http://triceedneywire.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6385:first-elected-black-governor-says-the-black-vote-is-clintons-only-hope-to-win-presidency-by-joey-matthews&catid=54&Itemid=208
CASH IN THE APPLE FOR
2-18-16
By Cash Michaels
HAPPY
BELATED BIRTHDAY, KALA - Yep, got so
busy last week with multiple screenings of “Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington Ten” and trying to meet
deadline and deadline, I just plain old forgot to wish my youngest daughter, KaLa, a Happy Birthday in my column
last week. Normally, I try to do that in the days leading up to the Feb. 14th
date, but this year, I missed it.
My bad. Outside
of the fact that I’m getting old, I just turned 60, KaLa knows I’m old, plus
started getting sick early last week (either select one or combine them all), I
have no excuse.
Mind you, I
didn’t forget KaLa’s birthday. I just forgot to write about in the week leading
up to it. For if I did, I would have written how very, very proud my youngest
daughter has made for all of her 13 years. She’s a top middle-school student,
just accepted into the National Junior
Honor Society (congratulations, Sweetheart); a budding, talented artist, an
emerging writer….all of that, and a beautiful young lady as well.
Yep, that’s
what I would have written last week if my feeble old mind didn’t fail me in my
60th year of life.
So I guess
I’ll just have to make up for it when KaLa turns 14. Hopefully God will allow
me the blessing of having lived another year to be able to be here to see it
happen.
But just in
case He doesn’t, I love you AND your older sister Tiffany, Sweetheart, and I
extremely proud of both of you!
I SWEAR – I
swear I didn’t realize that Beyonce
was doing a tribute to the Black Panther
Party, or making any statement about police brutality during her
star-smacking performance at this year’s spectacular 50th
Anniversary Super Bowl halftime show.
Maybe it’s
me. Maybe it’s my advancing age. Maybe I was just so mesmerized by all the
great legs, sexy dancing, tight black outfits and pyrotechnics, that I just
never realized that there may have been a theme involved.
So you’ll
imagine my surprise when I saw all of the next day hoopla from conservatives
like former New York City Mayor Rudy
Giuliani who blasted Beyonce for her “outrageous” attack on the police.
"This is football, not
Hollywood, and I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a
platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and
protect us, and keep us alive,” a clearly incensed Giuliani told a welcoming
Fox News Channel the following day.
Mind, this is a Republican former
NYC mayor who had no problem with his police officers fatally shooting innocent
black people in the name of keeping everybody “safe.”
Personally, while I certainly
understand families coming together to enjoy the Super Bowl national pastime
and not expecting to see much news controversy during the course of the game, I
defy anyone, especially Mayor Giuliani, to be absolutely certain of what
they’re going to see during the course of
Super Bowl halftime show. No one’s been able to do that for years, and
look at all of the surprises that have come down since.
But there’s an even more important
principle at work here, and perhaps Rudy Giuliani has heard of it. It’s call
…Freedom of Speech.
As a world-reknowned creative
artist, Beyonce has the right to use even the biggest entertainment venue on
the face of the planet, namely the Super Bowl halftime show, to make any social
statement she wants. And the way our country works is, if the audience doesn’t
like her message or performance, they don’t to purchase her music.
So far, there’s no indication of that
happened.
Trumped again, Mr. Giuliani. Better
luck next time.
Make sure you tune in every Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. for my talk
radio show, ''Make It Happen'' on Power 750 WAUG-AM, or online
at www.waug-network.com. And read more about my thoughts and opinions
exclusively at my blog, ‘The Cash Roc” (http://thecashroc.blogspot.com/2011/01/cash-roc-begins.html).
Cash in the Apple - honored as the
Best Column Writing of 2006 by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
Columnist Cash Michaels was also honored by the NNPA for Best Feature Story
Journalist of 2009, and was the recipient of the Raleigh-Apex NAACP’s
President’s Award for Media Excellence in Sept. 2011.
Until next week, keep a smile on your
face, GOD in your heart, and The Carolinian in your life. Bye, bye.
-30-
VOTER ID TAKES
CENTERSTAGE
AT 10TH
ANNUAL MORAL MARCH
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Assuming
the North Carolina March 15 primaries go forward without delay, the NC NAACP
wants at least 5,000 poll monitors spread across the state to ensure that the
new voter photo identification rules are carried out fairly, according to Dr.
Rev. William j. Barber, president on the NC NAACP at last Saturday’s Tenth
Annual Moral March on Raleigh/People’s Assembly.
Led by the
NC NAACP and the Forward Together Movement, well over 5,000 demonstrators
braved the freezing temperatures to march down the Fayetteville Street Mall in
downtown Raleigh to the steps of the state Capital, where speaker after speaker
addressed issues like immigration, improving education and the state providing
more affordable healthcare for poor families.
