Beaver County Reds – 8/8/13

“Why We Are Marching – 50th Anniversary March on Washington Talking Points

“National Action Network

[RWC] Al “Tawana Brawley” Sharpton is the founder and president of National Action Network (NAN).  Need I say more about NAN?

“August 8, 2013

“The name of the march on August 24th is the ‘National Action to Realize the Dream March’.

“For more information for Beaver County buses contact Tina Shannon, MLK 50th Anniversary Committee 724-683-1925.”

[RWC] Mrs. Shannon wrote “Aug 24 March Gathering New Energy: Help Us With The Buses!”

“It is important that you use the name when speaking about the march so that people understand that this march is not just a commemoration, but a continuation of the efforts 50 years ago.

“Why We Are Marching – 50th Anniversary March on Washington – Talking Points

“National Action Network

“The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place 50 years ago on August 28th at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.  It was during this march that Dr. King gave his iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech that has reverberated for decades.  While we celebrate all that was achieved in the 50 years since that march, we recognize that the ‘Dream’ has not been fulfilled and the battle for justice is ongoing.

“The name of the march on August 24th is the //‘National Action to Realize the Dream March’.//  It is important that you use the name when speaking about the march so that people understand that this march is not just a commemoration, but a continuation of the efforts 50 years ago.

“The talking points for the march are below:”

[RWC] The “talking points for the march” are easy to dismantle because they are old and tired and aimed at “the choir” and so-called “low information voters.”

“Jobs & the Economy – Jobs are still a major focus of the march 50 years later.  Unemployment is still plaguing many communities.  The black community still sees double the unemployment rates of the rest of the country.  Youth unemployment is nearly six times higher.”

[RWC] “Community” is feel-good leftyspeak for grievance/victim group.  As for “jobs & the economy,” I’m confused.  Didn’t the Obama administration declare the summer of 2010 to be “Recovery Summer?”  Seriously, though, everything the left wants to do has been done already and did not work, just as it did not work for FDR.

Have you heard of the depression/recession of 1920-1921 [the last year of the Woodrow Wilson (a Progressive Democrat) administration]?  Probably not, though most of us learned about the Roaring ‘20s.  So how did we get from a depression/recession to the Roaring ‘20s?  Presidents Warren G. Harding (R) and Calvin Coolidge (R) must have jacked up spending, taxes, and debt, right?  Not even close.  Using 1920 (the first year after World War I) as a base, the Harding/Coolidge administrations reduced spending 55% by 1927, reduced taxes 45% by 1925, and ran eight straight surpluses.  According to the BLS, unemployment for 1923-1929 averaged 3.3%.  Now you know why lefties like to brush over the 1920s and belittle Messrs. Harding and Coolidge; it provides proof Hoover/FDR/Obama “stimulus” programs don’t work but conservative principles do.

“Voting Rights – Voting Rights have been thrust to the forefront of the agenda after the Supreme Court dismantled a crucial section of the Voting Rights Act.  Now, without protections to keep states with a history of disenfranchising voters, those states are left susceptible to new laws that threaten to keep them from the polls.  This after winning crucial battles in 2012 against misleading claims of voter fraud.”

[RWC] Translation: The left opposes the requirement that a voter show photo ID when he/she casts their vote.  You can read more about this in my critique of “Aug 24 March Gathering New Energy: Help Us With The Buses!”  On the other hand, lefties are okay with requiring a photo ID to be shown every time you get medical care (as per the Obamacare bill) and for voting in Kenya.

Previous BCR pieces on this topic include “‘We’re Fired Up!’ – Protestors in Harrisburg Vow to Defeat GOP Voter Suppression Law,” “Democrats Must Fight for the 99% to Win in 2012,” “April 4 Vigil Vows to Fight GOP Efforts to Deny Voting Rights,” “Elder Vogel Was “99% Against” Voter Restriction but Votes Yes!,” and “Voting Rights Protest vs. GOP in Rochester, Saturday, Jan. 28.”

“Workers’ Rights – Workers’ Rights have been under attack in states across this country.  Low wage earners in certain industries have been banned the right to unionize and collectively bargain for fair pay, benefits and other protections.  Others who have been protected have had their rights attacked or taken away through the introduction and passage of bills that threaten workers’ protections.”

