The Overlooked minority and the ADA

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Sunday July 12, 2015 · 6:44 PM PDT

2015/07/12 · 18:44

Former Iowa Senator and ADA Sponsor Tom Harkin leads Disabiltity Pride Parade

If I asked you what is the largest protected class under civil rights law in the US, what would be your answer? African Americans or Hispanic citizens perhaps?

Would the very large minority group made up of those who have a legally recognized disability even be on your radar? Probably not, as I can find no one writing about this group on Daily Kos.

Here are the 2010 numbers from the US Census Bureau

54 million
Number of people who have a disability. They represent 19 percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

That makes this group almost the same proportion of citizens as the Hispanic population in the United States. Read More

Raleigh Council: Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead

StargazerNC

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Friday July 10, 2015 · 3:27 PM PDT

2015/07/10 · 15:27

The Raleigh News and Observer made a lame attempt at addressing the mess created at City Hall in Raleigh, NC, on Tuesday at a huge public rezoning hearing. Over a hundred spoke; hundreds left in frustration.

Governance? Who cares about governance? It's all about, bigger, bigger, bigger to these folks--damn the torpedos, full speed ahead.

StargazerNC

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Friday June 26, 2015 · 7:56 AM PDT

2015/06/26 · 07:56

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity.

The famous quote from Dicken's' A Tale of Two Cities seems more and more apropos today in America. And while former NC Senator John Edwards has been mostly discredited since his sexual escapade and legal problems, his tale of Two Americas is becoming more relevant each year that passes.

While the Obama Administration and particularly President Obama himself celebrate yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, those in Red states like North Carolina can be excused for having mixed feelings. Particulary those in states like NC who are still unnable to access healthcare under the ACA, and where the leaders refuse to expand Medicaid to cover the poor and uninsured.

StargazerNC

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Tuesday June 23, 2015 · 5:37 PM PDT

2015/06/23 · 17:37

The Rev. Clementa Pinckney of Emanuel AME

Dylann Roof entered the Emanuel AME church on the Charleston peninsula, and he asked who was its minister. He was not immediately threatening, and joined in the prayer group. Then he opened fire with a Glock weapon shooting nine members of the group, including the minister, The Rev. Clementa Pinckney.

Pinckney, who was regarded as an exceptional preacher and public servant died. He was only 41 years old.

With the information now available, there can be little doubt that Roof targeted that historic AME Church and its minister as part of his plans to start a race war in South Carolina. How much did Roof know of Pinckney's genealogy and his family history? We cannot know, but it is ironic that Pinckney may have descended from one of the most aristocratic and prominent white families of SC history, if information from Wikipedia is correct.

StargazerNC

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Tuesday June 23, 2015 · 6:38 AM PDT

2015/06/23 · 06:38

Confederate Memorial with Rebel Battle Flag

North side of SC Capitol with Confederate monument

[Gov. Nikki] Haley's speech on Monday, reported today in the Columbia State newspaper:

Haley “is doing something against the political grain for her party, and she’s doing it for the right reason,” said S.C. Democratic Party chairman Jaime Harrison, adding his respect for Haley has grown “ten-fold.”
“For that, I applaud her and thank her for her courage and ... leadership,” Harrison said.

Others saw more personal reactions at work in Haley’s announcement Monday.

State Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, said Haley, the mother of two, was moved by last Wednesday’s tragedy. The governor choked back tears at a Thursday press conference and was moved by the community’s response.

StargazerNC

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Sunday June 21, 2015 · 2:58 PM PDT

2015/06/21 · 14:58

My short answer is "yes."

But the larger picture and longer answer is more complicated and nuanced. We all, and particularly us Southern white folks, need to take the time to reflect on South Carolina's long history of racial hatred and the influence of that hatred in the state's political regimes, past and present.

As the state's NAACP President said during a special presentation on WIS TV last night, "it is sad that SC is first only in secession." And no one has mentioned the influence of Sen. Strom Thurmond, Dixiecrat candidate for US President. Thurmond represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 until 2003, at first as a Democrat and, after 1964, as a Republican.

I just saw the first evidence of backlash against Charleston's and SC's leaders online, as there was graffiti scrawled on a Confederate statue in downtown Charleston. A statue near The Battery memorializing Confederate defenders of the city was found vandalized Sunday with the message “Black lives matter.” It named both Mayor Joe Riley and Governor Nikki Haley in red paint.