The March
15th primaries, moved up from the traditional May because Republican
lawmakers wanted North Carolina to play more of an early role in help selecting
the party’s nominee for president, will be the first time since the 2013 state
law requiring voter photo ID that it will actually be in force.
The
NCNAACP/Forward Together Movement have always called voter ID a violation of constitutional rights, given that all that
is legally required is for a voter to be
18 years of age and an American citizen. A federal court just heard testimony
in a federal suit against Gov. Pat McCrory and the state Legislature, regarding
voter ID, and the new requirement that those without one must fill out a “reasonable impediment” excuse in
order to cast a provisional ballot, which could still be challenged and thrown
out.
In his
remarks before the Moral Marchers, Rev. Barber reiterated that the NCNAACP will
continue voter restriction laws in the courts, and in the streets.
“The fight
for voting rights is personal for me,” Rev. Barber said, recounting how his
family has had to fight for them all of his life. “And it is a battle that we
will not turn back from now.”
The vote is
at the “heart of our democracy,” Barber said. “This is why we’re so concerned,
when politics is more a struggle over money and manipulation, than a struggle
over of ideas.”
Rev. Barber
said when politicians suppress the vote, they want the people to become “slaves
to their decisions without citizens having the ability to register their
discontent at the ballot box.”
“Any politicians who try to suppress the vote
are committing a crime against democracy,” Barber charged, who then blasted the
Republican-led state Legislature for “stacking and packing” black voters into
the First and Twelfth Congressional Districts, a move the US Fourth Circuit
Court of Appeals has now ruled to be unconstitutional, and lawmakers are
scrambling to fix by Feb. 19th for the March 15th
primaries.
“When you
want decrease and suppress voter participation so you can rule by default; when
you draw racially motivated redistricting political maps that segregate black
voters and disallow black and white people and Latino voters from coming
together to elect candidates of their choice. That’s a crime against democracy!
And we must fight back!” declared Rev. Barber.
“We
suggest [lawmakers] repent now and begin keeping their promise to protect and
defend the Constitution,” Barber continued. He rattled off a laundry list of
what he called repressive law that have made it easier to purchase a gun than
to vote; hurt the state’s environment; and made it harder for the unemployed to
find work.
“We
have come to serve notice, that we will unleash every political, legal, and
moral strategy that we can to create the New South. We will not go back,”
Rev. Barber said.
“The
more you try to suppress the right to vote, the more we will register and vote,”
he continued. “You can’t stop the people. We will win. You
can’t stop the flow of democracy. You can’t take government of the
people, by the people, from the people. You can’t stop truth. You can’t stop
justice. You can’t stop right. We will rise up. It’s on now.”
-30-
JUSTICE SCALIA DEAD - On Saturday, funeral services will be held for US Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (left, seen here with his colleague, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas). Scalia died at a Texas ranch February 13th. He was 79.
JUSTICE SCALIA DEAD - On Saturday, funeral services will be held for US Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (left, seen here with his colleague, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas). Scalia died at a Texas ranch February 13th. He was 79.
JOYNER SAYS SCALIA
LEGACY NOT IMPRESSIVE
By Cash Michaels
Editor
While the
legal world continues to mourn the unexpected death of US Associate Supreme
Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and honor his legacy and service on the nation’s
highest court from 1986 to his passing February 13 during a trip in Texas,
there are many who believe that the record of the 79-year-old conservative
jurist, especially when it comes to issues of race, deserves an honest
accounting.
When it
came to cases involving civil rights, voting rights or affirmative action,
Justice Scalia, put on the court by Republican Pres. Ronald Reagan, was a
staunch opponent who voted in opposition every time.
One of
those making that assessment, and who knows Justice Scalia’s record well, is
attorney Irving Joyner, law professor at North Carolina Central University’s
School of Law.
“I take exception to the repeated reframe in
the news media that Antonin Scalia was the greatest, or was among the greatest
justices who ever served on the U.S. Supreme Court,” Prof. Joyner, a noted
expert in criminal law who has been teaching at NCCU since 1982, says. “He was
no greater than were Thurgood Marshall, William Douglas or Earl Warren. On some
issues, clearly, Scalia was the "darling" of conservatives, right wing
and states rights adherents.”
“Scalia was skillful in using his knowledge of
pre-civil war and English common law history which supported his notion of
"originalism" that he successfully argued in his interpretation of
what he considered to be the constitutional intent of the founding fathers. On
many of these points, he was correct, since the founding fathers must be
heralded for constructing its concept of a nation which was created
solely by and for white people. This view became the law of the land in
the infamous Dred Scott opinion in which the Supreme Court determined that
Africans, free or slave, had no rights which whites were obligated to respect.
