tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31038619368714282592024-03-13T12:31:38.730-04:00It's About Race, Stupid!The Clinton administration's mantra was, "It's the Economy, Stupid." In this (pretend like we're) color-blind society where the problem is "anything but race," I say we gotta confront the problem of race straight on, and work on REALLY understanding how we got where we got, and where we want to go from here, and how to get there together.Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-44821870215761741642023-08-03T10:17:00.003-04:002023-08-03T10:17:40.672-04:00College Board, Thou Dost Protest Too Much (re: FL Ed Standards)<p> Here's the news article that prompted this post: <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/college-board-pushes-back-florida-work-group-member-likened-new-black-rcna97525">https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/college-board-pushes-back-florida-work-group-member-likened-new-black-rcna97525</a></p><p>So it would seem that the good, pure-hearted folks at the College Board, creators of the SAT and CLEP and the ubiquitous Advanced Placement exams that high school students must pay $98 for to get college credit for their AP courses, don't like being linked in with the controversial new education standards in the great anti-woke state of Florida.</p><p>To review, Florida's African-American history curriculum now contains language saying "slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit." Frances Presley Rice, a member of the work group that devised these standards, defended them against backlash by suggested that<span style="font-family: inherit;"> "<span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;">the highly-praised AP African American History course has nearly the exact language and sentiment as is in the text under question."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;">The College Board did not like this. They did not like it one bit. They disliked it so much that they knew they must put out a p. r. statement correcting this misinformation. Said statement reads:</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“We are aware that some in Florida have reviewed the Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies framework and have suggested that the state’s recently approved middle school African American History standards align with our course requirements. We resolutely disagree with the notion that enslavement was in any way a beneficial, productive, or useful experience for African Americans. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;">Unequivocally, slavery was an atrocity that cannot be justified by examples of African Americans’ agency and resistance during their enslavement.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;">”</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well said. Well played. That settles it. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Only one problem. If one looks at the actual wording of the AP framework as "adjusted" to meet the approval of Florida's "anti-woke" decision-makers in the past years, it reads as follows:</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;">In addition to agricultural work, enslaved people learned specialized trades and worked as painters, carpenters, tailors, musicians, and healers in the North and South. Once free, African Americans used these skills to provide for themselves and others."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;">Oops. True that it doesn't say the word "benefit." But the benefits of having been taught these skills (involuntarily, at the point of whips and guns) is the gist of this whole section.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;">Really, College Board. Enough with the Orwellian doublespeak. Your bi-ass is showing.</span></span></p>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-49292011285822305662023-08-02T13:15:00.004-04:002023-08-02T13:15:50.083-04:00Race and the Indictment<p> As the Blog title suggests, Race is never NOT a part of things in our society, so I take a moment to point out the race angle in the news of former President Trump's indictments on charges related to false claims of election fraud and unlawful attempts to subvert the will of the voters and remain in power.</p><p>1) Gini Thomas, white wife of Black U.S. Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, may well be "co-conspirator #6" as labelled in the indictment. The identity of the first five unnamed co-conspirators is fairly clear. The identity of #6 has became DC's favorite parlor game. Thomas fits the description of "political consultant" and is known to have been involved in efforts in Arizona to get the second set of "fake" electors loyal to Trump approved by state legislators there. So, what does that have to do with race? She's white, he's Black, he's anti-Affirmative Action, she preposterously claims that she never discusses her far-right-wing political activism with her husband. 'Nuff said.</p><p>2) Trump challenger Fla. governor Ron DeSantis reacted to the indictment by claiming that there is no <span style="font-family: inherit;">way Trump can get a fair trial in the "swamp" of Washington, DC and its federal courts. "<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Washington, DC is a "swamp" and it is unfair to have to stand trial before a jury that is reflective of the swamp mentality" </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/trumps-gop-challengers-have-very-different-reactions-jan-6-indictment-1816815">https://www.newsweek.com/trumps-gop-challengers-have-very-different-reactions-jan-6-indictment-1816815</a></span></span></p><p>It just "so happens" that the District of Columbia is the ONLY state or territory in the continental United States where the majority of the population is African-American. Swamps are known to by stinky and sweaty and to be populated by slimy snakes, rats, alligators, snapping turtles, spiders, and the like. Connect the dots.