NAACP Applauds Dept. of Justice Decision to Investigate the Ferguson Police Force

TBR Michelle J. Nealy Communications Associate, NAACP
BALTIMORE, MD – United States Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice will launch a broad civil rights investigation of the Ferguson, Missouri Police Department. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will conduct the investigation and follow a similar process which it uses to investigate police departments across the country. In light of this development, the NAACP has released the following statements.

From Cornell William Brooks, President and CEO:
“We at the NAACP applaud Attorney General Eric Holder for taking this important and necessary step of launching a new investigation into the Ferguson police department. The life of an unarmed 18-year-old teenager was cut short by an armed police officer whose job was to serve and protect. The NAACP Missouri State Conference filed five federal lawsuits over the last 5 years against St. Louis County police officers, claiming excessive force. Local NAACP leaders have been working closely with federal authorities and are heartened by this decision.”

From Mary Ratliff, NAACP Missouri State Conference President:                   
“The Missouri State Conference strongly supports the decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a civil rights investigation of the Ferguson Police Department. A comprehensive review of policing practices across the greater St. Louis metropolitan area is sorely needed.”

From Adolphus Pruitt, President of the NAACP St. Louis City Branch/Vice President NAACP MO State Conference:
“I commend the Department of Justice for launching this investigation. We hope that it brings some resolution to the number of complaints the NAACP Missouri State Conference have in front of the Justice Department about various police departments in St. Louis County.”

###

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our five “Game Changer” issue areas here.

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Michelle J. Nealy

Communications Associate

NAACP

Office: (202) 292-3384

Cell:  (443) 562-4233

Twitter: @naacppress

www.naacp.org

 

The question is ... how badly do we want to avoid more war?

 

TBR-Jon Soltz Iraq War Veteran & Chairman/VoteVets.org 
Over the course of the past two weeks, Donald Trump has launched dozens of missiles into Syria and dropped something nicknamed the "Mother of All Bombs" on Afghanistan.

And in both instances, without much critical thought or discussion about the ramifications of those actions, the media cheered vociferously.

Brian Williams said he was "guided by the beauty of our weapons" as MSNBC showed video of Tomahawk missiles being launched from warships in the Mediterranean Sea. CNN host Fareed Zakaria said, "I think Donald Trump became President of the United States last night." And Fox News LITERALLY played a Toby Keith track over video of the M.O.A.B. detonating in Afghanistan while a host declared "that's what freedom looks like."

Here's the truth: Donald Trump thrives off that kind of praise on cable television. He will likely make decisions about war and peace based on the reaction of pundits to foreign policy. And if cable news keeps it up, their voices will help march us to more war. That's why it's important we all speak out.

Sign our petition calling on cable news executives to take a more sober and measured tone in their reactions when Donald Trump decides to launch military strikes in the future.

It wasn't all that long ago that media cheerleading helped stifle much-needed debate in the run-up to the Iraq War. We can't let that happen again. Not with a president as reckless as Donald Trump. That's why adding your name to our petition is so important.

All my best,

Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman
VoteVets

 

######

 

TBR-Jon Soltz Iraq War Veteran & Chairman/VoteVets.org 

As President Obama addressed the graduating class of 2014 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he said "We must broaden our tools to include diplomacy and development." 

His words are something to consider as diplomats gather in Vienna, Austria to hammer out a long-term agreement to ensure Iran never has the ability to develop a nuclear weapon. 

They have until July 20th to work out a deal, or extend the process, but several Senators are already furiously working to derail the effort. 

They need to hear from us today: 

Join tens of thousands of veterans and military family members and sign our petition calling on the U.S. Senate to allow the diplomatic process to work with Iran. 

Sadly, it's many of the same discredited neoconservative voices pushing for harsher sanctions that will trigger a new arms race in the region. 

Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, said "To a soldier, the phrase 'seeking a diplomatic solution' is sweet music." 

And if the diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran fall apart, we'll have the opportunity to talk about which sanctions to reinstate or intensity. 

But for now, we should all hope that those efforts succeed. 

Tell Congress: Give Diplomacy with Iran a Chance. 

http://action.votevets.org/iran-diplomacy 

The question is ... how badly do we want to avoid more war? 

Thanks for standing with VoteVets on this issue. 

Jon Soltz 

Iraq War Veteran & Chairman 

VoteVets.org 
  

Nearly 600,000 Americans Ask Senators to Support “21st Century Glass-Steagall Act”

