Civil Liberties

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Surreal.

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Racists in Zephyrhills are leading a drive to un-name a street for MLK. Of course, their argument goes something like ‘Gee, it will cost me money to change my business cards…,’ but their motives are undeniably racist.

ZEPHYRHILLS - Renaming a street to honor Martin Luther King Jr. was supposed to unite Zephyrhills’ black and white residents. Instead, it exposed feelings of racism many had no idea existed.

Divisions grew deeper this week when the city council went back on its decision to name the street after the civil rights leader, restoring it to its original Sixth Avenue name.

It’s an action many say is worse than never having honored King at all.

“They just don’t want the street name because he’s black,” said Irene Dobson, who circulated a petition for the street to be named after King, “and they don’t realize what he’s done for America.”
……

Zephyrhills’ decision to name a street after King endured for six months, when council members agreed the change had been enacted hastily and detracted from the city’s orderly grid system of street names.
……

Blanche Benford, a protest organizer, said, “This isn’t just about a street,” she said. “It’s about racism being quietly hidden.”

The name was changed in October after a petition was brought before the city council seeking to rename Sixth Avenue in King’s honor. Council members voted 4-1 to make the change, angering residents who thought the decision would disrupt downtown’s numerical street system.

At the next meeting, Councilwoman Cathi Compton made a motion to reconsider the name change, but the decision stood with a 3-2 vote.

Those who disagreed vowed to take the issue to the polls in April.

They kept that promise.

Newcomer Gina King defeated then-council President Lance Smith, who had voted for the renaming.

Six-term incumbent Elizabeth Geiger, who had sided with Smith, defeated her opponent Rj Morgan by a single vote. Morgan’s main reason for seeking office was his feeling that the council hadn’t handled the issue properly.

Councilwoman King said the council did not follow a 1987 ordinance governing requests for street name changes. The ordinance says any property owner living on a street, or whose property abuts the street, may request a renaming.

Dobson, who circulated the petition calling for a Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue even though she doesn’t live within the city limits, said the rationale offered by opponents to the name change masks the real reasons they are against it.

So, who could be against naming a street peaceful man with dreams of harmony amongst all peoples? This guy, for one:

MLK was a plagerist.kiar, bisexual,communist and serial misceginist, who was beating a White woman in his hotel room on the night James Earl Ray sent his rotten soul to burn in hell for all eternity.MLK planned to drive our people and his people into mutual extinction through racemixing and deliver the pathetic remmenants of our races into Red tyranny
May the flames of Satan ravish his corrupt flesh forever

A quick glance at the Stormfront site reveals lots of comments in support of this kind of thinking. Perhaps tellingly, many of the comments are just as full of misspelling and grammatical errors as the one above.

Stormfront is a White Supremecist organization whose goals include the spreading of misinformation and hatred. The fact that the Zephyrhills City Council bowed to the demands of this group is atrocious.

An unmistakable logo greets visitors to the Stormfront Home Page, the gateway to Don Black’s online world of bigotry: a cross ringed by the words “White Pride World Wide.” Under this logo, Black describes his site:

‘Stormfront is a resource for those courageous men and women fighting to preserve their White Western culture, ideals and freedom of speech and association  a forum for planning strategies and forming political and social groups to ensure victory.’

Though Black claims to be a “White Nationalist,” not a hatemonger, his idea of “White Pride” involves demeaning, demonizing and menacing Jews and non-whites, and his concept of “victory” includes the creation of ethnically cleansed political enclaves.

Contact the City of Zephyrhills and ask them to ignore the racist twits and do the right thing.

Email the city council here.

Support ADL: Fighting Anti-Semitism, Bigotry and Extremism

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Current.org:

“So, can we say ’suck’?”

That’s what Fresh Air co-executive producer Danny Miller asked attorney Steve Schaffer. Miller was calling because emerging star Nellie McKay uses the word in a song excerpted in the program’s review of her album Get Away From Me.

