Civil Rights Archives - Page 147 of 151

Off-Topic Column – Assemblymember Tim Donnelly’s Week of Failure

By David GreenwaldJanuary 7, 201237 comments

You might ask, who is Tim Donnelly and why are we writing about him in an off-topic column? The answer is that he is a right-wing Republican Assemblymember from Southern California, who somehow managed to be involved in several completely unrelated news stories in which he utterly and completed failed.

It all started on Wednesday, when the freshman legislator was boarding a flight to Sacramento at the Ontario Airport when he was stopped and cited by airport police. Why? He was carrying in his bag, a .45-caliber Colt Mark IV that had four rounds in its magazine and a spare magazine with five additional rounds.

Off-Topic Column – Redevelopment Fall Out, UC Davis Impact, Death Qualification, And Burger King Robbery

By David GreenwaldDecember 31, 20117 comments

Redevelopment Fallout

The first of many takes on redevelopment comes from the Sacramento Bee, one of the few entities critical of the existing system. They argue the Supreme Court “delivered a complete rebuke to cities and redevelopment agencies, deservedly so.”

Unlike many, who see the graveyard for urban renewal, the Bee sees this as an opportunity for Governor Jerry Brown – “an opportunity to restore the worthwhile aspects of redevelopment and, perhaps, use the opportunity to take a new look at how tax money is distributed.”

Criminalizing the Homeless: Sacramento Moves to End Tent City

By David GreenwaldDecember 29, 201142 comments

Throughout the Occupy Movement, I have heard some interesting comments, such as “The camps have become a place where the local homeless population has taken up residence.” As if homeless people somehow do not have legitimate grievances with their government.

Worse yet, many cities have used statutes designed to prevent the homeless from camping in public parks and other public areas to arrest protesters. I say worse yet, because missing in this discussion is one of the major disgraces of the latter part of the 20^th century and early part of the 21^st century – the rash of homelessness in our society, our acceptance of homelessness as normal, and the criminalization of homelessness by cities.

Changing the Laws to Protect Children

By David GreenwaldDecember 28, 20112 comments

It was an all too familiar story that appeared in Monday’s Sacramento Bee which explored the reasons why Child Protective Services decided to return a child to her parents, despite all common sense and reason that suggested they do otherwise.

The specifics in this particular case are horrific. A one-year-old baby drowned in the family’s backyard swimming pool in late 2006.

Off-Topic Column – The Pimentel-Petrovich Connection; The End of the Road For David Crane and Newt Gingrich?

By David GreenwaldDecember 24, 201133 comments

The End of the Road for David Crane – the Would-Be UC Regent

One thing that has become clear in the aftermath of the pepper-spraying incident at UC Davis is the need for new voices on the UC Board of Regents. In his final appointment, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger named David Crane.

Immediately, fierce opposition led University of California students, faculty and workers. A year later, David Crane has failed Senate confirmation to the UC Board of Regents.

Analysis: The Arpaio Factor

By David GreenwaldDecember 22, 201121 comments

The long-time-in-the-making Justice Department report does not just implicate Sheriff Joe Arpaio, it eviscerates him with the force of which we have rarely seen in modern times. The word this week is that the sheriff, who at 79 is not that young anyway, will retire rather than attempt to fight the allegations.

But there is potential fallout from this, in the form of the Republican Presidential Nominee. The impact of Sheriff Arpaio is difficult to assess. It is unlikely to have much bearing on the views of white, middle class voters – who may possess concerns about illegal immigration and its impact on public safety and other factors, but are squeamish as to the sheriff’s tactics to combat illegal immigration.

Gate Rape – Still a “Crime” and Certainly a National Shame

By uptownstudiosDecember 22, 201116 comments

By E. Roberts Musser

The TSA is at it again, still engaging in “gate-rape” of the elderly. The following are the most recent examples:

Inspectors pulled aside Ruth Sherman, age 88, to ask her about the bulge in her pants. Ruth tried to explain about her colostomy bag without success. She was escorted to another room where two female agents made her lower her sweatpants. The humiliated woman was forced to warn the agents not to touch her colostomy bag, because to do so would cause pain.

Obama’s Disappointing Record on Civil Liberties

By David GreenwaldDecember 21, 201122 comments

To say that, to many on the left, the first term of Barack Obama’s presidency has been a profound disappointment is an understatement. While a victim, to some extent, of the realities of his times, President Obama had an opportunity to rectify eight years of questionable civil liberties policies and not only failed to do so, but codified some of the worst atrocities.

Nevertheless, to call him “the most disastrous president in our history in terms of civil liberties, as George Washington professor and columnist Jonathan Turley does, simply ignores the horrible track record we have in this country on such issues. Whether it is the Alien and Sedition Act, the Johnson Administration, the Nixon Administration, the looking the other way as J. Edgar Hoover ran roughshod over the rights of people, or the Bush II administration, Obama would have a high hurdle to cross to get to the worst.

Viewpoints: Examining the Occupation

By David GreenwaldDecember 18, 201123 comments

In his column this week, Willie Brown, the former Speaker and former Mayor of San Francisco argues, “If the Occupy people really want to make a point about the 1 percent, then lay off Oakland and go for the real money down in Silicon Valley.” We argue that Mr. Brown both makes and misses crucial points.

In the meantime, the former labor secretary under Bill Clinton, Robert Reich, argues that “Wall Street is its own worst enemy” and that their “shenanigans fuel public distrust.”

Commentary: Arizona Sheriff Embodies the Worst in Us All

By David GreenwaldDecember 18, 201110 comments

This started out as a small column for the off-topic column, but after some reflection I realized I needed to make a broader point here. Illegal immigration is far more than just another flash point issue that divides one side from another. It is a tragic situation that really has tragedy for all involved.

