Author: Tony L. Blackwell

Happily Married Father w/ a Daughter on her way to College. Sports Fanatic, Follower of Politics, Lover of Truth But I Despise Racism, Bigotry and Those Who Won't Stand Up For All of Us instead of the 47%.

Categories
Martin Luther King Jr Politics

Section 5 – The Foundation Of OUR Voting Rights

Justice Scalia

Section 5 of The Voting Rights Act has become the most controversial topic in the news over the past week. And with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia making unflattering comments like, I think it is attributable, very likely attributable, to a phenomenon that is called perpetuation of racial entitlement…, it puts more of a spotlight on the number one issue now facing the Supreme Court – the survivability of Section 5

Under Section 5 of the Voting Act, nine Southern states (and a few other counties) must get the advance approval from the Department of Justice in Washington for any state electoral changes they want to implement. This process, known as pre-clearance, covers everything from drawing the lines of legislative districts to deciding the location of polling places.

However, Justice Scalia thinks this very important measure amounts to Racial…Entitlement! A chance to vote… a chance which is the right of EVERY America citizens, is being considered Racial Entitlement. The comment clearly offended Justice Sonia Sotomayor. “Do you think that the right to vote is a racial entitlement in Section 5?… Do you think Section 5 was voted for because it was a racial entitlement?” she said later, seeming to call out Scalia.

Why should the fundamental right to vote, a right that was fought for and signed into law in 1965, a right that was spurred by Civil Rights Leaders, Organizers, Laymen, Preachers, Mothers and Fathers, Blacks and Whites… why is this still a topic for debate? It is so nonsensical that in 2013, the very foundation of the Voting Rights Act could possibly be overturned. And why would anyone consider overturning this important law considering what some of the GOP surrogates attempted in the election of 2012?

There were multiple reports and evidence of voter obstruction in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida just to name a few, where Republican governors concentrated on voter disruptions, from attempting to introduce late legislation to having voters produce picture I.D.’s to actually closing polling stations early, denying hundreds of thousands of voters an opportunity to perform there God given and Constitutional right to Vote. Those multiple disruptive behaviors alone to the voting process should be enough to keep Section 5 on the Books.

But make no mistake, this is a calculated and premeditated act of the Republican Party. Ever since President Obama was elected as President in term #1, Mitch McConnell had the audacity to state in a news conference that the main objective of his party was to “make sure this President was a one-term President.” That didn’t work out for them although they tried to block all of the President’s policies or support him in any domestic affairs that would be beneficial for the American people.

So now, after President Obama’s re-election, the scam is on. If they, the GOP and the big money bags, can’t beat him, they will attempt to swing momentum in their favor. How you asked? By changing (or stealing) the vote. By trying to eliminate Section. By cancelling out Section 5 of the Voter Rights Act. And now it appears the Republicans have found favor in a Justice on the Highest Court in the land, the Supreme Court.

So, how could a Supreme Court Justice miss this? Does he not look at the news? Does he not have access to a paper or computer with the internet? Is it just blind ignorance? I’m not sure what Scalia is thinking but I know how the majority of Americans feel.

Rep. John Lewis

Just ask Sen. John Lewis who was a part of the original marches with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., demanding voting and civil rights for all Americans. We can also solicit feedback from Minorities, Democrats and those survivors of the Civil Rights Movement who fought to have this law passed.

Outraged! Less we forget the hundreds of thousands who were beaten, maimed, imprisoned and even killed just to perform this most important act of democracy. And to have individuals attempt to take it away is completely atrocious and un-patriotic.

A Great Big Thank You to all who paved the way for me and my family to exercise our right to vote. And Thank You to all who continue to Fight the Good Fight. This is the right of All Americans. And now we Have to take a Stand, America! Contact your Congressman and tell them, “Continue to Fight For ME so I can Vote”! Get Active, Get Busy, Get Serious America! It’s a matter of Democracy, Freedom and Justice For ALL!

