This week in progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think I should be watching.
Inclusion of a diary does not necessarily indicate my agreement or endorsement of its contents.
At Cowgirl Blog of Montana, Cowgirl writes—Troubled Waters:
An interesting email from Concerned Citizens of Western Montana (the right-wing group from the Flathead opposing the compact was accidentally disseminated Terry Backs, titular head of the organization, to Kate Vandemoer a birther blogger who once infamously launched an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the U.S. government by ousting President Obama, which she called the Usurpathon.
Backs is asking for marching orders on how an email to legislators should be handled. Particularly interesting is the embarrassing question of whether or not it should go to all legislators or all except Tutvedt and Salomon (as though they could somehow be kept out of the loop) and the overall impression that Dr. Kate is the eminence grise of this outfit. Also, note that “Montana Land and Water Alliance” and “Concerned Citizens of Western Montana” are the same bunch. […]
The most important thing to know about “Dr. Kate” Vandemoer is that she has some pretty extreme, marginal views–and some writings that reflect the soundness of her judgement and the rational of the effort to stop a tribe from getting water rights.
She co-hosts a radio show with white supremacist Red Beckman, who wrote that the Holocaust was God’s punishment for Jews because they worship the devil. Besides the usual racist birther garbage, Vandemoer’s blog features the ravings Eustice Mullins, who “claimed that Jews kidnap Christian children, ritually puncture their veins, and drink their blood as a restorative for their own degenerate bodies,” The Atlantic reported.
For more excerpts from progressive state blogs, read below the orange gerrymander.
At California Progress Report, Mike Males writes—Killing by Law Enforcement in California: It's Not What You Think (Part I):
Who do cops shoot in California? The most powerful, tragic images are of young African Americans like Oscar Grant in 2009 and Ezell Ford last August, victims of harsh policing in racially segregated and underserved areas like east Oakland and south central Los Angeles. Yet in remote towns like Eureka and a cluster in the southern deserts (Desert Hot Springs, Vista, Perris, Hemet, and Indio), people are much more likely to be killed by officers — not just in per capita rates, but often in raw numbers.
Using killings classified as “deaths by legal intervention” by medical examiners and tabulated by the state Center for Health Statistics, CJCJ studied a decade of California law enforcement killings — 810 in all during the 2000s. It should be noted that these data may understate law enforcement killings, and some cities may be less likely to report such killings than others, but these are the most comprehensive numbers at this time.
For cities with at least five law enforcement killings between 2003 and 2010, Moreno Valley averaged 1.5 per year; Vista, 1.0; and Perris, 0.6. Meanwhile, officers in much-larger Oakland and Sacramento averaged 0.8 and 0.5 per year, respectively. In 2010, officers in Perris, Moreno Valley, and Hemet (combined population, 300,000) shot six people to death, while officers in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Compton (combined population, 4.4 million) killed five. […]
Do officers in remote, rapidly growing “satellite cities” encounter more violent drug and human traffickers and fleeing suspects, with more shootouts? The demographics of victims suggest the answer is no. Of the six officer-shooting victims in three desert cities in 2010, two were white, two Latino, and two African American, ranging in age from 18 to 63, all local residents.
Most officer shootings in remote towns, as in cities, appear to result from confrontations with armed suspects. Still, there have been angry protests, such as followed the killing by Eureka police of unarmed Tommy McClain in September 2014, though these seem to draw little national attention.
At
Ohio Daily,
Anastasia Pantsios writes—
Frankenmedia Fails Again:
I have a question, and I am asking in all sincerity: are there any editors over at the Northeast Ohio Media Group (NEOMG), the digital wing of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which I’ve dubbed Frankenmedia because it’s almost impossible to sort out who is responsible for what?
No, seriously.
The blunders keep piling up. We know about the videotape of the interviews with the candidates for governor that was mysteriously removed from website, followed by a week and a half of stonewalling from “vice president of content” Chris Quinn, who then got all huffy and blamed people for speculating about something he refused to explain.
