Clarence Thomas Votes Against the Civil Rights Voting Act

Congress approved the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to prevent local officials from disenfranchising minority voters through a variety of tactics. In the past, local officials have located polling places in spots inconvenient to minority groups, or drawn boundaries of voting districts to dilute their strength.

Section 5 requires the Justice Department to "preclear" changes in voting rules in certain states and municipalities, mostly in the Deep South.

The court rightly decided that Congress deserved latitude when lawmakers decided in 2006 to extend Section 5 for 25 years. Congress amassed ample evidence of the need for prolonged federal oversight. Philadelphia Inquirer

Just to state the facts of the vote, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. also noted that the nation today is significantly different from the one that adopted the act 40 years ago and that federal intervention in state election procedures may no longer be justified in an era when thousands of African-Americans hold office across the country and the nation recently elected its first black president.

Yes, times have changed since the voting act was passed; but the more things change, the more they stay the same. As Latinos become the majority minority in this country, although Latino is not a race, statistics point to them eventually becoming the majority. For a change so drastic in this country to take place, the government should continue to play a role in our democracy to guarantee the right for all to vote.

The case may be different for African-Americans since the 1960's and because of the African-American civil rights struggles of the past, other ethnic minority groups do not have to fight the same fight- but old habits die hard for some and there's no need to undue the law if it protects the rights and does not violate the rights of others.

So why did Clarence Thomas vote against the act? I don't know. Maybe he is only taking into consideration the struggle of African-Americans and thinks that the struggle is over because we have made great strides. But as a Supreme Court Justice, he should consider all of the country and acknowledge the fact that this country still has a way to go with its poor and disenfranchised as well as minorities.

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The President's Comments on Situation in Iran

As the turmoil over the election outcome in Iran continues, Republicans begin to chime in on President Obama's so called lack of words. The Sunday political news shows were full of Republicans who feel that President Obama has not taken a strong enough stand or has not spoken out directly about the unrest occurring in Iran.

"The president of the United States is supposed to lead the free world, not follow it," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday. "He's been timid and passive more than I would like."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and others noted that Western leaders, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have demanded a recount or more forcefully condemned the government crackdown.

"I'd like to see the president be stronger than he has been, although I appreciate the comments that he made yesterday," McCain said. "I think we ought to have America lead."

To put the whole controversy in a nutshell, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are not fighting two wars on two separate fronts. They can sell "wolf tickets" and comment all they want. Commenting and meddling in other country's affairs is what has caused much of this in the first place.

We need to let Democracy run its course in Iran and leave it be. The United States interfering with comments does not help at all. We commented and interfered in 1979 and we all know the outcome of that. If this country believes in democracy, let the people of Iran liberate themselves. We are still liberating the people of Iraq. Our comments will serve no purpose other than to make matters worst for the demonstrators that are trying to exercise their democracy rights. The Iranian government will only use US comments to fuel the fire and to use more force against the protectors.

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The New Republican Party: Why Rush Thinks He's the Leader

With all this in-fighting and bickering going on within the Republican Party, there has to be an outcome of something new. The party will have to emerge as a newly reformed, reborn party. The name calling, the finger pointing, all the apologizes have to amount to something.

I think a lot of this is being done so that the party can stay in the media and in the minds of Americans while it rebuilds. If it were not for the arguing and in fighting, nothing is coming from the Republican Party at all. Not unless you count the publicity Sarah Palin continues to get from time to time.

The latest in-house fighting amongst the Republican Party is former Vice President Dick Cheney saying he would take Rush Limbugh over Colin Powell any day. Come on Dick. I mean really? Rush is an entertainer. Had it not been for the Republican Michael Steele making a public apology to Rush, Rush would be a loner out there continuing to look for a fish to hook.

Everything he attempted in this last presidential election failed miserably. First within his own party he spoke out diligently against John McCain. When McCain won the nomination, of course he had to jump on the bandwagon and go along with McCain. When Obama became the fore- runner of the Democratic Party's nomination, after years and years of bashing Hilary Clinton and the Clinton Administration, Limbugh begins what he calls "operation chaos." I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure that one out. But needless to say that didn't work either.

So Rush was on his way to being obsolete until Michael Steele comes along with his apology and now Rush is back on top. Of course we can't forget his continued controversial comments about the current Administration that keeps him in the news. And now the former Vice President has joined in to make Rush seem like a true politician. Well he's not. He is an entertainer. He entertains himself along with the millions of others who listens for entertainment or the ones that actually take him seriously.

Right now, I think the Republican Party is using Limbugh to stay in the news and in the spot light. Without him, the Republican Party would not even make the news cycle.

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The death of a tenth-grade Chicago Public School student on the Southwest Side Saturday afternoon raises the number of students killed this school year to 35, surpassing the 26 students who died last year.
Alex Arellano, 15, was found dead in an alley of apparent burns, according to Chicago Breaking News. Detectives are treating Arellano’s death as a homicide; police said victim, a sophomore at Chicago Discovery Academy, had no gang affiliation or criminal record. Chicagoist.com

When Mayor Daley was asked to comment about the situation in his city, he simply stated that this happens in all the big cities in America and the only difference is that other cities call the kids dropouts instead of students, as to where in Chicago they are still referred to as students.
What an answer.

While the news cycle continues to run the same "big" stories of the day, we are all still distracted from the important issues of life and this country. Our children are dying at an unbelievable rate and no one seems to care in this country; or at least on any of the news channels. I am truly sadden by this story as I watched the news yesterday to only hear the same stories over and over on each channel.

We are continuously distracted in this country mainly by the media that reports the bias news of the day. Majority of the news that is reported is a distraction from the main issues of the day. We continue to fall for this day after day and year after year.

What is really and truly important in this country and to most people of America are our children and they are continuously overlooked. Our children are our future and if we care more about a celebrity having surgery or following politics constantly knowing that things really aren't going to change; choosing one side over the other when both parties have run this country basically into ground is all a distraction.

If we want to improve this country WE the people for the people by the people must take charge and control and not allow the media to tell us what is important any longer.

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Fox Says No to President's 100 Day Speech

The Fox Network is not showing President Obama's speech tonight. Fox is the only major network not airing the speech. Fox's sister channels, Fox News and Fox Business channels will both air the speech. The speech is said to cost the networks an estimated $21.5 million dollars in revenue for the prime time slot of 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM according to Nielsen.

The other networks are airing the speech commercial free and in its entirety on its regular TV channels as well as its news channels. So is this a financial decision for Fox or is this Fox's way of "sticking" it to the Obama administration?

I think it is fine. In the day of satellite and cable television, I think it is OK for a non-cable channel to offer something different for the many Americans that are completely clueless to the fact that the country is in a deep recession, war is threatening on every front and that there could possibly be a pandemic going on. Provide them with something else to watch. They need it.

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