Coast to Coast Racism

Only hours before his wedding one young black man is dead, and two of his friends are wounded. Why did police fire 50 rounds at their car? My first instinct thinks the shooting was motivated by racism.

The Rev. Al Sharpton said it best when he asked: "How does one justify 50 shots at unarmed men?"

Sean Bell and his friends were celebrating Bell's pending marriage. He was hours away from marrying his high school sweetheart and the mother of his two children. What we know at the moment is that as the men left a strip club they were followed by undercover police officers, in plain clothes, who were investigating possible illegal activity at the Kalua Cabaret.

According to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly the groom was involved in a verbal dispute outside the club, and one of his friends made a reference to a gun.

Why did the police follow the men out of the club? What was said that would have led to the verbal dispute? And why, when there was no evidence of weapons, were 50 rounds fired at the car?

And, when it was known there were no weapons, why were the two wounded survivors of the shooting handcuffed to their hospital beds?

I couldn't help but think of the incident earlier in the week involving comedian Michael Richards, and his response to two African American men he perceived to be heckling him. Richards lashed out at the men with a string of racial obscenities and profanity.

Richards has said the tirade was fueled by anger, not bigotry -- but was it?

Whether the shots fired at Black men are words or bullets, it's well past time to us to examine why this is still happening, and to demand change.

Remembering JFK

The first political figure I have memory of was John F. Kennedy, during his race for the White House in 1960. I was seven years old. My parents were registered Republicans and my mother worked for the local Republican party. I grew up in a small town, population 2,000, and every election day my mother would get up early to go work at the only polling place in town.

I doubt that my mother was thrilled at my choice of candidates, but wanting to encourage my interest in politics she walked down the street to where the woman who led the local Democratic efforts lived. Her name was Gertrude Davis, but everyone called her Gertie. Gertie was thrilled to get a Democratic campaign button into a Republican house!

I'm so grateful that my mother encouraged me to become politically active. I think she would be pleased to know that I'm a full time activist today.

May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963

Cathy Lanier Shatters Brass Ceiling in DC

DC Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty announced today that Cathy Lanier will take over as Chief of Police in the nations capital. Pending approval by the D.C. Council, Lanier is poised to make history as the city's first permanent female police chief, succeeding Charles Ramsey. Since April, Lanier has been the head of homeland security and counterterrorism for the department.

The Washington Post reports:

Fenty picked Lanier for her inclusive management style and tireless work ethic -- she sometimes stays in the office until 1:30 a.m. Her style is to listen, build consensus and create specialized teams around her. Lanier's priorities include making police more visible on the street, improving the efficiency of the department and lifting morale by empowering officers and supervisors.

"There is nothing more satisfying than seeing results," said Lanier, who added that she is "addicted" to her job.

Lanier is aware she could face some uphill battles as a white woman in a majority-black city.

"If people get to know you, I think it's not a big deal," she said of her race. "If I treat everybody the way a chief should treat them, there won't be a problem."

According to Police Chief Magazine: Women in policing now make up approximately 13-14 percent of all employees, and the women who pioneered this entry into a male-dominated profession faced many obstacles, but also experienced many rewards. Women have brought about changes in policing.

Policewomen are much less likely to use excessive violence or police brutality while satisfactorily performing their jobs.

Lanier joins an elite group. Five of the 50 largest departments --Detroit, Boston, San Francisco, Milwaukee and Portland --are headed by women. All five women became chief since 2003. Lanier brings that number to six.

For more information on women and policing visit National Center for Women and Policing.

Don't Ask, Do Tell

Now that Congress is Blue could there finally be a Rainbow military? That is what leaders of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), are hoping.

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is a national non-profit legal services, watchdog, and policy organization dedicated to ending harassment and discrimination against military personnel affected by

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and related forms of intolerance. SLDN recently released the following statement: “We now know that every co-sponsor of legislation to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ who sought re-election appears to have been successful . . . And we also know this: Support for lifting the ban did not cause voters to reject any candidate. According to Gallup, nearly 4 out of 5 Americans support gays serving openly in the military. America is ready for change.

With Bush in the White House it seems obvious that the military needs every person willing to serve. In the November 27 issue, Newsweek reports:

". . . gay vets hope they might make some progress at a time when the military can't afford to turn away the willing and able. Last year the Pentagon discharged 742 service members for homosexuality. . ."

But making a change won't be easy: gay-rights advocates have seen a troubling signal from the Pentagon. Massachusetts Rep. Martin Meehan and the American Psychiatric Association complained last June when they learned the military's disability policy classified homosexuality as a mental disorder—something the APA stopped doing in 1973. Then the Pentagon quietly reclassified it in July. Last week Meehan and the APA complained once more: homosexuality has now been grouped with other "conditions, circumstances and defects" like bed-wetting, repeated venereal-disease infections and obesity. The reclassification is "even worse," says Aaron Belkin, who studies gays in the military at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "Now [homosexuality] is explicitly deemed to be a defect." Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith says the Defense Department does "not think homosexuality is a mental illness" and says the classification could be re-examined.

