Racial Profiling

Trump And Republicans Suffer Major Setbacks!

Ronald 19 Comments

Donald Trump and the Republican Party are suffering major setbacks, and giving hope to those who believe in the preservation of American democracy!

After resisting the issue of the Epstein files, Donald Trump finally caved in, and today, the House of Representatives saw all members, except for one Republican, give up on trying to avoid revelations on the issue of sexual abuse of women and young girls, by a host of wealthy people promoted by Jeffrey Epstein, who called Donald Trump his “best friend” for many years.

And a great victory against discriminatory Texas gerrymandering was won by the decision of a three judge panel, including a Trump appointed judge, that Texas was promoting an unjust action, negating it, which gives Democrats who successfully are redistricting California, a major edge for midterm elections in 2026!

And cases are being lost in court about the use of the National Guard and ICE agents around the country, in the midst of horrendous abuses being visited on immigrants who are victims of racial profiling, even when citizens.

The Catholic clergy are also taking a strong stand against the mistreatment of immigrants by ICE Agents.

Additionally, with the effects of tariffs causing rise in prices of all kinds of goods, public opinion ratings of Donald Trump are collapsing, coming close to an all time low, near what it was at the time of the US Capitol January 6 Insurrection!

The fight for democracy will be won by resistance of decent Americans against the abuses being perpetrated by Donald Trump and his Fascist lawbreakers!

It is a fight that will take patience and determination, but it can be won!

US Supreme Court Promotes Racial Profiling! A Disgrace For Court’s Reputation Of Upholding The Constitution!

Ronald 6 Comments

The US Supreme Court is supposed to uphold the Constitution and enforce the Bill of Rights.

In its past, it has often NOT done such, and now, in the present, the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts, has reached a new low in its reputation and image.

It has endorsed racial profiling as permissible in seven Los Angeles area counties by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard. But once that is permitted, it can be expanded to everywhere, even though the Court said this was a “temporary” situation, not a final determination.

However, it is now open season for anyone who “looks” Latino, speaks with a Spanish accent, or has an Hispanic last name to be detained and put into a “hell hole”, at least in the Los Angeles area but likely to be expanded.

These victims of an oppressive government are denied due process, and subjected to lack of food, water, medicine, even a bed to sleep on while being held without trial, and in many cases, rapidly deported, by the order of Kristi Noem, Thomas Homan, Stephen Miller, Pam Bondi, and all of the other lawless Donald Trump lackeys!

Anyone who believes in basic civil liberties and sees America as the last great hope for oppressed people around the world has to be mourning and crying at what the American people, in their prejudice and bias and ignorance, have wrought upon the nation by electing Donald Trump to a second term, after the criminal actions he perpetrated in the first term!

Militarization Of Chicago And Baltimore Seems Next Trump Authoritarian Move!

Ronald 10 Comments

President Donald Trump is issuing threats of imminent militarization of Chicago and Baltimore by Natoinal Guard troops, adding to the present occupation of Washington DC, and the earlier such action in Los Angeles.

Trump is using excuse of accusations of growing crime in cities that are actually witnessing declines in crime.

The one common denominator is that all of these cities have African American mayors and are “Blue” cities in “Blue” states. This is pure racism, and racial profiling.

Meanwhile, there are higher crime cities in many “Red” states, particularly in Southern states, but there is no inclination for military intervention in such locations.

Instead, it is precisely these “Red” states that are voluntarily sending National Guard troops to operate in Washington DC, such states as South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia, along with Ohio.

And the National Guard troops will be armed, creating a very dangerous, potentially confrontational, situation, that could lead to violence and tragedy in our nation’s capital.

We could face another Kent State University Massacre, which took place in Ohio during the Vietnam War Era in 1970!

The Trump Pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio An Outrageous Miscarriage Of Justice, And Encourages Abusive Law Enforcement!

Ronald 6 Comments

One of the multitude of outrages of the Donald Trump Administration is his pardon of former Maricopa County (Phoenix) Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was about to be sentenced for his conviction of crimes perpetrated while he was in office for 24 years from 1993 to 2017, including mistreatment of prisoners, mistreatment of women, abusing the 4th Amendment, racial profiling of Latinos, and general abuse of power.