We all know the outrageous hit job NEOMG did on the parents of 12-year-old Tamir Rice who was murdered by Cleveland police November 22, a naked attempt to shift the blame to the boy before the video was released that showed the cops were lying.
Unbelievably, it got worse.
In mid-December, NEOMG published a story containing an inflammatory contention with the potential to rip open the city’s racial wounds and inject more poison into the already toxic community/police relationship. In the midst of all the conflict and debate about police killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson and New York and Cleveland, the story contended that a Cleveland-based gang had made a pact to start killing white police officers in retaliation. […]
I went home to Chicago for Christmas, conflicted about whether to write about this, feeling it might be wrong to call out a 22/23 year old who was clearly out of her depth and should be counseled out of journalism.
I came back to Cleveland to learn that the Plain Dealer had retracted the story. It was false, or as they said, “unsubstantiated.” I’m not so conflicted now. She should be fired. But she should not go alone. If the NEOMG/PD/Frankenmedia hopes to retain even a TINY shred of credibility, it must fire whatever editor/editors allowed this story to be published.
But is there even anyone there to fire anymore?
At
Blog for Arizona,
AZ BlueMeanie writes—
House Deportation Tea-Publicans vote to defund DACA Program:
The Tea-Publicans in the TanMan’s House today voted to defund the DACA Program—the Citizenship and Immigration Services is not funded through congressional appropriations, but rather through user fees; this bill attempts to declare these fees cannot be used—including an amendment aimed at deporting innocent DREAMers as well, because Tea-Publicans just cannot contain their visceral hatred for people breathing while brown. The modern day GOP is the new anti-immigrant Know Nothing Party. […]
As I warned you last year when she supported the “no compromise” immigration bill by Reps. Steve King (R-IA) and Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Martha McSally is a ‘Deportation Republican’. Her Tea Party slip is showing in her statements to the Arizona Daily Star. Local congressional delegation split on key House vote:
McSally said she was pleased the $39.7 billion in discretionary funding for DHS was approved, noting it was Obama’s unilateral actions that forced the Republicans to pass the legislation. |
That is bullshit. House Tea-Publicans pulled the DHS funding out of the spending bills last fall to set up this fight over the President’s executive orders. Don’t lie to me lady, I know the subject matter way better than you do.
At
Nebraska Appleseed,
Becca Brune writes—
Human Trafficking Awareness Month:
This morning, January 14, Governor Ricketts signed a proclamation establishing January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Nebraska. And in honor of Sunday’s Human Trafficking Awareness Day, a group of nearly fifty people braved the cold outside the State Capitol for a vigil to bring light to the issue of human trafficking, the second largest criminal industry in the world.
I was honored to have the chance to be a part of this vigil and speak about Nebraska Appleseed’s research on the connection between children who are in our state’s foster care system and sex and labor trafficking. This event was organized by Jasel Cantu with the Nebraska Latino American Commission and the Governor’s Task Force on Human Trafficking. […]
Rachel Davis Pointer, the founder of the Free the People Movement shared her counter-trafficking experiences after being a sex trafficking victim herself, starting at six years old.
“I took several years before I could even come to terms with the fact I was human trafficked in the first place,” Pointer said. “That I was exploited, that what happened was something that happened to me not because of something I chose.”
At
Michigan Liberal,
Eric B. writes—
Michigan, where we might care more about the feelings of guns than the safety of women:
There's a little memorial cross at the newspaper where I used to work. The incident that prompted its placement occured while I was riding my bicycle to Meijer. I was at the town's busiest corner on its north end when a bunch of police cars went screaming past, down towards the paper. I remember applying my gallows humor and wondered if someone who worked there hadn't lost his shit. What happened was far more tragic.
Mary Lynn Babb was shot and killed outside The Morning Sun newspaper where she was an advertising sales representative. Her alleged assailant, say police, was her 37-year-old estranged husband, Thomas Babb, against whom she had obtained a personal protection order (PPO). |
When the story says that she was shot and killed outside the paper's office, what it really means is that her estranged husband rammed her car until it flipped over, and while she was trying to escape walked up and shot her. I didn't know Mary Babb, but I know a lot of people who did and they were traumatized by this.
