Allen West Uninvited From NAACP Event

The Martin County NAACP has rescheduled a fundraiser. The keynote speaker was to be Rep. Allen West. The NAACP informed West he will not speak at the rescheduled event. The reason being West accusing members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus of being communists.

There's a certain statement he made about Communists," Jerry Gore, president of the Martin County NAACP, told Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. "That statement alone ... we do not represent that type of atmosphere."

Let's face it. Allen West isn't going to bring in the dollars at a NAACP fundraiser. I can see why the NAACP would rather not have him there. There is free speech. There is also the right for people to disagree with your opinion.

I actually want to see West speak loud and often. West's crazy talk will drive people away from the Republican Party. I see Republican activists on Twitter praise West and the late Andrew Breitbart. I say let the GOP activists champion these polarizing figures. The truth is their heroes aren't so brave. West caves when asked to name Congressional Democrats that are communists.

O'BRIEN: So name names for me. Which? Start naming the 78 to 81.

WEST: Oh we don't have to do that...

O'BRIEN :No, no we do, I'm dying to know.

WEST: You can go look up the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

O'BRIEN: I've got them right here.

WEST: Well then you've got the names.

O'BRIEN: So [Minnesota Democratic Rep.] Keith Ellison is a communist?

Soledad, Soledad you know something...

O'BRIEN: [Arizona Democratic Rep.] Raul Grijalva is a communist? [California Democratic Rep.] Judy Chu is a communist?

WEST: You can call it whatever you want. Call it whatever you want. I'm talking about their beliefs.

I call it a lack of courage on West's part. People who throw out accusations and then won't back them up are bullies.

NAACP Against Scott Signing Voter Suppression Bill

The Florida chapter of the NAACP sent out a press release voicing their disapproval of Gov. Rick Scott signing HB 1355. The bill shortens early voting, makes it more difficult for voter registration groups to operate, and does not allow voters that have moved to vote on the day of the election. People that have moved or changed their last name would have to use a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots usually are never looked at and thrown out.

(Miami, FL.) – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is outraged that Gov. Rick Scott signed HB1355, a bill that actively seeks to disenfranchise racial and ethnic minorities, women, the elderly, the working poor, and young Americans in the voting process.

“The NAACP is outraged that Governor Scott signed this bill that blatantly and maliciously attacks, restricts and suppresses the voting rights of Florida’s racial and ethnic minorities, women, students and working communities,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “We are calling upon all Floridians to stand up for the rights of all Florida citizens and repeal this deplorable new law.”

Newly enacted, HB1355 will restrain voting rights on multiple fronts. First, the bill would limit voters to only casting provisional ballots if they wish to change their address or name at the polls (provisional ballots in Florida are not counted at alarmingly high proportions). Second, the legislation cuts the number of days of early voting by more than half (from 13 to 5). More than 2.6 million people voted early in the 2008 elections. Finally, the law imposes overburdening regulations on organizations like the NAACP seeking to register voters.

“I am disappointed that such a disenfranchising bill, with such damaging implications has been signed into law by Governor Scott,” remarked NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock. “One of the most sacred rights as an American is the right to cast an unfettered vote for your elected representative and this right should be protected. This bill is not consistent with the democratic promise of our nation or the American Dream.”

“This bill is an egregious attempt by misguided state legislators to suppress the voting rights of women, minorities and the poor by forcing them to jump though excessive hoops to exercise their constitutional right to vote,” stated Adora Obi Nweze, President of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP. “The NAACP Florida State Conference is calling for the repeal of this discriminatory bill so all Floridians can exercise their constitutional right to cast an unfettered ballot.”

Quote of the Day

"I'd have a long discussion with (Shirley Sherrod), and I'd tell her that I'm not one of these people in this country that thinks racism doesn't exist. And that I'm not one of these people who says she hasn't suffered from racism. And that the scars of racism aren't warranted But I'd also tell her that my passion in life and my political trajectory from left to right was born from watching Clarence Thomas hearings. I didn't understand how the NAACP sat on its hands while privileged white gentlemen hammered him mercilessly and humiliated him and the media and the NAACP allowed it to happen."

