civil rights

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing


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Opposes Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to protect victims of discrimination

Elizabeth Dole today voted against the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act which would ensure that victims of pay discrimination can hold their employers accountable under existing anti-discrimination laws. Dole’s vote comes one day after Equal Pay Day, which highlights the disparity in wages between women and men – currently at 78 cents to the dollar in North Carolina.

“The last thing hardworking North Carolina families need is a paycheck further slashed by discrimination, but Elizabeth Dole passed on guaranteeing equal pay for equal work today,” DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said. “With Elizabeth Dole’s record, it’s no wonder she voted against holding people accountable today, but that’s exactly what the voters are going to do to her in November.”

The North Carolina Democratic Party pauses today to mark the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King was murdered at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead sanitation workers on a protest against low wages and unsafe working conditions.

This grim anniversary comes at a time when Democrats are poised to elect the nation’s first African-American or female President.

We carry the embers of Dr. King’s unfinished work as Democrats have successfully worked to increase state and federal minimum wage rates.

Heath Shuler and Mike McIntyre voted with 159 Republicans and 23 Democrats to allow employers to discriminate against gay and lesbian employees. That is, they voted to give employers permission to fire employees solely because of their sexual orientation. The bill, Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), passed the House on a 235-184 vote, no thanks to Congressmen Shuler and McIntyre, who again chose to give their homosexual constituents a raw deal.

Here’s what Shuler said in a press release regarding his opposition to ENDA. This is the statement in full:

“I oppose discrimination and bigotry in any and all forms. I was pleased to support Chairman Miller’s amendment to bring further clarification to this legislation. However, I was unable to support final passage of this bill because I believe there are still serious legal ambiguities in the legislation, which could lead to protracted and onerous legal challenges. I look forward to working with my colleagues to address these concerns as this legislation moves forward.”

Shuler did not name a single “legal ambiguity”, nor did he explain why fear of legal challenges would outweigh taking a principled stance opposing “discrimination and bigotry”. Chairman Miller’s amendment made it certain that religious groups could continue discriminating and that this wasn’t some sneaky way to allow gays to marry. In otherwords, Shuler supported the amendment, which would allow and support continued discrimination, but he opposed the actual bill, which makes discrimination on the job illegal.

NCDP Chair Jerry Meek announced today that state Democrats would participate in an unprecedented 50-state election protection program to prepare for the 2008 election.

North Carolina will participate in an in-depth nationwide survey to collect critical data on the often confusing and complex sets of administrative practices and decisions governing our nation’s elections. We will work with election officials throughout the state to help identify potential issues so they can be resolved well in advance of the 2008 election.

More specifically, we will work with local election officials to answer critical questions about voter registration, centralized voter databases, voting systems and absentee voting, provisional balloting, polling place procedures and Election Day preparation.

Data collected from the survey will be analyzed to determine the needs of each election locality and the next steps for strengthening the election process in that locality.

“North Carolina Democrats will not rest until every single eligible North Carolinian can register to vote, cast their ballot without fear of intimidation or harassment, and have confidence that their vote will be counted fairly and accurately,” said NCDP Chair Jerry Meek.

“Our commitment stands in stark contrast to what we’ve seen from Republicans both here in North Carolina and across the country,” Meek said. “From false reports of voter fraud and restrictive voter ID proposals to voter purging and voter intimidation tactics, Republicans want to place a variety of roadblocks that keep countless Americans from exercising their right to vote."

America’s Federal Government has plenty of armed / intelligence agencies.
National Intelligence Agency (NIA)
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
The Treasury’s United States Secret Service (USSS)
Department of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms (ATF)
Transportation Security Agency (TSA)
The IRS armed enforcement branch, the Criminal Investigation Service (IRS-CIS)
U.S. Marshall Service (USMS)
National Security Counsel (NSC)
National Security Agency (NSA)
US Department of Immigration Naturalization (INS)
Department of Defense (DoD)
State Department Security (DSS)
There are at least ten other U.S. Government security agencies NOT listed here.
Security is not our problem. Never was.

A Reformation is a new morning, an improvement, a renovation or, restoration. I believe that America is on the verge of just such a new morning, a reformation. I admit to being an optimist, but I am also grounded in a lifetime of real experiences and having been present during many significant worldly events. Because I believe a Democrat will be elected in 2008, to replace President Bush, I feel a renewal to Americas commitment to human rights, justice and the return to checks and balances in our government is just on our political horizon and I am raring to see it happen and be part of its rebirth.

Soon, I believe, America will be waking to the real prospect of universal health care, an end to America’s military involvement in Iraq’s civil war and the beginning of a worthy and long overdue American war; a war on poverty, hunger and sickness in America first and to the world as well. Our trade deficiencies will be addressed and the hard work of reducing the crippling Ten Trillion dollar U.S. deficit left by the Bush Administration will begin.

What are the real causes of decreased voter turnout? Its not due to lack of convenience. If we don't examine the real causes we won't come up with a real solution...
Some of the main causes are: decreased voter registration efforts by govt agencies, problems and errors within voter registration databases, and supressive photo id requirements in some states.

Yesterday Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) denounced Senator Tom Coburn's (R-OK) announcement that he would place a hold on The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which was passed in the House of Representatives yesterday by a vote of 422 to 2 and scheduled to be passed by unanimous consent in the Senate Thursday. Thursday marked the anniversary of the kidnapping and murder of three young civil rights workers (Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner) in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and is also the anniversary of Edgar Ray Killen's conviction for those crimes two years ago.

Whoa, that is a large watch list. Reminds me of the good ole days. McCarthy 08!