February 8, 2013 · 1:41 pm

Was Jackie Kennedy Really Our First “Black” First Lady?

If you go by the old Southern “One Drop Rule”, she just may have been!

Of course, if you applied the One Drop Rule, meaning even one Black ancestor or one drop of “Black Blood” makes you Black, there would be a lot of Klansmen committing suicide.  Not that that’s a bad thing….

Still, I think of Jackie as more like Ava Gardner in “Show Boat.”  Not really Black, but now being asked to play the part….

But it’s all open to debate.

Oh, by the way, this standard also means Anderson Cooper is Black.

Anyway, this is part of a fascinating article at AlterNet.org about unknown facts for Black History Month.

Jackie O, perhaps America’s most emulated and admired First Lady, descended from a family known as the van Salee’s, who were described as “mulatto” in the 17th century. This family traced its lineage in part to a Dutch mariner named Jan Jensen, who turned Turk (what some Europeans called “going native”), which was more popular than common history reveals.

It is widely believed Jensen fathered two children, Anthony and Abraham van Salee, by a Moorish concubine. Following a dispute with his white wife, Anthony van Salee was exiled to territory across the river, where he became Brooklyn’s first settler. Until a few decades ago, this property adjoining Coney Island was called Turk’s Island after Anthony van Salle — the term “Turk,” in his day being synonymous with Moor (North African). A descendant, John van Salee De Grasse, born in 1825, was the first black American formally educated as a doctor. When Jackie Kennedy was asked about her van Salee roots during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, she called her ancestors “Jewish.” Of course, her socialite father, born in 1891, was nicknamed “Black Jack” Bouvier for his swarthy complexion. In the 1960s, journalists described the First Lady’s features as “French,” earning her the cover page of countless magazines, including film and fan publications. Not only Kennedy Onassis, but well-borns Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Vanderbilt (and thus Anderson Cooper), are van Salee descendants.

MORE:   Michelle Obama Is Not Our First Black First Lady? 10 Fascinating Things You Didn’t Know About Black History | Alternet.

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February 7, 2013 · 9:10 pm

Howard Fineman: Karl Rove Is Done

From Howard’s mouth to God’s ear….

We can only hope his predictions are true.

This is a really fascinating article on the rise and, hopefully, fall of Karl Rove and the current far-right, Tea Party infused Republican Party.  It offers a great historical perspective.

Here is a brief excerpt and a link, which I encourage you to follow, to the full story by Howard Fineman at the Huffington Post:

The party of Paul, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Gov. Rick Scott of Florida and many others is a throwback to the nativism and principled know-nothing-ism of conservatives whom the likes of William F. Buckley and Ronald Reagan purged from the party long ago, making it safe for the Roves of the world to advance.

It took the likes of Buckley and Reagan two decades to rid the GOP and the mainstream conservative movement of the John Birchers, ultra-isolationists and flat-out segregationists and to create a party and a platform that would win a national election.

Now leaders and potential leaders such as Cruz (a rising force to be reckoned with) and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida need to perform the same cleansing task — and will probably have to take on the Paulites (who are paranoid conspiracy theorists at heart) to do it.

The war for the soul of the Republican Party is real, deep and reminiscent of that earlier conflict. For the GOP it ended well: they harnessed the energy at the grassroots to take over Washington.

This equally bitter GOP civil war may end in the party’s revival, too. But it won’t be Rove, or one of his clients, who is able to end it.

He’s done.

via Howard Fineman: Karl Rove Is Done.

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February 7, 2013 · 7:46 pm

Gun Issue May Drive Women To 2014 Polls

Off-year elections are always terribly problematic for Democrats.  The Republican base of crazies and old, rich white people always shows up at the polls.  The Democratic constituency doesn’t.

That’s how we got stuck with the Republican House and how the GOP took over so many state legislature and thus gerrymandered the Congressional districts to protect the GOP House.  And how so many crazy Republican Governors got elected in 2010….

The Democrats have to find issues that will drive their voters to the polls in these off-year elections.  Gun control may be one of them.  We just have to break through the DC Bubble about Guns and their fear of the NRA.