No, said Schaffer. No “suck.” Though McKay was insulting somebody and not talking about sex, the word’s sexual connections make it a no-no in the new landscape of media regulation. Miller cut out the offending word and spliced it in backwards, leaving alert Fresh Air listeners to wonder why McKay would think something “skcus.”
……

As a result of the Bono ruling, broadcasters have two red flags to watch out for — not counting obscenity, which is not immediately at issue.

* Indecency: As defined by the Pacifica case, it’s material that “in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities.” The “community” is generally interpreted by the commission as “the national community as a whole,” and the “standards” are as vague as ever.
* Profanity: The FCC said in the Bono decision it’s commonly defined as “vulgar, irreverent or coarse language” but officially cites a definition from a 1972 case that reads, in part “. . . language so grossly offensive to members of the public who actually hear it as to amount to a nuisance.” To that, the commission added that it “will also consider under the definition of ‘profanity’ the ‘f-word’ and those words (or variants thereof) that are as highly offensive as the ‘f-word.’”

And which words are those? The open-ended ruling against offensiveness has attorneys preaching absolute caution. It could greatly expand the commission’s jurisdiction, Crigler says, and the elimination of the “informal or fleeting” excuse means the stakes are higher. The FCC “used to cut people some slack, but now that’s gone,” Crigler says. “One word will do you.”

Attorneys say the new profanity standard, with its call for “case-by-case” analysis, especially has a chilling effect on free speech in that it leaves programmers afraid to air things that should be legal. The upshot, Schaffer says, is “adults are wasting an incredible amount of time discussing words they should be able to say.”

“We’ve had calls asking, can we say ‘tit?’” his colleague, Larry Miller, says. “We’re looking at each other saying, ‘can you believe we’re discussing this in a law firm?’”

Among the first to be chilled was PBS, which put sanitized versions of programs on the default “hard feeds” on its satellite. Uncut offensive language, as in this month’s Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness, was available to stations on the optional soft feed.

Fresh Air will edit a pivotal Sweeny Todd lyric for an upcoming broadcast, Miller says, because it includes “shit.” The program aired the line in the past because its artistic value was such that Fresh Air producers were willing to endure calls from offended listeners. “Now,” says Miller, “I don’t think we could ask stations to take the risk.”

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SPT:

On Wednesday, in the neighborhood where the two boys lived and died, anger filled the space once reserved for sadness.

By midmorning, news of Jennifer Porter’s arrest in the hit-and-run accident that killed 13-year-old Bryant Wilkins and his 3-year-old brother, Durontae Caldwell, began seeping into homes near N 22nd Street and E 143rd Ave.

Residents shook their heads and frowned. Some mumbled under their breath. Several cursed aloud.

“That’s all?” said Vivian Limton, 40, when she learned that Porter will not face a charge of vehicular homicide. “That ain’t right. That ain’t right at all.”
……

Again and again, residents insisted that Porter had gotten an easy ride from investigators and prosecutors, that no one from this neighborhood would have been treated so gently.

“What would’ve happened if any one of us had accidentally run over kids in her neighborhood?” said Joseph Lively, 33, who lives on E 143rd Street.

“If the roles were reversed, we would be screwed. There isn’t a man or woman in this neighborhood who would be allowed to get away with what Ms. Porter and her high-dollar lawyers are getting away with.”

Connie Burton, president of the Tampa branch of the Uhuru Movement, said the group plans to demonstrate Monday morning outside Hillsborough State Attorney Mark Ober’s office.

“This is ridiculous,” Burton said of the charge against Porter and the manner in which she was arrested.

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No surprise here. Her attorney signaled last week that this would be the charge. Still, it’s galling to see this white killer of black children treated with kid gloves. See, if you have a fancy lawyer, you can turn yourself in, avoid handcuffs, and bond out of jail before you even see a cell. This would be fine if everyone were allowed to do it, but in real life, sheriffs go out and arrest people and take them to jail when they murder someone.

