So the statement “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it,” never rang more true with the story coming out of Arizona that in an award wining episode of political bait and switch, Senators John McCain(yeah that one), and Senator Jeff Flake – both Republicans managed to slip into a Department of Defense funding bill, legislation that would swap the  rights to the Oak Flats area which is a well documented, area in Arizona known to be Apache Holy land.

Largely ignored by mainstream media  the site has been occupied by various Tribal Members as a show of resistance going back to February of this year. There have been over 300 members of various tribes including the Chippewa, the  Navajo, Lumbee, and Paiute as well as many Native American Veterans groups and other Native American groups committed to not letting their ancestral lands fall into the hands of greedy capitalists.

Apparently you can resist government take over of lands and refuse to pay monies owed to the government for those lands as long as you are a white patriot aka Clivern Bundy

The area has been used for years even before recorded history by the Native Americans for rites of passage and various ceremonies as part of their traditions and culture.  Now today, this land stands poised to be handed over to a mining company who will obliterate it all for the almighty dollar.

THE CAST OF CHARACTERS

THE MAVERICK

Senator John McCain – yes the one that ran for president and inflicted the snow-billy grifter from Alaska on the world, Sarah Palin, is behind this and has been trying to get this legislation passed for years. He of  the heroic POW story , branded a true patriot and a maverick, standing today as representative in truth of what this country REALLY stands for and has done since it was started in the first place. All the American Patriots can rally around the subterfuge and underhandedness utilized by this senator to yet again deprive Native Americans of their ancestral lands because –  well of course white people need it and know how to make better use of it.

THE CROOK

Rick Renzi was one of the original group of legislators involved in the first attempts at land grabbing this parcel and just recently was sent to Federal prison in February for corruption that was directly related to this deal. Mr. Renzi was sentenced to three years in this case but the Native Americans who are having their lands taken away stand to lose far more.

THE SLICKSTER

Jeff Flake is a Senator from the state of Arizona who not only was a party to the slight of hand deal that is poised to take away the Oak Flat area in what is recognized Apache Holy Land, he actually used to work  for the company that is the beneficiary of this land, and has been working at getting this land for years. Mr. Flake once worked as a lobbyist for Rio Tinto the company that is involved in the land swap that was tucked into a Defense Spending bill at the last minute – a practice done in such a way as to pretty much slip it past legislators who more than likely will not have had time to thoroughly read it and with it on the back end of a ginormous defense spending bill will more than likely have over-looked it.

RIO TINTO – THE MINING COMPANY

The time may have changed but the story is still the same. The position taken by the mining company is that they will bring jobs, and economic boost to the area, that it will be collecting much needed resources, and after all they are trading land for this land so its not like they are getting it for free. If one wants to be technical about it neither party has any right to swap or trade anything since ownership by either is not resolute and is flimsy at best. Most land deals done by the United States during the time when west expansion was taking place was based first on manifest destiny, second on white privilege, and third on profit. Nothing at all has changed in over 200 years.

It is important to note, especially of late, given the rash of people dying under questionable circumstances in police custody, that one main talking point is the “well slavery was so many years ago, im not responsible for what my ancestors did,etc.” and yet here we have a clear case of not only ignoring what one’s ancestors did but continuing the behavior here and now in the 21^st century.

Derision meets any talk of white privlidge but what else would you call a land grab by a company aided and abetted by elected officials ? What is even more ironic is that the two legislators in question belong to a party who has expressed in no uncertain terms that they feel there is a war on religious freedom in this country- a war against Christians. Out of the OTHER side of their mouth they would take away holy land because well heck it’s just those Indians no big deal.

This folks is the basis for the blind ignorance of racism that continues to thrive in this country and is at the core of the systems and infrastructure that makes this country run. The bitter taste of the fear that is deeply held by those exercising their white privilege of the day when not only are they exposed but that all the horrible atrocities, the killings, genocide, disenfranchisement, and systematic  oppression of any and everyone who is NOT White becomes due as all bills do and they are forced to face every single thing that they have done in the name of freedom for themselves.

This is the basis of the fear that they hold onto  with a death grip that blocks out all logic and reason and drowns out all the voices asking and demanding the same freedom and equality that their constitution is supposed to provide to all its citizens. Well the white ones anyway.