This brings us to a Freep editorial that was making the rounds this week.
Michigan's Legislature has approved a law, ostensibly aimed at standardizing the way concealed-weapons permits are issued, that also eliminates a state provision barring individuals subject to a personal protection order from obtaining such permits.[…] |
We need more teeth in PPOs to protect battered women. We don't need PPOs that are watered down to promote gun ownership.
At
Policy Matters Blog of the Mississippi Economic Policy Center,
Sara Miller writes—
Mississippi’s Lower Income Families Pay More in State and Local Taxes:
A report released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows Mississippi families who earn less pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than families who earn more. This is because of the state’s high reliance on the sales tax. Every Mississippi resident, regardless of how much money they make, pays the same sales tax rate on their purchases. Further, Mississippi charges its full sales tax on groceries—a necessity for families that only one other state fully taxes.
Also, while Mississippi’s income tax is designed so that higher income earners pay a higher rate than lower income earners, it is mostly flat. For example, with standard exemptions and deductions, a family of four who earns $30,000 pays taxes in the same bracket as a family earning $3 million.
A state Earned Income Tax Credit that not only offsets income taxes for families not earning enough to cover their basic financial needs, but that also rebates a portion of the sales taxes these families pay is one way to provide a more balanced tax system. Governor Phil Bryant has proposed a more limited state credit that would only address income taxes and therefore would not help families who are struggling most.
At
Delaware Liberal,
Delaware Dem writes at the—
Friday Open Thread:
Sen. Joe Manchin has a sad. You see, he is so West Virginia dumb that he doesn’t understand basic balance of power stuff about the three branches of government. He said he was disappointed that the White House threatened to veto his legislation approving the Keystone XL pipeline, arguing the president’s move was “not the way a democracy works.” Oh really?
“He never even gave it a chance, never even gave it a chance. Now, that’s just not the way you do legislation. It’s not the way a democracy works. And it’s not the way the… three branches of government should work.” |
Well, first off, you are the one not giving something a chance. You are the one who wants to rush this to a conclusion, you dumbfuck Carper wannabe. The State Department and the Nebraska and U.S. Courts are reviewing the pipeline, so you are not giving them a chance to complete their work. Second, the President is free to tell Congress at any time he wants that “hey, Congress, you might not want to waste your and the taxpayer’s precious time on this ill conceived bill, because I am just going to veto it anyway.” There is nothing anti-democratic or unconstitutional about that. In fact, he is doing Congress a favor. Now, if Congress wants to waste their time and pass the bill anyway, that is of course their prerogative. But that does not require the President to sign it. You see, some Republicans, and obviously some West Virginia Democrats, believe that when Congress passes a bill it is automatically law. Go back to Social Studies class, Senator.
At
Bleeding Heartland of Iowa,
desmoinesdem writes—
Iowa caucus discussion thread: Romney delusions edition:
It's been a while since we had a new thread for discussing the next Iowa caucus campaign. Most of the action lately has been on the Republican side, but any comments about the presidential race are welcome in this thread. Here are some links to get the conversation started.
Mitt Romney confirmed last week that he may launch a third campaign for the presidency, even though he had previously ruled out another bid on many occasions. He leads some early polls of Republicans, but with 20 percent support or less—not impressive for someone with his level of name recognition. I can't imagine why Republicans would ever nominate him again, or how anyone in his inner circle can believe he has a chance. Maggie Haberman and James Hohmann shed some light on that subject in "The selling of Mitt 3.0," which you should read in full. After the jump I've enclosed a few excerpts from that piece and from John Dickerson's report for Slate. Apparently some people believe that with better messaging and no incumbent president to face, Romney has a decent shot. Sounds delusional to me. Romney still has all the baggage from his last campaign. His dire predictions about the economy have proven false. Surely many of his donors and grassroots supporters will be looking for a new candidate, such as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie or former Florida Governor Jeb Bush or even former Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Maybe The Onion was right after all in this 2012 report: "Mitt Romney Terrified What Will Happen If He Ever Stops Running for President."