StargazerNC

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Thursday June 18, 2015 · 1:53 PM PDT

2015/06/18 · 13:53

Just a couple of days ago I wrote on this page about some thoughts on gun violence and NC law. Then last night the worse case scenario took place in Charleston, SC. in my native state.

I was glad that the alleged shooter was arrested and will be brought to justice without further loss of life. But as I was glued to my Twitter feed today, I was reminded over and over of South Carolina's, and the Deep South's. long history of racism and related violence.

It's not a pretty sight to see the Confederate Battle Flag still flying on the grounds of the Capitol in Columbia, just blocks from my alma mater at the University of Sourth Carolina.

StargazerNC

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Sunday June 14, 2015 · 3:15 PM PDT

2015/06/14 · 15:15

VOTING RIGHTS versus 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS

The Raleigh News and Observer in NC's capitol city posted two letters on gun violence today. One is from me written in response to an editorial about gun safety last Sunday, June 7. The other is from a former Duke University professor by the name of David Warren of Chapel Hill, NC. Read More

Leah Harris: The Case for Recovery Now

StargazerNC

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Friday June 12, 2015 · 4:14 PM PDT

2015/06/12 · 16:14

When will public health treat mental problems together with other health problems?

Cross posting from Huffington Post
Why We Need a Paradigm Shift in Mental Health Care

Another "May is Mental Health Month" has come and gone, and it is time to build on years of awareness campaigns and move into action to promote whole health and recovery. People with serious mental health conditions are dying on average 25 years earlier than the general population, largely due to preventable physical health conditions, so why do we still focus on mental health separately from physical health?

And when we know that people with serious mental health conditions face an 80 percent unemployment rate, why do we largely ignore the role of poverty, economic and social inequality, and other environmental factors in mainstream discussions about mental health?

StargazerNC

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Tuesday June 09, 2015 · 5:12 PM PDT

2015/06/09 · 17:12

WASHINGTON, June 9, 2015 PRNewswire-USNewswire

-- On June 4, Congressman Tim Murphy introduced legislation HR 2646 designed to dismantle the federal mental health authority – the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – which has promoted recovery and community inclusion for individuals with serious behavioral health conditions for 25 years, as called for by President Bush's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.

The bill would replace SAMHSA with a new Office headed by a politically appointed government official, controlled by Congress and robbing people of their civil rights through forced treatment and increased institutionalization.

The bill is a revised version of The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (HR 3717), which failed to pass in 2013. The bill will be heard in the House Energy and Commerce Committe.

StargazerNC

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Thursday June 04, 2015 · 1:14 AM PDT

2015/06/04 · 01:14

First, the Raleigh City Council finally provided an opportunity for residents to speak about the Dix purchase and financing at a public city hearing Tuesday night.

Here is what the local ABC affilliate, WTVD Channel 11, had to say:

Tuesday, June 02, 2015 11:20PM
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Raleigh City Council tackled several hot topics during Tuesday night's meeting.

There were residents from every corner of the city in attendance sounding off on different hot topics, but the biggest issue on the agenda was Dorothea Dix Park.
There were plenty in the audience in support of turning Dorothea Dix into Raleigh's 308-acre destination park but the majority of those who went to the podium spoke out against the deal.

StargazerNC

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Saturday February 07, 2015 · 1:10 PM PST

2015/02/07 · 13:10

Please urge any of your friends and neighbors who will support our position on historical preservation on the Dix Hospital Campus in Raleigh, NC, to sign on and leave a comment. We are close to our initial goal of 500 names, and we have shared our petition with the White House and NC Representatives Price and Ellmers.

I was told by White House staff that it usually takes at least 6 weeks to get word from the Obama Administration about the President issuing a Proclamation. Meanwhile, we have to fight on a second front to keep the property intact until we hear from folks in Washington, D. C.

See the petition at https://www.change.org/...

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The Overlooked minority and the ADA

Raleigh Council: Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead

Supreme Court rules ACA legal; no plans to expand Medicaid

Rev. Clementa Carlos "Clem"Pinckney: Democratic member of the SC Senate

Gov. Haley's words struck the right chord

Charleston and SC's Battle Flag: Are they connected?

Senseless violence in South Carolina

Letters about gun safety and gun violence in North Carolina

Leah Harris: The Case for Recovery Now

Mental Health Advocates protest new bill HR2646

Two new updates in this message about Dix monument request

Petition to President Obama: we still need more signatures