TBR-Washington D.C., Public Citizen/Americans for Financial Reform


Senator Elizabeth Warren receives 21st century Glass-Steagall Act petition

At the Capitol this afternoon [July 9], Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) received petitions in which nearly 600,000 Americans call for action on the 21^st Century Glass-Steagall Act. This bipartisan bill, introduced by Senator Warren along with Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Angus King (I-Maine), would address the problem of Wall Street banks that have become too complicated, too conflicted and too powerful, as well as simply too big.
The petitions, gathered by Credo, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Public Citizen, Americans for Financial Reform, Dr. Mitchell Gershten (a private citizen), and MoveOn.org, were also delivered to the offices of all the other Senators, asking them to support the bill. The 21^st Century Glass-Steagall Act would reinstate the principle that used to separate commercial banks, which enjoy the benefits of deposit insurance and other forms of public support, from the high-risk world of investment banks and hedge funds.
“The original Glass-Steagall Act served our country well,” said Lisa Donner, Executive Director of Americans for Financial Reform. “It laid the foundation for an unprecedented half century without financial panics or crises. Just as important, it contributed to a more right-sized banking system and one more focused on serving the economy and the society as a whole, rather than on enriching itself at others’ expense.”
“When banks are allowed to continue gambling with our taxpayer-insured deposits, we are setting up our economy for another meltdown,” said Lisa Gilbert, director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division. “Real banking protections should not be a thing of the past.  Going back to a clear Glass-Steagall separation of commercial and investment banking is the easiest way to make sure greedy banksters don’t put our fragile, still recovering economy back on the rocks.”
“Not a single Wall Street banker has gone to jail for crimes that caused the financial crisis, the least Congress can do is make sure these bankers aren’t gambling with our money,” said Becky Bond, CREDO’s political director. “It’s long past time to reinstitute Glass-Steagall.”
“Across the nation, people of all ideological stripes want more Wall Street reform and accountability — not less,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “We were proud to start working with Elizabeth Warren while she was still a candidate on writing a 21st Century Glass Steagall Act. This bill is a huge down payment on the reform we need.”
“Reining in Wall Street’s recklessness and the threat it poses to the whole economy is a galvanizing cause for MoveOn members,” said Ilya Sheyman, executive director of MoveOn Political Action. “It’s an issue that has also fueled Sen. Warren’s meteoric rise as a champion of hard-working people under siege by powerful financial interests. We thank her for accepting the petitions of MoveOn members and allies, and for joining with Senators McCain, Cantwell, and King in sponsoring this bill. If lawmakers truly oppose Wall Street bailouts and ‘too big to fail’ banks, they need to walk the talk and join us to support this common sense legislation.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jim Lardner, Americans for Financial Reform, 202-466-1854 / jim@ourfinancialsecurity.org
Karilyn Gower, Public Citizen, 202-588-7779 / kgower@publicitizen.org
Tags: Glass-Steagall, press statement, TBTF

The Federalist papers and the election of 2000

TBR Leighton Bradford Editor-in-Chief
The Federalist Papers structured the discourse of a new republic. The idle rhetoric of political life haunts the corridors of true debate. Were these words reduced to parchment a precursor to the U.S. Constitution? An ideal form of government responds to the needs of the individual. The most recent Presidential election places implicit doubt, as to the parameters of appropriate checks and balances. Within Federalist paper No. 51, its continued theme, seems to focus on the powers afforded to "Supreme Executives".

The presidential election (2000) weakened the state, by allowing a branch of government, to exercise a mandate in strict violation of separating principles. Further; "In order to lay a due foundation for that separate and distinct exercise of the different powers of government". Expressed eloquently and clear as to the fundamental safeguard working towards a non-abuse of power. Each department should not only perform its obvious task, however, limit the powers of the other branches. Balance does not come with vague procedure and apathetic rhetoric.

Would the framers of the Federalist Papers identify with our current government? I was intrigued with the depth of understanding, as it related to the lower echelons of control. The discussion even dealt with the division of departments beneath the initial organizational hub. Describing plans of actions, involving scenarios within these entities. A sort of sub-routine of departmental precautions. The evolution of our government has been one of partisan agenda and set precedents. The Federalist paper No. 51 gives insight into this supposed evolution.

Vice-President Al Gore's honorable acquiescing may have prevented factional turmoil. James Madison predicted the counter productive nature of men.  The Federalist Papers were a highly refined draft. Vice-President Gore refused to litigate the nefarious precepts of the 2000 election. This act may have been just as crucial as President Lincoln's emancipation proclamation. 

 Perhaps it is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged against provisions against danger, real or pretended from abroad. – Letter to Thomas Jefferson (1798-05-13), James Madison.  

If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. – Federalist Paper No. 51 (1788-02-06), James Madison, photo courtesy federalist papers project.

The Ultimate Goal of Humanity

 

TBR Leighton Bradford Editor-in-Chief

Most agree civilization must embrace a collective initiative responding to socio-economic deprivation. Social deprivation or a system supporting poverty should not be embraced. Prosperity and parity should be the ultimate goal of humanity. Commerce and mercantilism must coincide with a healthy ecology. Human existence depends upon the maintenance of a healthy eco-system. We are, but an intricate part of the environment. The aforementioned statement will vindicate the oppressed and abused. A suggested expression to the powers that be, for many matters not. The anticipated counter is an identified Utopia! There is no such place on earth. “Am I my brothers’ keeper?” Ultimately YES!

            Free Enterprise becomes a guarded treasure when administered properly. I understand the burdens of men. There must be parity along all lines of human endeavor. An unrealistic assessment of economic globalization; embarks on economic nationalism and ethnocentrism. Excuse me for one moment scholars? War has been declared on the working man. Unless our nation's leaders adjust the financial bias within society, all else is trumped, and social degradation is accepted. Are we witnessing Pax Americana? The United States of America’s bottom line, must be the lack of jobs and opportunity? Bureaucracies of government should streamline collaborative functions.