</p><p>3) The reactions of the three African-American candidates for the GOP nominations: Based on the Newsweek link above, SC Sen. Tim Scott, the one of the 3 garnering the most attention and support, followed the Trump line of condemning the indictment as evidence of DOJ being "weaponized" to go after Biden's opponents. Former TX Rep. Will Hurd, on the other hand, was very anti-Trump in his reaction, condemning the former president's attempts to overturn the election and remain in power. The third Black candidate, talk radio host Larry Elder, sai<span style="font-family: inherit;">d <span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">“We've seen a pattern of partisan prosecution and this is another example.” </span><span style="color: #202124; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/2024-candidates-lawmakers-react-to-trump-indictment/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20reaffirms%20the%20need%20for,office%20and%20end%20his%20campaign.%E2%80%9D&text=Other%20candidates%2C%20including%20Vivek%20Ramaswamy,and%20this%20is%20another%20example.%E2%80%9D">https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/2024-candidates-lawmakers-react-to-trump-indictment/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20reaffirms%20the%20need%20for,office%20and%20end%20his%20campaign.%E2%80%9D&text=Other%20candidates%2C%20including%20Vivek%20Ramaswamy,and%20this%20is%20another%20example.%E2%80%9D</a></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202124; font-family: inherit;">4) The judge that the trial has been assigned to, Tanya Chutkan, is Black. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said today on his podc<span style="font-family: inherit;">ast that "</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;">Judge Chutkan was appointed to the DC District Court by Barack Obama, and she has a reputation for being far left, even by DC District Court standards" </span><span style="color: #111111; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ted-cruz-trump-jan-6-judge-tanya-chutkan-bias-confirmation-2023-8">https://www.businessinsider.com/ted-cruz-trump-jan-6-judge-tanya-chutkan-bias-confirmation-2023-8</a></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: inherit;">So we have objection to the random draw of a Black woman judge, mentioning that she was appointed by our only Black president, and once again bringing up, like DeSantis did, DC as if our majority-Black nation's capital is hell on earth.</span></p>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-77974257604771879162023-07-24T13:07:00.000-04:002023-07-24T13:07:08.350-04:00Re: Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town" song and video<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Funny there aren't any clips of George Floyd or Sandra Bland or Eric Garner or Philando Castile or Tamir Rice or Breonna Taylor or Ahmaud Arbory or Trayvon Martin--or of the actions of law enforcement in our nation's capital on June 1, 2020, or the actions of "patriots" against law enforcement on Jan. 6, 2021.</span></p>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-9189805357923442072022-08-12T09:01:00.000-04:002022-08-12T09:01:08.060-04:00Observant Jew Digging Deep and Uncovering a Jewel<p> Jeffrey Salkin hit the nail on the head late in the article linked here:</p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18.975px;"><span style="font-family: PT Serif, serif;"><a href="https://religionnews.com/2022/08/05/tisha-bav/">https://religionnews.com/2022/08/05/tisha-bav/</a></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif", serif; font-size: 18.975px;">"For those of you who are fans of “Star Wars”: Luke Skywalker needed to understand the dark side of the force. America needs to understand the dark side of the American force — and that dark side has always been white supremacy and the hatred of the other."</span></p>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-79374944335324682132022-04-28T13:36:00.003-04:002022-04-28T13:51:04.583-04:00Quote from Frederick Douglas<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> When it was time to pick a quot</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">a</span><span style="font-family: arial;">tion for my gr</span><span style="font-family: arial;">a</span><span style="font-family: arial;">du</span><span style="font-family: arial;">a</span><span style="font-family: arial;">t</span><span style="font-family: arial;">e student profile for the Virgini</span><span style="font-family: arial;">a</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Tech sociology dep</span><span style="font-family: arial;">a</span><span style="font-family: arial;">rtment webp</span><span style="font-family: arial;">a</span><span style="font-family: arial;">ge (<a href="https://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-sociology/sociology-graduate-students/Steven-McGlamery.html">https://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-sociology/sociology-graduate-students/Steven-McGlamery.html</a>)</span><span style="font-family: arial;">, I chose the following:</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span>"[S</span><span>lavery] has been called by a great many names, and it will call itself by yet another name; ... [we] had better wait and see what new form this old monster will assume, in what new skin this old snake will come forth next." </span></i><span>--Frederick Douglass, May 1865</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face="Acherus, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Acherus, sans-serif">I had kind of assumed that this idea had been expressed some time later than in the immediate aftermath of emancipation--you know, how colonialism morphed into neocolonialism, slavery became convict labor and sharecropping, followed by ghettoization, segregation, mass incarceration (the "New Jim Crow" says Dr. Alexander), return to voter suppression, police intimidation and violence, etc.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face="Acherus, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Acherus, sans-serif">I should have known that the white power structure, including academia, had once again marginalized and disregarded an important, prophetic voice of color.