On the one hand, you have desperately poor people, trying to make a better life for themselves up against draconian and unworkable immigration laws. On the other hand, the illegal immigration trade creates tremendous problems along the border, in terms of drug trafficking, crime and the tragedy of human smuggling.

Off-Topic Column – Education Funding, Race, and Radio Towers

By David GreenwaldDecember 17, 201143 comments

UC – Legislature Starting to Get the Message

While this will probably not go down as a great week for either UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi or the State Legislature, there are signs that the message of the student occupy movement, that has focused mainly on issues like the affordability and future of public higher education, has gotten through.

Whether anyone can do anything about it is another question.

Commentary : Occupy Movement Hits on Banking Industry and Foreclosures

By David GreenwaldDecember 17, 201124 comments

The Occupy Woodland event from earlier this week triggered some interesting discussions. Unfortunately, it appears a lengthy discussion on Supervisor Matt Rexroad’s page has been removed so we cannot quote from it.

The general sense from some of the commenters was putting the blame on the individuals who took out loans that they could not repay, rather than the lending institutions that in our view should have been in the position to prevent the loans from being taken out in the first place.

Occupy Woodland Makes a Tangible Impact

By David GreenwaldDecember 14, 201134 comments

With only a small contingent of protesters and their star, Cindy Sheehan, home with a migraine, the small but enduring Occupy Woodland group made a noticeable impact as they protested in front of Chase Bank on Main Street on the day of the bank’s opening.

The message of the day was simple: “Banks got bailed out – We got sold out.” The protesters were directly protesting the bank’s policies, which some said were overly-predatory and unrelenting.

Commentary: Discussing Race

By David GreenwaldDecember 11, 201183 comments

Last week the Vanguard ran a piece that covered an op-ed by Daniel Filler who argues that the tactics used against the UCD protesters were typical of police tactics used against minorities. Mr. Filler simply argues that police get away with certain tactics on minorities that would outrage the white community if it happened in Middle America.

Back in July, the Vanguard ran a piece called, “Race and Caylee Anthony,” where we focused on a Washington Post column written by Keith Alexander, who asked, “If Caylee Anthony had been black, would you know her name?”

Off-Topic Column: Presidential Campaign Update, Death Sentence Dropped in Infamous Death Penalty Case

By David GreenwaldDecember 10, 201133 comments

UCD Academic Senate Commends Student Body

According to a release from the UC Davis News Service, The Academic Senate’s Representative Assembly took up only one proposal on Dec. 2, voting unanimous approval of a resolution commending the student body for its civility.

The Academic Senate’s Davis Division “is extremely proud that the students embody both the campus Principles of Community and the core values of the Davis campus,” the resolution states.

Off-Topic Column: Comparing Katehi to Hitler, Really?

By David GreenwaldDecember 3, 201138 comments

Jon Stewart Compares Linda Katehi to Hitler

As the Sacramento Bee’s Stuart Leavenworth notes, “[John] Stewart has remained remarkably steady. In my mind, there’s never been a comedic talent as consistently funny, informative and influential as Stewart.”

I am not one who tends to watch a lot of TV of that sort, but a fair point can be made that this segment was simply a mistake and an overreach by Jon Stewart.

Off-Topic Column: Happy Thanksgiving

By David GreenwaldNovember 24, 201128 comments

The Vanguard is off for the next four days, taking its annual Thanksgiving vacation. We plan to return on Monday, barring some unforeseen major events in the coming days.

We also will have a major new feature – a bulletin board. The feature will enable people to start their own topics and also enable off-topic posts to be moved from the comment section to the bulletin board. That will enable such posts to not be deleted and allow discussions on them to occur.

Cal Supreme Court Grants Standing to Proponents of Prop 8

By David GreenwaldNovember 18, 201111 comments

In a decision viewed as a major victory for opponents of same sex marriage, the California Supreme Court granted the proponents of the ballot initiative standing to defend measures in court when the governor and attorney general refuse to do so.

“When the public officials who ordinarily defend a challenged state law or appeal a judgment invalidating the law decline to do so,” the state Supreme Court said in a unanimous opinion, “the official proponents of a voter-approved initiative measure are authorized to assert the state’s interest in the initiative’s validity, enabling the proponents to defend the constitutionality of the initiative and to appeal a judgment invalidating the initiative.”

Word To The Wise – Institutionalized Rape at Penn State University: A Cautionary Tale

By uptownstudiosNovember 17, 201118 comments

By E. Roberts Musser

As an alumnus of Penn State University, I was shocked and appalled by the child sex abuse scandal that has unfolded there in recent days. However, I was not all that surprised. When I attended Penn State in the years 1972-1973, only on campus for one year to obtain my Masters Degree in Applied Mathematics, there was an ugly rumor floating around Penn State even then involving sexual impropriety.

Supposedly members of the football team had raped a girl. By all accounts, the rape victim was approached by University officials, and warned not to press charges if she valued her reputation. It was my understanding the girl faded into the background and was never heard from again. Of course we never knew if the rumor was true or not.

Suit Filed Against Oakland Police Department For Crackdown on Occupy Demonstrators

By David GreenwaldNovember 15, 201110 comments

The ACLU of Northern California and the National Lawyers’ Guild filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court against the Oakland Police Department for what they are calling “its egregious constitutional violations against Occupy Oakland demonstrators.”

The lawsuit asks for an emergency temporary restraining order to stop police violence against political protesters. The restraining order is urgent because another police encounter with demonstrators is imminent, after the removal of the Occupy Oakland camp early this morning.

UCD Academic Senate Commends Student Body

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