Emma Berry

Archive for the ‘Constitutional rights’ Category

It is interesting how the Conservatives say they are  Constitutionalists who represent what our forefathers stood for and yet these are the very same people who given half a chance would revise our Constitution and wipe all but the barest mention of some of our forefathers like Thomas Jefferson from our Text books.

This, along with the banning and even burning of books that they happen to disagree with is not new to the conservatives of the USA:

Lynne Cheney, ex-Vice President Dick Cheney’s wife and the former head of the National Endowment for the Humanities, dealt a huge blow to the education of children in the USA in 2004.   At her urging, the Education Department destroyed more than 300,000 copies of a booklet designed to help parents and children learn more about America’s past.

Cheney objected to the booklet’s reference to the National Standards for History, guidelines for teaching history in secondary schools that were developed at UCLA in the 1990s.  This guideline suggested that American history should be taught with an eye not only to America’s successes but to its struggles and dark moments as well.  Cheney, like many conservatives, would prefer that inconvenient truths are scrubbed from text books.  MORE

This is no different from the Nazi propaganda machine in the 1930’s that banished all books that it deemed “un-German”.  This is the same blind nationalism, the same sort of petri dish that was the breeding ground for the Holocaust and deliberate genocide of millions of innocents.

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THOSE IN POWER OFTEN FEAR THE TRUTH AND THE EDUCATION OF THE MASSES AND THEY DO ALL THEY CAN TO SUPPRESS IT.

One of the marks of authoritarian regimes is their effort to stop the spread of knowledge and free speech. In May 1933, Nazi sympathizers in Berlin burned 20,000 “degenerate” books, many of them written by Jews and anti-fascists such as Albert Einstein, Bertolt Brecht and Franz Kafka. Here at home, slaveholders were so frightened by the power of the word that throughout the antebellum South legislatures made it a crime to teach slaves to read and write.

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BOOK BURNING IS KEPT ALIVE AND WELL BY CONSERVATIVES AND FANATICS IN THE USA

A group of them plan to burn the Koran on 9/11 in a commemoration of hatred and in disrespect to to the principles of religious freedom on which our country was founded.

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Read this passage from history carefully and think about it in terms of the language that you hear out of the mouths of many demagagues like Michelle Bachmann, Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck today.  Substitute the word – “un-American” in place of  “Un-German” and ask your self–how different are our modern day American versions from the German versions who were the harbingers of World War II?

On April 6, 1933, the Main Office for Press and Propaganda of the German Student Association  (Deutsche Studentenschaft) proclaimed a nationwide “Action against the Un-German Spirit“, which was to climax in a literary purge or “cleansing” (“Säuberung”) by fire. Local chapters were to supply the press with releases and commissioned articles, sponsor well-known Nazi  figures to speak at public gatherings, and negotiate for radio broadcast time.

The theses called for a “pure” national language and culture. Placards publicized the theses, which attacked “Jewish intellectualism”, asserted the need to “purify” German language and literature, and demanded that universities be centers of German nationalism.  The students described the “action” as a response to a worldwide Jewish “smear campaign” against Germany and an affirmation of traditional German values.

In a symbolic act of ominous significance, on May 10, 1933 the students burned upwards of 25,000 volumes of “un-German” books, presaging an era of state censorship and control of culture.

On the night of May 10, in most university towns, nationalist students marched in torchlight parades “against the un-German spirit.” The scripted rituals called for high Nazi officials, professors, rectors, and student leaders to address the participants and spectators. At the meeting places, students threw the pillaged and unwanted books into the bonfires with great joyous ceremony, band-playing, songs, “fire oaths,” and incantations. In Berlin, some 40,000 people gathered in the Opernplatz to hear Joseph Goebbels  deliver a fiery address: “No to decadence and moral corruption!” Goebbels enjoined the crowd. “Yes to decency and morality in family and state! I consign to the flames the writings of Heinrich Mann, Ernst Gläser, Erich Kästner.” [WIKI]

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Joe McCarthy, a famous conservative demagogue from the 1950’s was a big fan of censorship.  His researchers found that the Overseas Library Program contained 30,000 books written by “communists, pro-communists, former communists, and anti-anti-communists.” After the list was published, those books were banished from the library.

