We Must Outlaw Gerrymandering and Voter ID Laws

Republicans don't feel they've gerrymandered enough or put into place enough voter ID laws and disenfranchised enough Americans. They want to do it still more, after this last election they lost. We must stop them. We must not allow it. It's un-American.

Quote of the Day -- Right Wing, Republican Party Racist Vote Suppression Edition

"When the history of this era is written, it will be remembered as shameful for many reasons, but none will stand out as starkly as the Republican Party’s complete abandonment of voting rights and commitment to free and fair elections." --Marc E. Elias @marceelias

CPAC, Already, Today

In just one morning, today, so far, at CPAC, Ted Cruz laughed about his Cancun debacle while Texans literally froze to death, they did a tribute to racist, sexist, homophobic, misogynist Rush Limbaugh and they wheeled out---no kidding here--a GOLD STATUE of none other than Donald J "Jenius" Trump that looked for all the world, not like they were honoring him but that they were, instead, mocking and laughing at him. You know, the way all the rest of us do. Check it out for yourself.

Seriously, y'all, when you're done with that, could we use that at Democratic National Committee gatherings? That's fantastic. "The Onion" and SNL can't write stuff this good. If only they, the Republicans, weren't actually serious with all this. Wow.

During This Black History Month

I wish more Americans, yes, more white Americans in particular, would watch all of this debate between writer James Baldwin and Right Wing conservative William F. Buckley. I wish they'd see and understand it. All of it.

It took place in 1965 at Cambridge University and still very much resonates today.

Our KC Star Finally Gets It on Race -- Will KCPT?

 Yes, as I wrote earlier last week, I thought it pretty incredible and courageous and soul-searching for our Kansas City Star local newspaper to own up and 'fess up to their very racist, white supremacist past. Great for them, great for us. Progress. Surprising and again, incredible. Very encouraging and hopeful.

So now, a next step, it makes me wonder aloud here if our local PBS station will ever "get it" on race, too. If KCPT will ever be truly inclusive. I've written about it before.

They used  to have 2 weekly news programs and now they're down to one. Both were heavily, heavily represented by---wait for it--white people. Only. Singularly. And the one now gone was also heavily full of Right Wing and/or conservative and/or out and out Republican Party guests and viewpoints. It was dispiriting to say the least.

And even now, still, to this day, their "Week in Review" program is heavily all white. Here's the latest example.

Where it used to be a solidly, dependably, weekly all white panel, now they seem to have finally, finally committed to having a reliable, token Black person, a Black man.  At least there is that improvement.

But to this day, as in this week's episode, there are 3 white people.

That's it.

Three men, one woman and one Black man, that's it.

Occasionally, occasionally they will include a Hispanic or Latinx member of the community but it is rare, at best. They apparently take money from and advertise the Dos Mundos newspaper but no steady representation of our Hispanic community. It's almost as though they don't live here. Or at least, it's as though KCPT either just doesn't or doesn't want to recognize them, Hispanics in the community.

In their defense, I know this isn't true. I know the station and the host, Nick Haines, want to be fair and representative of us all.

But it ain't happenin'.

It's 2020, very nearly 2021, of course, and still no representation, no reliable, steady, dependable representation of ALL in our community.

But hey, if you're white? Or more, if you're a white man? They got you covered. Great for you.

So come on, KCPT. Do it. Somehow, do it. Get it done. Commit to, somehow, having, say, one white maile, one white female, yes a Black person, male or female and the---wait for it---a Hispanic or Latinx person, again, male or female on your program, on this program, on "Week in REview", week after week after week. Reliably. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to good, fair representative media. 

You owe it to all of us.

Quote of the Day -- On this President and Privilege and Much More

Seriously.