This woman could have turned around and attempted to assist the 2 children who were still alive. She could have aided the police in their investigation. She could have at least called 911. Instead, she called home, ran away, and hired an expensive lawyer.

Linda Edwards is right, and Jennifer Porter is not going to get any pity form me.

Jennifer Porter, the 28-year-old schoolteacher who admitted involvement in the March 31 hit-and-run that killed two brothers, turned herself in at the Orient Road Jail this morning after traffic investigators issued a warrant for her arrest.

Porter, of Land O’ Lakes, is charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving a death or personal injuries. She was accompanied by her attorney, Barry Cohen, when she arrived at the jail shortly before 10 a.m.

She was released from jail a short time later after posting a $7,500 bond.

As she left the jail, Porter was confronted by Linda Edwards of Tampa, who ran up to Porter and screamed, “Murderer! Murderer! You killed those kids. You killed those kids.”

Porter, who was escorted by a bail bondsman, kept her head and eyes down and did not respond.

Edwards said she doesn’t know Lisa Wilkins, the mother of the two boys who were killed in the hit-and-run accident. But Edward said she had gone to the childrens’ funeral.

“I came down here to get some answers and I wanted her to know that I am one black woman who is very angry and there are thousands of others just like me,” Edwards said.

“She gets to come down here and pay some money and walk out like nothing happened,” Edwards said.

Shortly before 10 a.m., Porter he was brought into the jail flanked by about a half dozen sheriff’s deputies, but not handcuffed.

The charge stems from a hit- and-run accident that killed Bryant Wilkins, 13, and his brother Durontae Caldwell, 3, and injured siblings Aquina Wilkins, 8, and Lajuan Davis, 2.

Investigators initially said the children were hit by two or perhaps three vehicles as they crossed North 22nd Street in Tampa. So far, Porter is the only driver to come forward.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s officials said broken car fragments found after the crash match the 2000 Toyota Echo Porter said she was driving that night, and damage to the Echo was consistent with evidence found at the scene.

Officials also said Porter was seen by witnesses getting into the car three minutes before the accident three blocks away.

Officials said Porter did not stop to see if anyone was hurt, help with injuries, provide information or notify emergency services.

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pResident Bush Tropical Feetwave Parade: The March of a Thousand Billionaires:

The biggest problem with the Estate Tax is that it only affects those of us with Estates. How unfair is that? And not just any Estate. It’s got to be a really really really really big Estate. Like ours. It’s got to be over $3.5 million per individual. We’re not talking family farms here, we’re not talking Mom and Pop small businesses here. Oh, no. The Estate Tax doesn’t tax them at all. It only taxes us — the really rich.

These Estate Tax supporters think that just because we have millions and millions and millions of dollars, that we should be taxed. They think that the richest people in the state should be taxed and the money given to everybody else. For what? Schools? Libraries? Roads? Day care? Pssshaw! We don’t need any of that!

Schools? Our kids go to private school! Libraries? We have our own personal libraries. Roads? Can you say Lear Jet? Day care? Hire an au paire!

We say shut down the day care centers. Fire some teachers. Cut back the library’s hours. Let the bridges crumble, let the roads fill with pot-holes. And, let us keep our unearned fortunes — every last penny.

So let me recap: If you have a really really really really big Estate, you get taxed by the Estate Tax. If you DON’T have a really really really really big Estate, you don’t get taxed. Instead, you get MONEY from the Government.

This is SO NOT fair. We must repeal the Estate Tax!

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TBO.com

A U.S. soldier was killed Tuesday by insurgents in Baghdad, bringing the American combat death toll for April to 115 - the same number of U.S. combatants killed in the two-month invasion of Iraq a year ago.

Since May 1, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 574 U.S. soldiers have died - 403 as a result of hostile action and 171 of non-hostile causes.

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Get Up with MorningWood, on Community Radio WMNF 88.5 fm, Tampa, and streaming at wmnf.org.
4 to 6 am every Tuesday!