First of all, let me make this perfectly clear in the beginning: I am on the side of those who believe that Dr. Laura is an ignorant twit of the same caliber as many other so called “hot” Republican women such as Sara Palin, Michelle Bachmann and Carly Fiorina.  I have drawn this conclusion–not only because of Dr. Laura’s many racial slurs over the years, but also because of her stance regarding children who are mentally challenged.  Dr. Right-Wing Laura advocates that parents of these children put them away in institutions.  In fact, she even criticized Sara Palin for not putting her Downs Syndrome baby in an institution.  I find this particularly interesting that some such as Dr. Laura who is so far right on almost any issue under the sun would advocate putting children in an institution.   But perhaps she was referring to a privatized institution that is funded by the state (paid for by taxpayers).  Either way, one cannot be much more Orwellian and downright communist than to suggest that children should be wards of the state (directly or indirectly).  I guess it’s all a part of that bridge to nowhere–the space in conservatives minds where there is no logical connection between the synapses.  Then perhaps that’s where postulations by great religious philosophers like Soren Kierkegaard with his “leap to faith”postulation come in handy when one is confronted with religious paradoxes–or I suppose any paradox or event that conflicts with your core beliefs.

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SO NOW THAT I HOPE I’VE MADE IT VERY CLEAR WHERE I STAND ON THE OPINIONS OF DR. LAURA AND OTHER WOMEN LIKE HER, I WILL ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:

What the hell was a black woman doing calling some right-wing white racist nut and asking her for maritial advice?

Now I ask you:  In this instance, who is dumb and who is dumber?

I would say that it is a toss-up.

and again:  in no way is this to be construed that I approve of Dr. Laura’s infantile behavior and her disparaging racial epitaphs.  She was wrong–horribly wrong.

But at least they came to their senses!  Swedish rape warrant for Wikileaks’ Assange cancelled

Julian Assange had been cited as saying the release of the allegations was “deeply disturbing”

Sweden has cancelled an arrest warrant for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on accusations of rape and molestation.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority website said the chief prosecutor had come to the decision that Mr Assange was not suspected of rape but did not give any further explanation.

The warrant was issued late on Friday.

Wikileaks, which has been criticised for leaking Afghan war documents, had quoted Mr Assange as saying the charges were “without basis”.

Change.org agrees with me.  No surprise here.  This will be the last thing I post on the topic as I feel like even taking up air space to discuss it is buying into the the right-wing hysteria.   I got an email from Change.org this morning with their take on the proposed mosque in New York City:

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This past week a simmering controversy over the construction of an Islamic community center two blocks from the World Trade Center reached a boiling point across the country.

Republican politicians leading the charge against the center have dubbed it “Ground Zero Mosque,” creating the misconception that the hallowed ground of the Twin Towers is being built over and stoking dangerous anti-Muslim fears.

The reality is much more benign: The center, conceived by a Muslim leader known for his interfaith work with the Bush Administration after 9/11 and founded with the mission of spreading religious understanding and tolerance, will provide a swimming pool, auditorium, restaurants, and other spaces open to the community, and is to be built on the site of a former Burlington Coat Factory.

Those fighting against the center have cloaked themselves in the banner of patriotism. But there is nothing patriotic about blocking the right to religious freedom. As New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has said, “The ability to practice your religion was one of the real reasons America was founded.”

Mayor Bloomberg, who grew up surrounded by anti-Semitism and knows what it feels like to be a target of religious discrimination, reports that all the families of 9/11 victims he has spoken with have been supportive of the building. Referring to the victims, Bloomberg says, “We do not honor their lives by denying the very Constitutional rights they died protecting. We honor their lives by defending those rights – and the freedoms that the terrorists attacked.”

The decision of whether the Islamic center should be allowed to go forward as planned won’t impact just one building; it will be seen as a sign of whether America can make peace with Islam.

In the wake of the controversy in New York City, Islamic centers and mosques have been subjected to protests and harassment by right-wing groups across the country. Protestors have shouted that “Jesus hates Muslims” and called Muslim children entering day care centers “murderers.” The Christian Dove World Outreach Center has renamed 9/11 “International Burn a Koran Day,” and Bryan Fischer of the right-wing American Family Association says that we should not allow “even one more mosque in the United States of America.”

This is a defining moment for the country. Will we stand strong in support of our principles of religious freedom and tolerance, or will we succumb to hate and ignorance and fear?

Generations of Americans have shed blood to protect our First Amendment right to religious freedom for a reason. Let us not easily forget that.

A SAFE WORKPLACE IS NOT A PRIVILEGE AS RICK PERRY AND HIS BIG BUSINESS CRONIES SEEM TO BELIEVE.  IT IS A RIGHT.

I hope that the lessons learned from the deaths of the miners at Massey this month will not be wasted on Americans.  If you leave safety solely up to the owners and CEO’s of corporations, you can forget it.  Unless they are required by law and monitored, few employers will volunteer to provide a level of safety necessary to protect workers.