</span></span></div><p><span face="Acherus, sans-serif" style="background-color: #faf9fa; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></p>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-82302178492876164352021-07-07T10:57:00.000-04:002021-07-07T10:57:01.654-04:00Early black MLB players being thrown at<p>This is my first joint entry on my race and my baseball stats blogs!</p><p>Was looking at the cumulative stats for times hit by pitch (HBP) in the early years of black players in the historically white major leagues. (BTW, kudos to Major League Baseball for fully recognizing the "Negro Leagues" as "major leagues," and to <a href="http://baseball-reference.com">baseball-reference.com</a> for fully integrating the Negro League stats (such as they are) into their database.)</p><p>Using <a href="http://fangraphs.com">fangraphs.com</a>, I looked at the stats from 1947-56 cumulative (1947 being, of course, the year the color line in major league baseball was crossed). Here's what I came up with for highest rates of being hit by pitch per Plate Appearances (PAs), minimum 1000 PAs for the range of years:</p><div style="text-align: left;"><u>HBP</u> <u>PAs</u> <u><b>PAs/HBP</b></u> <u>Player</u> <span> </span> <u>Race<br /></u><span><span><span><span>119<span> 4598 <b>38.64</b><span> M. Minoso<span> </span><span>Black (Cuban)<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>032<span> 1345 <b>42.03</b><span> Fr. Robinson Black<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>080<span> 3874 <b>48.43</b><span> Sh. Lollar<span> </span><span>white<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>053<span> 2823 <b>53.26</b><span> Sol Hemus<span> </span><span>white<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>021<span> 1246 <b>59.33</b><span> T. Glaviano<span> </span><span>white<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>028<span> 1931 <b>68.96</b><span> Luke Easter<span> Black<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>033<span> 2352 <b>71.27</b><span> F. Hatfield<span> white<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>080<span> 5745 <b>71.81</b><span> Nellie Fox<span> white<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>037<span> 2712 <b>73.30</b><span> Al Smith<span> <span> </span>Black<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>028<span> 2167 <b>77.39</b><span> C. Courtney<span> white<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>025<span> 1975 <b>79.00</b><span> Sam Jethroe<span> Black<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>072<span> 5802 <b>80.58</b><span> J. Robinson<span> Black</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>To clarify, this chart indicates that Minnie Minoso, for every 38 and 2/3s times he would step to the plate through 1955, it would end with him would be awarded first base due to being hit by a pitch.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>So, we see that six of the 12 players most likely to be hit by a pitch during these 10 years were Black. This may not seem that stark a number, until we realize that of the 300 players who "qualified" based on at least 1000 PAs during those 10 years, only 19 of them were Black (or Latin Americans whose dark skin would have kept them out of the historically white leagues pre-1947). Thus, black players constitute only 6.3% of the player pool, but 50% of the HBP leaders for those years.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p>This provides empirical evidence for the many accounts from early black players of being targeted by pitchers for their skin color. There is an alternative explanation--some players (Ron Hunt in the 1970s being the most notorious) are known to SEEK being hit by a pitch, crowding the plate and leaning into some pitches, as a way of getting on base. On the list above, for instance, it may be that Minoso, Frank Robinson and Nellie Fox were known for, if not seeking, at least not minding reaching base in this way. But, far more likely, it is a case of white pitchers, often with the support and encouragement of management and teammates, sought to intimidate de-segregation pioneers, perhaps even with the hope of reversing the change. For, much like school integration in the decade plus following the <i>Brown </i>decision, baseball integration was more a trickle than a flood early on. According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_first_black_Major_League_Baseball_players">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_first_black_Major_League_Baseball_players</a>, only twelve black players had appeared, on only five of the 16 historically white teams through 1950, four years after Jackie Robinson broke the barrier. It wasn't until 1954 that over half of the teams had "given in" to the new reality, and 1959 until the last team (the Boston Red Sox) was integrated.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-42635365867118526742021-04-07T09:55:00.000-04:002021-04-07T09:55:04.948-04:00Re: MLB Moving the All-Star Game<p> It's amazing how blind we can sometimes be to the effects of race and racism. Take Sen. Tim Scott, the only black Republican U.S. senator of the past 40 years and one of only two since Reconstruction (Sen. Edward Brooks, MA, 1967-79 being the other). Here is his tweet, with blinders fully on, yesterday:<br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="border: solid black 1.0pt; color: #0f1419; font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .25pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Tim Scott</span></b><b><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="border: solid black 1.0pt; color: #5b7083; font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .25pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">@SenatorTimScott</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 1.5pt;"><span style="color: #5b7083; font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">23h<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="border: solid black 1.0pt; color: #0f1419; font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-border-alt: solid black .25pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Georgia: Voter ID, 17 days of early voting.