American then is truly exceptional, in its ability to hide behind the flag of truth and justice –

Racism, Intolerance and Greed. America the Beautiful? Not So Much, Unless of course you are white because let’s not forget

WHITE LIES MATTER

The post John McCain: Still Helping White Men Steal from “Injuns” appeared first on Madness & Reality.

This must happen. I mean it truly is our religious freedoms at stake here. If they want to play this game – and it’s looking more and more obvious every day that they are – then we need to fight back and give them some of their own medicine.

In Arizona, the state that gave us the most corrupt Sheriff in the history of our nation, Joe Arpaio, as well as rednecks that patrol the border, and 125 degree heat on a daily basis in the summer, the hatchet faced Governor Jan Brewer ( I will never forgive Janet Napolitano for inflicting her on us) is deciding whether to veto a sick anti-gay bill that was just passed by the legislature. A bill that says based on “religious freedom” you can discriminate against someone who is gay or lesbian. You are gay so..NO SOUP FOR YOU! Now, she will probably be forced to veto it because so many people are outraged about it and have called and e-mailed her saying they will never set foot in her state again or that they will take their business elsewhere if she signs the bill.

It really doesn’t matter. The damage is done, In 2014 the Republican legislature of Arizona passed this bill. Period. If not for all of the pressure Brewer would sign it. And the trend has been set. There are similar bills floating around in other backwards states. Backwards is a good word because as other nations are moving forward, America is heading backwards into the dark ages. Mostly because of religion. That cancer that invades our country. We can scream about the separation of church and state all we want, they do not care. The Constitution means nothing to them. Never has.

Now there is a lowlife GOP lobbyist who wants to ban gays from playing in the NFL. Jack Burkman, says he has support for a bill that would do just that. I wonder who supports him? Democrats? I think not. Now just like the Arizona law this most likely won’t go anywhere but believe me, many Republicans wish it would. Burkman, who we know jerks off to those images he claims are disgusting (straight men showering next to a gay man) is a truly vile individual.  ”Imagine your son being forced to shower with a gay man,” Berkman said. You mean the son that compares his penis size to the guy showering next him? The son that whips his friend’s naked ass with a towel in the locker room? You talking about THAT son Jackie boy?

One wonders where a smug piece of shit like Burkman has been living? What dark, moist hole has he recently crawled out of?

But maybe I get too upset. I mean it’s par for the course with these Republicans..the religious right. They really do want to go back in time. They want to go back to when women couldn’t vote, when blacks were slaves, when gays were deep inside the closet. These are their ultimate fuck fantasies. As the rest of the world (and parts of this country, mostly up north) advance and evolve, they want to fight that with every fiber of their being. That is why we are seeing these bills pop up now.

So I say let’s practice our religious freedom. We must discriminate against Republicans. Make them feel the hurt they are inflicting on others. Then we can truly move forward without them.

The post Arizona SB1062: Let’s Discriminate Against Repunlicans appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Of course we all know how the Zimmerman trial turned out. It’s safe to say that the Not Guilty verdict returned in that trial is fresh in the minds of many. So much so that activists are now lobbying the state of Florida to bring to an end its controversial Stand Your Ground self-defense law. Why? Because to some, it’s clear that the law and it’s application is racially biased. This is a claim that I don’t endorse not with which I agree; and, I’ve shared my opinion on the egregious mischaracterization of the law before (read here). Nonetheless, to some, the law has to go. After all, such a law on the books as it has been in 21 states only encourages violence, and the assassination of black males young and old alike; so yes, it’s about race.

Jude Cordell (Left) and Daniel Adkins (Right)

So what does this have to do with Daniel Adkins and Jude Cordell? Well, given the fact that one of them is dead and the as a result of a gunshot wound and there has been no arrest, one would think it would be a a pretty “big fucking dead,” as Vice President Joe Biden would say. One would think that the media would be whipping up everyone into a frenzy demanding justice. But I suppose when a story isn’t sexy enough to be racialized as was the Zimmerman trial, everything else just falls to the wayside. Yep, I’ve blogged about the Daniel Adkins case before, and it’s unfortunate that none of my left-wing buddies are not using this case to justify their argument that Stand Your Ground self-defense laws are dangerous. So who is Daniel Adkins? Read the following excerpt from my post which introduced his story, on April 9th, 2012 to become a bit familiar.