Business owner’s world-wide; should create a trade and barter initiative! It must reflect the rights of labor. The resulting covenant would shore up a workers wage, and apply pressure, towards the Sino attack on the common man. The right to work laws should be rescinded. These laws undermine collective bargaining and the ability for the average worker to negotiate a livable wage. Labor must be realistic when negotiating contractual obligations. Labor should never price itself out of the market. The TPP trade iniative will do no more to open markets within the US, than the NAFTA measure.    

Power concedes nothing without demand. The leadership within grass roots organizations must perform an intricate part of balance and fairness.  America continues to accept the worlds humbled masses, but at what cost to the U.S. citizens already here? Outsourcing or flooding markets with cheap goods and service is an attack on our nation’s security. A bifurcated approach towards at-will employment and collective bargaining will assist all involved. Technology, efficient means of production, veteran skill set, and the multitude of displaced workers re-entry into the workforce, will promote economic growth. Purposeful lending to small business owners will stimulate the market. The WTO, the Federal Reserve, and IMF at times, supplant financial stability. Building wealth should not be for a contrived, well trained, manipulator of markets. There should be stiffer penalties associated with financial industry wrongdoing. The FTC has to fight to end the saturation of the aforementioned malice. Then ask the people to accept austerity measures. Power, wealth and opportunity, must not be concentrated within the hands of a few individuals. This effort will stave off the American bastille.



 

I'm a blind student, and I need your help

TBR-Jamie Principado, Special to TBR

As a blind high schooler, I couldn't just apply to my top colleges -- I had to make sure that classes were going to be made accessible for me, and I was excited to attend Florida State University because they had a great program for training teachers of the blind. 

But when I started classes at FSU, I quickly found out that the school didn't have the accessible tools I needed to learn and complete all my work. My online classes weren't compatible with my screen reader and I couldn't access materials in any of my math or biology classes. I struggled for three years, and eventually decided to change schools.

I sued FSU for failing to meet state and federal disability laws, but I don't want other blind students like me to experience what I had to go through. I started a petition on Change.org asking Congress to pass the TEACH Act to make sure that all students with disabilities have equal access to learning. Click here to sign my petition.

When I approached the administration at FSU about the inaccessible materials, they suggested I try an “easier” major instead of trying to help me and other students with disabilities. I felt like the school was punishing me instead of trying to help me learn. 

That's why I believe in the TEACH Act. While federal laws require colleges to only deploy accessible materials, they were written before technology became part of the classroom, so schools like FSU have no direction for how the laws apply to students like me. The TEACH Act creates much-needed guidelines illustrating how schools can provide instructional technology that is usable for students with disabilities.

I believe that public support of the TEACH Act through my petition will show members of Congress that constituents around the country believe there is an urgent need for this. But they won't do it without you. 

Sign my petition demanding that Congress pass the TEACH Act, creating guidelines for schools to protect equal access in the classroom for blind students.

Thank you for your support. 

Jamie Principado

Veterans jobs moving overseas‏

 





TBR-John Soltz, Iraq War Veteran, Chairman VoteVets.org
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that you've been reading about is a bad deal for veterans and military family members.

The United States Congress should vote it down.

The deal, negotiated in secret between the United States and eleven countries, expands upon the NAFTA model that has sent many good paying manufacturing jobs previously held by veterans overseas.

Our veterans should not have to participate in a race to the bottom for wages against countries that have non-existent minimum wage and worker safety laws. This trade agreement would exacerbate that problem and make it harder for veterans transitioning to the private sector to find jobs.

What's more, according to the nonpartisan organization, Public Citizen, the legislation threatens prescription drug prices for active duty personnel on TRICARE and veterans who use the VA.

Sign our petition to Congress: The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a bad deal for America's veterans, and they should vote it down.

We expect Congress could act on this legislation as soon as this week, so making your voice heard today is important.

Thank you for adding your name.

The stakes are high.

Jon Soltz
*******************

TBR-John Soltz, Iraq War Veteran, Chairman VoteVets.org
President Obama and the Congress have made tremendous progress reducing the unemployment rate for veterans since the start of the Great Recession.

It'd be a shame to reverse course now.

But that's just what Trans Pacific Partnership would do -- known as "NAFTA on Steroids" -- the trade agreement would hasten the departure of even more manufacturing and service sector jobs that the U.S. economy has already been hemorrhaging for decades.

If you or your family have been impacted by jobs being shipped overseas, we'd love to hear from you. Please let us know here:

http://action.votevets.org/manufacturing-jobs

There has always been a great relationship between veterans who return home and the manufacturing jobs that support their families when they leave the service.

Help us stand with them today.

All the best,

Jon Soltz @JonSoltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman VoteVets.org

Historic $17.5 Million Grant from Lilly Endowment to Build Intellectual Capacity at Tribal Colleges

TBR-Press Release courtesy Jamie Aguilar
The American Indian College Fund announced a historic grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. in February of 2007. The five-year, $17.5 million grant initiative, named Woksape Oyate, Lakota for "Wisdom of the People," aims to build the intellectual capital of tribal colleges. The initiative will allow tribal colleges to tailor their programs to address their individual needs, while strengthening the entire tribal college system.