Colorado: Voter ID, 15 days of early voting. Atlanta is 51% Black. Denver is
9.2% Black. The @MLB is moving the #MLBAllStarGame out of ATL which has more day-of
voting rights than CO? The Wokes are at it again, folks.</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #0f1419; font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">First off, the comparison in days of early voting is misleading, since Colorado allows no-excuse, no i.d. vote by mail, which is how the vast majority vote in that state, and they make plentiful drop boxes available during early voting. Georgia, meanwhile, has clamped down on these freedoms with the recently passed law.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">But then look at how he brings up the difference in percent black as an argument against having moved the game. His point, I suppose, is the harm done to black workers and black-owned businesses in Atlanta. But, come on, the Braves aren't even in "Atlanta" since choosing to move their stadium out the of city, where it was near many black neighborhoods, to an unincorporated part of the metro area, where they know longer pay taxes to support those neighborhoods and where it is less convenient for black workers and businesses to be involved.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">And--here's the main point, as brought out in my reply to Sen. Scott's tweet:</span></p><p>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif;">Uh, you've kind of missed the point, Senator.
Atlanta being 51% black and Denver 9% is a very good indication of why GA is
trying to take away the votes of black people, while CO is seeking the widest
possible participation of its citizenry in that sacred exercise in democracy."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419;">For him to have totally missed (or intentionally ignored) this connection is mind-boggling. Is he not familiar with the history of the disenfranchisement of black voters in this country, especially in the South? What the ever-loving hell.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;"><br /></span></p>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-61294314579896483222021-03-11T17:05:00.003-05:002021-03-11T17:05:39.627-05:00The Royals and Race, Take 2<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cSAqLsH0gE/YEqT1j7jZSI/AAAAAAAAALg/p3BJjB6kGkg6WDdMuIAUMiZxVg14_EgvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1240/Prince%2BWill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="1240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cSAqLsH0gE/YEqT1j7jZSI/AAAAAAAAALg/p3BJjB6kGkg6WDdMuIAUMiZxVg14_EgvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Prince%2BWill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">"We're very much not a racist family"--the dude on the left.<br /><br />Thou "doth protest too much, methinks."--Another William from England.</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-loJ5igKl52U/YEqTbb5t4MI/AAAAAAAAALY/jFxfvYS-OpMFSrjlRT-vogrr7nJQFoBNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1240/Prince%2BWill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="1240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-loJ5igKl52U/YEqTbb5t4MI/AAAAAAAAALY/jFxfvYS-OpMFSrjlRT-vogrr7nJQFoBNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Prince%2BWill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-6233724780401041062021-03-08T12:56:00.006-05:002021-03-08T13:03:40.022-05:00The Royals and Race<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3MyuvfrdHTg/YEZmvXv1fWI/AAAAAAAAALQ/_A1LU0TOMyAH_BoJILUY4ANiNJTuiZewwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2000/oprah-meghan-harry-interview-HP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3MyuvfrdHTg/YEZmvXv1fWI/AAAAAAAAALQ/_A1LU0TOMyAH_BoJILUY4ANiNJTuiZewwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/oprah-meghan-harry-interview-HP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> I was surprised and pleased about the extent to which race was explicitly discussed as what was behind much of Meghan and Harry's problems in the UK. That "tone of the baby's skin" speculative concern, expressed to Harry, first brought up by Meghan when talking alone with Oprah, really laid it out bare. Oprah's expression of shock was a little over the top, imho. I thought Meghan's alternate take--how great a symbolic meaning a darker-skinned royal could have for a Commonwealth that is 70% or more of color--allowing them to see themselves represented in the monarchy--was thought-provoking.<p></p><p>I wonder if Harry was glad Meghan had brought up that conversation/confrontation, whether they had decided beforehand to bring it out. I speculate he made have been uncomfortable, but maybe glad in the end it had seen the light of day. He CERTAINLY was not comfortable or willing to reveal just who initiated that discussion with him. Not the Queen--he still spoke glowingly of his grandmother. Not her husband--no way Meghan would have been moved to call on hearing of his illness. That leaves his dad and his brother--I'm thinking more likely Charles is the kind of calculating cad that would be so nervous and preserving a certain "pure" image and what others might think and say. Harry certainly acted like there is a LOT of strain in that relationship, even more so than between the brothers. What say you?</p>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-70690236386971329232021-03-08T12:42:00.001-05:002021-03-08T12:44:49.845-05:00Reinterpretting "Bacon's Rebellion"<p> Race had nothing to do with Bacon's Rebellion was what I was taught in K-12 history classes. But like most EVERYthing in American history, dig a little deeper and there is race, lurking over the whole thing and playing a large role in explaining why what happened happened.