Well, the victim in this particular case is a 22-year-old white male who as it turns out, was mentally retarded and had the mental capacity of a 12-year-old. The shooter however, happens to be a black man. What I find particularly interesting, is the fact that there is very little talk of justice for Daniel Adkins much in the same way there’s talk of justice for Trayvon Martin. And I find this particularly interesting given the politicization of the incident involving George Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense as it relates to the NRA pushed and ALEC supported Stand Your Ground Law. In case you’ve been under a rock for the past few weeks, the Stand Your Ground Law currently exists in 24 states. Arizona, where Daniel Adkins was killed, like Florida, also has their own version of Stand Your Ground. (read more)

Make no mistake, part of the reason Trayvon’ Martin’s death seemed like an injustice initially, was because Zimmerman was not arrested. We all know the story, there were mass rallies and protests in the interest of justice up until he was arrested 44 days after killing Trayvon. Adkins was killed just a matter of weeks removed from Trayvon’s death, but yet there was no outrage. Adkins’ killer, Jude Cordell, remained a free man and was never arrested for the death of Adkins. Why? Could it be that the shooter in this case being black, made the case less motivated by race?

PHOENIX – It’s been called the “reverse Trayvon Martin” case.

A Hispanic man dead, shot and killed in the parking lot of a south Phoenix Taco Bell. The shooter is black. He told police he only shot in self-defense.

Still, a grand jury indicted Jude Cordell on 2nd degree murder charges. His trial will start next month.

Cordell is facing 2nd degree murder charges, but this entire time he’s been out of jail.

Jude Cordell is on supervised released as he waits for trial. He’s accused of killing 29-year-old Daniel Adkins at a Phoenix Taco Bell. Cordell says it was self-defense. Adkins’ family believes he was murdered.

“I want him behind bars. I want him to pay for this,” says Marina Reyes, Adkins’ sister.

Adkins was developmentally disabled. Last year, he was walking his yellow lab, Lady, down the street. Cordell was pulling out of the Taco Bell drive-thru and almost ran over Adkins. Adkins allegedly hit the car and yelled at Cordell. That’s when Cordell says he feared for his life and pulled out a gun and shot Adkins.

Jude Cordell

Police didn’t arrest Cordell after the shooting. But four months later, a grand jury indicted him.

“If he felt that my brother was threatening him he could have easily just rolled up the window and called the cops,” says Reyes.

One of the conditions of Cordell’s release was once-a-month drug testing. According to court paperwork, Cordell failed a drug test in May. But he wasn’t sent back to jail. He was ordered to take weekly drug tests instead.

Cordell’s trial is less than 4-weeks away. It’s been almost year and a half since the shooting.

“I forgave him for what he did. It’s hard for a father to do but if I hate somebody I’m just as bad as he is,” says Daniel Adkins, Sr.

Cordell is also on 18-month probation stemming from another arrest for possession of marijuana.

Watch the following via myfoxphoenix.com before continuing:

Jude Cordell smoking a blunt,

So here we are well over a year later, and though there has been an indictment by a Grand Jury, no arrest has been made because Jude Cordell isn’t seen as a threat to society. Yep, never mind the fact that he was arrested for weed possession after being pulled over while driving a car with two suspects from a drive-bye shooting as passengers. I could be wrong, but I’d like to think that the circumstances for his arrest would have urged more people to rally for his arrest. But no, I guess since his crime wasn’t deemed to be racially motivated, unlike the actions of Zimmerman, there was no need for national coverage by media outlets (outside of any coverage by bloggers such as myself). That said, I don’t expect there to be a media circus next month when the trial starts. Of course I find this to be very hypocritical. But hey, if it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense.

