A movie depicting a host of courageous lawyers, including my father, who fought against segregation in Birmingham, is being made. Finally, they are being given their just due
Dianne McWhorter's : "Carry Me Home," which won a Pulitzer Prize, also documented the story of segregation in Birmingham and the white communities' role in fighting desegregation. (See 1 below.)
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IS SWEETNESS AND LIGHT ABOUT TO DESCEND? (SEE 2 BELOW.)
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The new normal?
I am going to be very simplistic in hope of making the point about the destructive effect of PC'ism.
All nations, numerically speaking, are simply made up of human units.
Medical history reveals that when humans lose their sense of humor they actually have an increase in health issues.
I submit the same is true for nations and this is why I continue to write about the destructive aspects of PC'ism.
Yes, sensitivity to citizens who have handicap issues and making sidewalks easier to navigate is a valid and long overdue side benefit etc.. I am not talking about these matters.
What I am against is the intimidation aspects of PC'ism, the stultification of our entire society. The bending of societies' knee to the imperious beliefs of radicals, bullies and PC apostates etc.
God gave 'man' a sense of humor in order to relieve the pressures and exigencies of life.
When a nation loses its collective sense of humor, I would argue, its days are numbered. Even under the most dire circumstances, Jews, the people of Israel, have survived in some measure because of their sense of humor. Jewish comedians are known for their insights into human frailties and their ability to find humor in just about everything.
In my recent book, I cite a few instances where what once was taken as childish pranks is now treated as serious crimes. I point out that "Our Gang" movies are a thing of the past.
I am not joking when I say America needs to regain its sense of humor and one of the serious impediments to doing so is the insidious impact PC'ism has had on our society.
PC'ism must be fought and returned to its rightful place the graveyard of narrowness. We need to regain a more expansive and tolerant attitude. Where are the: Twain's, Will Roger's,
Rockwell's and yes, even the Archie Bunker's and Johnny Carson's?
I rest my case! (See 3 below)
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One man's view of Fed largess.
It is possible the markets will survive the Fed's excess but now what happens when the Fed begins the withdrawal? (See 4 below.)
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Commentary on our Grandson's "Unbucket List" project:"More than a few drops into the bucket list
One man's view of Fed largess.
It is possible the markets will survive the Fed's excess but now what happens when the Fed begins the withdrawal? (See 4 below.)
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Commentary on our Grandson's "Unbucket List" project:"More than a few drops into the bucket list
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And the show goes on. Maybe they need to take a page from Dr. Carson's playbook! (See 5 below.)
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Dick
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1) There was a great story on al.com highlighting lawyers who played leadership roles in the struggle for civil rights in Birmingham. An upcoming film project will honor these 28 lawyers, black and white, who worked for civil rights in the Birmingham area.
Three of those mentioned also were leaders in our Jewish community. The three, all deceased, were Abe Berkowitz, Jerome "Buddy" Cooper and Edward Friend Jr. Also mentioned was J. Mason Davis, a good friend of our Jewish community and a generous donor to The Birmingham Jewish Federation Annual Campaign.
The BJF continues to be proud of the many Jewish leaders who played a role at this difficult time in Birmingham's history. Virtually all of them were leaders in The BJF as well and generous donors to our Annual Campaign. They are reflective of the Birmingham Jewry's ongoing commitment not only to the welfare of our own community but also to the broader Birmingham community.
Here are edited excerpts from al.com reporter Kent Faulk's story:
While the battle for civil rights unfolded on the streets of Birmingham in the early 1960s, lawyers were also fighting in courtrooms to win the freedom of jailed protestors and challenge unjust laws. The contribution lawyers made to the civil rights movement in Birmingham is the subject of the Journey for Justice Project, a 26-minute documentary film being made by producer Mike Letcher at the University of Alabama Center for Public Television.
The Birmingham Bar Association, the Magic City Bar Association and the Birmingham Bar Foundation announced the project in a press conference at Birmingham City Hall. Birmingham Mayor William Bell said the film project from the bar associations is one of the partnerships the city is promoting during the year-long 50th anniversary of 1963, a pivotal year in the civil rights movement.
"No one stood up better than individuals within the legal community...to make sure it wasn't just action in the street, but we had action within the courtroom and in congress and in the statehouse to change the laws that held people of color back," Bell said.
Magic City Bar Association President Tameka Wren said they were excited about partnering with the Birmingham Bar Association and its charitable arm, the Birmingham Bar Foundation, on a project that will showcase the often "unsung heroes" of the civil rights movement. Some lawyers, even under the threat of death, stepped forward to help get protestors out of jail and fight cases in court, she said.
