Alabama's Anti-immigrant law causing humanitarian crisis

Southern Poverty Law Center 

SPLC Legal Director Mary Bauer told the U.S. Civil Rights Commission that Alabama’s anti-immigrant law has wrought “great damage” in the state. “It has destroyed lives, ripped apart families, devastated communities and left our economy in tatters.”

How Obama Created Paul Ryan

ColorLines

But it was the Obama Administration that started the “yes we can” motto to cutting Social Security and Medicare. Although Bush Jr. had similar ambitions, he froze in the face of massive opposition. Obama has obliterated this opposition, akin to his predator drones dismembering a Pakistani funeral.

Although it’s rarely discussed in the so-called liberal press, Obama has worked to undermine Social Security and Medicare since he became President. His proposed national budget would have made a Republican blush only four years ago, and only looks “progressive” when compared to Ryan’s travesty of a budget. Both demand condemnation.

Huckabee to Akin: 'Horrible' rapes created some extraordinary people

Citizens for Legitimate Government

The man trying to provide Rep. Todd Akin the softest possible landing after the congressman's foolish comments about pregnancy and rape was former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a strong supporter of Akin during his run to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate. In the furor over Akin's remarks and increasing pressure for him to drop out of his race against Sen. Claire McCaskill, Huckabee used his syndicated radio program Monday to give the embattled [Republican] candidate a safe venue to express remorse and his determination to remain in the race. Huckabee also took the opportunity to cast the best possible light on Akin's awkward position. The former Arkansas governor and onetime GOP presidential contender suggested a couple of cases in which he suggested that rapes, though "horrible tragedies," had produced admirable human beings.

How Nonprofits Spend Millions on Elections and Call it Public Welfare

ProPublica

The Republican Jewish Coalition and similar organizations enjoy tax-exempt status in exchange for promoting social welfare. In this election, the most expensive in U.S. history, they also have emerged as the primary conduit for anonymous big-money contributions.

Forget super PACs, their much-hyped cousins, which can take unlimited contributions but must name their donors. More money is being spent on TV advertising in the presidential race by social welfare nonprofits, known as 501(c)(4)s for their section of the tax code, than by any other type of independent group.

As of Aug. 8, they had spent more than $71 million on ads mentioning a candidate for president, according to estimates by Kantar Media's Campaign Media Analysis Group, or CMAG. Super PACs have spent an estimated $56 million.

Click to read more ...

The "niggerization" of a cable talk show host and why did this brother think he could say that on a white network that caters to white people?

Field Negro 

I don't know much about Touré other than he wrote a few books back in the day, he is a part of the chattering class on cable television, and he is always beefing with folks on twitter. That's it. I know a little more about him now because my man has been in the news of late--and is in some hot water-- for speaking honestly about how Stiff Romney's "angry black man" jabs at Obama made him feel.

Attacks on US mosques prompt Muslim security concerns

Citizens for Legitimate Government

Sunday and Monday, when Muslims will celebrate the end of Ramadan, even many who are less observant the rest of the year will be at mosques to pray. But many worshippers will celebrate amid heightened security after a recent spike in attacks on mosques and other places of worship... This is not the first time that Muslims have been advised to exercise caution.

The Purpose of Juvenile Court is to Rehabilitate Not Punish: Many increasingly questioning life sentences for juveniles

Washington Post 

Nationwide, there are roughly 2,500 inmates who killed as juveniles that are serving life in prison without parole, including 309 California inmates serving such sentences, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

“Because their brain is still developing, they have the ability to rehabilitate,” said Michael Harris, a senior attorney at the National Center for Youth Law. “They are more likely to rehabilitate than an adult.”

Click to read more ...

Alabama Democrats Disqualify Bigoted Candidate For State Chief Justice

ThinkProgress

The Alabama Democratic Party officially disqualified Harry Lyon as their candidate for Chief Justice of Alabama, citing several hateful and bigoted comments Lyon wrote on his Facebook page. Lyon, who received the party’s nomination because he was unopposed in the party primary, called gay people and marriage equality supporters “an abomination of God,” and claimed that “only sick and perverted persons believe in homosexuality or lesbianism, though there are a lot of them.” The party argued that these comments violated judicial canons regarding public statements of judges and judicial candidates, and thus they were justified in stripping Lyon of his nomination.

Click to read more ...

Ohio Secretary Of State Removes Democratic Members Of Election Board For Supporting Weekend Voting

ThinkProgress

In a dramatic move, Ohio Secretary of State John Husted immediately suspended two Democrats on a county election board after they voted to allow weekend voting. Earlier, Husted issued a directive canceling weekend voting statewide. In 2008, Ohio offered early voting on the weekends and thousands of voters cast their ballot during that time.

