Florida: Getting Away With Child Murder

Trayvon Martin was murdered in a shocking act of violence clearly motivated by racial bias, yet it looks like he won’t even get a slap on the wrist. It appears that George Zimmerman drove up to Trayvon when the 17 year old was returning from a shopping trip with an iced tea and some skittles, [...]

Brief Update and Two Recommended Posts

Shortly (I hope) I’ll be announcing a new education blog related to my nonprofit.  In the meantime I’d like to recommend two exceptionally insightful posts…

CNN Political Ticker: (CNN) — Conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh Monday strongly defended his recent remark that Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama largely because of race, and lashed out at members of the media and Democrats for appearing to take issue with his comment. “So what if it’s race?” Limbaugh said on his radio show. [...]

The Audacity of Bravery

When you consider the risks Barack Obama is taking, just by being Black and running for President, and further by taking progressive political stands, it puts his earnestness front and center.  There is a reason people feel they can trust this man. My friend Brad, (who when pressed is full of insightful yet cuttingly cynical [...]

Good Reads 07-27

Today’s Good Reads are brought to you by the letter COOKIE: Been arguing with people who think free market health care will solve everything?  This is a caustic counterpoint (The Unapologetic Mexican). Bloggernista exhorts us all to stand up for Gay rights and fight hard come November. It is a deeply compassionate wisdom which invites [...]

Good Reads

I’m starting a semi regular feature (ideally this will be once daily) listing interesting pieces of news and curiosity I come across.  Things that hit home, piss me off, or make really important arguments.  Thanks to Marco for the idea! The anti-immigrant group the Minutemen and the racist CCC are formally working together now.  For [...]

Anti Obama Racists: You Will Lose

It looks like racists have been crawling out of the gutter to leave some helpful comments on an old post I wrote. Which I’ve decided I am fine with.  I want them to be out in the light and paying attention when they lose.

Discourse and Assassination: McCain/Clinton vs Obama

Hillary Clinton’s assassination quote is far more problematic than I originally thought. Frankly I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt in the light of what I felt where more serious offenses, but I think I was wrong to do so. Kevin noticed some interesting trends in terms of how people responded [...]

What is Hillary Clinton Doing?

As Hillary Clinton heads into a meaningless victory in West Virginia (in terms of the primary), Democrats across the nation can be heard whispering “please don’t stab us in the back!“.  Which is understandable, given her past statements that she considered McCain a better candidate than Obama!  (And we wonder why some of her supporters [...]

Privilege: Seeing the Invisible

A comment by PortlyDyke responding to the Marcotte Book Imagery issue got me thinking (emphasis mine): I honestly cannot believe the number of people here who have claimed that the use of racist imagery was some form of intentional irony, and who have chided others for not getting “the joke”, or to “lighten up”. In [...]

Marcotte’s Jungle: People Make Mistakes

We have such a deeply ingrained “gotcha” culture that the natural response to an asshole move, whether intentional or not on the part of the guilty, is to condemn that person as a whole and eschew their contributions entirely. This is a grave mistake to make, as it sacrifices what that person might have accomplished, [...]

Racism and Search Terms

“does racism still exist” and “nigger president”.  Wow.

Oh Please No

No No No No No: The greatest saga in the history of mankind that is Late Night Shots continues, as they strike a deal with a “reality TV” production company to film rich, stupid, racist, white, Republican Georgetown douchebags in their semi-natural habitat of one of three bars in the District they all attend to [...]

O’Reilly: Context is Everything

That’s Bill O’Reilly’s late apology for his lynching remarks: O’Reilly’s exact words: “While talking to a radio caller, I said there should be no lynching in the case, that comment off Clarence Thomas saying he was the victim of a high tech lynching (he said that on 60 Minutes, you may remember). I’m sorry if [...]

Fight Racism in Dulles VA

Are any readers near Dulles Virginia?  Want to take a stand against racism and white supremacy?  This weekend cowards and haters are holding their meeting in Dulles, near the airport (via Pam): I guess the Crowne Plaza Dulles Airport Hotel is hard up for bucks if it’s decided that hosting a conference for white supremacists [...]