</p><p>A good quote from the Wikipedia entry for the rebellions: <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_S._Morgan" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0645ad; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Edmund S. Morgan">Edmund S. Morgan</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">'s classic 1975 </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Slavery,_American_Freedom" style="background: none; color: #0645ad; text-decoration-line: none;" title="American Slavery, American Freedom">American Slavery, American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia</a></i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> connected the calamity of Bacon's Rebellion, namely the potential for lower-class revolt, with the colony's transition over to slavery: "But for those with eyes to see, there was an obvious lesson in the rebellion. Resentment of an alien race might be more powerful than resentment of an upper class. Virginians did not immediately grasp it. It would sink in as time went on."</span></p><p><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">Divide and conquer. Make white skin privilege the lever to separate oppressed from oppressed. Offer land rights (in the hinterlands) to the servant-class whites; deny it even to the free blacks, and make the unfree more clearly and forcefully slaves not just for life but on into perpetuity for their descendants.</span></p><p><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">Of course, race is complex and messy, and so things are not so simple. There is also the Native American angle here--the most pressing concern that triggered the rebellion was that the rebels (black and white, free or not, poor or middlin') wanted to completely rid Virginia of "the savages," whereas the colonial government actually had the gall to recognize a few rights (for the time being), like the right to live, for those folks who had inhabited the land since time immemorial and in some of them's own lifetimes had first encountered these pasty-faced savages (24 rebels were hung after the affair) who acted like they owned the world.</span></p>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-43159775806081461962021-01-21T17:21:00.004-05:002021-01-21T17:21:49.219-05:00John Fogarty in the antiracism battle<p> Legendary John Fogarty of Creedence fame has a new song out that addresses racism, inequality and the pandemic's suffering frontline workers.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ODrkRdwb3k">Weeping in the Promised Land</a><br /></p><p>Excerpt from the TV interview below:</p><p><span style="background-color: #f0f2f5; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Q. Do you think music can unify us?</span></p><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fekr9" data-offset-key="dloeo-0-0" style="background-color: #f0f2f5;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dloeo-0-0" style="color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="dloeo-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Fogarty: Heck yes! No matter what those pasty white guys in the halls of Congress say, racism is systemic in our country. The phrase I sometimes say is, ‘Silence is racism’ because if you’re not doing something, you’re allowing the racists to win.</span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dloeo-0-0" style="color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="dloeo-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dloeo-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="dloeo-0-0" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/rock-n-roll-legend-john-fogerty-on-new-protest-song-tackling-police-brutality-racism/vi-BB1cXHej">https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/rock-n-roll-legend-john-fogerty-on-new-protest-song-tackling-police-brutality-racism/vi-BB1cXHej</a></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dloeo-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="dloeo-0-0" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dloeo-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="dloeo-0-0" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div></div>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-81528439734172005412020-12-04T10:59:00.003-05:002020-12-04T11:00:42.403-05:00Hillbilly Hellegy<p>Problematic to say the least. I haven't seen it, but trust the judgment of enough who have to avoid it. Only good for viewing with a critical eye, it would seem. <span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; color: #050505; font-size: 15px;">Here's one pithy quote from a critic that sums the problem with this book and movie up nicely: "'It isn’t interested in the systems that create poverty and addiction and ignorance; it just wants to pretend that one straight white guy’s ability to rise above his surroundings means that there’s no excuse for everyone else not to have done so as well,' wrote TheWrap’s Alonso Dulrade in his review of the film."</span></p><p><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; color: #050505; font-size: 15px;">A shame, too--I really admire much work of Glenn Close, Amy Adams and Ron Howard. But this one--nope.</span></p><p><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"><a href="https://www.thewrap.com/hillbilly-elegy-reviews-ron.../">https://www.thewrap.com/hillbilly-elegy-reviews-ron.../</a></span></p><div dir="auto" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-79546779414998483572020-11-24T12:28:00.000-05:002020-11-24T12:28:05.568-05:00Biden/Harris new Transition Website Highlights Racial Issues<p> <a href="https://buildbackbetter.gov/">https://buildbackbetter.gov/</a></p><p><span style="background-color: #2b00fe;"><span style="color: white;">The site is just now up. I note that, among the top 4 priorities highlighted is "Calls for Racial Justice"/"Racial Equity." </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #2b00fe;"><span style="color: white;">Significant. Don't remember any president in my memory (maybe since LBJ?) to place racial issues at such a high priority. Maybe we can make some real, measurable, lasting progress in upcoming times? Here's hopin'.</span></span></p>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-5641389129227602822020-06-11T11:38:00.001-04:002020-06-11T11:38:16.696-04:00BLM, says Southern Baptist prez<span style="background-color: #f2f3f5; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's amazing how those three simple words: "black lives matter," stuck in the dust-choked throats of so many of us for the past half a dozen years, but are now coming out quite smoothly and clearly.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f2f3f5; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://relevantmagazine.com/god/church/sbc-president-southern-baptists-we-need-to-say-it-clearly-as-a-gospel-issue-black-lives-matter/?fbclid=IwAR08j8CpUq-TO_uYe7AO0Q8hpsdy8GljhYSmSSgi3xX3TrLqCkxFE5xjZgo" target="_blank">https://relevantmagazine.com/god/church/sbc-president-southern-baptists-we-need-to-say-it-clearly-as-a-gospel-issue-black-lives-matter/?fbclid=IwAR08j8CpUq-TO_uYe7AO0Q8hpsdy8GljhYSmSSgi3xX3TrLqCkxFE5xjZgo</a></span><br />