Inmates Forced Into Gladiator-Style Fighting By St. Louis Jail Guards

ThinkProgress

A group of current and former inmates filed a federal lawsuit against the St. Louis city workhouse on Friday, claiming guards forced them to fight each other in gladiator-style combat. The class-action suit claims guards took away inmates’ food and privileges and attacked them if they refused to fight. The “Workhouse Gladiators” say they were also denied medical care for the serious injuries resulting from the fights, which included a broken jaw. They are seeking injunctive relief along with $100 million in punitive damages, and their attorneys are also requesting to get the inmates transferred out of the jail immediately for their safety. The lawsuit was filed after security cameras caught officers Dexter Brinson and Elvis Howard forcing two of the plaintiffs to fight. Brinson and Howard were arrested in June.

Click to read more ...

Federal Court Rules No Warrant Necessary for Cops to Track Suspects via Cellphone

Citizens for Legitimate Government

In a 2-1 ruling, the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled that law enforcement has the right to obtain location data from a cellphone in order to track a suspect without a warrant. The case involves a man named Melvin Skinner, a newly convicted drug trafficker, who was part of a cross-country, large-scale drug operation organized by another man, James Michael West. His attorneys argued that the government's use of his GPS location information from his phone, which led to his arrest, constituted a warrantless search in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Click to read more ...

Univision and NAACP Slam Debate Commission's All White Moderators

ColorLines

Univision president and CEO Randy Falco on Wednesday sent a letter to Janet H. Brown, the Commission on Presidential Debates' executive director, expressing "disappointment on behalf of the millions of Hispanics who do not have a voice in the upcoming presidential debates."

Earlier this week the Commission announced Jim Lehrer of PBS, Bob Schieffer of CBS, Candy Crowley of CNN and Martha Raddatz of ABC News will moderate this year's debates. All the moderators are white.

Click to read more ...

Utah's Racist immigration law should go into effect, A.G. argues

Desert News

Based on the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling on Arizona's immigration enforcement law, Utah's HB497 should be able to go into effect, the Utah Attorney General's Office said Friday.

The Supreme Court ruling affirms portions of Utah's controversial immigration enforcement measure, the attorneys wrote in documents filed Friday in U.S. District Court. Other parts of Utah's law were written differently to "avoid the legal infirmities of (Arizona's) SB1070."

Click to read more ...

Ryan gets ‘F’ from NAACP

The Florida Courier

If it was the staff's fault, then why did Paul Ryan sign the letters?

The Daily Kos

Paul Ryan Only Passed Two Bills In Thirteen Years in Congress

Paul Ryan Only Passed Two Bills In Thirteen Years in Congress

National Association of Basketball Coaches files brief backing affirmative action case

The Grio

The National Association of Basketball Coaches has told the U.S. Supreme Court it believes university officials should be able to continue taking race into consideration when deciding who gets to enroll in their schools.

The NABC and 43 current and former basketball coaches filed an amicus brief in the case of Abigail Fisher, who sued the University of Texas in 2008 after she was denied admission to the university. Fisher, who is white, claimed her civil and constitutional rights were violated when the university admitted less-qualified minority students because of their race. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Oct. 10.

Click to read more ...

Cities use surveillance systems that identify potential ‘terrorists’ with facial recognition

Raw Story

It sounds like something from the film Minority Report: a CCTV surveillance system that recognises people from their face or walk and analyses whether they might be about to commit a terrorist or criminal act. But Trapwire is real and, according to documents released online by WikiLeaks last week, is being used in a number of countries to try to monitor people and threats. Founded by former CIA agents, Trapwire uses data from a network of CCTV systems and numberplate readers to figure out the threat level in huge numbers of locations. That means security officials can “focus on the highest priorities first, taking a proactive and collaborative approach to defence against attacks,” say its creators.

Click to read more ...

Obama's Drug Czar Is Lying to You About Drug Courts

Reason.com

It's possible that Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske is getting bad intel from the people beneath him, or that he's too busy restricting access to pain medicine to read the wealth of independent reports highlighting the flaws of the increasingly popular drug court model, which promises to divert drug offenders from prison. It's also possible that he's intentionally lying. 

What's The Point Of Being Positive When Press Rewards GOP Negativity?

Media Matters for America

Following the lead of the Romney campaign, and Fox News, the Beltway press spent lots of time this week bemoaning how outlandishly mean and nasty the presidential campaign has supposedly become. But has it? The campaign jabs and counterpunches most often cited in the "nasty" stories hardly seemed historic. And let's keep things in perspective: Coordinating a multi-million dollar marketing campaign to smear a candidate by lying about his war record the way the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth did to John Kerry? That's ugly, nasty and extraordinary stuff.  Have the Obama and Romney campaigns blatantly crossed all lines of common decency and fair play? Not that I've seen.

Click to read more ...