Maybe someone should re-examine the Pentagon for its ability to comprehend basic information -- like American Psychiatric Association classifications?

It's time for the Pentagon to lift the ban on gays in the military.

Sunday Funnies

Frank Caliendo

Late Night with David Letterman - Impressionists Week

Sexism and the City

It's starting already. Incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi isn't even in the chair yet and already the mainstream media is trying to marginalize her. John at AMERICAblog.com writes:

Check out the caption the Associated Press put on this photo. And tell me that they would dare mention the brand and color of suit Harry Reid was wearing. This is sexist and belittling to the incoming Speaker simply because she is a woman.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention John.

What "Liberal Media" ...

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To claim there is a "liberal" media is simply false.
For evidence of this claim, note the following two Time magazine covers:

post-election 1994

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post-election 2006

Sunday Funnies

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In Memorial - Ed Bradley

Ed Bradley is best known for his work as a journalist on 60 Minutes. Bradley died today from complications due to chronic lymphocytic leukemia at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York; he was 65. Bradley is survived by his wife Patricia Blanchet.

Rumsfeld is OUT

In acknowledging their astounding defeat the Bush Administration is FINALLY dumping Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. This is good news.

Looks like Dems are going to take the House AND Senate

It's almost 4 am and I can't seem to stop watching the election results. In all fairness, I've been looking forward to this night for months now. As I prepare to turn out the lights it's looking more and more like the Democrats, who took the House hours ago, are poised to take the Senate as well! It's a clear message to the Bush/Cheney/Rove machine that Americans do NOT want to "stay the course."

In other good news -- the draconian ban on abortion is going down in defeat in South Dakota, and the Show Me State of Missouri has said yes to stem cell research.

And finally, some of my good NOW friends are winners in state and county elections. Congratulations to Sue, in my home state of Indiana, and to Duchy, in my new home state of Maryland!

Pelosi Shatters House Leadership Marble Ceiling

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The torch has been passed ... finally ... to a new gender in the House! Nancy Pelosi will become the first woman Speaker of the House. Third in line for the presidency. This is a huge victory for women.

Blue Moon in Maryland

Looks like we now have a Democratic Governor, Martin O'Malley over Bob Ehrlich ... and continue to have a Democratic Senator as Ben Cardin is the projected winner over Michael Steele.

This is great news for women in Maryland. Ehrlich is about as anti-woman as they get. The Women's Leadership Network of the MD Dems released released the following "Top Ten" list of reasons why Ehrlich needed to go:

TOP TEN REASONS FOR WOMEN TO UN-ELECT Bob Ehrlich

10. He vetoed the Pay Equity Study Commission Bill.

9. He admitted that he might not have chosen Kristen Cox as his running mate if she were not blind.

8. He vetoed the Women's Commission Bill and single-handedly wiped out any legislative component within the state Women's Commission, relegating its members to ceremonial tasks.

7. He shows weak support for women who are victims of violent acts and has cut funding for victims, specifically domestic violence victims.

6. He advanced an anti-choice agenda in Annapolis through the Maryland Republican Party and ultra-right wing party operatives and did not support emergency contraception legislation.

5. He displayed an arrogant indifference to environmental concerns, attempting to sell off open spaces.

4. He vetoed the Fair Share Health Care Bill, despite that more Maryland women are uninsured now than ever before.

3. He has not demonstrated a commitment to education.

2. He vetoed the Living Wage and Minimum Wage Bills, despite that more women are living in poverty now than ever before.

1. MARTIN O'MALLEY has a LONG RECORD of supporting women on EVERY issue: he has appointed many women to important decision-making positions and has been endorsed by every major Maryland’s women's organization, including NOW, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, and Planned Parenthood.

Today is the day ... VOTE

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Election day is tomorrow

In order to win progressives must GOTV. In just a few hours we have an opportunity to change the direction Bush & Co. have taken us. Do your part ... VOTE!

Three days until the election

Michigan voters it's time to GOTV for Gov. Granholm!

It's time for a change ...

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Four days until the election

Conservative Republicans are proposing ballot measures that would deny young women access to abortion. Jane's Journey shows what the reality of these laws would mean for young women and why ALL women must GOTV on Tuesday!

Evangelical Leader Busted for Sex and Drugs

The Rev. Ted Haggard resigned Thursday as president of the National Association of Evangelicals over allegations involving sex and drugs. The New York Times reports:

After denying that he had ever met a gay escort who claimed to have had a three-year sexual relationship with him, the Rev. Ted Haggard admitted yesterday that he had summoned the escort to give him a massage in a Denver hotel room and bought methamphetamine from him.

Haggard has been championing the fight against same-sex marriage in Colorado and other states. The hypocrisy of his actions goes without saying.

Evangelicals need to clean up their own house before they try to impose their so-called "morality" on the rest of us.

Five days and counting ...

As we count down to election day, watch

messages on why feminists need to GOTV!