jodem

jodem https://www.dailykos.com/user/jodem/rss/index.xml News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Sun, 26 Jan 2020 12:31:26 +0000 Sun, 26 Jan 2020 12:31:26 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Netflix’s : Get Me Roger Stone https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/3/4/1839242/-Netflix-s-Get-Me-Roger-Stone A 2017 American documentary film written and directed by Dylan Bank, Daniel DiMauro and Morgan Pehme. This is a MUST SEE documentary. We watched this documentary yesterday because even though we knew Roger Stone’s name, we didn’t really know a lot about him. It’s chilling how evil this man really is, and this eye opening documentary explains the connections between Paul Manafort and the host of slimy characters associated with Trump that seem to have no end climbing out of the woodwork. I’m not going to be the spoiler and disclose the contents of the documentary, but you should definitely put this on your list of things you absolutely must see for a better understanding of all Republicans. If you don’t have access to Netflix, ask your friends who do if you can watch it with them. It’ll be a bonding moment as you both come away with a visceral hate for this man. Trumps campaign promise was that he was going to clean up the “Washington Swamp”, little did we know that Trump has been associated with these swamp creatures for the past 25+ years and considers Roger Stone one of his good friends. According to the documentary Roger Stone and Paul Manafort actually were integral in creating the destructive toxic “win at all cost” techniques that we see so embedded in the Republican modus operandi. As a family we’re all more informed than the typical American and we have been very involved in politics for many years, but this morning I’m finding myself stunned, disturbed, and amazed that I didn’t know much about this truly evil man and how much he’s responsible for the current climate we see our political system. Do yourself a favor and watch this documentary. rss@dailykos.com (jodem) Documentary Evil manafort Movies mustsee Politics RogerStone Swamp trump _1839242 Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:18:22 +0000 Things to remember about Jeb Bush's governorship https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/6/17/1393946/-Things-to-remember-about-Jeb-Bush-s-governorship Those of us who lived in Florida during Jeb Bush's reign know how bad he was.  I recently had a friend send me this and it brought a rush of bad memories. <blockquote>ACLU Statement on "Moderate" Jeb Bush's Record as Florida Governor As former governor announces candidacy for president, ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon points to five cases to show a record on civil liberties that reflect an ideological agenda that was anything but moderate FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 15, 2015 CONTACT:  ACLU of Florida Media Office, media@aclufl.org, (786) 363-2737 MIAMI, FL – Today, former Florida governor Jeb Bush will formally announce his candidacy for president. Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida, stated the following regarding the announcement: “As Jeb Bush announces his candidacy for the presidency, history should not be rewritten about his record on civil rights and civil liberties during his two terms as Florida Governor. “Some have put forth a narrative portraying Jeb Bush as having governed as a moderate, and it may be politically expedient for him to allow that image to thrive.  But Floridians who lived through his governorship know that he governed more ideologically and more extremely than moderately – sometimes ignoring public opinion, sometimes ignoring constitutional principles, all in order to pursue a decidedly not moderate policy agenda. “As a result, much of his eight year tenure as Governor was characterized by battles with moderate Republicans in the legislature and battles with the courts, whose job it is to enforce principles that protect the constitutional rights of people.” Simon pointed to five actions by then-Governor Bush as examples of his style of leadership: 1. The “Scarlet Letter” Law: In allowing the infamous “Scarlet Letter” Law to go into effect, Jeb Bush ignored Florida’s state constitutional right of privacy and allowed the Legislature to require Florida women placing a child for adoption with a private adoption agency to publish a notice in local newspapers about their sexual history.  The notice was to contain information about the mother’s age, race, hair and eye color, approximate height and weight, any person the mother reasonably believes may be the father and the date and city in which the act of conception might have occurred.  The ACLU challenged the law, and argued the case in court.  The courts struck down the law.  Gov. Bush then signed a repeal of the statute. (Note: Presidential candidate Marco Rubio, then a member of the Florida Legislature, voted for the Bill.) 2. Attorneys for the fetus of a disabled rape victim (but not for the victim): In the JDS case, when a developmentally disabled woman who was a resident of a state-run group home in Orlando was raped and impregnated by a member of the staff of the facility, Gov. Bush sent attorneys from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) to court to request that the court appoint a guardian for the fetus.  The tactic was designed to use the court process so that it would be too late to perform an abortion.  The ACLU argued the case against the Motion filed by DCF attorneys, and the court rejected the Motion for the appointment of a guardian for the fetus. 