If President Barack Obama had a son, he’d probably look like Trayvon Martin. The sad truth that is hardly accepted is that Obama’s son would more than likely be killed by someone who looks like him. To be clear, racial profiling is a very serious issue. And, some may say that the Daniel Adkins case though reversed from that of Trayvon’s isn’t such an issue. My wonder is if many who are of this opinion, are only saying this because the media, as well as many of the so-called leaders in the black community hasn’t told them that it was. Besides, it’s not in racial unless a black person is the victim, right? Yes, and we have the 3.1% of all white-on-black homicides per FBI data, to thank for this well concocted notion. Not to be condescending, but isn’t an injustice anywhere a threat to justice everywhere? Pardon me, but was Trayvon’s life more valuable than Daniel’s?

The post Daniel Adkins “Reverse Trayvon Martin Case” Starts August appeared first on Madness & Reality.

So the Supreme Court didn’t announce any rulings related to “the gays” or “blah people” today. While many of us on the left side of the political side of things anxiously await rulings on DOMA, Prop 8, Affirmative Action as well as the Voting Rights Act. U suppose not announcing any rulings related to the aforementioned today was a good thing. At least for me, I’m so not in the mood for a Negro-Gay riot… or is it a Gay-Negro riot? Either way, as much as I like tearing shit up, I’m not in the mood today for any news of regression in American society. Nope, holla at me next Monday when I’m far removed from my Father’s Day hangover. Until then, let’s bask in the afterglow of post-racialness while we can. Capiche?

Okay, so lets talk about some good news:

In an opinion by conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, a 7-2 Supreme Court held this morning that an Arizona law requiring voting officials to reject voter registration forms that are “not accompanied by concrete evidence of citizenship” conflicts with a federal law requiring states to use a uniform voter registration form for federal elections. Scalia once justified an anti-immigrant opinion with a reference to laws excluding “freed blacks” from southern states, and he called the Voting Rights Act a “perpetuation of racial entitlement. So his authorship of this opinion is both unexpected and a sign of the weakness of Arizona’s legal position in defending this law.

Looks like another racism T-K-O for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer thanks to Justice Antionin Scalia and company

The Court’s opinion in this case, Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, also establishes an important doctrinal rule regarding the power of Congress to push back against state election laws. The Constitution permits duly enacted federal laws to trump state law, a process known as “preemption.” Normally, however, courts should apply a presumption against preemption and assume that Congress did not intend to invalidate state law if the matter is uncertain. Scalia’s opinion holds that this presumption does not apply with respect to federal laws regulating federal elections, a holding which suggests Congress’ power to sweep away state election laws is quite sweeping.

As the Court points out, this broad view of the federal role in governing elections is consistent with the Constitution’s text, which provides that “[t]he times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations.” So a future Congress more supportive of voting rights has the power to sweep away voter ID laws and other methods of voter suppression that have recently popped up mostly in conservative states. By contrast, a future Congress more keen to voter suppression may have significant authority to impose its will on the nation, although this power would be checked by constitutionalsafeguards against many forms of voter suppression.

Scalia’s opinion is not, however, a total victory over Arizona’s attempt to make voter registration more difficult. Rather, the final section of his opinion suggests that Arizona could renew a request to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to incorporate the state’s proof-of-citizenship requirement into the voter registration form, and that they could challenge any denial of this request in court. For the meantime, however, Arizona’s requirement is invalid. (Source: Think Progress)

Okay, so I’m no attorney, and I’m not too good with legal speak (this cat is). But, from the little English that I did learn in college, it sounds like a low-key-racist Antonin Scalia said that what Arizona attempted to do was racist. Alright, so he didn’t explicitly ay this. But we all know that Arizona’s law had its roots in the anti-immigrant wing of the Republican party who sought to keep the brown man down (see SB1070). This is a major victory for any advocate for freedom, justice, and equality and a slap in the face of those hell-bent on taking “their country” back since the black guy showed up.

After all, progress benefits us all, yes?

The post Justice Scalia Strikes Down Arizona’s Proof of Citizenship Voting Law appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Now as I mentioned last week, I could give a rats ass whether he NSA is tracking my phone calls, or even reading this site for that matter. As I mentioned then, as a black man in America there are more threats to my life, liberty, and happiness than a government spy program. As a black man — like all black people — I’ve always assumed that the Feds were keeping tabs on us. Hell, I think it has been this way since we stepped off the slave ships. But until now, it has never been confirmed. What I do know though, is that a lot of black folk have been subjected to random searches, seizures, and in many cases arrests by police officers. And in most cases, the only probable cause they need is for one of us to be driving. Yes, Driving While Back (DWB) though not the law of the land, is very real. That said, the following is probably the worst case I’ve ever heard.

This from wxyz.com:

SURPRISE, AZ – Jessie Thornton sleeps during the day and runs errands and works out during the night.

“My wife, she’s an ER nurse and works three 12-hour shifts, so I adjusted my schedule to be like her schedule,” Thornton told our Phoenix sister station KNXV.

The 64-year-old retired firefighter moved to a retirement community in Surprise, Arizona from Ohio.

Jessie says his late hours have put him in the police spotlight.

“I’ve been stopped 10 times in Surprise and given four tickets, it’s amazing,” said Thornton.

His latest incident with Surprise police officers prompted Thornton to hire a lawyer with plans to sue the department.

Around 11 p.m. Thornton, according to Surprise Police Department paperwork, was pulled over for crossing the white line in his lane.

“He (the officer) walked up and he said ‘I can tell you’re driving DUI by looking in your eyes,'” said Thornton.

The 64-year-old says his eyes could have been red because he had just left LA Fitness where he was in the pool swimming.

“I take my glasses off and he says, ‘You’ve got bloodshot eyes.’ I said, ‘I’ve been swimming at LA Fitness,’ and he says, ‘I think you’re DUI,'” said Thornton. “He (the officer) goes, ‘Well we’re going to do a sobriety test.’ I said, ‘OK, but I got bad knees and a bad hip with surgery in two days.'”

Medical documents show Thornton was scheduled to have hip replacement surgery two days after the incident.

According to the police report, the officer notes that Thornton does have a hip and knee problem.

Thornton said two other officers arrived and he conducted the sobriety test.

“At one point, one of the officers shined the light in my eye and said, ‘Oh, sorry,’ and asked the other officer if he was doing it right,'” said Thornton.

Thornton said he was then placed in handcuffs and told to sit on the curb.

“I couldn’t even sit on the ground like that and they knew it and I was like laying on the ground, then they put me in the back of an SUV and when I asked the officer to move her seat up ’cause my hip hurt she told me to stop whining,” said Thornton.

According to documents provided to ABC15 from the City of Surprise, Thornton was taken to police headquarters where he took a breathalyzer test.

The test, according to the police documents, came back with a blood alcohol level of 0.000.

“Yes, I do the breathalyzer and it comes back zero, zero, zero,” said Thornton.

While in custody, a “DRE” or drug recognition expert is called to test Thornton.

“After he did all the tests, he says, ‘I would never have arrested you, you show no signs of impairment,'” said Thornton.

The Surprise resident is right. The police documents show the drug recognition officer wrote, “I conducted an evaluation of Jessie, in my opinion Jessie was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

According the documents from the Surprise Police Department, the blood analysis showed no drugs were detected in Thornton’s blood.

Jessie’s car had been impounded and the MVD notified of the DUI charge.

“I then get this message that my license is being suspended and I have to take some sort of drinking class or something,” said Thornton.

According to the police documents, Thornton was later released to his wife.

Watch the video:

The post Black Man With 0.00 Blood Alcohol Level Arrested for DUI appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Here’s the old debate:

Breitbart News editor-at-large Ben Shapiro on Wednesday dismissed the importance of ethnic studies by insisting that only purposes of the courses were “to meet girls” and “get an easy A.”

Fox News host Megyn Kelly noted on Wednesday that a U.S. Circuit Court judge recently hadupheld an Arizona law that banned ethnic studies in Tucson because Republican lawmakers said that the classes promoted racial resentment.

Shapiro argued that the judge had made the right decision because ethnic studies courses — like the Mexican American Studies Program that was banned in Tucson — had a “myopic focus on the idea that America is a racist place against certain ethnicities and minorities.”

“The second point here is just the giant waste of taxpayer dollars that this constitutes,” he added. “Look, I took Jewish studies courses when I was at UCLA. There are only two reason that you take a Jewish studies course. The first is to meet girls, and the second is to get an easy A.”