Trump pardoned Arpaio before sentencing, and without a review of the case by the Justice Department, and we now know Trump tried to stop the prosecution, interfering with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who refused Trump’s attempt.

If this is not obstruction of justice, and abuse of power, then nothing is!

And it encourages abusive law enforcement, as it is a outrageous miscarriage of justice that Arpaio avoids accountability!

This man in the White House is out of control, and might be signaling Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort not to worry, that he will pardon them if they refuse to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, which, if true, would be further evidence of obstruction of justice and abuse of power.

Trump, by trying to prevent Mueller’s investigation, is clearly showing signs of guilt on Russian Collusion, and yet his followers continue to assert there is no such collusion.

The nation is suffering under this corrupt President, and let us hope the Mueller investigation is nearing the point of bringing charges against the most corrupt President in American history!

Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake Defend Mexican American Contributions, And Denounce Donald Trump’s Nativism!

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It is great news to see Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake criticizing Donald Trump before his visit to the state this weekend.

It is also great to see them point out the major contributions of Mexican Americans and other Hispanics-Latinos to their state’s development.

It is, at the same time, disturbing to see Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the master of “racial profiling”, who has been a holy terror against all Mexican Americans and other Hispanics-Latinos, harassing motorists, and using unconstitutional methods in his jails in the county, come to Trump’s support. The federal government is working hard to overcome the civil rights violations of Sheriff Arpaio, but Arpaio has been a friend of Donald Trump and will greet him this weekend. They share the belief in the “Birther” theory about Barack Obama being born outside the United States.

Also, former Governor Jan Brewer has come to the support of Trump, which only adds to the image of Brewer as one of the absolutely worst Governors in America in the past half dozen years.

Ironically, new Governor Doug Ducey, condemned by progressives for his hard line views on immigration, has decided to join McCain and Flake in refusing to meet up with Trump, but the state government of Arizona still remains troublesome in their approach to immigration.

There Is No Racism In America, Says Allen West? Really?

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Former Florida Congressman Allen West, a right wing extremist African American who only served one two year term in Congress, but gets constant coverage and respect from Fox News Channel, and conservative talk radio hosts, says there is no racism in America!

Really, Allen West? Are you serious?

Conservative Talk Radio constantly spews racist comments, and so does Fox News Channel. Just listen to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and others of their ilk on radio and cable!

Barack Obama has been called all kinds of racist terms by both radio and cable extremists, joining the Ku Klux Klan, and all kinds of right wing extremist groups, including the Tea Party Movement activists inside and outside of the halls of Congress.

The small number of African Americans who engage in crime have been depicted as being all African Americans, particularly young men.

African American police officers have had all kinds of harassment from their fellow white comrades, on and off the job, because of their race.

Racial profiling is constant, and not just for African Americans, but also people of Muslim and Arab heritage, Latinos, and Asian Americans.

There is constant evidence of racism, despite the vehement denials of those who promote just that mentality on a daily basis. All these despicable elements doth protest too much as to their innocence, when there are tons of evidence daily as to the truth of the accusations of racism!

The amazement is that successful, wealthy African Americans, such as Allen West, Dr. Benjamin Carson, and Herman Cain, totally ignore reality, and have sold themselves out to the right wing establishment, having no concern about the lives and challenges of fellow African Americans who are not as successful and wealthy, and well connected, as they are.

How Allen West can live with himself is beyond morality and ethics. How Dr. Benjamin Carson and Herman Cain can live a lie as well is also beyond any understanding, how they have abandoned the truth of the history and the present reality of people of their own racial background. All of them are, indeed, promoting more racism, rather than fighting it!

Bill De Blasio Would Be First NYC Progressive Mayor Since John Lindsay And Fiorello La Guardia!

Ronald 2 Comments

NYC Public Advocate Bill De Blasio has surged to the lead in polls for the Democratic primary for NYC Mayor, over Anthony Weiner, Bill Thompson, and Christine Quinn, and it is clear that he would be the best hope for a progressive mayor, who would work to end economic inequality, and promote education and health care, and seek to limit Wall Street power, so evident under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Mayor with a mixed record.