The view of "original intent" was used repeatedly by Scalia to argue
for his application of states’ rights.”
Prof.
Joyner continued, “Scalia's notion of "originalism" or being faithful
and obedient to the intent of the framers did not extend to his
interpretation of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments (the “Reconstruction
amendments “ after the Civil War which abolished slavery, granted equal
protection and bestowed the right to vote to freed slaves). These were
constitutional enactments which he disagreed with and did everything in his
power to undermine and destroy. These three amendments speak boldly to the
rights of African Americans and were enacted after the civil war for the
express purpose of providing equal protection for African Americans and other
minorities. In cases in which the rights of minorities or disfavored groups are
at issue, Scalia was regularly on the side of denying them
their fundamental rights.”
The
conservative justice’s philosophical agenda aside, Prof. Joyner did give
Antonin Scalia some credit for his decisions in the area of criminal law.
“To be
honest, Scalia did author some ground-breaking decisions in the criminal law
and criminal procedure areas of law,” Joyner says. “He is to be commended for these decisions in
which some fundamental rights of criminal defendants have been
protected and expanded. For these few progressive decisions, which subjected
him to discomfort by conservatives, he should be commended and applauded.”
The record is clear that Justice Scalia was not a friend of African
Americans and often spoke of them publically in a dismissive and derisive
manner,” Prof. Joyner concludes. “This attitude and political
leaning were particularly apparent in his decisions and dissents in
voting rights, environmental justice, LGBT and school desegregation cases.
Thus in the minds of conservatives and right wing zealots, he was a hero of
sort.”
“For African Americans, racial minorities and members of disfavored
groups, he was a caustic, arrogant and insistent opponent. May he rest in
peace.”
-30-
WILL HIGH COURT
STAY NC'S NEW MAPS?
STAY NC'S NEW MAPS?
By Cash Michaels
Editor
Assuming
that there is no stay from US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, will
North Carolina’s newly configured congressional maps, scheduled to submitted to
the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals for review Friday, pass muster in time
for the upcoming March 15th primaries?
It’s
anyone’s guess, apparently. Indeed, if there is one thing that’s clear, it’s that
everything about North Carolina’s scheduled March 15th primaries is
unclear, especially since absentee voting has already begun. New maps are being devised based on non-racial criteria developed by a special legislative committee in time for a vote on Friday.
Ever since
the appellate court’s Feb. 5th ruling that the First and Twelfth
Congressional Districts were unconstitutional because race, not political
affiliation, was the primary factor in their configuration, and had to be
immediately redrawn, Republican lawmakers have been trying to figure out how
best to either stay that court order, or at least look like they’re complying
until they have no choice.
Very
clearly the Republicans, who redrew the congressional and legislative voting
district lines in 2011 after they took over the majority in the NC General
Assembly, do not want give up the electoral advantage they gained by “stacking
and packing” black voters in two wildly configured congressional districts, the
First and the Twelfth, critics say. Doing so allowed the GOP to remove black
voters from otherwise competitive predominately-white congressional districts, thus allowing
Republican candidates to dominate white Democrats during elections.
Critics of
the current district maps – in force for the past two election cycles - point to North Carolina’s current
congressional delegation of ten Republicans and three Democrats in a state
where Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008 and Republican Mitt Romney won in
2012.
Add to all
of the unforeseen confusion the untimely death of US Supreme Court Associate
Justice Antonin Scalia last weekend right after the High Court had been
petitioned by state lawmakers to stay the lower court order, and very little is
clear until Friday.
“There is no indication that Scalia's vote would make a difference in
the decision regarding a stay,” says Irving Joyner, law professor at North
Carolina Central University’s School of Law in Durham. “Chief Justice [John] Roberts
[who hears emergency requests from the US Fourth Circuit] can make this
decision without consulting with other members of the court, although his
practice has been to consult the full court when stays have been requested in
other voting rights cases.”
Lawyers for
the plaintiffs filed their arguments Tuesday with the US Supreme Court as to
why the appellate court order should not be stayed. “Simply put, a choice between
forcing millions of North Carolinians to vote in yet another election under the
unconstitutional enacted plan, and taking the administrative steps necessary to
hold a constitutional election in 2016 — including delaying the congressional
primary election as necessary — is no choice at all,” wrote Marc Elias,
plaintiffs’ attorney.
If Roberts doesn’t issue a stay before
Friday, then the appellate court order stands, and the state is compelled to
submit newly drawn maps by Friday. If the chief justice does consult the full
court, and it comes back 4-4 with Justice Scalia gone, then the same result
applies.
However, if Roberts were to answer state lawmakers’ prayers and stay
the lower court order on his own, that means the March 15th
primaries would proceed under the current maps.