“And that’s why most students are taking ethnic studies courses, unless they’re buying into this radical ideology that really is the basis of all ethic studies courses throughout America.”

[…] University of Pennsylvania Sociology Professor Camille Charles, however, said that she was offended at the charge that the only purpose of ethnic studies courses was to stir up anti-American resentment.

“There was a time in our history that parts of what is now the United States were actually Mexico, that people of African descent, of Latin American descent, of Native American descent were exploited and oppressed at a point in our history, I think those are all factually accurate,” she explained.

If I didn’t know any better, I would assume that the U.S. Circuit Court judge in this case pretty much attempted to whitewash history (yes, pun intended). Like the misguided Professor Camille Charles, I would be offended; and, like her and all the un-enligthened Negroes in America, I’d be ready to toss and pull a few race cards. Instead, however, I’m now ready to advance the cause of post-racialness and correct this most egregious miscarriage of justice and slander pf the name of good white folks like Shapiro and Kelly, all in the name of promoting disinformation.

Watch the video:

The post Breitbart’s Ben Shapiro: Ethnic Studies Promotes Racial Resentment appeared first on Madness & Reality.

What burns me up is the hypocritical front that many members of this group of people put on for show when they know they’re as crooked as the letter “S” and have way more skeletons in their closets than working folks like me and you could ever hope to.

Sure, Allison Meyers was fired in 2010 for a little oversight involving a bondage club and an expense budget item, but everyone has mishaps, of course.

But I wonder if she can spell?

How she negotiates campaign funds on behalf of her employer is not my beef, because I love a girl that loves to strap up in some leather to kick back and relax with the “edgy” crowd. If you’ll recall,  Allison Meyers name is associated with the scandal involving Michael Steele; it seems they spent two stacks on entertainment at a high end boudoir type place during the Republican National Convention in but was unaware of what actually happened since he wasn’t there.

But Republican runner Wil Cardon can’t be too worried since he has problems of his own, it seems after spending $230,000 on his first ad campaign that ran in Tucson Arizona, people weren’t too pleased to see that Tucson was misspelled on the commercial.

They have the audacity to stand before the public and present themselves as qualified and willing capable public servants and you people have the nerve to vote for them.

The post What Does Bondage, Scandal and the Inability to Spell Properly Have in Common….. appeared first on Madness & Reality.

I know some of my cousins may be offended by this, but I’m not. The thought of a White History Month, or even a Caucasian American Day is so hilarious to me. It is, because even if said group became a minority, there’s no way in hell they’d be oppressed. Nor would there be a need to “celebrate” the achievements of white folks in America. But I guess for some, this would be necessary; especially to  overcome white slavery and all the Jerome Crow laws.

PHOENIX (CBS5) – Arizona is already taking a lot of heat for its reputation regarding illegal immigration, and for Gov. Jan Brewer’s finger-wagging at President Barack Obama during a recent visit, and a state lawmaker isn’t exactly helping the state’s image.

Rep. Cecil Ash, a Republican from Mesa, is suggesting Arizona needs a holiday for white people.

“I wanted to speak to you all about Latino Americans here in Arizona,” said state Rep. Richard Miranda on the House floor Monday, starting the conversation that sparked the controversy.

Miranda said Arizona should have a Latino American day in Arizona.

After some heated debate, Rep. Cecil Ash stepped up to the mic.

“I’m supportive of this proposition. I just want them to assure me that when we do become in the minority you’ll have a day for us,” Ash said. (source)

That Rep. Cecil Ash sure is a funny dude, but not really.  When the governor of your state disrespects America’s first Black president by waving her finger in his face in full view of the world. As a lawmaker, you could only be half kidding about something like maybe a White folks appreciation day. Hell, they banned ethnic studies and passed racist immigration laws in Arizona, didn’t they? Yeah, white folks have done a lot out there. So yeah, Happy White People Day.

