Racism at Texas Republican Convention

Seen at last weekend's Texas Republican Convention:
Disgusting, obviously. However, I am not surprised.

You see, they want power. With their party in serious danger of losing the White House, the GOP is desperate to hold on to the office and the power that comes with it.

The problem for them is, they feel they can't attack the content of Obama's character, so they attack him for the color of his skin. They feel that they cannot attack him on policy issues such as the economy and Iraq, so they go after him for not looking like him, for not having an 'American' name.

They can't play to the issues, because they know they would lose. So they play to people's fears and prejudices. What does it tell you that they feel this will actually help them win.

Which is not to say the entire Texas Republican Party or the McCain campaign is officially behind it. These kinds of buttons are sold by private groups, vendors, etc., all the time at Republican and Democratic conventions, meetings, and the like. For instance, I have a button from the Isabella County Dems that says 'pollution is a moral issue.'

Even so, I hope the DNC and Obama campaign call on McCain and other Republicans to denounce this. For them not to do so would signal complicity.

McCain opposed bill making MLK Day a holiday

It was forty years ago today that Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot at a hotel in Memphis while supporting striking sanitation workers.

Michigan Congressman John Conyers was the person who introduced a bill to make Martin Luther King, Jr., a holiday.

Four days after Dr. King's death, on April 8, 1968, I introduced a bill that would allow this nation to celebrate the life and work of its greatest civil rights leader with a federal holiday. Though it would take 15 years, from 1968 until 1983, the King Holiday Bill was eventually signed into law through the efforts of friends on the ground and friends in the Congress. Unfortunately, John McCain was not one of those friends.

Conyers adds:

As we observe the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination, I ask that we examine the principles and values on which Dr. King based his work, and apply them to our work today. It is 40 years later, and this country finds itself again poisoned by war, a war that is jeopardizing the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans - and again, Senator McCain is complicit. From the Iraq War and a failing economy, to inadequate healthcare and unsatisfactory schools, it is up to us to finish Dr. King's work. So I ask Senator McCain that as he apologizes for his vote 25 years ago, that he may recommit himself to advancing Dr. King's legacy.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

I thought I'd share with you a couple of items I found this week regarding Martin Luther King, Jr. First, there's this piece on Daily Kos, discussing some of his work toward economic equality. I highly recommend a look at this excellent compilation - even if it's just a glance.

Second, from YouTube comes his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech he delivered the night before he was assassinated.



Prophetic - and inspiring.

Bits of Tid: February 28, 2007

It's the end of February. I've found it odd that Black History Month happens to be the shortest month. But tomorrow commences both Women's History Month and (not quite as important) Spring Break.

• Again, so much for that 'single-state recession,' huh? At least according to the stock market and the GDP.
• Something's wrong with this picture. And this one too.
• A jury is deliberating former Cheney aide 'Scooter' Libby's fate in the CIA leak investigation.
• Ted Haggard has company.
• You cen help pass the Employee Free Choice Act. Over the weekend the Michigan Democratic Party passed a resolution at its state convention decllaring its support for the EFCA.
• Looks like I'm gonna miss out on some fun just after the semester ends.

See you next month! ;-)

Black History Month

We are halfway through Black History Month, and admittedly I haven’t been updating you on tributes to African-Americans as much as I should.

The Democratic National Committee has a section on its website dedicated to this month, featuring bios of prominent African-Americans, among other things.

The future of this country, like the inextricable threads of history, is linked to the condition of its entire people. As we commemorate and celebrate and look to the contributions of African-Americans, Democrats will continue to work to fulfill the unfinished promise and ensure that the rights and privileges and opportunities of our nation are accessible to all Americans. We honor the accomplishments of our great African-American innovators and challenge the world to remember, daily, that black history is American history.

Here's a blurb from Mark Brewer and the Michigan Democratic Party:

“It is vitally important to remember the struggles of the past to thrive in the future. While the United States has made great strides since Black History Month was first celebrated, we must not go backwards,” said MDP Chair Mark Brewer. “Unfortunately, Michigan took a step backwards last November by passing Proposal 2. This month is the perfect time to reflect on civil rights accomplishments and on a strategy to overcome Michigan’s current challenges.”

Michigan has had many civil rights pioneers and prominent African American leaders throughout its history. From civil rights icon Rosa Parks to the first African American in Michigan to hold statewide office, Secretary of State Richard Austin, to current leaders such as Congressman John Conyers, Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick, Congressional Black Caucus Chair, and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

The importance of black history has been recognized annually since 1926 when "Negro History Week" was instituted. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard scholar, is recognized as a primary reason “Negro History Week” came into existence. Woodson was a man who devoted his life to furthering the knowledge of Black people as a participant in history as opposed “to a lay figure.” He chose the month of February because it contained the birthdays of Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. “Negro History Week” later evolved into “Black History Month.”

Bits of Tid: February 2, 2007

Happy February!

• The US Senate has passed a minimum wage increase!
• The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has launched an online series on Black History Month. Maya Angelou is the first to be profiled.
• Senator Carl Levin is featured on the website of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
• The DSCC's House counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, will likely invest money toward beating Reps. Tim Walberg of southern Michigan and Joe Knollenberg of Oakland County.
• Al Gore, Nobel Laureate? He's been nominated. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bill Clinton get it (possibly jointly with George H.W. Bush), but if that ever happens, it likely won't be until Hillary's career is over.
• Al Franken is running for US Senate in 2008.
• The watchdog blog Eye on Ehlers - which I founded just before the New Year - has earned a mention in a page dedicated to Congressman Ehlers in the newly expanded GOP Watch section of the Michigan Democratic Party's website. I feel special.