3. State funding of religious schools and a fight to remove constitutional protections against government entanglement with religion: In 2006, the Florida Supreme Court struck down Gov. Bush’s signature education reform measure, the “Opportunity Scholarship Program” (OSP)/school voucher program.  The program, the centerpiece of his 1998 campaign for Governor and enacted in his first year in office, used state funds were to pay tuition for public school students to attend church-run sectarian schools.  The ACLU was part of a coalition of public education and civil liberties groups that filed suit challenging the program as a violation of two state constitutional provisions: the century-and-a-half prohibition on direct or indirect aid to religious institutions (“no aid” to religious institutions), and the requirement that the state fund a uniform system of public education.  Gov. Bush ignored both constitutional provisions. Though the Florida Supreme Court used only the later provision to strike down the voucher program, thereby not needing to rule on a “no aid” violation, Gov. Bush nevertheless asked the Legislature to propose a constitutional amendment to strip the “no aid to religious institutions” provision from the state constitution.  In a dramatic and narrow vote, the Republican-controlled Florida State Senate declined Gov. Bush’s request to place a repeal of state constitutional church-state separation on the ballot. 4. The Terri Schiavo tragedy: Gov. Bush’s intrusion into the Terri Schiavo case shocked the nation.  He attempted to use the machinery of state government and then, through a special law enacted by Congress and signed by President George Bush, the machinery of the federal government and federal courts to intrude into an intensely private family tragedy.  ACLU attorneys were the legal team which, on behalf of husband Michael Schiavo, successfully challenged both the state law and the federal law that Gov. Bush used as the legal basis for his personal intervention.  Gov. Bush’s efforts to intervene in this matter included sending state police to seize Terri Schiavo and transport her to a facility where a feeding tube would be reinserted -- in violation of six years of proceedings in the Pinellas County courts that had determined the Terri Schiavo did not wish to be sustained artificially and indefinitely in a vegetative state. 5. Defending a Civil War Era racist election system: Gov. Bush defended Florida’s Civil War era system of lifetime felon disfranchisement under which the right to vote is taken away from more citizens in Florida than in any other state in the country.  In a 2002 federal lawsuit, Johnson v. Bush, the Governor and his attorneys defended Florida’s system of lifetime felon disfranchisement against charges of racial discrimination. The Governor ignored historical evidence that, with the extension of the franchise to the freed slaves following the Civil War, the system of lifetime felon disfranchisement was designed by the post-Confederacy 1868 Constitutional Convention to take the vote away from as many of the freed slaves as possible – largely because in some parts of the state freed slaves outnumbered whites. Simon concluded: “From publicly shaming Florida women for their private lives, to attempting to smash the protection against government entanglement with religion, to inviting himself – and the world -- into a family tragedy, Governor Bush saw his office as a license to use the power of government to enact his will and his own personal morality on the private lives of Florida citizens. “He was and remains insensitive to the obligation of government to sometimes ‘stay its hand’ out of respect for the great religious diversity of our country.  His recent speech at Liberty University echoed themes seen during his two terms as Florida Governor when he showed little appreciation for the fact that government policies should not impose the views of one religious tradition on people of a different faith tradition. “As he prepares to run for higher office, Jeb Bush may want to present himself to the nation’s electorate as a moderate. Those of us who fought for civil rights and civil liberties during his tenure in Florida know better.” # # # About the ACLU of Florida The ACLU of Florida is freedom's watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  For additional information, visit our web site at: www.aclufl.org </blockquote> Please share this information with anyone who believes that Jeb is more moderate and will be a good president.  It makes me shudder to think that he might actually have a chance at becoming our president.  As if 8 years of his idiot brother wasn't enough torture for this country. rss@dailykos.com (jodem) Elections Florida JebBush _1393946 Wed, 17 Jun 2015 12:47:39 +0000 Shocking Revelations about what "Broken Windows" and "Reserve Policing" really means https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/4/15/1377864/-Shocking-Revelations-about-what-Broken-Windows-and-Reserve-Policing-really-means Jason Williamson is a staff attorney with the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project and authored a story in Salon published WEDNESDAY, APR 15, 2015 that clearly explains what one common policing tactic under the "broken windows" banner is doing.   <blockquote>the use of generalized “No Trespass Letters” to justify arrests for criminal trespassing on commercial property. But more to the point, the policy gives police in Michigan’s second-largest city an excuse to stop and search people immediately based on nothing more than a gut reaction to the way someone looks or acts—without bothering to determine whether the person is actually trespassing. According to Grand Rapids police officials, the signed letter allows officers to stop and arrest people for trespassing at the business in question—even while the business is open—whenever the officer thinks the person is on the property without a “legitimate business purpose.” In other words, cops are given unrestricted discretion to decide who does and does not belong on the property of an open business, without ever talking to the business owner or any employee to find out why the person is on the property, how long they’ve been there, and whether the person is welcome on the premises. Between 2011 and 2013, the Grand Rapids Police Department either cited or arrested approximately 560 people for trespassing on business property, pursuant to the trespassing-letter policy. In a city in which black people make up roughly 20 percent of the population, 59 percent of those detained for trespassing under this policy were black. Perhaps even more telling is the fact that African-Americans are more than twice as likely as whites to be arrested, rather than simply ticketed, Miami Gardens’ officers, who embarked on a trespass enforcement spree that contributed significantly to the roughly 99,000 total stops made by officers over the course of five years—in a city of only 110,000 people. One African-American man was stopped more than 250 times for suspected trespassing on the property of the convenience store where he worked. More than 60 of those stops resulted in his arrest. </blockquote> Another tool that police use routinely for "broken Windows" policing is the License plate readers.  These are not innoucuous targeted readers.  They are mass surveilence tools whose use is not being monitored or restricted.  According to the ACLU: <blockquote>A little noticed surveillance technology, designed to track the movements of every passing driver, is fast proliferating on America’s streets. Automatic license plate readers, mounted on police cars or on objects like road signs and bridges, use small, high-speed cameras to photograph thousands of plates per minute. The information captured by the readers – including the license plate number, and the date, time, and location of every scan – is being collected and sometimes pooled into regional sharing systems. As a result, enormous databases of innocent motorists’ location information are growing rapidly. This information is often retained for years or even indefinitely, with few or no restrictions to protect privacy rights. </blockquote> Bolding is my emphasis This is a scary technology that few are aware of how powerful it really is.   Alternatively, Brittney Cooper, who teaches Women's and Gender Studies and Africana Studies at Rutgers asserts in another Salon story that the true definitions of what Robert Bates' reserve police position is. <blockquote>Bates, a reserve deputy who is allowed to work on cases because he is a big donor to the police department.   In 2012, the United Arab Emirates gave $1 million to the New York City Police Foundation. According to an NYPD spokesperson, the money was used to upgrade equipment and aid in criminal investigations. In both New York City and Tulsa, private funding of police departments significantly impacts the way local policing is done. In Tulsa, it results in the pay-to-play scheme. In New York City, it allows for large infusions of cash donations whose specific uses do not come under public scrutiny because they are private funds. </blockquote> These are shocking revelations of practices going on in many police departments that the public is unaware of. I think that we intuitively know that something deeper has been happening here, and as these tactics are more deeply revealed and scrutinized, I think that it will become clearly evident that wholesale reform is needed if we are to see the police persecution of people of color ended. To read either of these two articles in full: <a href="http://www.salon.com/2015/04/15/the_orwellian_police_tactic_that_targets_black_americans_for_simply_existing/">Jason Williamson's article</a> <a href="http://www.salon.com/2015/04/15/blood_money_killer_cops_how_privatization_is_funding_the_racist_logic_of_americas_police/">Brittney Cooper's article</a> <a href="http://www.aclu.org/feature/you-are-being-tracked?redirect=technology-and-liberty/you-are-being-tracked-how-license-plate-readers-are-being-used-record%2Cyou-are-being-tracked-how-license-plate-readers-are-being-used-record-americans-movements%2Calpr">ACLU</a> rss@dailykos.com (jodem) Civil Rights CivilRights Community Discrimination Policing Prejudice _1377864 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 19:32:29 +0000 Why didn't the Dems run someone? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/31/1340640/-Why-didn-t-the-Dems-run-someone I am sick of reading comments from people who say "why didn't the Dems run someone for XXX in my district?" or "Why aren't the Dems supporting Joe running for whatever?"   The obvious fact here is that if you have to ask this question, then I know that you are just an armchair quarterback and although you consider yourself a Democrat, you're really no more help than the people who don't vote.  You feel that you are involved enough by verbally supporting the party, and maybe every once in a while you might throw a few dollars into the campaign of someone who you like. I'm going to scold you right now.  This is not enough.  You need to get off your butt and and step away from your computer and actually get involved in your local county Democratic party and help out!   rss@dailykos.com (jodem) Community Elections _1340640 Fri, 31 Oct 2014 20:40:13 +0000