All the polls say the public widely supports additional gun controls like background checks, banning assault weapons and high volume magazines.  We just have to get the Dems to believe this and come up with a credible and effective messaging process.

That’s always the biggest challenge:   The Democrats just don’t know how to message and make the most of issues that drive their supporters to the polls.

But they may be starting to learn…

From TalkingPointsMemo.com:

 

Women who don’t usually vote in midterm elections — the same women who generally drive Democratic victories — will turn out in 2014 over the issue of guns, according to a recent poll.

The survey released by Women Donors Network, a self-described progressive “community of women philanthropists,” found that a subset of women voters who usually don’t vote in midterm elections are more likely to vote in 2014 on the issue of gun violence.

That echoes what former Rep. Steve LaTourette (OH), now a militant moderate leader in the Republican Party, said on Tuesday when he cautioned his party against sticking too close to the National Rifle Association in the post-Newtown legislative push to reduce gun violence. If the GOP is seen as being in the pocket of the NRA, he said, it could cost the party big with women in future elections.

The survey, which was conducted by Democratic pollster Diane Feldman and Republican pollster Bob Carpenter using live phone calls to 1,500 women, found that “women who may not ordinarily vote in a non-presidential year are among those most engaged with issues of gun violence.” The group also posted a PDF slide deck presenting the poll’s findings.

Feldman explained in an interview with TPM on Wednesday the results mean guns could be good politics for Democrats.

“As we approach the 2014 congressional elections, the question will be to what degree do single women, lower income women, persons of color participate since that’s the Democratic edge,” she said. “And this is an issue that can encourage them to participate.”

MORE:   Gun Issue May Drive Women To 2014 Polls | TPMDC.

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February 7, 2013 · 7:08 pm

North Carolina Unemployment Bill Would Lose State $600 Million In Federal Benefits

Things just keep getting worse and worse under the McCory administration….

This is not just morally wrong, it’s stupid.

Democrats have to do a better job of making people aware of the real Republican agenda.  I can’t help but think if people really knew what these guys were up to, they wouldn’t vote for them.  The GOP is dependent on smoke and mirrors to hide their insensitivity and true plans.

I have to blame the Dems for letting them get away with this….

I keep saying, if the NC Democrats knew how to run a political campaign, we would not have to suffer under these heartless, wrong-headed Republicans.

I can only hope the NC Democrats realize this and are going to get their act together before too many people and wonderful institutions are hurt or destroyed by the GOP legislature and the GOP Governor.

From Huffingtonpost.com:

 

North Carolina lawmakers are considering a bill that would slash unemployment benefits and cause the state to lose roughly $600 million worth of extended jobless compensation paid entirely by the federal government.

The measure would reduce the maximum weekly benefit from $530 to $350 per person. If it passes, North Carolina workers will no longer receive long-term compensation starting in July, since states cannot remain eligible for federal unemployment insurance if local lawmakers cut weekly benefit amounts. An estimated 80,000 people would miss out on federal extended benefits, according to the North Carolina Justice Center, a worker advocacy nonprofit. At $25 million per week, the total loss over time amounts to more than $600 million.

Policy experts said the move would be unprecedented. “It is pretty amazing,” the center’s Alexandra Sirota said in an interview. “As far as we know, no other state has rejected federal dollars to push that level of benefit cuts.”

More:   North Carolina Unemployment Bill Would Lose State $600 Million In Federal Benefits.

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February 5, 2013 · 10:11 pm

Matt Moore, ‘Ex-Gay’ Christian Advocate, Exposed On Grindr

Here we go again…

Such sick puppies…

From Salon.com:

An “ex-gay” Christian advocate, who blogs about how religion saved him from a life of homosexual sin, was recently discovered on gay hookup app Grindr.

Matt Moore, a blogger for the Christian Post, writes extensively about how Christianity has helped him to turn away from a gay lifestyle. But, apparently it didn’t help him quite enough to steer him away from Grindr.

Freethought Blogs writer Zinnia Jones, LGBT rights activist and HuffPost GayVoices blogger, was the first to expose Moore’s Grindr account on Monday. At first, she questioned if the account could be a fake, but Moore later admitted the Grindr profile was his.