Texas workers have a right to expect that their employers will provide a safe workplace. While many jobs include some risk of injury, it is incumbent upon every employer to take all steps necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of the Texas workforce.

All too often employers fall short of fulfilling the duty they have to their workers. That is why we need strong legal protections for workers who are harmed on the job. According to the U.S. Labor Department, Texas is the deadliest state for construction workers, with 142 workers killed on the job in 2007 alone. In Austin, a recent study found that 64% of construction workers did not receive any OSHA basic health or safety training.

Texas Watch has a brand-new Workplace Safety Tips page contains information meant to empower those affected by this issue.

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Other stories about our unsafe workplaces include the following:

A Slow Death In Texas: Asbestos Mortality on the Rise in the Lone Star State
Environmental Working Group; February 2005

HERE’S A BIG PIE IN YOUR FACE, BRYAN FISCHER

American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer,  Director of Issues Analysis,was reported to have said that the Christian thing to do would be to round up all Muslim American citizens and deport them to Muslim countries.  Specifically his stupid, condescending and contradictory comment was:

The most compassionate thing we can do for Muslims who have already immigrated here is to help repatriate them back to Muslim countries, where they can live in a culture which shares their values, a place where they can once again be at home, surrounded by people who cherish their deeply held ideals. Why force them to chafe against the freedom, liberty and civil rights we cherish in the West?

Mr. Fischer did make the generous offer that those who are willing to convert to Christianity and renounce Islam,  Allah, Mohamed and the Koran may be welcomed for they can be not just good Christians but true Americans.

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I have my own special suggestion for Mr. Fischer:  “Shove it buster. What part of “religious freedom”, one of the cornerstones of our democracy don’t you and other nut jobs like you understand?”

As for “radical religious fanatics” Fischer should deal with his own who murder doctors in their own house of God.  Or the radical Christian hate militia “Repent Amarillo” who openly harass and threaten other Christian citizens of Amarillo, Texas who have viewpoints that are different from the narrow evangelical literal interpretations of the Bible that people like Mr. Fischer adhere to.

A religious fanatic is a religious fanatic.  The religion is irrelevant.  They are all delusional bullies who are convinced that they are the chosen ones. Religious fanatics are terrorists and their choice of religions is immaterial because their behavior is the same–they feel that any act, even murder, is justified to further their cause.  This is nothing but evil in its purest form.

I’m glad that the fanatics of all religions number as a minority.  But YOU, Mr. Fischer as well as David Grisham, the leader of Repent Amarillo, number among the religious fanatics.

No, Mr. Fischer, you are wrong. America has a very large heart and we have room for every one–even nuts like you.  So rave on, but don’t be surprised if you get a pie in your face now and then.

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Of course, when I think about it, Mr. Fischer’s suggestion for Muslims is not nearly as radical as the one made by an elected official in our own Third District, US Representative Sam Johnson.  At a February 19, 2005 pancake breakfast in Collin County Representative Sam Johnson retold a story that he said he offered as a solution to then President Bush:

Syria is the problem. Syria is where those weapons of mass destruction are, in my view. You know, I can fly an F-15, put two nukes on ‘em, and I’ll make one pass. We won’t have to worry about Syria anymore.

I wonder if Sam realizes that his own U.S. Third Congressional District has over 7,000 Muslims of which at least 500 are displaced persons who came here directly from Syria in 2008. I wonder how they would feel knowing that the Congressman representing their district once threatened to bomb Syria off the face of the Earth. I wonder if Sam realizes that if he had been given permission to live out his fantasy that he would have likely also wiped Israel off the face of the Earth and altered the weather patterns in the entire Middle East for generations to come.

He later claimed that this was a joke.  Some joke.  I’ll bet that more than few people in our district forgot to laugh.  I know I did and that’s one of the reasons why I’m going after his job.

Without “bipartisanship” we would not have the Bank Modernization Act of 1999, the Welfare “reform” act, the Iraq War, the Patriot Act, or the introduction of such bills as this latest affront to our civil liberties.  Both Obama and Bill Clinton can take bipartisanship,  and Wall Street Globalization support and shove it.

Apparently John McCain and Joe Lieberman don’t think that George Bush’s Patriot Act went far enough with removing our civil liberties.  Looks like these two jackasses are going for a full blown military dictatorship.

On March 4th, Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman introduced a bill called the “Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010″ that, if passed, would set this country on a course to become a military dictatorship.

The bill is only 12 pages long, but that is plenty of room to grant the president the power to order the arrest, interrogation, and imprisonment of anyone — including a U.S. citizen — indefinitely, on the sole suspicion that he or she is affiliated with terrorism, and on the president’s sole authority as commander in chief.