Arnita Brown Foster, president of the Bar Foundation, said the project also includes the Bar Foundation's Journey for Justice Gala, which will be held May 4 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center. The film will debut at the gala. Another component of the project is education. Volunteer lawyers will go into area high school and show the film or portions of it and talk to students about it.
1) There was a great story on al.com highlighting lawyers who played leadership roles in the struggle for civil rights in Birmingham. An upcoming film project will honor these 28 lawyers, black and white, who worked for civil rights in the Birmingham area.
Three of those mentioned also were leaders in our Jewish community. The three, all deceased, were Abe Berkowitz, Jerome "Buddy" Cooper and Edward Friend Jr. Also mentioned was J. Mason Davis, a good friend of our Jewish community and a generous donor to The Birmingham Jewish Federation Annual Campaign.
Here are edited excerpts from al.com reporter Kent Faulk's story:
While the battle for civil rights unfolded on the streets of Birmingham in the early 1960s, lawyers were also fighting in courtrooms to win the freedom of jailed protestors and challenge unjust laws. The contribution lawyers made to the civil rights movement in Birmingham is the subject of the Journey for Justice Project, a 26-minute documentary film being made by producer Mike Letcher at the University of Alabama Center for Public Television.
Magic City Bar Association President Tameka Wren said they were excited about partnering with the Birmingham Bar Association and its charitable arm, the Birmingham Bar Foundation, on a project that will showcase the often "unsung heroes" of the civil rights movement. Some lawyers, even under the threat of death, stepped forward to help get protestors out of jail and fight cases in court, she said.
Arnita Brown Foster, president of the Bar Foundation, said the project also includes the Bar Foundation's Journey for Justice Gala, which will be held May 4 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center. The film will debut at the gala. Another component of the project is education. Volunteer lawyers will go into area high school and show the film or portions of it and talk to students about it.
Journey for Justice documentary will honor lawyers who fought for civil rights in Birmingham
By Ken Faulk
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - While the battle for civil rights unfolded on the streets of Birmingham in the early 1960s, lawyers were also fighting in courtrooms to win the freedom of jailed protestors and challenge unjust laws.
The contribution lawyers made to the civil rights movement in Birmingham is the subject of the Journey for Justice Project, a 26-minute documentary film being made by producer Mike Letcher at the University of Alabama Center for Public Television.
The Birmingham Bar Association, the Magic City Bar Association and the Birmingham Bar Foundation this afternoon announced the project in a press conference at Birmingham City Hall.
Birmingham Mayor William Bell said the film project from the bar associations is one of the partnerships the city is promoting during the year-long 50th anniversary of 1963, a pivotal year in the civil rights movement.
"No one stood up better than individuals within the legal community who heard the call and the cry of Fred Shuttlesworth, Dr. King and others in the movement to make sure it wasn't just action in the street, but we had action within the courtroom and in congress and in the statehouse to change the laws that held people of color back," Bell said.
Magic City Bar Association President Tameka Wren said they were excited about partnering with the Birmingham Bar Association and its charitable arm, the Birmingham Bar Foundation, on a project that will showcase the often "unsung heroes" of the civil rights movement. Some lawyers, even under the threat of death, stepped forward to help get protestors out of jail and fight cases in court, she said.
Arnita Brown Foster, president of the Bar Foundation, said the project also includes the Bar Foundation's Journey for Justice Gala, which will be held May 4 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center. The film will debut at the gala.
Another component of the project is education. Volunteer lawyers will go into area high school and show the film or portions of it and talk to students about it.
The bar associations are still seeking sponsorships from law firms and corporations to help pay for the film. Any money remaining will go to the Magic City Bar Association's scholarship programs and Birmingham Bar Foundation's programs.
Robert R. Baugh, president of the Birmingham Bar Association, said the Birmingham Bar Association in 1962 recommended in a study that the city's form of government be changed to a mayor-council form of government. That change in form of government led the next year to the ouster of the three-member commission that had run the city, including public safety commissioner Bull Connor who had ordered fire hoses and dogs turned on protestors.
Among the lawyers who are being honored is Clarence Jones, an attorney for King who helped sneak King's famous Letter from the Birmingham Jail from the jail.
Another one is a white attorney, Chuck Morgan, had to shut down his legal practice and move from the city after he spoke out at the Birmingham Young Men's Business Club in the aftermath of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, which killed four young girls, that the entire community should all take responsibility for the climate of hate that had led to the bombing.
"We're very proud to be telling their story," Baugh said.