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<br />Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-28194544551735033962020-06-11T10:56:00.001-04:002020-06-11T10:56:18.739-04:00Jefferson Davis, Never Tried for TreasonJefferson Davis's statue on Monument Ave. in Richmond came down last night. Good. We do not honor traitors against our nation who lead rebellion's against our duly elected federal government.<br /><br />This news item led me to explore more the life history of Davis. Found that a jury panel of 12 white and 12 black men was assembled in 1867 for the purpose of trying Davis for treason. The trial never happened, and by Christmas 1868 Pres. Andrew Johnson declared amnesty for all involved "in the late rebellion" for the sake of "reconciliation" of North and South and Davis was released a free man in early 1869.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WbPRG7a_lCg/XuJERSnwFvI/AAAAAAAAAJM/pKuEUYPRVkENKoO_-xGkYPJsNolSgewiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Jefferson_Davis_jury_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1600" height="164" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WbPRG7a_lCg/XuJERSnwFvI/AAAAAAAAAJM/pKuEUYPRVkENKoO_-xGkYPJsNolSgewiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Jefferson_Davis_jury_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I find this picture intriguing. Here, in the former capital of the confederacy, men (yes, it's gendered--shame!) of both races, equally divided, posed for a photo with hands of mutual respect and affection placed on one another, rubbing shoulders seemingly with no concern for "propriety" of the "racial etiquette" which would be harshly reimposed under Jim Crow shortly after.<br /><br />Had this picture remained the norm, and had the rebels been tried, convicted, served their terms, did their penance, and REAL reconciliation of the races been the focus (rather than of the regions), that statue of Davis might've never gone up in 1907 and symbolized the returning reign of White Supremacy for well over a century.Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-4842069594965170432020-05-29T12:28:00.002-04:002021-04-07T09:57:30.632-04:00Hadda Takemdown<div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
It seems the right moment (say their names: Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd) to re-publish the weird nerdy retro-slam poem I wrote a few years ago. It's not been updated. 2019 copyright Steve McGlamery</div>
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Eric shoulda not
resisted<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eric shoulda not resisted garner sellin’ doze eyeloveloosies
didn’t he staten know that was a ‘spectable hood ny pantaleo hadda takimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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John looked dangerous crawford pointing that III gun at walmart
shoppers (nflers brought ‘im to notice) that cracker called and oh williams for
the public safety hadda takimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Levar no quick moves jones getcher regis bam quick trig soc groubert
just about (not thank god dead) tookimdown <o:p></o:p></div>
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Tamir threatenin’ the public rice looked older who knew it was
just a toy tackle his sister cuffer and thrower in back oh loehmann in 2 secs hadda
takimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eric don’t do th’crime harris wasn’t reserve dep’s fault
certified sort of ok bates oops haddit comin’ tookimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Walter shouldn’t a run scott noc slager’d still be a cop
‘cept for that video thrown to the wolves ‘cause he in cold blood tookimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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David failure to follow orders washington are you on drugs sprayed
and tased runover foot va jerkins you understand hadda kinda (still alive) takimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Freddie why’d you run gray knee in neck shackled no strap
give ‘im a ride alright whole m(a)d gang of them hadda takimdowntowndown<o:p></o:p></div>
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All of ‘em haddit comin’ no not gonna mention michael
handsup (bs) holdup brown but mo collardcops needed a little corruption here
and there tookimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bryant heyward rekia boyd akai gurley thaddeus mccarroll cedric
bartee tony robinson enuffnow jonathan Ferrell we getcher point daniel please covarru
stop bias the protectorservers tookemalldown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ervin tasered to death Edwards big deal tanisha bodyslammed
anderson so what Natasha tased and died mckenna doesn’t prove noth<o:p></o:p></div>
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Abner (who?) louima (wait) amadou (huh?) diallo (hold it)
ousmane (really?) zongo (how far back you gonna?) sean (gimme a break!) bell (no
more!) rodney (don’t say it!!) cali (whew) kerner (there’s a blast from the) commishking
(dammit!) and so on and so forth and on and on<o:p></o:p></div>
