Ben Carson's story reminds me of another college legend
Ben Carson's story reminds me of another college legend:There was once a psychology class where all the tests were burned the day after the professor posted the grades on the wall, the grade book was...
View ArticleWhy explaining Sanders to black voters fails.
“explaining how political or strategic racism works””explaining why Sanders has better policies for black people” This won’t work.Many black people already get both of these things. That's NOT the...
View ArticleI may not vote for Sanders. But I know I won't vote for Clinton.
I have followed Sanders for years. I was always impressed by his position as the only 3rd party major elected official. This primary has been exhausting for me. I spend half my time trying to explain...
View ArticleThe black vote: I thought we were all on the same page.
There are symmetries in time. In 2008 everyone was wondering if Obama could “reach out to white working class voters” it was in that context that I wrote a diary called “Hillary’s black voter...
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Eulogy
Our flag is at half-mast today. A matter of protocol. Yet, to me, the lowered flag seems poised and tense, like a cat in wait. This flag, more grey than red, white or blue in crystal cold February, is...
View ArticleDude, did you know Jesse Jackson is a black man who ran for president before...
I’m trying not to miss the unity I felt campaigning for Obama. But I do miss it. One thing I loved about campaigning for Obama was the sense of unity among black people. It made me so happy. I made me...
View ArticleHow good dies.
Most politicians get into the game as idealists. Then political realities force them to compromise over and over. And they think to themselves, "yeah so I had to take donations from a for-profit...
View ArticleOpen letter to Thom Hartmann on the "Vaccine-Autism Link"
Thom Hartmann is a liberal talk radio host who I started listening to about a year ago. Recently he has had some people involved in the movie ‘Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe’ on his show. Thom...
View ArticleWas I ever welcome?
I'm going to talk about this just because it might make me feel a bit better and, I don't know, get over this faster. I hope that some people here will “get it.”It's not the kind of thing that ought to...
View ArticleThe primary isn't over.
I’ve had a few Clinton folks ask me recently: Am I “Bernie or Bust” ? You know what? Right now? I don’t know. I want the primary to end first and I don't think it's fair to make Sanders leave early if...
View ArticleWhat would to do to someone who beat a puppy?
You will never see anger and calls for violence as vivid or as dark as those prompted by a person who harms a puppy or dog. People who are otherwise mild mannered will call for torture and death for a...
View ArticleTelling people to protest peacefully is futile.
There has been some violence from people protesting Trump and this has lead to predictable hand-wringing on the left and a bunch of "we can't be violent or we are no better than Trump! OMG!" articles....
View ArticleDaily Kos: 75% Trump
FRONT PAGE OF DAILY KOS:Kelly Ayotte is going to vote for the 'offensive'Donald Trump, no matter how racist he isMitch McConnell's vision: An entire federal judiciary in Donald Trump's tiny...
View ArticleI can't shake this feeling of betrayal.
I’m sad and disappointed seeing people are celebrating Clinton BEFORE she has the nomination. I thought the party was becoming more brave and more liberal. I thought there was going to be "Change" that...
View Articlean unaddressed cause of high gun deaths in certain cities
Unequal access to health care (trauma centers) is an unaddressed cause of high gun deaths per capita in cities like Chicago. Many of the hot spots nationally for deaths from guns are in urban areas...
View ArticleWhat could Sanders have done differently (from the beginning) to get the...
What could Sanders have done differently from the beginning to get the black vote? I have my own thoughts, but before I write my post on the matter I want to know what others think.
View ArticleErosion of trust. (Death by 1000 pin pricks. And a few pin stabs.)
This is a list of events that happened to me. This is the story of how I went from a person who trusted the police to a person without any trust. It starts off a little harsh, but it still took time...
View ArticleWhat I got wrong about #BlackLivesMatter, and why it is important.
I think I've been making a mistake in the way I talk about #blacklivesmatter. Though, I'm still thinking about this. And I'm not yet convinced that I'm right. Let me explain: #blacklivesmatter isn't a...
View ArticleWhat should you do if you see this giant wasp?
This is sphecius speciosus, the eastern cicada killer digger wasp. This photo shows a female since only the females kill. Their sting places the cicada into a paralyzed state so that her young will...
View ArticleAction Item: NYC Residents, Please answer and share this survey from the NYPD
The NYPD is working with the Policing Project at NYU School of Law to determine how body cams should work in our city. The survey asks some good questions that show the complexity and concerns that...
View ArticleA story from my dad that shows how none of this is new.
I want to tell ya'll a story from my dad. He's kind of conservative for a black man. One Thanksgiving he told me this story. I was shocked. My dad was in the national guard in the late 60s. He was in...
View Articlesomething fishy with twitter's hash tag auto complete
Anyone else notice something fishy with twitter's hash tag auto complete? Trending topics are missing. Misspelled versions of trending topics are suggested. In the example shown in the image I'm not...
View ArticleI don't always understand street protest.
I don't always understand street protest. I'm happy that people do it, but it's just not for me, mostly. But reading the constitution, as I do from time to time I was reminded why it matters:Congress...
View ArticleI don't feel the warm feminist glow of a possible Clinton presidency.
I can't feel any of this "first woman" thing. It shows a woman can do anything! (if she's a millionaire and married to an ex-president.) I know so many women who have started from nothing and come so...
View ArticleBlack people do not need to change in any way to deserve equal justice.