Other lawyers, including several judges, listed as honorees in the project are:
Oscar W. Adams Jr.; Norman Amaker; James K. Baker; Abe Berkowitz; Orzell Billingsley; Harvey Burg; U.W. Clemon; Jerome "Buddy" Cooper; J. Mason Davis; Edward Friend Jr.; Peter A. Hall; Charles Hamilton Houston: Frank M. Johnson; Paul Johnston; Tom King Sr.; Thurgood Marshall; Nina Miglionico; Constance Baker Motley; Demetrius Newton; Vernon Patrick; J. Richmond Pearson; Arthur D. Shores; C. Erskine Smith; Robert Vance; David Vann; and W.L. Williams Jr.
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2)Netanyahu: Obama Visit Emphasizes US-Israel Alliance
by Yoni Kempinski, Chana Ya'ar
The upcoming visit to Israel by U.S. President Barack Obama was first on the list of items mentioned by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the opening of the weekly Sunday morning Cabinet meeting, "I welcome President Obama's intention to visit Israel," he said, and stated that the visit is very important and will "emphasize the strong alliance between Israel and the U.S."
"I think that the importance of this alliance stands out even more given what is happening, in light of the great revolutions, the earthquakes that are taking place around us throughout the Middle East, from the Atlantic Ocean and North Africa and eastwards to Iran," Netanyahu said. "The President and I have discussed this visit."
"We agreed that we will discuss three main subjects: Iran's arming itself, Iran's attempt to arm itself with nuclear weapons, the unstable situation in Syria and its consequences for the security of the region and, of course, for Israel and the U.S., and efforts to advance the peace process between us and the Palestinians. These issues and others that will come up are weighty concerns and require the most serious consideration on Israel's part," the prime minister continued.
He reiterated, as he had a week earlier, that the nature of the challenge facing the nation was such that it requires as broad a coaltion government as possible, in order to ensure a unified stance when dealing with the struggles ahead.
"I also believe that they require as broad a national unity as possible; the harnessing of all forces in the State of Israel, and this is the nature of our efforts at this time to form a government," Netanyahu said.
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3)France Wakes Up To A Socialist Reality: Will America?
“People call this the ‘new normal.’ Let me assure you there is nothing normal about this at all. It’s the new ‘abnormal,’ and it won’t last, because as free people we won’t stand for it…”
With those remarks, business magnate and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes drew thunderous applause from his audience.
It was October of 2012, about 2 weeks before our last presidential election. Forbes was speaking to a crowd of 10,000 in the comforts of a beautiful indoor sporting area (the “Idaho Center”). He was headlining the “Power Up!” business and motivational seminar with Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani, and Zig Ziglar protégé Krish Dhanam (fyi-we need more native-born Americans to understand American liberty as well as this guy from India named “Krish” understands it).
Forbes had just finished explaining why a confluence of cheap credit, billions of dollars in stimulus spending, lots of new taxes on “rich people,” and a growing-by-the-second government debt have all failed to stimulate our economy. He was confirming with his technical explanation, what many of us instinctively know in our hearts: the reality that no organization- no individual or family, no business, no government – can spend its way out of debt and re-distribute its way to prosperity.
We should all hope that Forbes will be proven right – that, eventually, “as free people, we won’t stand for it.” Because in the election that occurred two weeks after Forbes’ speech, Americans didn’t merely “stand for it” - we asked for more of “it.”
Yet here is our reality: if Americans continue to vote (either blindly or intentionally) for politicians who viciously take expanding portions of wealth away from our society’s producers, and then selfishly redistribute that wealth to the people of their choosing, eventually the producers will stop producing as much wealth, the politicians will run out of other’s people’s money to redistribute, and we will all suffer the consequences.
The social disorder and collapse of Greece and Spain could be our future in the U.S., if, “as free people,” we don’t choose more wisely.
For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, examples abound in this present day of how not to construct a national economy. Greece and Spain qualify, yes, and so does Venezuela. And within the last few months the news from France, another bureaucratic, debt-laden, and not-so-free-anymore part of the world, should be a wake-up call to Americans, as well.
After five years of service from President Nicolas Sarkozy, a leader who sought to reduce government controls of the economy and to stimulate private enterprise, French voters tossed him aside last May in favor of a presidential candidate who was nominated jointly by both the French Socialist Party, and France’s “Radical Left Party.” Francois Hollande campaigned with a set of 60 propositions - referred to as his “manifesto” – which included raising taxes on corporations; raising taxes on banks; raising taxes on “rich” individuals; lowering the official retirement age back down to age 60 from 62; hiring 60,000 new government school teachers; and establishing government subsidized “youth jobs programs” in regions of high unemployment (does any of this sound familiar?).