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Who’s the brute reality?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-20304538815102522372019-02-05T08:16:00.000-05:002019-02-05T08:16:03.349-05:00Northam Part 2<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">First, Northam implicity admits that he submitted the photo to be included on his yearbook page. That alone is despicable and inexcusable enough to require nothing less than resignation. Then he really steps in it: "...I am not surprised by [the photo's] appearance in the EVMS yearbook. In the place and time where I grew up, many actions that we rightfully recognize as abhorrent today were commonplace" with the tone of voice and facial expression on "commonplace" conveying a</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> dismissive attitude that I find infuriating. It was 1984, not 1954. It was Norfolk, not Mississippi. You were 25 and a medical doctor in training, not a 16 year old redneck hooligan. It was a medical school yearbook, not a neighborhood Xeroxed newsletter for kicks. Resign already. You are embarrassing all of us Virginians, and making a fool of yourself. <span class="_5afx" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/ralphnorthamresign?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">RalphNorthamResign</span></a>#Whatthehelliswrongwithwhitepeople?<br /><br /><span style="background-color: #f2f3f5; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 13px;">Are we to believe that when friends saw the yearbook, they never mentioned to him that there was a photo of a white man in blackface and a man in a KKK hood and robe on his yearbook page? Or are we left to believe that of course they did, but it didn't seem important enough to him to raise holy hell about such a "mistake" by the yearbook </span></span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span class="_5afx" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="background-color: #f2f3f5; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span class="_5afx" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: #1d2129;">I'll pay attention to state politics again when our commonwealth is governed by a Fair- consideration of the -fax (see what I did there?) Until then, I'll be like a groundhog who saw her shadow.</span></span></span>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-43371782189330605812019-02-02T08:27:00.002-05:002019-02-02T08:29:34.404-05:00Ralph Northam's Gotta Go<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What a jerk. Candidate Ralph Northam knowing that yearbook page was out there (at least several dozen classmates knowing, too) yet never pre-emptively addressing it with heartfelt contrition (makes me think he had none) and letting the public decide what to do about it; instead, sitting on it, knowing it could drop at any time but cowardly hoping against hope his ugly past wouldn't be revealed. Jerk.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://bigleaguepolitics.com/yearbook-ralph-northam-in-blackface-photo/" target="_blank">https://bigleaguepolitics.com/yearbook-ralph-northam-in-blackface-photo/</a></span>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-43732668003934777242019-01-17T11:32:00.003-05:002019-01-17T11:32:44.932-05:00Two Ironies, 2 Misconceptions<br />
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Irony: that it has often been considered more desirable (by many white
people and many black people) that African Americans be lighter skinned, even though
that lighter skin is evidence of white ancestors, historically often by way of rape (or at
least coercive, grossly power-imbalanced relationships)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Irony: the notorious 3/5th's compromise, is often taken (not
entirely wrongly) to denigrate the worth of black slaves, having considered them just
60% of a person; in actuality, those favoring slavery at the
Constitutional Convention favored slaves being counted as fully as free people
when it came to apportioning representation in the House of Representatives,
while those against slavery favored them being counted at a smaller fraction, or
not at all. Thus, the odd 3/5th's fraction they agreed on (where ½ might have
been the logical, split the difference compromise) was an indication of the
strength of the pro-slavery faction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Misconception: that affirmative action has primarily
benefited African Americans and other people of color. In fact, research will
bear out, I believe, that the lion's share of the benefits have been experienced by white, largely
middle-class, women.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Misconception: that most Medicaid expenses go to treating
poor, largely nonwhite Americans. In fact, I believe research shows that the
long-term institutional care of aging, ailing parents of middle-class white
people takes up the lion’s share of Medicaid expenses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-87807089570114936352019-01-17T09:48:00.000-05:002019-01-17T11:33:43.420-05:00My Slam Poem on Shootings of African Americans<br />
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Written in the summer of 2015, so it doesn't reference more recent shootings; this is the first time it is publically seeing the light of day.</div>
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Eric shoulda not
resisted<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eric shoulda not resisted garner sellin’ doze eyeloveloosies
didn’t he staten know that was a ‘spectable hood ny pantaleo hadda takimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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John looked dangerous crawford pointing that III gun at walmart
shoppers (nflers brought ‘im to notice) that cracker called and oh williams for
the public safety hadda takimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Levar no quick moves jones getcher regis bam quick trig soc groubert
just about (not thank god dead) tookimdown <o:p></o:p></div>
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Tamir threatenin’ the public rice looked older who knew it was
just a toy tackle his sister cuffer and thrower in back oh loehmann in 2 secs hadda
takimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eric don’t do th’crime harris wasn’t reserve dep’s fault
certified sort of ok bates oops haddit comin’ tookimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Walter shouldn’t a run scott noc slager’d still be a cop
