I want to preface this flag round-up by saying this: although I welcome the removal of the confederate flag from the public (and commercial) square, and while doing so may garner some sniping from the likes of Bill Kristol and Haley Barbour, we must remember that taking down the flag is easy. No matter how good it will be to see … Read More
Removal Of Confederate Flag From South Carolina Capital (UPDATE: And Elsewhere)
It didn’t seem that long ago that this issue was debated. But it was 2000, so… yeah, 15 years. Back then, like today, presidential candidates were asked their views on whether South Carolina should fly the Confederate Flag on government property, and many of them punted (“it is a state issue”), just like many of the GOP candidates did this … Read More
For The Last Time, The Civil War Was About Slavery
It gets exhausting sometimes having to explain to some people that the US Civil War was not about “states’ rights” or some other nonsense. That’s all 19th and 20th century revisionism, and it is not true. The Civil War was about slavery, and the reason we KNOW this is because there is an historical record. I will share some of … Read More
Obama Uses N-Word; Media Misses The Point
President Obama appeared on the WTF podcast with Marc Maron and had a long, thoughtful, and useful conversation about race in America, which included this point: “We’re not cured of it. And it’s not just a matter of not being polite to say ‘nigger’ in public. That’s not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It’s not just a … Read More
The REAL Guilty Party Is Located In Charleston Church Massacre
Charles Cotton is a member of the NRA’s board, and he knows who killed those people. No, not Dylann Storm Roof, the alleged gunman who has since confessed, silly! It was Rev. Clementa Pinckney, state senator and pastor at Emanuel AME Church, according to Cotton. How did Pinckney manage that? By voting against a bill that would have allowed people to … Read More
Fun Fact About The South Carolina Confederate Flag
The South Carolina Capitol did not display the Confederate Flag until 1961. In fact, it was raised on April 11, 1961 — the one hundredth anniversary of Fort Sumter. Here’s other news that happened that week: Sen. Marrion Gressette, the head of the State Segregation Committee, created in 1951 to recommend measures to maintain segregation, was supporting a resolution condemning … Read More
Don’t Call ‘Em Crazy
I really have a problem with the second-day opinion that the Charleston shooter was “mentally ill” or “disturbed”. 99% of the time, the person offering that assessment isn’t at all a qualified doctor, and 100% of the time, he hasn’t examined the shooter. There’s a ridiculous circular logic that the shooter’s actions explain his mental state, and his mental state … Read More
The Conservative Denial That This Is About Race Is Getting Bizarre
This conservative columnist for the Miami Herald (and Fox News contributor) may be the most desperate person on the internets: UPDATE: Still in denial, she later tweeted, “None of this story adds up. Even if a ‘white supremacist,’ their targets/hatred isn’t usually church-going African-Americansty” Huh?!? She got a lot of blowback and has sense set her Twitter account to private.
Mass Murder Hate Crime Leaves 9 Dead In Charleston Church
I may have been one of the first 1000 people to know what happened in Charleston last night. I was at rehearsal for a play I am in (barely), and backstage, I checked my phone. Nothing on the Breaking News app, nothing big on Twitter. I opened Periscope, and there was a guy working in some Charlotte newsroom who was … Read More
Is Race Mutable?
I suppose if you could go back in time, and ask someone in the year 1915 “Is Gender Mutable?”, they would say something like “I think this kid Baby Ruth who is pitching for the Red Sox won’t amount to much. Now what was your question?” Seriously, though. They would look at you strangely and say “Uh, no. Boys are … Read More
Palin Word Salad Of The Day
The Great Pundit takes on Rachel Dolezal, the white woman who pretended to be black, who headed up the Spokane chapter of the NAACP. Let’s see how far we can wade in before we get tangled and swallowed: Ok, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh… this hard. I know this isn’t a victimless crime, what this white chick perpetrated. But it’s … Read More
Update To Earlier Story
Breaking: Rachel Dolezal, the NAACP chapter president who was accused of pretending to be black, said Monday that she would step down. (see earlier post) [fb_embed_post href=”https://www.facebook.com/spokane.naacp/posts/1623781377868883/” width=”550″/] Too bad. She seemed like an effective leader. It probably wasn’t the “crime” of pretending to be black; it was probably the cover-up (saying that she was actually black).
Some Good News In The Tamir Race Murder
A judge in Cleveland has ruled that there’s probable cause to charge two officers involved in the November 2014 shooting death of Tamir Rice. In response to a petition from citizens, under an obscure and little-used provision of Ohio law, Municipal Court Judge Ronald Adrine agreed that Officer Timothy Loehmann should be charged with several crimes, the most serious of … Read More
Black Like Me?
Rachel Dolezal has been a leader in the Spokane (Washington) chapter of the NAACP for many years. Having previously worked as the education director for the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d’Alene, Dolezal is credited for re-energizing the NAACP chapter. She is not just president of her local NAACP chapter; she is also an academic expert on African-American culture and teaches many … Read More