Today, many French citizens seem horrified that – shock! – President Hollande is doing precisely what he pledged to do. “The situation is very serious” noted Laurence Parisot, head of France’s largest labor union MEDEF in an interview with the London Telegraph. “Some business leaders are in a state of quasi-panic” he claimed, as the Telegraph reported that “France is sliding into a grave economic crisis and risks a full-blown ‘hurricane’ as investors flee rocketing tax rates.”
Within his first six months in office, French President Hollande managed to raise national capital gains taxes from 34.5% to 62.2%, and now the French people are freaking-out. Juxtapose that with the hatred that American Golfer Phil Mickelson experienced when he acknowledged last month that, between federal and California state income taxes, he’s having “62, or 63%” of his earnings taken away each year, and the reality-check is even more striking.
In short, the French apparently now believe that this level of taxation is a dangerous and destructive thing. In America, however, “rich guy” Phil Mickelson is a dangerous and destructive thing.
And consider this: Laurence Parisot, a major, national labor union leader (arguably a counterpart of Teamsters leader James P. Hoffa here in the U.S.) is upset because a Socialist President is taking more money from “the rich” and re-distributing it to others via government employment programs. Such policies would seem like a dream come true for the AFL-CIO, yet the union leader in France seems to understand that the “rich” in his country play a vital role in other people’s livelihoods, and simply seizing more of their money is harmful for everybody – even unionized workers.
The backlash that the Socialist President is enduring suggests that maybe the citizenry is waking up and facing reality. But are Americans facing economic reality yet?
We observed in the so-called “fiscal cliff negotiations” that President Obama’s political abilities to raise income and capital gains taxes are limited. And the suffering among lower and middle income Americans from the infliction of higher payroll taxes, and Obamacare taxes and penalties is so real that last week, even the New York Times had to report on it.
Let’s hope that Steve Forbes is right – that this is not our “new normal;” that we will reject politicians who are vicious with society’s wealth creators. It may, however, have to get much worse in America, before we embrace reality.
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4)
The Federal Reserve’s massive easing program is going to end in financial disaster, says Peter Morici, a professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and former chief economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission.
The Fed has become “an enabler of presidential and congressional inaction [on entitlements, etc.] by keeping interest rates artificially low for five years and now by printing money to buy U.S. bonds and mortgage backed securities at a $1 trillion annual pace,” he writes on his blog.
“Record low interest rates are propping up weak consumer demand but sowing the seeds of another financial crisis.”
Urban real estate is rising to unsustainable levels, as are junk bonds, Morici says. The Fed’s low interest rates have helped push student debt over $1 trillion, with one in six loans in default. The easing also has allowed many states to avoid pension reform, he adds.
“Inevitably, all that money will push up inflation, and then the Fed will be compelled to stop buying bonds and let interest rates rise to levels the federal and state governments can't bear easily,” Morici writes.
“Financial markets will collapse, again!”
The Wall Street Journal editorial staff also opposes Fed policy. “The Fed has led a parade of easing around the world, as other central bankers follow to prevent their currencies from rising too much,” according to a Journal editorial.
“Yet the economic paradox of our time is slow growth and lousy job creation despite these monetary exertions.”
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4)
Morici: ‘Financial Markets Will Collapse’ Due to Continued Fed Easing
The Federal Reserve’s massive easing program is going to end in financial disaster, says Peter Morici, a professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and former chief economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission.
The Fed has become “an enabler of presidential and congressional inaction [on entitlements, etc.] by keeping interest rates artificially low for five years and now by printing money to buy U.S. bonds and mortgage backed securities at a $1 trillion annual pace,” he writes on his blog.
“Record low interest rates are propping up weak consumer demand but sowing the seeds of another financial crisis.”
Urban real estate is rising to unsustainable levels, as are junk bonds, Morici says. The Fed’s low interest rates have helped push student debt over $1 trillion, with one in six loans in default. The easing also has allowed many states to avoid pension reform, he adds.
“Inevitably, all that money will push up inflation, and then the Fed will be compelled to stop buying bonds and let interest rates rise to levels the federal and state governments can't bear easily,” Morici writes.
“Financial markets will collapse, again!”
The Wall Street Journal editorial staff also opposes Fed policy. “The Fed has led a parade of easing around the world, as other central bankers follow to prevent their currencies from rising too much,” according to a Journal editorial.
“Yet the economic paradox of our time is slow growth and lousy job creation despite these monetary exertions.”