Categories
Technology twitter

The Crazy Social Networking Craze

What a whirlwind! The Social Media craze has turned this world (and me) into a gotta-get-it now circus. Whether you’re using social media for your job or your own personal entertainment, it has gotten crazy ridiculous.

Personally, I use it for news, sports and entertainment, and that’s just on my phone! (SideNote: remember the T.V. show “Mayberry, RFD” or “Green Acres” when the townspeople had to climb a Telephone Pole to call others? Ok, I’m not that old but I grew up watching those shows.)

It seems like yesterday when the internet was just starting up. Well, in a flash, (1978 to be precise) the “Bulletin Board System” was formalized. Later in the same year, Jim Ellis and Tom Truscott created the “Usenet” which allowed users to post news articles on the computer. Remember Dial-Up? Remember AOL’s “You’ve Got Mail?” That was founded in 1997 and the Birth of Instant Messaging had begun. Who knew that this was the beginning of something huge, something tremendous, something extremely LUCRATIVE!

 Friendster became the Pioneer of social networking and soon after, MySpace took on the mantle as the newest sensation. Since then, we’ve grown into LinkedIn and Tribe.net but the GrandDaddy of them all is the multi-billion dollar operation called “Facebook”. Ch-Ching Mr. Zuckerburg whose net worth is over $14 BILLION! Not bad for a 28-year old Harvard dropout.

I have to admit, I’m not on Facebook. Heck, I just started using Twitter – yet another huge social networking conglomerate – this January. Funny thing about that is I just posted my 1,000th Tweet. ( Notice I just started THIS January). And I LOVE IT! OMG, I’m on this Twitter thing Tweeting like a Canary!

I’m like my daughter on here and by the way, she asked me once why I was joining Twitter. She said, “Twitter is for Young people”. No, I wasn’t offended. I actually laughed it off because she doesn’t understand that we adults use these forums, whether Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Instagram, etc. for more purposes than the youngsters will ever understand. Businesses are using all of these entities daily. You can post your resumes’, conduct business meetings, collect data and Share with co-workers and your company. This thing has become a multi-faceted Norm.

Technology is some kind of amazing isn’t it? I enjoy getting information from all across this great country of ours from people that I don’t even know, sources I had never considered pulling from and opinions I’ve never considered. The forum that I use, Twitter, has become a wonderful outlet. But, disclaimer to All who use these social networking outlets: Be careful. Think Before You Hit “Send” and above All…Have FUN!

It’s User Friendly but could become User Hazardous if in the Wrong Hands.

Categories
criminals Politics

What To Do With The Gun Violence Offenders – Ever Heard of The Dirty Dozen?

Have you ever wondered how to curb, or even merge violent crime prisoners here in the U.S. prison system back into a form of societal life? Have you ever heard of the movie, The Dirty Dozen? In 1967, an awesome war movie enlisted or drafted violent, life-sentence type prisoners into the Army during World War II to fight against the German war machine. It featured some of the greatest actors of that time such as Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Ernest Borgnine and living legend Hall of Fame Football running back, Jim Brown.

The premise of the movie was to take these violent criminals from prison, train them to become soldiers and send them into battle, supervised of course by a US Army Major. The goal was to get the best out of these hardened criminals.

At any rate, that’s what the U.S. could do with these prisoners here in our jails. They seem not to mind violence so why not establish a real-life “Dirty Dozen” squadron of soldiers. Put them right in the middle of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and all of the hot spots around the world. Send the violent offenders that are condemned, those on a life sentence, the rapist and extreme violent gang members that have been reeking havoc here in the States. With that, prisons would be freed up of violent offenders and would be filled with more of your “white collar” criminals instead.

Just last week, a member of Congress was thinking about re-introducing the notion of a Draft again. Really? With the dangers all over the world right now, terrorists are ready and violence are on our borders due to the drug war. Why would we even want to consider a Draft? There is another alternative, a deterrent that may work in our favor instead of the dreaded Draft.