“I am wrong in having been on grindr. I haven’t changed my views on homosexuality, the bible, etc.,” he said to Jones. “Creating a grindr profile and talking to guys on it was major disobedience on my part….disobedience to Christ. Disobedience to a loving and gracious God. Thankfully, I believe that He forgives me for this disobedience. I believe the blood of Christ covers this disobedience. And I won’t be on grindr again….ever.”

via Matt Moore, ‘Ex-Gay’ Christian Advocate, Exposed On Grindr.

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February 5, 2013 · 8:10 pm

Dems Move to Change Federal Pot Laws

I’ve seen some comments on Facebook and blogs from my old hometown in Virginia- formerly big tobacco country and now heavily Republican territory- pushing for legalization of Marijuana and Hemp to replace the economic void left by the collapse of the tobacco market.

They seem to think growing and selling Marijuana and hemp could replace tobacco and bring back the prosperity of the old economy with a new twist.  And they also seem to think they could reopen what’s left of the cotton mills to mill hemp and make hemp products.

And they are mostly Republicans there now…

Makes you question their grasp of reality…

It’s also amazing how fast their “moral” qualms about Marijuana and hemp go away at the prospect of a new cash crop..

Still….

This is getting interesting….

From Salon.com:

SEATTLE (AP) — An effort is building in Congress to change U.S. marijuana laws, including moves to legalize the industrial production of hemp and establish a hefty federal pot tax.

While passage this year could be a longshot, lawmakers from both parties have been quietly working on several bills, the first of which Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Jared Polis of Colorado plan to introduce Tuesday, Blumenauer told The Associated Press.

Polis’ measure would regulate marijuana the way the federal government handles alcohol: In states that legalize pot, growers would have to obtain a federal permit. Oversight of marijuana would be removed from the Drug Enforcement Administration and given to the newly renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms, and it would remain illegal to bring marijuana from a state where it’s legal to one where it isn’t.

The bill is based on a legalization measure previously pushed by former Reps. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Ron Paul of Texas.

via Dems move to change federal pot laws – Salon.com.

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February 4, 2013 · 8:25 pm

Hillary Clinton in 2016: Be Afraid, Republicans

Run, Hillary, Run!

With early numbers like I’m seeing, she could have the longest coattails of any recent candidate.  And with the Republican gerrymandering, it’s going to take a lot of long coattails to win back the house.

It would also be so, so gratifying to see the GOP Southern Strategy, that they have used since Nixon,  finally collapse.  A Democrat winning Texas and Kentucky?  Still a long shot, but oh so sweet a possibility….

 

From the Daily Beast”

 

Message to the Republican Party: be afraid, be very afraid.

Hillary Clinton stands atop of the Democratic 2016 scrum, set to resume where Bill left off. A second Clinton candidacy would likely put the white vote in play and jeopardize the GOP’s dominance in the Old Confederacy. Recent polls put Hillary ahead of possible Republican challengers in vote-rich Texas and in Kentucky, home of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Tea Party favorite Rand Paul.

Unlike her husband, Hillary is personally disciplined. Unlike Barack Obama, she has demonstrated an ability to connect with beer-track voters across the country.

More:   Hillary Clinton in 2016: Be Afraid, Republicans – The Daily Beast.

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February 4, 2013 · 7:00 pm

Happy 100th Birthday, Income Tax!

You know, I really wouldn’t mind paying taxes if they were used for education, infrastructure build, increased social programs and hiring more government works to do things like process VA claims applications….

I think it’s my civic duty.  It’s a close to tithing as I get….

I just hate that my tax dollars go to ridiculous and/or immoral things like unnecessary wars, oil company subsidies and Mitch McConnell’s salary….

From Daily Finance:

 

On Sunday, the Sixteenth Amendment, the one that laid the groundwork for a permanent federal income tax, celebrated its 100th birthday. Needless to say, not everybody was lining up to celebrate. In Forbes, wealth manager David Marotta used the anniversary as an opportunity to exhort readers to “Let the Income Tax Die at 100.” Meanwhile, over at The Global Dispatch, Robert Harriman paired anti-tax quotes from a trio of Founding Fathers with a pro-tax quote from Karl Marx.