Ya'll know I can go all sappy on Obama. I'm just not letting it happen right now because I need to stay wide awake. It's kinda hard. So, I’ll focus on the one line from an otherwise perfect speech...
View ArticleIt's easier to think of trump's supporters as poorly informed.
Why is David Brooks always writing about the working class? He really has zero insight from experience on the matter and hardly uses statistics either. However, after looking at the comments on his...
View ArticleAgain, black people do not need to change in any way to deserve equal justice.
Black people do not need to change in any way to deserve equal justice. If you think we need to change perhaps...You may assume that black culture is inferior to white. You assume that black...
View Article"this isn't much worse than living under Bush"
The perception of unfairness can give cover for sexism bigotry and apathy. People showed up for Obama because none of the "scandals" about him had any merit. To criticize Obama you have to talk about...
View ArticleThere are no “nice little things” you can do to fight authoritarianism.
I never understood what the people protesting Obama were tying to accomplish. Clearly they were motived by racism, by a perceived threat to conservative values. But I could not see how their protests...
View ArticleYou will not "register as Muslim" here is why.
Everyone's talking about how they will "register as Muslim" as if that is how it is going to go down. Sorry, but you won't have the chance. It might be data mining, it might be by interviews, but there...
View ArticleThank you Clinton supporters from a "Bernie-bro"
I want to thank Clinton supporters who worked hard to get her elected. Those of us who didn't, like myself, did not have good information or else we were being too bitter and too petty. I didn't think...
View ArticleThe basics of secure online communication for organizers.
Hi Organizers,If you are posting in facebook groups or most online message boards assume the world can read what you say. That includes the FBI and the cops. "But, I'm not talking about anything...
View ArticleLet them know it's YOU in that noisy crowd.
If you have been protesting, but don't normally do that, let any of your trump supporting acquaintances know that it's you who is out there. Many think protestors are paid, or people who do nothing but...
View ArticleSilent Protest?
There have been protests in NYC everyday and I think that is amazing. I want to thank anyone who has organized a protest anywhere. But tonight I was thinking about how New Yorkers can get used to...
View ArticleWhat is the point of these protests?
One of the chants at the protests is, "Muslim Lives Matter." A video of one of the protests I was in with a close childhood friend, has been shared in Egypt and seen 10,000 times! "Muslim Lives...
View ArticleOur part in this American disaster.
I am more interested in apologies and hearing that those around me who can recognize OUR mistakes than I am in blame. This isn't a morally motivated desire, nor is it about virtue. It is about if each...
View ArticleA future without black progressives.
1. I talk to Sanders people and explain they are pushing away black voters. That they may create a rift, based on their actions now especially, that will NEVER heal and the title "progressive" will be...
View ArticleLet's bring back the Obama coalition and make it even better.
Given that Sanders is pushing for a Muslim to lead the DNC and *some* of the same people who slammed him for his identity politics statement are also saying "oh we can't have a Muslim lead the DNC,...
View ArticleThe opposition starts TODAY!
Let's call our Senators and tell them to support Warren in her opposition to the “21st Century Cures bill.” Her reasoning is excellent (see link) and this is a part of a larger strategy of encouraging...
View ArticleDream American.
In my dream last night I saw this little snaggle-toothed girl sitting on a chair. She had red white and blue beads in her cornrows and a red white and blue party dress. She was sitting on a chair that...
View Articlethat time democrats raised 13k overnight for the GOP
http://time.com/4533512/democrats-republicans-north-carolina-firebomb-gofundme/I just want to take this moment to commemorate that time democrats raised 13k overnight for the GOP...in a swing state...
View Articleeducating liberal moderates on purpose of mass protest
I think we need to work on educating liberal moderates on purpose of mass protest. Too often they see it only as a way of influencing elected officials and possibly companies through bad publicity.The...
View Articleeasy to forget
It was easy to forget, walking the streets of Manhattan with a little money in her pocket. It was easy to forget that she needed to buy a gun. Things will be normal, until suddenly they will not be...
View ArticleRacism is built into the floor plan of NYC museum.
I posted this here in December 2008. It was not received well. Many people said I was being unreasonable. Given the important conversations we have been having about monuments and how those monuments...
View Article"Working class."
When you see the words:"Working class."What comes to mind? It was probably not that different from the image attached to this post. (That was the first image google delivered. This is the type of image...
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a man in my science fiction forum drew this graph for me to explain why women...
I hang out in a science fiction forum and someone pointed out that we didn’t have that many female members. So, some of the dudes are like “well women are just not inclined to be interested in science....
View ArticleNo. Nobody is "transing" the tomboys. A deep look at why.
A current popular argument amongst people who question trans identities uses the "heartfelt" stories of adult women who grew up as tomboys spreading fear about the possibility of girls being "funneled"...
View ArticleHas "Racism" always existed?
Let’s start with slavery. Conservatives like to stress the fact that America didn’t invent slavery. While it is true that slavery has existed throughout human history, all over the world. In most...
View ArticleThe little flakes of truth...
At this point nearly everyone has gotten around to saying that the United States has a fascism problem. I remember watching as more and more "right-wing" pundits crossed that line, I remember feeling...
View ArticleWe need to talk about all these "gardens"
Gardening is growing in popularity, but shouldn't we ask some questions about this new explosive trend? Not farming, but rather little gardens often kept by people without proper farm equipment or...
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