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5)Sometimes It’s The Messenger
Infighting continued amongst conservatives and Republicans this week. Karl Rove angered Tea Partiers by implying they don’t know how to pick candidates. Majority Leader Eric Cantor told anyone who would listen Republicans need to learn to craft their message better for a broader audience. Every conservative group and politician is scrambling to find a way to appeal to various groups of Americans in a way that will “work” to win them votes. It reeks of desperation…and it’s nothing new.
After every election loss by Republicans in the last 20 years, the media has declared them dead, particularly the conservative wing of the party. It’s a kabuki dance rarely repeated after a loss by Democrats. There was no media conversation about messaging issues or demographic problems in 1994 like there was in 1992. The media didn’t question how John Kerry lost in 2004, and they blamed Al Gore’s loss to George W. Bush in 2000 on cheating by the courts.
When Democrats lose, it’s a fluke or the result of gerrymandering or other circumstances beyond their control. When Republicans lose it’s proof Americans are done forever with their way of thinking. It’s total rejection of their agenda – wishful thinking on behalf of Democrats projected through the megaphone of their fellow travellers in the media.
But poll after poll shows that, on the issues, this is a center-right nation.
So what’s the issue? Why would a country leaning to the right vote for someone like President Obama, who clearly camps on the left bank of the spectrum? Or, worse yet, why would so many right-leaning Americans stay home, not vote and leave their country to the antithesis of what they believe? The answer is less complicated than people who earn money telling you how complicated it is would have you believe.
When Ronald Reagan won in 1980, the media was just as corrupt and in the tank for Democrats. They were no more open to the conservative message than they are now. And they were the only pathway to the public – there was no internet, no cable news.
But Reagan did things few have done since him – he talked over, around, past the media, directly to the people. He didn’t do so in an apologetic way. He didn’t speak like a dog with a tail between his legs. He was clear, confident and worried more about the clarity of what he was saying than the way it would be portrayed by the media. He knew the media wasn’t going to like him, no matter how he articulated his beliefs, no matter how friendly he was to them (and he was friendly to them).
Reagan laid out a clear vision for the nation without concern for the spin the media megaphone would try to put on it. He trusted the voters. More than that, he trusted himself. He believed in his message and delivered it with confidence. Voters responded the way voters always respond to a clear, confident vision.
Since Reagan, Republicans have spent more of their time trying to be liked by the media than trying to show voters a vision for the future, with one notable exception. In 1994, New Gingrich laid out a solid, unapologetic vision for American in the Contract with America. Democrats and the media elite attacked it relentlessly, referring to it as the “Contract ON America.” But voters, as they always do when presented with a clear, strong choice, saw through the smears and handed Republicans their greatest victory to that time.
The Republican victory in 2000 was as much about a rejection of Al Gore and the Clinton years as it was an embrace of a watered-down version of conservatism. The victory in 2010 was as much a rejection of the liberal agenda as is was anything else. The losses in 2008 and 2012 were the antithesis of what happened in 1980. The Republican candidates, while likable enough, never offered a confident, conservative vision. In the absence of an alternative, or when offered a half-hearted alternative, voters always will side with confidence. And if there’s one thing Barack Obama offers, it’s confidence.
Mitt Romney was somewhat conservative, but he also seemed embarrassed by his success. He allowed Democrats to make his biography, which should have been his source of confidence and greatest asset, into an Achilles heel. Just as importantly, although personally warm and engaging in a small setting, he was one of the least-compelling speakers I’ve ever heard.
Say what you will about Barack Obama, when he’s reading a teleprompter he’s controlling the audience. Even if you disagree with what he’s saying and where he wants to lead the country, there’s no ambiguity about the fact he wants to lead it. In the magnetism column, Republicans currently have no equal.
It’s ironic Eric Cantor is out giving speeches about the importance of messaging considering just how uncompelling a speaker he is. You can have the greatest message in the world, but you’d be better off writing it down than having it delivered by someone with the charisma of a dead fish. Current Republican leadership, including Cantor, Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, are yesterday’s catch. And that’s being generous in the charisma department.
As important as what you say is how you say it. If Winston Churchill had the charm and quick wittedness of the current crop of Republican leadership, history would not remember him because it never would have gotten to know him in the first place.
As so-called leaders perform an autopsy on the 2012 election, they’re really fighting each other for a bigger piece of what ultimately boils down to the purse-strings and the taste of power that brings. Money will be spent and calories will be burnt all in a public fight over what a doctor of pediatric neurosurgery showed the world – that a simple, honest and heartfelt message of self-reliance, or conservatism to put it simply, can satiate the hunger millions of Americans feel.
Of course, it probably will be ignored…because there’s no money in it.
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