And the fact that he has been against “Stop and Frisk”, the policy just declared unconstitutional by a federal judge, the only candidate to be against it all along, helps De Blasio, who is married to an African American woman, and has a 15 year old son, who, with his African American appearance and age, would be a prime candidate for being stopped by the police, based on racial profiling.

New York City has not had a true progressive Mayor since John Lindsay (1966-1973), who had many shortcomings, and really, the last truly progressive mayor and success as Mayor goes back to Fiorello La Guardia (1934-1945).

Lots Of Work To Do To Advance America Socially: No Time For A Respite!

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America has a lot to be proud of, and we stand out as a beacon for the world community in many ways, BUT there is much troubling evidence of problems arising, rearing their ugly head, and demonstrating how much work is yet necessary to advance America socially!

We live in a nation where the rights of women are being curbed, rather than advanced, including

Rape problems in the military
Rape problems on college campuses
Denial of a woman’s rights to her own body and reproductive decisions
Denial of equal pay at work for women, and equal opportunity for advancement and promotion

In addition, there are troubling problems for minorities, gays, and labor as follows:

Troubling racial profiling of African Americans, Latinos and Hispanics, and Muslims in public places, and by police and law enforcement authorities
Endangered conditions for African American males, particularly young males, an endangered species
Discrimination continuing against gay men and lesbians
Active attack on labor rights to organize and bargain collectively

In theory, great strides have been made in the past on the rights and privileges of women, minorities, gays, and labor, but there has been an extreme assault on what supposedly had already been gained by these groups, on the part of right wing forces, represented by the Republican Party, corporations, and social conservatives!

So the battle for women’s rights, minority civil rights, gay rights, and labor rights continues, and there is no time for a respite, as the 2014 midterm Congressional elections and state government elections are just around the corner!

America At Crossroads On Race, Gender, Ethnicity, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Class

Ronald 10 Comments

After recent events in Florida on racial profiling; in Texas and other states on abortion restrictions; in Arizona and other states on legislation regarding undocumented immigration; the push for theocracy by the Religious Right; the move in many states to allow discrimination against gays and lesbians in employment; and the growing chasm between workers and management regarding labor rights and conditions, it is clear that America is at a crossroads on issues of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and class!

African Americans, women, Latinos and Hispanics, those for separation of church and state, gays and lesbians, and the middle class and the poor face constant attack on their basic rights and their quality of life, as the Right is moving to curb advancements that have been made over the past 60 years since the time of Dwight D. Eisenhower onward by the Supreme Court, Congressional action on civil rights and civil liberties, and courageous Presidents of both parties who have seen the need to lower the barriers on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and class!

We are at a crossroads in the constant struggle for American democracy and fair play, as even when progress is made, there is aggressive action to reverse the progress, trying to wipe out what has been accomplished!

The country is changing, but we have negative elements who are trying to return America to what it was many generations ago, and the fight for continued progress and advancement to a “more perfect Union” is a never ending one, and no one can give up their participation in the struggle, as that only advances the movement toward negativism, regression, and reversal!

Supreme Court To Hear Arizona Immigration Law Challenged By Federal Government

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In a term already historic for the significance of cases to be decided, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today on the Arizona Immigration law that permits the state to do the following:

Require state and local enforcement to verity the citizenship status of anyone stopped, detained or arrested.

Authorize law enforcement officials to arrest without a warrant when an officer believes someone has committed a public offense that could lead to deportation

Make it a state crime to be in the US unlawfully, and require non citizens to carry documents to prove they are legally in the country

Make it a state crime for such a person to work or seek work, instead of the employer having the burden to verify legality of those seeking to work

This Arizona law has led to similar laws in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Utah and elsewhere.

The Supreme Court, with only eight Justices participating in the case, because Elena Kagan was Solicitor General in the Obama Administration, will have to decide if states can have their own immigration laws, or if this is only a federal matter.

This is one of the most controversial issues in America right now, and so far, a federal judge and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals have held up enforcement of much of the Arizona law, pending the decision in June of the Supreme Court.

The federal government is seen by many as not enforcing immigration laws, while others would say that more illegal immigrants have been deported under Barack Obama than under George W. Bush.

This Arizona law is seen by many as an issue of basic civil rights, and as racial profiling, so the decision in the case is going to be one of the major political stories of the year, and will have an effect on the Presidential Election of 2012.