‘cept for that video thrown to the wolves ‘cause he in cold blood tookimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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David failure to follow orders washington are you on drugs sprayed
and tased runover foot va jerkins you understand hadda kinda (still alive) takimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Freddie why’d you run gray knee in neck shackled no strap
give ‘im a ride alright whole m(a)d gang of them hadda takimdowntowndown<o:p></o:p></div>
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All of ‘em haddit comin’ no not gonna mention michael
handsup (bs) holdup brown but mo collardcops needed a little corruption here and
there tookimdown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bryant heyward rekia boyd akai gurley thaddeus mccarroll cedric
bartee tony robinson enuffnow jonathan Ferrell we getcher point daniel please covarru
stop bias the protectorservers tookemalldown<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ervin tasered to death Edwards big deal tanisha bodyslammed
anderson so what Natasha tased and died mckenna doesn’t prove noth<o:p></o:p></div>
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Abner (who?) louima (wait) amadou (huh?) diallo (hold it)
ousmane (really?) zongo (how far back you gonna?) sean (gimme a break!) bell (no
more!) rodney (don’t say it!!) cali (whew) kerner (there’s a blast from the) commishking
(dammit!) and so on and so forth and on and on<o:p></o:p></div>
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Who’s the brute reality?<o:p></o:p><br />
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copyright 2019. All rights reserved.</div>
<br />Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-18330894567932317882019-01-17T09:41:00.002-05:002020-06-11T11:04:09.131-04:00Times When POC defeated Whites militarilyFour times (I'm sure there are many more) in History When People of Color decisively defeated white or white-led powers or nations on the battlefield:<br />
<br />
1) Ethiopia over Italy, Battle of Adwa, March 1st, 1896, the culmination of the First Italo-Ethiopian War<br />
<br />
2) The Haitian Revolution overthrowing the French colonial power that had ruled the slavery plantation enterprise, 1791-1804<br />
<br />
3) The Battle of Pollilur (the one I just learned about and that prompted this post) Sept. 10, 1780, when the forces of the South Asian (current-day southern India) Kingdom of Mysore defeated the forces of the colonizing British East India Company.<br />
<br />
4) Little Bighorn, June 25-26, 1876. 'Nuff said.<br />
<br />Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-18627555476204263002019-01-04T04:27:00.000-05:002019-01-04T04:28:08.778-05:00When the "creationists" got it right!I've been teaching college classes on race for almost 10 years, and for most of that time I've been showing some part or other of an excellent video series called <i>Race: the Power of an Illusion.</i> I've always found it ironic that, in one part of the story, we find that in the 19th century a debate raged about "monogenesis" vs. "polygenesis." the monogenesists insisted that, like the account in the Hebrew book of Genesis, that there was one creation, one pair of man (Adam) and woman (Eve) from which all subsequent humans were descended. The polygenesists, on the other hand, argued that, because they (white people) had nothing in common with the inferior Asian and black African and American Indian people of their day (as they saw it), that the book of Genesis must only relate to the origins of white people, and that those other groups must have had their own, separate origins, with no common ancestors shared.<br />
<br />
In this case, then, while the reasoning (an unquestioning dependence on scripture as literal truth) was wrong (in my opinion), the religious adherents actually ended up with the accurate conclusion, whereas the other folks, many of them scientists, who started with an unquestioned presupposition based on the racist ideology that white people were superior, and thus justified in oppressing nonwhite peoples, were led to a grossly inaccurate position.<br />
<br />
This stands in stark contrast to the debate in the 20th century over Darwin and evolution, which led the religionists to reject the truth, and the adherents of science to get it right.<br />
<br />
How about that?!Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-52385332214565609222019-01-03T22:45:00.001-05:002019-01-03T22:45:08.326-05:00ETS admins decision looks fishy to meCheck it out:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/teen-denies-cheating-sats-wont-let-anybody-take-dreams-away-224741819.html" target="_blank">African American teen girl denies cheating</a>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-30759844144548917392018-08-09T13:33:00.002-04:002018-08-09T13:33:32.803-04:00Does "School Secession" lead to more racial seg?Here's the link to the Brookings institute research article:<br />
<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/do-school-secessions-worsen-racial-segregation-its-complicated/" target="_blank">https://www.brookings.edu/research/do-school-secessions-worsen-racial-segregation-its-complicated/</a>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103861936871428259.post-74919923204431583182018-02-06T18:28:00.003-05:002018-03-09T16:48:01.999-05:00Hey John Kelly: "I See Your True Colors..."<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The slur heard 'round the world: "too lazy to get off their asses." "The adult" in the room turns out to be Archie Bunker. I's at about 42 sec. mark on this audio from WP:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/kelly-dreamers-who-didnt-sign-up-for-daca-were-too-afraid-or-too-lazy/2018/02/06/01172cf6-0b66-11e8-998c-96deb18cca19_video.html?utm_term=.b2e78dfa9d8f">https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/kelly-dreamers-who-didnt-sign-up-for-daca-were-too-afraid-or-too-lazy/2018/02/06/01172cf6-0b66-11e8-998c-96deb18cca19_video.html?utm_term=.b2e78dfa9d8f</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Steve McGlameryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10159866921023774237noreply@blogger.com0