Even the biggest fans of the income tax system are generally quick to admit that they don’t really like paying taxes, and some of its most furious foes have gone so far as to claim that the Sixteenth Amendment was never actually ratified. But whether you think federal income taxes are an unconstitutional power grab or, as Ray Raphael argued in Article 3, a natural progression from the property-based tax system that existed almost since the country’s founding, one thing is certain: If it weren’t for the federal tax system, America would never have been able to reach its current position in the world.

The interstate highway system that was key to America’s postwar dominance? Fully 90 percent of it was funded by federal income taxes. The space exploration program that put the American flag on the moon? That money came from income taxes, too. The same goes for the standing army, the EPA, the Food and Drug Administration, and hundreds of other programs, large and small, that help keep Americans healthy, educated, and protected. And, as we’ve seen recently, reduced tax revenue makes it much harder to keep those programs operating.

As for all those entitlement programs that have gotten so much criticism in recent years, they’re paid for through taxes as well. And, lest we wonder how Medicare and unemployment, WIC and student loan programs help keep America strong and safe, it’s worth remembering that a healthy, well-educated work force is the key to keeping — and, hopefully, strengthening — America’s place in the world.

via Happy 100th Birthday, Income Tax! – DailyFinance.

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February 4, 2013 · 5:55 pm

Richard III’s Remains Found

I’m fascinated by this story…

Once a History Major, always a History Major….

Another reason to pursue a Liberal Arts Education:  You find lots of strange things fascinating and never get bored!  You will also be really good at cocktail party conversations…

From Slate.com:

The bones found underneath a parking lot in Leicester, England, are “beyond reasonable doubt” those of King Richard III, experts at the University of Leicester announced today.

Richard III, as you might remember from the eponymous Shakespeare play, died in the last major battle of the War of the Roses in 1485, although his resting place remained largely a mystery. At least until now.

Why are the archaeologists so certain they’ve found their man? Well, for starters the skeleton’s wounds are consistent with accounts of the fight that killed the king. According to the New York Times, there were also other potential giveaways. The remains were of the right age—the king was 32 when he died—and showed signs of a diet rich in protein, something indicative of a privileged life at the time. There was also a curve to the spine consistent with scoliosis, said to give Richard his hunchback. Oh, and the bones were found at the exact spot that priest and historian John Rouse identified as the king’s final resting place way back in 1490.*

That was all well and good but not enough for a beyond-reasonable-doubt conclusion. That came only after experts got the results of a recent DNA test that showed samples taken from the skeleton matched up with those taken from two known descendants of the the House of Plantagenet, the royal family that ended its reign with Richard III’s death.

via Richard III remains: bones found under Leicester parking lot are confirmed as those of Richard III, according to DNA testing..

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February 2, 2013 · 5:12 pm

Online Ads More Likely To Deliver Malware Than Surfing Porn Sites

Sounds like porn sites have been getting an undeservedly bad rep…

At least as far as being a source of computer viruses….

Not that I would know anything about this, of course….

Sounds like the real spyware danger may come from Google shopping!

Which I know entirely too much about….

Interesting story from ThinkProgress.com:

 

Your online habits may be less dangerous than you think if they involve the less savory aspects of the web: According to Cisco’s annual 2013 Security Report internet users are 182 times more likely to get malware from clicking on online ads than visiting a porn site. It turns out, the site on the gray or black market edges of the web most of us traditionally think of as dangerous aren’t the biggest threats to your online security, instead:

“The dangers […] are often hidden in plain sight through exploit-laden online ads that are distributed to legitimate websites, or hackers targeting the user community on the common sites they use most.”

Those common sites include online shopping and search engines, which were 21 and 27 times more likely respectively to deliver malicious content than counterfeit software sites according to Cisco. Unsurprisingly, the Pew Internet & American Life Project reports of the 81% of American adults who use the internet some 91 percent report using search engines to find information and 71 percent buy products online.

via Clicking Online Ads More Likely To Deliver Malware Than Surfing Porn Sites, Report Finds | ThinkProgress.

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