At
of Florida,
the dismay writes—
So Rick Scott Wants To Run For President....:
Oh Dear God WHY?
[Rick Scott] is a hugely divisive, charisma-free governor with a sketchy past, all of which might be overcome by his biggest asset: a vast personal fortune, which in American politics can fix just about any candidate's problems. |
I honestly think he believes he can do this. Here's a man who should be serving time instead of office; and waking up every day in amazement of how much he gets away with-- and how little people in this state actually care. (I wake up every morning wondering the same thing.)
I really hope he goes for it. I do. I'd love for him to piss away his personal fortune that he amassed scamming people and selling favors. Also, maybe if he runs for president, someone will actually point out all the horrible things he's done to us as governor (unlike last time).
Of course, I am assuming the rest of America isn't as apathetic as Florida is towards our political leaders. Not only should I not underestimate America's apathy; I should also never underestimate how low the GOP will set the bar for their leadership positions.
Keep in mind I never thought "Gov. Rick Scott" would ever be a possibility either.
At
Rural and Progressive of Georgia,
Katherine Helms Cummings writes—
Nikki Haley has no time for poetry:
Newly inaugurated South Carolina’s Governor Nikki Haley didn’t have time for two minutes of poetry written for her second swearing-in yesterday. Marjory Wentworth, South Carolina’s poetry laureate, has written poems for the last three gubernatorial inaugurations. This year Haley decided that two minutes couldn’t be spared for an original poem written by Wentworth.
In the past, according to NPR, Wentworth chose themes of nature and animals for previous ceremonies. For Haley’s second ceremony Ms Wentworth penned a poem focused on elements of South Carolina’s history, including its ports where slaves were shipped in for sale. And where the Confederate flag still flies next to the state’s flag at the state capital.
Wentworth is invited to read her poem at a ceremony organized by the state’s NAACP chapter on Martin Luther King, Jr Day next Monday, which she will do. In the meantime, U. S. Rep James Clyburn, who represents South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, read the poem yesterday from the floor of the House of Representatives. Wentworth’s poem is included in NPR’s coverage.
At
Blue Mass Group of Massachusetts,
jamie-eldridge writes—
Hope for grassroots movements’ impacts on 2015-2016 legislative session:
Last week, the 2015-2016 legislative session began, with the swearing-in of the 189th General Court, and Governor Charlie Baker the following day. Media attention was focused on the three primary leaders of elected government: Governor Baker, Senate President Stan Rosenberg, and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo. In their first public remarks for this two-year session, each expressed a strong commitment to working together to move the Commonwealth forward.
I cannot remember coming out of a stronger period of grassroots issue organizing leading into a new legislative session. Grassroots organizing can have a tremendous effect on bringing real change on Beacon Hill to pass bills and budget priorities that make a positive difference in the lives of Massachusetts residents. Here are some of the organizing efforts, and legislative opportunities for change this session:
Climate Change. A wide-range of organizations from 350MA.org to Climate XChange to the Environmental League of Massachusetts to the Sierra Club have organized around stopping the Kinder Morgan pipeline, increasing the investment in alternative energy, divesting the state pension fund from fossil fuel companies, passing a carbon tax, expanding the state’s energy efficiency programs, and investing in climate resiliency. Most of these ideas, and many others, will be filed as legislation this session. […]
Criminal Justice reform. Groups such as like Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA), Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), and the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition have been advocating for changes like CORI reform for years. Now, with the addition of groups like End Mass Incarceration Together and the Mass Restorative Justice Coalition, it seems like an opportunity in the Legislature to reform mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes, bail reform, comprehensive rehabilitation of prisoners, restorative justice, and repealing the 5-year suspension of driver’s license for drug violations, among others