Studio line: 813-239-WOOD.

Today on MorningWood

Thanks to everyone who called in during MorningWood last week. I made my goal. The station made its goal. All is well, thanks to you.

Long sets of music tonight. After gabbing through Marathon last week, I’m not gonna do a whole lot of talking today. Plenty of Heatwave artists, and several “Puppet” sets in honor of the upcoming appearance of Dick “Dick” Cheney and his puppet Dubya before the 911 commission. During the final “Puppet” set, sometime between 5:30 and 6:00, I’ll read a few short excerpts from Richard Clarke’s Against All Enemies.

The March of a Thousand Billionaires

Tropical Feetwave: The March of a Thousand Billionaires

We’re having our 3rd annual Tropical Feetwave parade. Come and join us on May 1st, right before Heatwave. Dress as your favorite billionaire and come prepared to defend the greedy and belittle those “Lucky Ducky” poor and unemployed who get to sit around all day in government subsidized housing while billionaires like us are forced to inherit our wealth and occasionally pay some tax.

Meet at 4:30PM, Sharp! at the corner of Avenida Republica de Cuba and 9th Ave. in Ybor City on Saturday, May 1.

PDF Flier

For updated information on Heatwave, Feetwave and WMNF, please visit
www.tropicalheatwave.org.

Playlists

Hour 1 planned playlist

Hour 2 planned playlist

Live playlist

WMNF Community Radio

WMNF is a non-commercial community radio station that celebrates local cultural diversity and is committed to equality, peace and social and economic justice. WMNF provides broadcasts and creates other forums to serve the community by the exposure and sharing of these values.

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Herbert reminds us that abortion is not the only hard-won right that is under attack by those who hate freedom and personal liberties:

“We conclude, unanimously,” said Chief Justice Earl Warren, reading from the court’s decision in the case of Oliver Brown et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, “that in the field of public education the doctrine of `separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

That ruling, the most profound of the 20th century, was the essential first step toward a difficult but phenomenal transformation of the American social landscape. As Richard Kluger wrote in his wonderful book “Simple Justice,” a history of the legal battle that led to the decision, “Something basic in American lives and values had been touched.”

The 50th anniversary of the decision that has come to be known simply as Brown v. Board will be celebrated in three weeks.

It can be difficult now to understand just how degraded conditions were for black people in the U.S. in the early-1950’s. Many were routinely addressed by whites as nigger or nigra, and the all-too-frequent response was yessir or no ma’am. Segregation was the norm in places of public accommodation. Employment discrimination was a given. In Topeka, according to the 1950 Census, there were 2,158 whites employed in retail sales. The grand total for nonwhites was 11.
……

The legal barrier to desegregation was removed, and over several tension-filled years many schools were integrated. But the trend now is in the other direction.

When it comes to schools, “we honor Brown more in principle than in practice,” said Ted Shaw, who will soon take over as head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which led the Brown v. Board fight. “We live in an era now where school desegregation is all but done. We’re resegregating. And no one really seems to care.”

The resegregation has been under way for a while. In their 1996 book, “Dismantling Desegregation: The Quiet Reversal of Brown v. Board of Education,” Gary Orfield and Susan Eaton documented the many evasive maneuvers used by whites, including a series of rulings by conservative courts, to undermine the impact of the Brown decision.

This insidious regression was part of the decades-long effort by political conservatives to roll back the historic civil rights advances of blacks and others. Richard Nixon, architect of the Republican Party’s Southern strategy, appointed William Rehnquist, an ardent foe of desegregation efforts, to the Supreme Court. And Ronald Reagan elevated him to chief justice.

There’s no secret to what’s going on. The federal courts are still being gleefully packed with reactionaries.

So we have to look at Brown in two ways. It unlocked the door to a brief but glorious period of increased freedom and civil rights for all Americans. But its main goal has been thwarted by those who want nothing less than to slam the door shut and lock it once again.

It’s not just a betrayal of Brown. It’s a betrayal of America.

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