Through a multifaceted approach, Woksape Oyate will dramatically enhance recruitment, retention, and development of tribal college faculty, staff, and students. Leadership development programs, increased fellowship, and sabbatical opportunities for staff and pipeline programs to bring the best and brightest students back to teach at their tribal college will be developed during this initiative. Institutional capacity will also be enhanced by creation of development offices and recruitment of highly qualified faculty.

Lilly Endowment is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family: J.K. Lilly-Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli, through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. The Endowment is a separate entity from the company and is devoted to education, religion and community development.


Select a school below to learn more ...

Aaniiih Nakota College

Bay Mills Community College

Blackfeet Community College

Cankdeska Cikana Community College

Chief Dull Knife College

College of Menominee Nation

Diné College

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College

Fort Berthold Community College

Fort Peck Community College

Haskell Indian Nations University

Institute of American Indian Arts

Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College

Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College

Leech Lake Tribal College

Little Big Horn College

Little Priest Tribal College

Navajo Technical College

Nebraska Indian College

Northwest Indian College

Oglala Lakota College

Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College

Salish Kootenai College

Sinte Gleska University

Sisseton Wahpeton College

Sitting Bull College

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute

Stone Child College

Tohono O'odham Community College

Turtle Mountain Community College

United Tribes Technical College

White Earth Tribal and Community College

Justice For Quinten

TBR-Special-to-TBR
My special needs brother, Quinten Douglas Wood, died after suffering from medical neglect and abuse -- even though I called child welfare services and asked his school to watch for signs of neglect. I'm calling for an investigation into Oklahoma’s Child Welfare Services and Midwest City Public Schools to hold neglectful parties responsible for my brother's death and ensure other children don't suffer the way he did.


I was living hours away when our brother, Cameron, told me about the severe neglect going on in their home. At the age of 14, Cameron was responsible for all of Quinten's daily care -- bathing, feeding, and diapering him, as well as taking care of the household chores while he was being severely physically abused as well.

Prior to the neglect, Quinten was a healthy child who enjoyed Star Wars, listening to music, and being loved and held. Though he couldn't talk, he would laugh and giggle at everything. He and Cameron were best buddies and went everywhere together. Cameron was Quinten's bodyguard, and Quinten was Cameron's best friend.

Three weeks before Quinten died, I alerted the Oklahoma Child Welfare Services to the abuse and neglect going on in their home. I called Child Welfare Services at least once a day, every single day for almost a month. The social worker assigned to the case visited Cameron at school, promising him that she would do a home visit the very next day. Cameron told me that every day he'd hold Quinten and say, "Just be patient Bubby, Sissy is sending someone to save us."

No one ever came.

The teachers at Quinten's school were notified to look for neglect months prior to his death, and they did not fulfill their obligations as mandatory reporters. If Oklahoma Child Welfare Services had done their job and followed through with a home visit, they would have found Quinten and Cameron's living conditions deplorable. Either of these agencies could have saved Quinten's life.

Please sign my petition calling on the Governor of Oklahoma to investigate the Oklahoma Child Welfare Services and Midwest City Public Schools to hold neglectful parties responsible for my brother's death and ensure other children don't suffer the way he did.

Sign Valerie's Petition

42 Laws of Maat Under Kemet Law and Goddess Maat

TBR-Reference
Kemet is the name the native African people of the country now known as Egypt called themselves in their surviving writings. Many scholars refer to the people as "kmt" or Kemet. The surviving artifacts of the Kemet viziers and scribes evidence that Kemet rule of law was “Maat,” contained at least in part in observing the 42 Laws of Maat.

The Goddess Maat as the Cosmological Origin of Kemet Rule of Law

Heliopolis-era creation stories from the Kemet people report that in the beginning Atum emerged from the Isfet (chaos) of Nu (primordial waters). Atum created the god Shu (personification of air/cool dryness) and goddess Tefnut (personification of moisture) from Nu. Shu is depicted in the Kemet iconography as an ostrich feather.

Under Kemet cosmology, Maat is designed to avert chaos (Isfet) and maintain truth (Maat). The symbol for truth, justice, balance, and order is the Goddess Maat. The iconography for Maat in the hieroglyphs depict the single ostrich feather (Shu), worn atop Goddess Maat’s head.

During the reign of Pharaoh Menes, around 2925 B.C.E., after the unification of upper and lower Kemet, archaeological finds evidence administration of the 42 Laws of Maat among the Kemet people as deduced from Kemet coffin texts or funerary papyri dating from this period.

The Duat, the Hall of Two Truths, and the Weighing the Ka (Heart)

The duat (underworld as the place for judgment) is where the popular Kemet funerary scene of the Hall of Two Truths is depicted in the various versions of the “Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani,” edited by E.A. Wallis Budge. A closer interpretation of the title from the Kemet language is said to be “Book of Coming Forth by Day.” The Budge translation was a funerary text written for the "coming forth" of Kemet scribe Ani.

In Chapter 30B of The Papyrus of Ani entitled “Chapter for Not Letting Ani’s Heart Create Opposition Against Him, in the Gods’ Domain,” we see the deceased scribe standing before his own heart/soul (ka) on the scale of Maat. On the opposite scale is the Goddess Maat’s feather of truth (Shu). The head of the Goddess Maat is depicted atop the scales of justice. Thoth, also known by other names such as Tehuti, stands holding a tablet and a writing tool to record the results from the scales. The ibis-headed Thoth is the patron saint of Maat scribes and priests.

Petitioner Announces the 42 Divine Principles of the Maat

In Chapter 125 of The Papyrus of Ani, we find the petitioner led by Anubis into duat and pronouncing his/her 42 affirmative declarations, listed below from Budge’s public domain translation of the 42 Divine Principles of Maat:



I have not committed sin.

I have not committed robbery with violence.

I have not stolen.

I have not slain men or women.

I have not stolen food.

I have not swindled offerings.

I have not stolen from God/Goddess.

I have not told lies.

I have not carried away food.

I have not cursed.

I have not closed my ears to truth.

I have not committed adultery.

I have not made anyone cry.

I have not felt sorrow without reason.

I have not assaulted anyone.

I am not deceitful.

I have not stolen anyone’s land.

I have not been an eavesdropper.

I have not falsely accused anyone.

I have not been angry without reason.

I have not seduced anyone’s wife.

I have not polluted myself.

I have not terrorized anyone.

I have not disobeyed the Law.

I have not been exclusively angry.

I have not cursed God/Goddess.

I have not behaved with violence.

I have not caused disruption of peace.

I have not acted hastily or without thought.

I have not overstepped my boundaries of concern.

I have not exaggerated my words when speaking.

I have not worked evil.

I have not used evil thoughts, words or deeds.

I have not polluted the water.

I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly.

I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds.

I have not placed myself on a pedestal.

I have not stolen what belongs to God/Goddess.

I have not stolen from or disrespected the deceased.

I have not taken food from a child.

I have not acted with insolence.

I have not destroyed property belonging to God/Goddess.

After the petitioner’s testimony containing the 42 affirmative declarations, the weighing of the ka for truth, and the reading of the scales, it is said that the doer of Maat is administered Maat. If the petitioner is deemed by the Goddess Maat to be in substantial compliance with the 42 Laws of Maat the petitioner passes from duat to the Field of Reeds (Arus) where Osiris sits as the final gatekeeper.



References:



"Maat the Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt," by Maulana Karenga (Sankore Publisher, 2006).

"The Book of the Dead," edited by E.A. Wallis Budge (Gramercy Publisher, 1995).

“Maxims of Good Discourse” writings of the notable Kemet vizier and scribe Ptah-Hotep (accounting of some procedural laws under Maat).

General Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for legal or tax advice.


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Posted on Nov 1, 2009

With Gov. Pat McCrory in the audience, Colin Powell blasts North Carolina's racist voter law

TBR-Special to TBR, Daily KOS

by Meteor Blades Aug 22, 2013 9:32am PDT

A Republican who thinks North Carolina Republicans are making a big mistake.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell was the keynote speaker at the CEO Forum in Raleigh, North Carolina, Wednesday evening. After introductory remarks, Republican Gov. Pat McCrory left the stage to listen to the retired general from the audience. Last month, McCrory signed into law new voter restrictions that will make it harder for the poor, disabled, student and minority voters to cast ballots. He did not address the law in his remarks. Powellsaid:

"I want to see policies that encourage every American to vote, not make it more difficult to vote," said Powell, a Republican, at the CEO Forum in Raleigh.

"It immediately turns off a voting block the Republican Party needs," Powell continued. "These kinds of actions do not build on the base. It just turns people away." [...]

"You can say what you like, but there is no voter fraud," Powell said. "How can it be widespread and undetected?"

Powell, who served under President George W. Bush, also said the new law sends the wrong message to minority voters. "What it really says to the minority voters is ... 'We really are sort-of punishing you,'" he said.

Of course, McCrory, the Republican-dominated state legislature, and similarly minded legislatures elsewhere will blow off Powell's criticisms. Just as they have blown off the same criticisms from others. The goal is still to suppress enough votes to shave a few percentage points from the Democratic tally, enough in some races to throw the victory to Republican candidates. If they can get away with that, and the U.S. Supreme Court has made that effort easier with its Shelby decision, then they will continue to do so no matter what Powell and other highly placed critics have to say.

Please join Daily Kos by urging Congress to save the Voting Rights Act by creating a new preclearance formula.

How to Get Two More Votes Against "Big Brother"

TBR-Rep. Alan Grayson 

Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives came very close to ending the National Security Agency's unconstitutional and illegal surveillance of every American. An amendment to do just that fell a few votes short.

The "intelligence community" pulled out all the stops to defeat this amendment. Members of Congress were told that if we did not allow the military to collect enormous quantities of data on every single American citizen, the next "9/11" would be on our conscience. NSA General Keith Alexander held four hours of secret briefings on the Hill, just before the vote. Republicans Michele Bachmann and Tom Cotton treated the amendment as though it were the End of Days. Bush-era counterterrorism officials who failed to prevent the 9/11 attacks swore that domestic spying is necessary to prevent new 9/11 attacks. (In the world of counterterrorism, apparently, failure makes you an expert.) Even the White House, sadly, weighed in in favor of continued pervasive domestic surveillance.

Despite this, 111 Democrats -- a majority of all the Democrats in the House -- joined 94 Republicans and voted to end domestic spying. That's 205 votes against the secret surveillance state. Among the votes against surveillance was Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, the original author of the Patriot Act, and highly respected among right-wing Republicans on national security issues. Even some of the Members who voted wrong on this amendment clearly were with us in spirit, but they were cowed by the fear of being blamed for some hypothetical future terrorist attack.

This large number of House Members voting against the NSA was a stunning rebuke to the "intelligence community". This was the first vote on this issue, but not the last. To win, we need just 11 more House Members with the courage to stand up for our rights.

And I know how we can get two more: by electing them. One can come from a district in Massachusetts, which was vacated when former Congressman Ed Markey was elected to the U.S. Senate. Another can come from a district in Pennsylvania that is being vacated because the current officeholder is running for Governor.

I know candidates in both districts who have a realistic shot at winning these seats. Both candidates strongly oppose unconstitutional domestic surveillance, and both have said they would have voted with me in favor of ending it. I have mentioned one already -- Daylin Leach, from Pennsylvania. The other candidate is Carl Sciortino in Massachusetts, a state legislator who has opposed the expansion of state wiretapping authority.

Help me get two more votes for privacy and constitutionality. Donate to "Democrats Against Big Brother."

(Fmr.) Rep. Alan Grayson

And here's Leach on domestic spying:

"The NSA policy that the Amash Amendment attempted to rein in is an outrageous shifting of the historic balance between liberty and security. It abandons not only the requirement of individualized suspicion, but of any suspicion at all. It allows the government just to collect,en masse, the phone records of hundreds of millions of Americans. It allows the government to know who we call, when, and for how long we speak, every time we use the phone." 

And here's Sciortino:

"I have opposed pointless wiretapping in Massachusetts, and I will fight against it in Congress. Protecting individual liberties is something progressives must stand up and fight for. Unwarranted spying on law-abiding Americans is a violation of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution. I would have been proud to have voted in favor of reining in the NSA. Putting aside the fact that it is not even clear that this NSA policy is, in fact, making us safer, that broad justification is insufficient. The noble end does not justify ANY means. We as a people must be wary, not only of those who would make us less safe, but also those who would make us less free. We must defend our borders, and our liberties. And we must do so in an open, transparent and thoughtful way."

If we help elect Leach and Sciortino, that's two more votes to stop the NSA from spying on us. But more than that, if we can demonstrate to current Members of Congress that there is real support by voters and donors against this illegal surveillance, then we can win those Members over to our side. Right now, all too many of them get their campaign money from the Spying Industrial Complex ("SIC"). Let's prove that there are both money and votes on our side of this important issue.

Please contribute to the Leach and Sciortino campaigns today. Let's put more people in the People's House who will stand up for our freedoms.

Now, these are True Blue Democrats.

Courage,

Rep. Alan Grayson

P.S. Please share this on Facebook or Twitter.

James Irby, MS Blackman, still missing? Walls, MS police chief (Gary Boisseau) is fired under the intense scrutiny. NAACP introduces heavy allegations!

TBR Leighton Bradford Editor-in-Chief
On Saturday, May 4th, 2013, James Irby disappeared from the face of the earth! It was by chance I contacted the Baltimore, MD, NAACP HQ office, offering my services. I spoke with an old friend, and she referred me to Charles Hampton, Vice-President, legal redress committee, NAACP MS State Conference. Mr. Hampton’s tenacity and professionalism stood out immediately! Mr. Hampton cut right to the chase when spoken to,” James Irby had minor brushes with the law, I want to get his record?” “Walls, MS police department gave conflicting statements of James Irby’s location during the traffic stop,” said Mr. Hampton. Vice-President Hampton suggested an apparent cover up, by the Walls, MS police department. He asked me to help him continue with a fact-finding mission. Mr. Hampton mentioned the FBI’s involvement with the case. Agent Walter Henry, FBI civil rights division, would meet with Mr. Hampton in the near future.

On 6-3-13, I received a call from Mr. Hampton that the James Irby case was closed, and the Irby family was satisfied with FBI agent Henry’s findings.

What?

On 6-10-13, TBR contacted the mayor’s office, speaking with a Kathy Gordon, Town Clerk, City of Walls. “I heard he (Chief Boisseau) was going to give a press conference as well; I will forward your contact information.” “I will be quite honest, that’s all I know.” She never called back, so I contacted the departments Assistant Chief Harris, on 6-11-13, Assistant Chief Harris made the following comments:

TBR asked Assistant Chief Harris, "Is Mr. Irby still missing?“ "James Irby is still missing?" "Where did officer Zack Jenkins pull Mr. Irby over at"? “Highway 61 southbound-south of church road/near Brentwood manufacturing facility.” “Officer Zack Jenkins said he ran across north bound traffic fleeing incident.” “Got cadaver dogs (2), they followed trail towards Highway 61 southbound were the trail ended.” “I think someone probably picked him up?” “I will provide you with police report."

On 6-17-13, I met with Assistant Chief Harris at the Walls, MS police department office. He had a difficult time explaining where his officer pulled Mr. Irby over. I explained the concerns the NAACP had with the excessive number of African-Americans/Memphians being pulled over. After retrieving the police report I left.

The intrigue started to build. Why would an individual admit to driving issues, light up a cigarette, get on the cell phone with a family member, and then run into a southern marsh? A later conversation with Mr. Hampton revealed the continued impounding of the Irby’s family vehicle (1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass, green in color, MS tag). A number of people following the case found it peculiar officer Zack Jenkins was placed on leave, right after the Irby incident. On 6-8-13 I was pulled over by a Desoto county sheriffs deputy Coleman, after we dispensed with the pleasantries, and I was told I drove to close to a routine traffic stop, he asked me about the James Irby matter. He was told it was an ongoing investigation. I realized MS law enforcement new I was on the map. The Officer who pulled me over let me go. Yeah interesting? I went out the next day just to get a reference as to the topography of the presumed location of the traffic stop. Imagine acres of farmland, an adjacent marsh in the near distance, and Brentwood manufacturing plant off to the side. Where did Mr. Irby end up or go? Anyone else would have halted an investigation after the Irby family said they were satisfied. Mr. Hampton was not easily swayed. FBI agent Henry, reviewed videotape of Officer Jenkins stopping James Irby, later surmising no apparent wrongdoing. Several people presented a wide array of unanswered questions. And then a bombshell was revealed to TBR on 7-19-13, Walls, MS police Chief Gary Boisseau, was let go! VP Hampton hinted around or suggest a misappropriation of approximately $5300, from the aforementioned police department!  “I am in contact with a man from Florida who claims Walls, MS police stole $300.00 from him when pulled over.” I know my readers want to know if the department is shaking people down during traffic stops. I will continue to research this very issue.

On 7-24-13 at 1630 I received a returned call from the interim chief.

I asked the following questions: (1) Are you now the chief of police? Yes I am the interim chief. (2) Why was the past chief let go? The mayor called a special session removing Chief Gary Boisseau. He handed me his keys as he left the building.

Desoto County Sheriff’s Office, Officer Lent Rice, informed TBR the department did assist with a department helicopter and hydro-tek (amphibious vehicle) in the search for Mr. James Irby. “Mr. Irby is still missing” said Officer Lent Rice. Sheriff Rasco said his department will help authorities with any of the department’s available resources. The NAACP State Conference president and vice-president are planning a detailed news conference at a later date. There may have been some vandalism to Mr. James Irby vehicle as well? TBR will inform its readers, when the NAACP convenes a news conference.

Uncle Sam = Big Brother?‏ Rep. Alan Grayson's Eloquent Call To Action!

TBR-special to TBR Rep. Alan Grayson

In George Orwell's novel 1984, "Big Brother" is the dictator of Oceania. No one knows whether Big Brother is a real person, or simply the personification of the dictatorship. Big Brother spies on every citizen through "telescreens." Everyone is reminded constantly, "Big Brother is Watching You." Let's compare that to the recent revelations about the Orwellian-named National Security Agency (NSA), an arm of the U.S. Department of Defense. News reports in the Guardian and the Washington Post have uncovered a secret court order dated April 23, 2013, issued to Verizon. Verizon is the largest cell phone company in America. The court order requires Verizon to give to the NSA "all call detail records or ‘telephony metadata' created by Verizon for communications (i) between the United States and abroad; or (ii) wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls. " "Call detail records" are records of who you called, when you called, and how long you spoke.

The court order in the news reports is classified, and it's marked "Declassify on: April 12, 2038."

There is no reason to think that the NSA singled out Verizon. So that implies that the NSA is collecting records of every telephone call that you and I make, even local telephone calls. In fact, Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who worked at the NSA, told reporters that he could get the records for the calls from the President's own personal cell phone.

The NSA has not denied that it is collecting call records on every America. On the contrary, the NSA sees nothing wrong with it.

I see three fundamental problems with this:

This is worse than the proverbial "fishing expedition"; this is like putting the entire ocean through a sieve. It makes a mockery of the Fourth Amendment's requirement that government searches be "particular."

This assumes not only that everyone is guilty until proven innocent, but that everyone is guilty. The Fourth Amendment limits searches to cases of "probable cause," meaning that a prudent and cautious person would reasonably believe that the search will yield evidence of a crime. Obviously, most phone records have absolutely nothing to do with the commission of any crime.

Providing this information to the Department of Defense violates the fundamental principle that our military does not operate on American soil, against American citizens. That principle has been embodied in law since the 1870s. From this perspective, providing this personal call record information to DoD is no different from providing it to the CIA - another agency that is not allowed to operate on US soil.

The news reports also reprinted five pages from an NSA PowerPoint presentation about the NSA's "Prism" program. According to that NSA presentation, the NSA collects information "directly from the servers of these U.S. Service Providers: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple.""What information?", you may wonder. This information, according to the NSA presentation: "E-mail, Chat-video, voice, Videos, Photos, Stored data, VoIP [Voice over Internet Protocol], File transfers, Video Conferencing, Notifications of target activity - logins, etc., Online Social Networking details [and] Special Requests."

The PowerPoint presentation in the news reports is classified, and it's marked "Declassify On: 20360901" (Meaning Sept. 1, 2036.)