Think about it. With violent criminals who are currently imprisoned fighting these wars on behalf of the United States, our sons and daughters would not be on the front lines. Those that seem to enjoy “killing” and violence without remorse would be risking their lives instead.

And they’re already on ‘death row’ or serving ‘life sentences’ anyway. It’s a win-win situation. Problem solved. Prison over crowding, solved. Those that commit violent crimes now would know their punishment – terminal life sentence in the Army or in the Marines. Believe me, I think these guys would have a totally different perspective when someone else is shooting back at them.

Categories
Mitt Romney north carolina Politics Unemployment

The State of Dis-Union

In the state of North Carolina, the voters chose to go in a different direction. For the past 20-years, a Democrat had been the sitting Governor of North Carolina, but all that changed on one election night in November, 2012.  The new Governor, Pat McCrory, a former Mayor of Charlotte NC., was elected as the first Republican governor since Gov. Jim Martin who served from 1985 -1993.

Since Gov. McCrory’s inauguration in January this year and his State of the State Address this month, he has already made sweeping legislative moves and overturns that directly affect thousands of North Carolinians right where it hurts most – their finances. According to Gary Anderson of the Associated Press, McCrory signed the bill making these changes in his state’s Capitol building office. The media wasn’t invited to the signing, but several of the legislators (All Republicans) who quickly shepherded the bill through the General Assembly in the first two weeks of this year’s work session, were there. (Why so Secretive?)

The bill includes an unemployment plan that repays $2.5 billion owed the federal government for jobless benefits paid since the Great Recession, by cutting maximum weekly jobless payments from $535 to $350 on new claims beginning July 1. And the maximum number of weeks for state benefits goes from 26 weeks to 12 to 20 weeks, depending on the state unemployment rate. But what’s not mentioned is that Gov. McCrory gave a $13,000 raise to his Cabinet secretaries while making these cuts.

The bill also raises state unemployment taxes, partially through the elimination of a zero-percent rate that about 30,000 businesses have received. Federal taxes will continue to rise by $21 per employee per year until the debt is repaid and a 20-percent state surcharge will continue a little while longer.

“As one of the first laws under his tenure, these cruel cuts will forever mar any legacy that Gov. McCrory hopes to leave behind,” said MaryBe McMillan with the state AFL-CIO. “Only bullies kick people while they are down. Shame on our governor and our legislature for turning their backs on unemployed workers.”

Shameful indeed.

When  President Obama even mentions a minimum wage increase or the super rich paying a little more in taxes or healthcare for every American, the Republicans cringe, squirm and call it bad economics. But a Republican Governor and Republican led House comes into power, kicks the little man while he’s down and this is considered Good Policy?

One leader, led by the North Carolina Chamber, who backed the overhaul – Chamber CEO Lew Ebert – acknowledged in an interview that it was “tough medicine” for both businesses and workers, but that it would insure the system wouldn’t be in such bad shape again. (Hey Ebert, what about those who aren’t working?)

“We’re sending a strong signal. We’re getting our house in order,” he said.

Riiiigghhtttt. By destroying the little man who’s struggling to make ends meet, keep a roof over his and his family’s head, put food on the table, pay for college tuitions, buy groceries, pay a mortgage, make a car payment, etc. All of this on $350 a week? Yep, that’s a Strong Signal alright. A signal signifying what Democrats have always thought about Republicans and was confirmed by the great Mitt Romney. Does 47% ring a bell?

Categories
Politics

Excuse Me, Do You Know What Time Is It?

Another day, another Time of arguing, bickering, finger-pointing and disagreements. No, not your kids, Grown Ups in Washington. I don’t know about you, but I feel as though It’s Time for “Grown Ups” to start acting like “Grown Ups”.

Speaker Boehner is blaming President Obama for the upcoming disaster called the Sequester, President Obama is firing back stating the Congress needs to act before We, The People, fall into yet another catastrophic economic meltdown. GOP members Ted Cruz, a freshman, has joined the fray with the “blame game” stating the President isn’t doing enough on Immigration Reform. Adults, acting like children. Or, is it just children dressed up in Adult clothing?

