racism

SB1070

Will the Real John Huppenthal Please Stand Up?

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SB1070
Protest sign from a Resist SB1070 demonstration in Tucson.

Since Blog for Arizona broke the story, new insights into Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal’s secret life as an Internet troll continue to be revealed as bloggers and journalists study years of online comments.

Between Tucson Progressive blog and Blog for Arizona (BfAZ), there are nearly 400 comments from Thucydides or Flacon9, but there could be more unknown Huppenthal posts out there.

An anonymous tipster now claims that someone with the online name “Thucydides” has made comments on at least one white nation (WN) website. Are BfAZ Thucycides and WN Thucydides the same person? No one knows. BfAZ figured out that Thucydides was Huppenthal by analyzing comments, e-mail address, and IP addresses. Three key findings cemented the identification: Thucydides posted from a Department of Education computer, Thucydides commented from a computer in Japan when Huppenthal was there, and one Thucydides comment was signed by Huppenthal. In the case of the alleged WN comments, the NSA probably knows if they exist and has access to the email addresses or the IP addresses for comparison– but we don’t… yet.

Would it be a big surprise to find out the Huppenthal is sympathetic to white nationalist beliefs? Not really. From his anonymous comments, we already have proof he is a racist– something he has been accused of for many years. Let’s look at his history and his policies.

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Abortion, Drugs, Charter Schools, & Private Prisons: Is It All about Race, Money, & Power?

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American flagRight-wing strategies baffle me, when I attempt to analyze them in the aggregate. “Regressives” simultaneously hold so many seemingly conflicting beliefs that I often wonder: Where are they going with this? What is the desired outcome of these behaviors and policies?

How can they be “pro-life” but also

  • Support war, the death penalty, and guns everywhere
  • Fight to deny healthcare Americans
  • Allow millions of children to live in poverty
  • Ignore widespread hunger, food insecurity, and homelessness
  • Defund public education and promote self-segregation through privatized, for-profit schools
  • And fight against programs that help children and families — after the birth?

How can they be “anti-government” freedom fighters but also…

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On the obsessive focus on poor people’s morality

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Per Gawker:

Ta-Nehisi Coates of the Atlantic and Jonathan Chait of New York have, over the past week, been engaged in something equal parts duel and duet in the pixels of their respective magazine’s websites. Their debate has plumbed the depths of race and racism in America, working out the questions of civic and historical responsibility in a public forum with respect and grace. As readers and citizens we are privileged to bear witness to this dialogue. They’ve also thrown some damn good shade at each other, so let’s look at that.

The Gawker piece provides a quick synopsis of the debate (you should read all the links) and since then Coates (who is the clear winner in my opinion) has followed up with this and this, which I cannot recommend enough.

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High Marijuana Arrests: Signs of Racism & Over-Policing

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by Pamela Powers Hannley The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has released a new report on arrests and incarceration for marijuana possession. The findings are startling– in light of new research showing multiple medical uses for marijuana, spread of states with medical marijuana, legalization of marijuana in two states, and widespread usage of marijuana by millions of … Read more