The plain meaning of this, in the context of the presentation, is that the NSA is pulling unlimited amounts of e-mails from Microsoft's hosted Hotmail accounts, e-mails from Google's hosted Gmail accounts, search records from Google's search servers, private "friend" communications from Facebook's servers, the content of telephone calls from Skype's VoIP service, etc., etc.

Regarding the Prism program, despite what the presentation specifically states, the NSA contends that it cannot actually collect information directly from the servers of all those internet service providers. The NSA also has put out that it collects such information (e-mails, photos, call content, etc.) only for foreigners not residing in the United States. Honestly, I don't know how the NSA could do that in any reliable manner, because Google, Microsoft, Facebook and all the others have no way of knowing your citizenship or your residence. But that's what the NSA is saying.

The bottom line is that the NSA evidently is getting call information on virtually every phone call by virtually every American, it is definitely getting the e-mails and call content of foreigners, and it may or may not be getting the e-mails and call content of Americans.

So is Uncle Sam actually Big Brother? I won't dwell on the convoluted intimate relations that would be necessary to make your uncle also your brother. Rather, as noted above, the essence of Big Brother was that "Big Brother is Watching You." Uncle Sam isn't physically observing you at all times - that much is true. But if Uncle Sam is receiving information about every phone call that you make (as the NSA concedes), and Uncle Sam has access every other electronic communication of yours, including your e-mails and web browsing and storing it all (which the NSA disputes), then yes, Big Brother is Watching You.

I think that it's wrong, and it has to end. As do the 13,000 people in 24 hours who signed the petition supporting our legislation at www.MindYourOwnBusinessAct.com. Because we can't protect our freedom by destroying it.

I understand that there may be some people who see no problem in the Department of Defense monitoring their communications. I also understand that there are some people who have been so traumatized, so terrorized, by terrorism that they are willing to give up all of their freedom - all of everyone's freedom - for the promise of some safety.

I am not one of those people.

Click here for freedom: http://MindYourOwnBusinessAct.com/

Courage,

Rep. Alan Grayson

"Ain't the pictures enough, why do you go through so much,

To get the story you need, so you can bury me.

You've got the people confused. You tell the stories you choose.

You try to get me to lose the man I really am.

-Michael Jackson, "Privacy" (2001).

P.S. I'll say it again -- Please, please, please forward this to your friends, and urge them to sign the petition. Twitter, Facebook, everywhere.

"King Maker" A Crafted Message Within Politics

Mr. Leighton Bradford, Dr. Bradford, and President Clinton.

TBR Leighton Bradford Editor-in-Chief
I look back on my days with the Clinton/Gore campaign and marvel at the once in a lifetime opportunity. We slept on cots, ate very little, and attempted to matriculate through college. I remember how gracious President Clinton was to his staff and well-wishers. I was still attending classes at ASU in my BDU's, raising hell with my professors, and writing for the AZ Informant newspaper. The chair of the political science department requested my presence. I met with him, and he informed me I would be working with the Clinton/Gore campaign representing the college. I admired President Clinton and was excited about working with the campaign. The opportunity helped me forget the war or "Desert Storm". The people in my family wanted me to be nice and don't piss anyone off.

 I was a brash cat, always about justice and uplifting my race. How would I intertwine the ensuing opportunity with actual change? The thing that irritated me about most blacks in Arizona; had to be their bourgeoisie mentality or wealth or status is more important than equality, freedom, or a chance at an opportunity.  A crafted message within politics is what President Clinton and the AZ coordinated campaign had. It's what is lacking in the mid-south.

What I saw from President Clinton was not an act! While working with the President's advance team, I saw nothing but brothers, veterans & women securing his effects. It was not just about political theory or what I was studying, but the brass tacks of running a political campaign. We were called "King Makers"! A still have fond memories of Sam, Melodee, Beth, etc... I remember when Melodee told me I was the press avail coordinator, and we had to facilitate a visit from the actor Danny Devito! Man! I was like what? I never forgot what Mr. Devito told us, "Now listen, I don't want to be seen in a white limousine" "I'm serious Leighton".  I laughed my ass off but met his brother and he at the Hyatt regency, where Devito helped to raise $35,000 in one night! For the first time since 1948 (Truman) a democratic president won the state of Arizona!

 As Secretary Clinton's campaign ramps up, I am torn between the loyalty I have for the Clinton's, and my disagreement on but a few key issues. My country is reeling from economic woes and reality television. Well, the financial crisis is serious and has destroyed lives. As a heterosexual Christian your faith is truncated and turned against you. The DNC forces you to deal with absolutes. My experience with Mississippi has made me wonder how democrats ever won an election. A crafted message espouses a decent living wage, health care, veteran hiring, made in USA etc...  President Obama must not let extremist actions, destroy our civil liberties.  As a small business owner, I cringe at outsourcing and the claim that the veterans I served with in the USAF and went to college with, can't turn this thing around! Third party politics will be the demise of the aforementioned entity; unless OWS, Votevet.org, African Americans and the poor, are heard and integrated within the crafted message. We must not succumb to the modern industrial war complex, President Eisenhower foretold. The trenches of a campaign are in the mid-south. We must create parity along all lines of human endeavor. My dream of ending hunger and disease will be accomplished. Just hire my fellow American graduates and let us get to work!