The post Arizona Republican Lawmaker Proposes “White People Day” Holiday appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Last Sunday night on Twitter, just before president Obama’s big announcement. I completely flipped out when I saw that Black folks were being encouraged to boycott the airing of Celebrity Apprentice that night. Supposedly this was in response to the antics of Donald Trump, who many now see as racist given his attacks on the president. I for one felt this was foolish. And me being the habitual line-stepper that I am, spared no seconds in letting people know how I felt. The way I see it, boycotting Trump who has not even as much utter a racial pejorative aimed at the president was ridiculous. In the grand scheme of things, a few Black people (who actually watch the show) boycotting Celebrity Apprentice, does nothing to impact society at large.

A few people were disgusted as I gave my take. In particular. they had a hard time understanding that this is indeed America, and love it or hate it, Trump can indeed say or do anything he wants within the law. They also had a hard time understanding my explanation that expanded to explain that Trump is not an elected official; and, he has not even declared whether he’going to run for president or not. Therefore, his has no direct impact on our lives as far as legislative policy. In short, there are and always will be racists in this country; and though I’m down with any anti-racism movement, I prefer a call to action on something significant. I’m all about making a difference and shining a light on where it’s deserved, such as the following:

You see, racism or the tool that is racism is indeed applied systematically. Yes there are racial undertones associated with the claim of president Obama being Kenyan and not American. However, where were these so-called Black “activists” when Arizona were in the process of passing, or passed it’s draconian SB1070 legislation. Further, where were these Black “activists” when the very same state passed a “Birther Bill” which supported the racist claims of irrational right-wing lunatics? From where I’m sitting legislation that bans ethnic studies in the state of Obama does more to negatively impact our society at large than Donald Trump could ever say or do – he’s not an elected official.

As far as I’m concerned, this is a huge problem; that would be, the lack of participation by Black folks and true Black activists in the fight against the anti-immigrant movement. But I guess you have to be a Black immigrant like myself to truly understand just how laws such as HB 2281 and SB 1070 affects us all. The bottom line here folks: anti-immigrant legislation isn’t just a “Mexican” problem; it’s an American problem. In a country that was built and continues to be built on the backs on immigrants where we not only encourage diversity and the celebration of heritage and different cultures. It’s time that we as Americans pull together and say no to what I see as the erasing of an individual ethnic and cultural identity; and that’s not a good thing…

It’s racist!

The post Tucson, AZ. Students Occupy School Board Meeting to Defend Ethnic Studies appeared first on Madness & Reality.

by JuJuBe (Joanna)

A new anti-immigrant bill (SB 1611), introduced  by the same man responsible for the infamous SB 1070, has been passed by a state appropriations committee in Arizona this morning. The bill now needs to go to the state House of Representatives and Senate before landing on the Governors desk. The bill is much more far reaching that SB 1070, and has human rights activists and health care professional contemplating civil disobedience.

It is amazing that a country that is MADE UP ENTIRELY of immigrants is so bent on denying the rights of people who were born in other countries and have the NERVE to want to pursue a better future for themselves and their families!  If the people in Arizona want to pass punitive measures against so called “illegal” immigrants than they should address the original “invaders” the Europeans who flooded country after Columbus “discovered” this land in 1492. If law makers want to criminalize immigration than they should start by recognizing that all of America is stolen territory.

Whenever I have spoken to people about the issue of immigration, I have heard the same rhetoric over and over… that “illegal” immigrants are criminals simply for living in this country without proper documentation. The truth is, “illegal” immigration is a CIVIL offense, not a criminal one, but this Arizona law seems to want to change that.

It is extremely problematic that the state of Arizona wants to forbid immigrants without proper documentation to obtain needed medical services without disclosing their “illegal” status. This will inevitably result in an extremely dangerous situation, as immigrants will avoid seeking medical care for fear of being deported.

It is also unconscionable to allow the state to deny an education to a child based on immigration status. In fact, it has been outlawed by the Supreme Court, but that seems to mean nothing to lawmakers in Arizona.

I find it fascinating that all of the arguments used against “illegal” immigrants, particularly those from Mexico or other Latin American countries, are simply recycled from arguments used against other immigrants, such as Italians and Irish. Somehow those who come from immigrants who were deemed “undesirable” not to long ago have conveniently ignored that fact that every argument used against “illegals” today was once used against their ancestors.

Isn’t that convenient?

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