That would not please the NCNAACP, which hasn’t gotten very far with
its own state court challenges to the 2011 redistricting lines. The civil rights organization has applauded
the appellate court order stemming from a federal lawsuit filed by three
independent plaintiffs in the First and Third Districts, and this week, blasted
“extremist” Republican legislative leaders for wasting literally half of the
two-week deadline period they were given to redraw the two unconstitutional
districts doing nothing, only to follow-up in the final week with
hearings, and a two-day joint session
today and Friday.
“These hearings are cynical attempts to create the impression that the
redrawn maps had no significant public opposition,” charged Rev. William
Barber, president of the NC NAACP. “ In short, the extremists are producing a
farce, now that their maps have been called absurd.”
Barber wants the March 15th primaries pushed back to May,
where they originally were before this year. He added that waiting until the
week of to first hold statewide hearings, and then meet Thursday and Friday
without getting public input on the newly configured maps was “evidence that
our extremist leaders continue to act in bad faith.”
If Republicans leaders were hoping to use statewide hearings Monday
that were abruptly called for last Friday afternoon after 5 p.m. with little
public notice as a cover, it may have backfired. According to published
reports, those who agreed with the appellate court’s decision to strike down
the First and Twelfth districts outnumbered the opposition 2-1, with many blaming
lawmakers not only for the maps, but the confusion caused by moving up the
primaries by two months.
State lawmakers reported began redrawing the maps Tuesday considering
the testimony drawn from Monday’s hearings. Unless the US Supreme Court says
otherwise, the NC General Assembly is scheduled to convene today and Friday for
votes on the new maps.
-30-
STATE NEWS BRIEFS 02-17-16
US SENATE DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATES TO DO TV DEBATE FEB. 25TH
[RALEIGH]
For state Rep. Deborah Ross; Spring Lake Mayor Chris Rey; Durham businessman
Kevin Griffin and retired military officer Ernest Reeves of Greenville will all
faceoff for their first televised debate to be seen statewide on Thursday, Feb.
25th at 7 p.m. WRAL-TV in Raleigh will broadcast the half-hour
debate, and feed it other television stations statewide. All four Democrats are
vying to unseat one-term Republican incumbent US Sen. Richard Burr.
STATE AUDIT FINDS
“OMISSIONS AND MISSTATEMENTS” IN UNC FINANCIAL RECORDS
[CHAPEL HILL] The internal
financial controls at UNC – Chapel Hill were found to have “significant
misstatements and omissions” according to recent examination by state Auditor
Beth Wood. Errors were found in several cash accounts and financial aid revenue
statements. “Without
these error corrections and inclusion of all required statements and
disclosures, users of the financial statements could be misinformed about the
University’s financial condition, including sufficiency and flexibility of
resources, asset performance, debt management and operating results,” the audit
stated. UNC officials blame changing over to a new accounting management system
for the errors.
VICE PRES. BIDEN VISITS DUKE
TO DISCUSS CANCER RESEARCH
[DURHAM] The goal was to be briefed
on the latest efforts to combat cancer at Duke University and indeed find a
cure. The group was known as the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force and it
was headed up by someone who has a vested interest, and an official mission do
to whatever is necessary to help in that effort – Vice Pres. Joe Biden. So last
week, the vice president, who lost his adult son, Beau, to brain cancer last
year, came to Duke, and pledged whatever federal government assistance would be
needed in reaching the goal for a cure as promised by Pres. Obama in his last
State of the Union address.
-30-
TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 02-17-16
WAKE SCHOOL MAKEUP
DAYS ANNOUNCED
Because of
Monday’s inclement weather which
cancelled classes throughout the Wake County Public School System, officials
have selected Monday, April 25th as the school makeup day for
traditional calendar students, but this Saturday, February 20th as
the makeup day for tracks 1, 3 and 4 students in year-round schools.
WAKE BLACK STUDENTS
MORE LIKELY TO BE ARRESTED, SUSPENDED SAYS DATA
New student discipline data
shows that black students are more likely to be arrested on campus, or be
suspended from school. According to 2014-15 data, black students were 69
percent of all court referrals, and almost twice as likely to be arrested for
theft and fighting. Add to this information showing African-American students
were 63 percent of school suspensions that same year, and school officials say
they want to find solutions to stop the growing trend, hoping not to have to
always call law enforcement to intercede in school problems. Officials say on
the bright side, school suspensions are down from what they were five years
ago.
ALL CHARGES DROPPED
AGAINST FIRST ALLEGED CHRISTMAS DAY SHOOTER
Orange County authorities have
now dropped all charges against Shaquille Oneill Davis, 22, in the Dec. 25th
driveby shooting death of one-year-old Maleah Williams of Chapel Hill. Davis
had been charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly
weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. The child died three days
after being shot in the head. Two subsequent suspects charged with first-degree
murder in the case remain in custody.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment