trash and dismiss the importance of public employees, and do not wish to pay them properly and give them appropriate benefits, as with the “Bully” governors, including Chris Christie of New Jersey, Scott Walker of Wisconsin, John Kasich of Ohio, and others of their ilk!

These unsung public employees deserve our respect and thanks, and politicians who use them as a whipping boy need to be repudiated, including Mitt Romney, who has no regard for workers in general, and public employees in particular!

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Throws Down The Gauntlet To Barack Obama And Mitt Romney: Come Up With A Plan For Responsible Gun Regulation After The Aurora, Colorado Massacre!

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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has thrown down the gauntlet to President Barack Obama and Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney to take responsibility for coming up with a plan for gun regulation, in the aftermath of the Aurora, Colorado Massacre last Friday. The fact that a Presidential campaign is on is a perfect time to force the issue to be addressed NOW, not later!

Both candidates and many political leaders of both parties have avoided the subject, as it is seen as toxic, with the tremendous power and impact of the National Rifle Association, arguably the most powerful pressure group in American politics.

But as Bloomberg said, on the average, 12,000 people are murdered every year by gun violence, which adds up to 48,000 in a four year Presidential term.

We lost 58,000 in Vietnam over a period of nine years, it should be pointed out, and here, we would have close to that amount in just four years!

This is inexcusable and unacceptable, and the American people, at least those who are rational and reasonable, demand something be done about this carnage NOW!

Public opinion polls are making it clear that action must be taken soon to attempt to cut down this tragedy in the future, in the most dangerous society on the face of the earth, because of the power of the gun industry, which has no concern other than profits!

The “Old Confederacy”, Republicans, Health Care, And HIV AIDS Infections

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The “Old Confederacy”, the states that broke away from the Union during the Civil War, remain the poorest part of the nation even in 2012, in all social and economic statistics.

Once held back by the Democratic Party before the era of civil rights, now it is the Republicans who dominate in these states, and are holding back progress through their propaganda on race and religion, and resentment of the federal government.

So it is the governors of these states that refuse to move ahead on health care coverage for their poorer citizens, of all races, rejecting Medicaid expansion and forming health care exchanges to enforce ObamaCare in 2014 and beyond. They have no concern about the welfare of their less fortunate men, women, and children, while always professing their ‘Christian values”!

In the midst of this hypocrisy, Dan Rather, former CBS News anchor and journalist, has revealed new evidence that HIV AIDs infections are spreading most rapidly in these states, much more than in New York City and San Francisco, the typical stereotype that it is only gays that have this disease, when it is actually spreading among uneducated white and minorities and in the heterosexual community at a far greater rate.

Does one think that these state governments and their representatives in Congress have any concern or interest in combating this epidemic?

The clear answer is NO, as long as race and religion can be manipulated for political power by the GOP!

America’s Future: A Majority “Minority” Nation! Time To Adjust To Reality!

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The US Census Bureau has made it official: America is on the way to becoming a majority “minority” country , which will occur by the 2040s, no matter what the white majority, which has dominated America, wishes.

This is so because, for the first time, a majority of children being born are non white by definition, as in the twelve months ending June 30, 2011, 50.4 percent of the births in America were to Hispanic and Latino, African American, and Asian American parents.

Only 49.6 percent of births were to white parents.The economy, politics, and identity of the nation is changing rapidly, and we will never be the same!

Whites are no longer the majority in four states, and in such cities as New York, Las Vegas and Memphis. About 350 counties nationwide have a majority of nonwhites, and about double that number when one considers young children.

And the baby boomer generation, now aging, was vastly white, and now sees a younger generation growing up which is going to be majority nonwhite, a cultural clash already showing up in the fact that senior citizen whites are overwhelmingly Republicans, who are fighting the future, but represent basically the past that is quickly dying out before their eyes!

While whites still represent 63 percent of all Americans, the average median age for whites is 42, past prime child bearing age, while for Hispanics and Latinos, it is 27, and more Hispanic children were born in America in the past decade than Hispanic immigration to the United States in that period.

So minorities were 92 percent of all growth in the past decade, an astounding figure!

This reality is creating tensions between white elderly and minority young, particularly in Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and California.

This is a growing crisis particularly regarding education, as only 13 percent of Hispanics and Latinos have a college degree, only 18 percent of African Americans, but 31 percent of whites.

Education is the future for the nation, or else we will have a lot of minority young who cannot make a living and sustain the elderly whites who are retired and receive Social Security and Medicare.

This is the major social crisis of the future, and the political parties need to come to grips with it, and not only think about how the situation is at present. A vision for the future is essential!