Civil & Human Rights

150th Anniversary of The Emancipation Proclamation

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

On New Year's Day 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln signed the The Emancipation Proclamation which underlies his controversial reputation as "the
Great Emancipator." The Emancipation Proclamation and the politics of self-liberation:

Although the Emancipation Proclamation
did not, in fact, result in the overnight liberation of millions of
enslaved people, it enabled black men to fight on the Union side and has
long been seen as a milestone in the unconscionably slow attainment by
African-Americans of full citizenship, social equality and meaningful
freedom.

On New Year's Eve, many African-American congregations
will have commemorated the "Watch Night" services of the last night of
1862 when many gathered in churches to "watch" for the long-awaited
issuance of the proclamation – which will also be read out at
anniversary ceremonies across the United States today. Long queues of
people are waiting to see the original document on rare and brief display at the National Archives in Washington DC.

[T]he proclamation was a largely symbolic gesture based on a canny
military calculus that transformed the civil war into a war ostensibly
about supporting or abolishing slavery, and that it would be two more
years before the 13th Amendment would legally prohibit enslavement[.]

Our society must move beyond violence against women

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Domestic violence_20b10e08caby Pamela Powers Hannley

This week the story of domestic violence charges against former Mexican American Studies (MAS) Director Sean Arce bubbled up on the Arizona Daily Independent (ADI) blog and on Facebook, where discussions continue to roil. Prior to ADI's initial blog post on December 27, 2012, rumors were swirling around regarding what happened on December 9, 2012, the night Arce and his compadres celebrated his birthday. Now we have ADI's account– written from the police report and reaction from people across the political spectrum, including this blogger. Unfortunately, none of the lame stream media outlets have chosen to cover this story.

Did Arce aggressively confront his ex-wife in a local restaurant? Did he follow her home, break into the house, and break windows– causing Essence Arce to flee? That is for the courts to decide, but, in my opinion, the police report (which alludes to dried blood on Arce's hands when he was arrested) is very damming. 

My goal here is not to try Arce's case in the court of public opinion, but to point out that IF the domestic violence charges against him are true, we have yet another local case of a powerful man abusing his power and acting in a violent or at least highly inappropriate manner toward women. In recent months, Arizona has seen SIX powerful men charged with domestic violence or sexual harassment.

Women are murdered every day in this country by husbands, lovers, and former partners. In the workplace, women are subjected to harassment and discrimination. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. For more details, continue reading after the jump.

When Women Vote, We All Win Rally

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Announcement from the Arizona Democratic Party: When Women Vote, We All Win Rally Monday, January 14, 2013 Arizona State Capitol Lawn 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Please join women's groups from around the state at the "When Women Vote, We All Win" Rally on the first day of … Read more

Jimmy Carter calls for legalization of marijuana (video)

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Jimmy-carter-peanut-field-smby Pamela Powers Hannley

Former President Jimmy Carter has given a "full throated endorsement" of states' efforts to legalize marijuana.

Alluding to a 1979 speech in which he called for decriminalization of marijuana, Carter said the US has gone backwards in its policies. (He called for decriminalization in 1979? How did I miss that? Oh, yeah, 1979, I … er… must not have been paying attention … for some reason.)

In an interview with CNN (video here), Carter also said that the nation's marijuana-related incarceration laws discriminate against blacks, Latinos and the mentally ill and are unnecessarily imprisoning far too many US citizens. For every person imprisoned in 1979 for marijuana, there are 8 in jail today, according to Carter.

More details, check out the CNN video, this story in the Huffington Post, or this story from ABC News. After the jump, watch the documentary Breaking the Taboo, in which Carter says the War on Drugs has failed, and the US should rethink its drug policies. (Well, duh. I'm glad a well-respected elder statesman like Carter spoke up. President Obama, the ball is in your court.)

Tea-Publican Tyranny in Michigan – Reviving the Civil Rights Movement: ‘Workers Rights Are Civil Rights’

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Ed Kilgore captures the Randian philosophy of conservatives towards the working class perfectly in Ancient Battle:

[T]he [right to work] legislation represents an ancient, almost primal cause among
conservatives who view unions as both an economic and political threat
to a free market society in which workers are independent contractors
whose low pay and meager benefits are an accurate benefit of their
limited value to the enterprises that make all good things possible.

In other words, your labor is just a unit cost of production that needs to be reduced as low as possible to maximize profits to the ownership class and investor class. When you are no longer of productive value (due to age, illness or disability) you are to be discarded — a cost to be externalized to society as a whole. It is a race to the bottom to reduce the unit cost of labor.

The ownership class and investor class, however, the so-called "job creators," are to be worshipped as masters of the universe for amassing great profits and personal wealth. They are the only humans who truly matter in their world. Hence the Randian "makers vs. takers" propaganda from the right-wing noise machine.