Andrew Breitbart

Perhaps the NAACP stayed out of the fray during the Thomas hearing was because a black woman named Anita Hill accused him of sexual harassment. The Thomas and Hill controversy was confusing because no one could say with 100 percent certainty who was telling the truth. John Cole points out that Thomas was appointed to the Supreme Court for his troubles. Sherrod's father was shot to death by a white man. Wanna take a guess which black man got the better deal?

Side note: Can Breitbart cite an incident of racism when a conservative is not the victim?

Yes, Fox News is Racist

Young Turks host Cenk Uygur plays an audio clip of a racist leaving a bizarre rant on the NAACP's voicemail. The racist uses the N word and falsely accuses the NAACP of wanting the redistribution of wealth and killing babies. I agree with Uygur about the conservative media panders to a racist audience.

Glenn Beck accused President Barack Obama of being a racist.

This morning on Fox and Friends, Fox host Glenn Beck accused President Obama of being "a racist."

The group was discussing the recent Gates controversy, and Beck exclaimed that Obama has "over and over again" exposed himself as "a guy who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture. I don't know what it is..."

Beck fails to mention to fact that Obama's mother is white. Beck again accused Obama of being racist towards BP CEO Tony Hayward.

BECK: “What is it that Barack Obama knows that he won’t even bother to meet with the guy to hear him out? Well, until, you know, he changed his mind a couple of days later. What is it that the dictator of Iran, the crazy guy in Iran has in the credibility department that the CEO of BP doesn’t have? What is it? Tell me. I’d like to know. Does the fact the BP CEO is a capitalist — does that — is that what does it? You know, when I meet with those capitalists — he’s a white CEO. Maybe that’s it. He’s a white CEO. White CEOs — I don’t know if you know this — but white CEOs, they don’t like to — they don’t want to pay their tax dollars and have those tax dollars go to inner-city kids.

Apparently, Beck believes holding Hayward accounting for an environmental disaster his company caused is racism.

Bill O'Reilly used the word "lynching" in reference to Michelle Obama.

"I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels -- that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever -- then that's legit. We'll track it down."

O'Reilly ate at Harlem restaurant and was shocked to find out that black people had manners in a restaurant.

O’REILLY: There wasn’t one person in Sylvia’s who was screaming, “M-Fer, I want more iced tea.”
WILLIAMS: Please–
O’REILLY: You know, I mean, everybody was — it was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun. And there wasn’t any kind of craziness at all.

Fox News coarsens the political and racial dialogue in America. The wonderful First Amendment protects Beck's and O'Reilly's to air their stupidity. That doesn't mean the White House should cave in by firing Shirly Sherrod. Unfortunately, the Obama administration hasn't shown anything resembling a bonebone.

Pinellas County Commission Debate

The NAACP is hosting a dedate between Pinellas County comission candidates Renee Flowers and Darden Rice.

Date: Monday, August 4, 2008
Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: NAACP - St. Pete office
Street: 1501 16th Street S
City/Town: Saint Petersburg, FL

Buddy Johnson AWOL

It took the NAACP 18 days to deliver a subpoena to Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson. The NAACP did not file a personal lawsuit against Johnson. Nor was Johnson a witness in a criminal case. The NAACP simply wanted to know how Johnson's office handled voter registrations. Republican election officials aren't known for their professed loved for civil or voting rights. But there was no reason for Johnson to duck the subpoena.

Subpoena server Dan Neatherly concluded that Johnson was avoiding him. Neatherly could not find Johnson at either of his two offices. There is good indication that Johnson ordered his staff to stonewall Neatherly. Johnson's Mercedes Benz was parked in his space. The St. Petersburg Times's Jeff Testerman attempting ask Johnson about how his car can be at work, but not him. Johnson stonewalled Testerman by refusing to comment on stonewalling Neatherly.

If we are to give Johnson the benefit of the doubt, The Supervisor of Election just can be bothered to go to the job. That is a horrible PR spin campaign. Voters can ask themselves why they should continue to pay Johnson's salary. It is troubling when legal council Kathy Harris (love the name for an election official) is brought forth to issue a denial. Why is Johnson acting like he is about to be indicted?