Senator’s McCain, Graham, Rubio, Ryan and the lot are making a mockery of the office in which they represent by, instead of bringing solid solutions of important issues, they take it to the media for “soundbite” and talking-points. As a grown up, do you, average American, go to the Source of your disagreement or do you cower and discuss with everyone other than the one you have the disagreement with? Hmmm, I tend to believe it’s not the latter for most of us.

What Time Is It? Well, It’s Time To Get This House in Order

Every American, even if you don’t follow politics, has seen the News Tickers counting down to the Sequester. Or you’ve heard about the Immigration issue. You’ve seen and heard about the confirmation hearings with Chuck Hagel, a Republican, trying to fight his way through intense questioning about his “true” allegiances.  Ironically, it’s the Republicans that are holding up the process. Or how about the Gun Control Fight, or gay marriage issue or Obamacare? No matter where you stand on these issues, This House, The United States of America, is completely “Out of Order”.

We’re a Great Country that prides itself on multi-tasking, coming together to get big jobs accomplished, but as of late, oh, I’ll say since President Obama took office in 2009, members of the GOP have forgotten how to govern, how to work across the aisle, how to be grown ups. Newt Gingrich has boasted about how when he was Speaker of the House, he worked with President Clinton to pass important legislation. Speaker of the House Tipp O’Neil and President Reagan came together, contentiously,  to move this nation forward with “Reaganomics”.

Well,  That’s What Time It Is. Working TOGETHER. Or have we forgotten how to do that?

What Time Is It? It’s Time To Move Forward

Look, I know there’s tremendous animosities in Washington. The GOP and it’s surrogates don’t like President Obama but guess what? He’s the President so get over it. You were elected to work FOR THE PEOPLE of the United States of America. ALL of us, not just for your party. You took an oath before GOD and man to Serve the People. Well, do Your Job and Serve.

No more finger pointing. No more taking the arguments and/or disagreements to the media. Sit down, like grown ups, discuss, map out, dissect, compromise where it makes sense and Move Forward. Most jobs (if not all of them) have deadlines to meet. I don’t know of any successful job that waits for the last day or even goes past the deadline. Washington, Congress, Senators, House of Representatives, you’re not exempt.

Get it together…let’s Move Forward…that’s What Time It Is!

Categories
Politics

Can’t We All Just Get Along (Thank you Rodney King)

In a time in which this nation should be coming together as, “One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, With Liberty and Justice For ALL”, we are far from it. Just look at the dysfunctional Congress and Washington itself. The rhetoric and bickering back and forth.

From the fiscal cliff, to sequestering. From gun control to more gun violence. From members in Congress and the House fighting against President Obama on Debt Reduction when not so many years ago, the GOP agreed with adding to the Debt by waging of, not one, but two wars against Iraq and Afghanistan under then President Bush.

Yes, we, who are following suit with the dysfunctional people in Washington, are just as dysfunctional. Just last week, a story surfaced about a Neo-Nazi that didn’t want a black nurse to tend to his new born child. Really? As if she were to look after the other 49-new born, but a white nurse should be the only one tending to the Neo New Born.

Amazing, right?

But there is Hope. That Hope is in every single American in this Great Nation. We, the People, have to believe in that awesome Pledge of  “One Nation, Under God (we are),  Indivisible (we can be), With Liberty and Justice For ALL” (It Has To Be). We look to our leaders in Washington, in the pulpit and on the job, but what we receive is that one great equation; division.

Come on America! Don’t wait for another catastrophe to bring us together. Let’s already be United, let’s already be on One Accord, let’s already be for the 100% and not a bunch of “Takers”. It takes All of US to make this nation Great for “Together, We Stand, Divided, We Fall”.

We are The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Let’s start acting like it…Let’s start “getting along”…the world IS watching.

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