July 24, 2018

The kind of racism you didn't even know you have

https://gendercreativelife.com/2017/11/21/the-kind-of-racism-you-dont-even-know-you-have/

Well worth a read.

I actually have better sources on this topic, but this one dumbs it down so that anyone can see it.


Clearly that's what we need. To dumb it down so that everyone can finally see the light and understand it.

July 24, 2018

I'm new here, but if I were to recommend who to read on DU

to my twitter followers, it would be

Effie Black, BumRushDaShow, SollyMack, LonePirate, Squinch, dalton99, Mr.Scorpio, Pearliepoo, heartstrings, and peggiesue.

Good stuff, all of the time.

I'm sure I'm missing other wonderful posters, it's just the above have stood out to me.

July 23, 2018

Racism is still a huge problem in 2018

The refusal by some to acknowledge it is concerning.

Poll after poll shows that too many white people still don't recognize or acknowledge racism even when it is as clear as day.

Unless one is someone who refuses to recognize and discuss racism, there is no reason to push back or divert from discussions concerning racism.

It's not a divisive issue, unless some personally make it such.

I am not as concerned if some, personally, are racist or bigoted, (racists are out there and they always will be) as I am with some who continue to defend or ignore blatant racists.

We can't stop the racists, but we can acknowledge that they are out there and call them out when we encounter them.

Racists need to be shamed. They need to know in no uncertainty that their attitude is unacceptable and that they are on the wrong side.

July 23, 2018

NY AG Underwood - "the facts are clear: Russia interfered with our election

https://twitter.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/1021411478530928641

July 23, 2018

Why Stacey Abrams Is the Future for Democrats

When you are black and fortunate enough to exist in an environment where your intelligence is valued and nurtured, you will inevitably be the First and Only. It could happen in a boardroom or a college seminar or a tournament – there are too many American venues where your blackness, treated like its own achievement, is used as a cloak for the past sins of others. Being the First and Only is rarely something to celebrate, and it can be a lonely way to make history.

Stacey Abrams doesn’t give much of a damn, though. Certainly, the 44-year-old former Georgia House minority leader is the only black woman to have led either party in the state’s General Assembly or its House of Representatives. And now she is the first black woman of a major party to be nominated for governor in any state. That last part is likely why you’ve heard of her, though she is also running the campaign many liberals wish all Democrats would: Namely, forget compromising on issues like civil rights and abortion access; run candidates who look like your base; and stop devoting so much time, energy and money to winning over people who will never vote for you. “My approach is this,” Abrams says. “I’m not going to spend a disproportionate share of our resources trying to convert Republican-leaning voters when we can invest in lifting up the voices of those who share our values. Because here’s the thing: I think our values are the right ones. And I think these values that are shared actually are going to be victorious on their own.”

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/stacey-abrams-georgia-democrats-701308/

July 23, 2018

It has to be Hillary or Kamala Harris, in 2020

f*ck Russia, f*ck Al Qaeda, f*ck misogynists, and f*ck Republicans.

It's the only way forward. It's the only way to get of this atrocity.

July 20, 2018

Home Depot fires 60-year-old black man after Trump supporter screams racist abuse at him

A Home Depot in Albany allegedly fired a black man after a racist Trump supporter hurled abusive racial slurs at him.

The Times-Union reports that Maurice Rucker, 60-year-old black man, was let go from a job he’s held for 10 years—making $13 an hour—because he politely asked a customer to leash his dog in the store.

“I said to him, “Sir, when you have your dog in here we prefer that you keep it on a leash,'” according to the Times-Union.

He turned around and said, ‘F**k you. You’re an a*****e you’re a piece of s**t,'” Rucker said.

He says, ‘If Trump wasn’t president, you wouldn’t even have a job.’ He said, ‘You’re from the ghetto, what do you know?'”

“I’ve lived all over the country and I’ve had no one talk to me the way that this guy talked to me,” said Rucker.

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/07/home-depot-fires-60-year-old-black-man-trump-supporter-screams-racist-abuse/

I'm embarrassed to say this happened in my area. Maurice Rucker is an awesome guy. I've seen his band perform.

here's more on Maurice.

https://www.timesunion.com/localarts/article/Albany-artist-makes-art-with-my-heart-and-my-13017225.php

July 20, 2018

'Trump Baby' blimp coming to US to torment Trump at his weekend getaway

The “Trump Baby” blimp is coming to New Jersey to haunt Trump when he spends weekends relaxing at one of his properties.

During his recent trip to England, Trump said the presence of the blimp, which depicts him as a diaper-wearing baby yelling into a cell phone, made him feel “unwelcome” in London.

He avoided capital city, where thousands marched alongside the Trump blimp to protest his toxic racism and vile personal character.

Now Trump might feel “unwelcome” at his own club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he often spends weekends during the summer.

Activists in New Jersey set up an online fundraiser to build a replica “Trump Baby” blimp. They asked for $4,500 and have now raised over $23,693 in an ongoing testament to Trump’s unpopularity and the strong resistance to his presidency.

https://shareblue.com/trump-baby-blimp-coming-to-us/

July 20, 2018

1 House Republican's chilling warning on Trump and Russia

(CNN)In a New York Times op-ed — headlined "Trump Is Being Manipulated by Putin. What Should We Do?" — Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd writes of this week's summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin:

"The president's failure to defend the United States intelligence community's unanimous conclusions of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and condemn Russian covert counterinfluence campaigns and his standing idle on the world stage while a Russian dictator spouted lies confused many but should concern all Americans. By playing into Vladimir Putin's hands, the leader of the free world actively participated in a Russian disinformation campaign that legitimized Russian denial and weakened the credibility of the United States to both our friends and foes abroad."

That's a wow. Even Republicans with a long record of criticism directed at Trump — which is a near-total overlay with members who are retiring — haven't gone as far as Hurd does here, suggesting that Trump is being worked as an asset to Russia. The American president. Being actively manipulated by a foreign government with something short of altruistic goals.

Hurd's op-ed is all the more chilling because before he came to Congress in 2014, he was a CIA operative from 2002 to 2009. This isn't some random House member spouting off to get some attention and distance himself from Trump in a swing district. This is a guy who knows of what he speaks. And he is now convinced of what was totally unthinkable even a year ago. (Worth noting: Hurd is in a very swing-y district; Hillary Clinton won it by 4 points by 2016 and he is a major target for Democrats this fall.)

Writes Hurd: "Over the course of my career as an undercover officer in the C.I.A., I saw Russian intelligence manipulate many people. I never thought I would see the day when an American president would be one of them."

read more here: https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/20/politics/will-hurd-russia-donald-trump/index.html

I don't usually read Cillizza, but this is one of his better write ups.

July 19, 2018

I'm curious about the demographics of DU.

Gender, age, geographical location, race.