"Mr. Johnson did not evade service and was a willing participant in the proceedings,'' Harris wrote. If the NAACP lawyers thought he was evading service, they could have sought court sanctions against him.

Harris wrote that it's wrong to assume that because Johnson's car was in his parking space, he was in the building. "Often, he is out of the office educating the community about voter registration and voter participation and leaves his personal car at the office.''

Harris wouldn't make that statement under oath. Johnson was asked in court if he attempted to avoid the subpoena. Harris told Johnson three times not to answer the question.

Exactly who was driving Buddy to these education seminars? Someone in the Elections office needs to leak Buddy's schedule? Details from Neatherly's report indicate that Johnson's lackeys were instructed to stonewall for their boss.

Oct. 17: Neatherly found a silver Mercedes Benz in the parking space reserved for the elections supervisor at the Falkenburg office. He spoke with Kevin Connell, a former New York police officer working as a receptionist there. Connell said Johnson wasn't in.

Neatherly went back outside, verified the registration as Johnson's and returned to Connell. "I know that is Mr. Johnson's vehicle and need to see him." Neatherly wrote that Connell said he couldn't help, that he was "just following directions."

(Connell declined to comment to the Times.)

There is something about the NAACP case that scares the hell out of Johnson. Republicans were against the County Mayor petition. Johnson's office miscounted the petitions. Now there are questions about black voters being disinfranchised. Johnson's behavior would make Richard Nixon cringe.

Fight the Sag II

The NAACP has come out against Florida Senator Gary Siplin's anti-drooping pants bill.

NAACP President Adora Obi Nweze called it a "clearly discriminatory bill."

"In essence, it will criminalize the wearing of saggy pants and thereby provide a new avenue of interaction between young people and the criminal justice system," Nweze said.

That is an overstating on Nweze's part. The bill would suspend students that come to school wearing low-riding pants. It is still amusing how many people think this is a stupid bill. That might explain why it passed in the Florida Senate 28-11.

Anti-Marriage Petition Doesn't Have Enough Signatures

Fairness For All Families issued a press release on the Division of Elections improper counting of petitions by anti-gay marriage groups.

Apparently the "glitch" at the Division of Elections caused an over count of 27,000 signatures for the marriage petition. Instead of hitting the 611.009 mark, the opposition is at 589,020 as of Jan 10th.

HOWEVER, they have until Feb 1st to turn in signatures and that means the Jan 29th Primary gives them an obvious focus to ID the last wave of signatures. In addition, there will be legal battles if they fall short to place this on the ballot that will leave this an open questions and one we will have to continue to organize against. Many states that put all their hopes in defeating this via legal intervention ended up ill prepared when an 11th hour ruling placed it before voters.

Florida election officials failing to do their job properly. Shocking!

Republicans can't even get enough signatures for their favorite wedge issues. This isn't a good sign for them.

NAACP Chairman Julian Bond urges Floridians to vote no against the anti-marriage amendment.

No Senator Left Behind

Hilary O. Shelton, director of the NAACP Washington Bureau, came to Naples, Florida to deliver report cards to Congressional members and the state legislature. They were graded on how they voted on civil rights issues. One pupil failed miserably.

“Senator Martinez, we’re sending you to a tutorial session,” Shelton said.

Martinez received the worst grade of any member of Congress, a “… big, red, glow in the dark F,” Shelton said.

In related news: after repeated denials, Martinez is being booted resign as co-chair of the RNC.

Stamp Out Bogus Voter Fraud

The Miami Herald interviews attorney Justin Levitt about the Brennan Center of Justice lawsuit against Florida. State law requires a Social Security nember and driver's licence at the polls. The BCJ is reprresenting the NAACP and the Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition.

Several Republican-controlled states has instituted more restrictive voting laws. Contrary to Karl Rove's claims, there is no widespread conspiracy. The Bush Justice Department have only convicted 86 people of voter fraud.

The Florida Division of Elections has a voter fraud video on their website. Unfortunately, I can't get it to work. They also have a "Stamp Out Voter Fraud" poster. I'm sure we will see it in Hot Topic soon.