[RWC] To the best of my knowledge, no one is “banned the right to unionize” except for some federal government employees and for local/state government employees in states that prohibit the practice.  Even FDR and George Meany (first president of the AFL-CIO, 1955-1979) opposed public-sector labor unions.  Another pet peeve of the left is the elimination of closed-shop laws that help labor union management force employees into labor unions.  The bills the left doesn’t like do not “threaten workers’ protections;” they threaten labor-union management’s power over employees (as in making union membership a condition of employment) and labor-union management’s ability to support leftist politicians.  The primary business of labor unions devolved into political advocacy/lobbying for leftist politicians and policies/programs.  Representing employees is now simply a fund-raising chore labor union management must endure to provide funds for its lobbying and political activities.

“Stand Your Ground Laws & Gun Violence – The Trayvon Martin and Marissa Alexander cases put Stand Your Ground laws under the microscope.  The cases brought to light the inequalities that lie within its interpretation and the fact that it is in place in a majority of states underscores that we must fight to repeal the laws.  Gun violence has been an issue in low income communities for years, but the Sandy Hook tragedy created an urgency to address gun laws.  While Congress failed to act on sensible gun legislation, we must continue to demand action.”

[RWC] Contrary to NAN’s assertions, the Martin/Zimmerman incident wasn’t about racism or Florida’s SYG law.  It was about self-defense.  Though lefties and the press talked ceaselessly about SYG, Florida’s “stand your ground” law was not involved in the Martin/Zimmerman incident.

Likewise, the Marissa Alexander case had nothing to do with Florida’s SYG law.  You can fairly argue about Ms. Alexander’s sentence, but there is nothing remotely similar about the Alexander and Martin/Zimmerman cases.  As for the Alexander sentence (20 years), she rejected a plea bargain for a three-year jail term.  Instead, Ms. Alexander opted for a trial.  The sentence was the result of “a Florida minimum-sentencing law regarding the use of firearms,” a law NAN should like because of its position on firearm ownership.

By “sensible gun legislation,” the not-so-far-left and beyond means repeal of the Second Amendment and making ALL firearms illegal.  Failing that, the left wants firearm laws as severe as they can get away with including registration of all firearms.  That’s why locations like Chicago and Washington, DC, had gun ownership laws so restrictive the Supreme Court struck them down as violating the Second Amendment (McDonald v. Chicago and District of Columbia v. Heller).  Despite their gun-ownership laws, however, Chicago and DC had/have very high levels of gun violence.

“Women’s Rights – Women continue to have to fight laws that limit their ability to make decisions about their own health.  Many states have legislation that has either recently passed or that has been introduced that eliminates a woman’s right to choose even in instances of incest, rape or health.  Women are also still making less than male counterparts but living longer.  The implications of this are numerous but keep women in vulnerable positions.”

[RWC] “Women’s Rights” is purely about free contraceptives and abortions for convenience.  There is no war on women, but there is a leftist war on unborn babies.  I still can’t believe people want to be on the side of killing unborn babies for convenience.

The pay comment has been disproven again and again.  Repeating a lie over and over doesn’t make it true.

“Immigration – Immigration reform has been discussed for many years, but gained traction in the recent months with the introduction and passage of a bill in Senate.  While it has stalled in the House, this legislation will have a huge, positive impact on the economy and create civil rights for the millions of immigrants living in this country.  Despite the fact that many immigrants are Latino, this is not just a Latino issue – it is an American issue.  We need to grant amnesty to the many illegal immigrants who are here and allow them to achieve the American Dream.”

[RWC] You’ll find “immigration reform” means open borders.

How will adding large numbers of poor, undereducated, and unskilled residents, whether illegal or legal, “have a huge, positive impact on the economy?”

“This legislation will … create civil rights for the millions of immigrants living in this country?”  In this case, “immigrants” really means illegal aliens.  Legal immigrants already have constitutional rights.  By “create civil rights,” NAN means access to entitlement programs and voting.

Wow, NAN actually referred to “illegal immigrants!”  Someone will catch hell for that faux pas.

By “achieve the American Dream,” NAN means voting for Democrats.  If you don’t believe this assessment, see the reaction you get if you propose making illegal aliens legal permanent residents (via a green card) without the option of seeking citizenship.

“LGBT Equality – This year the LGBT community made progress in their work to achieve equality.  With 13 states now allowing gays to marry and the Supreme Court overturning DOMA and Prop 8, the crucial victories set up a forward march.  However, the gay community still faces employment discrimination and other challenges that block their ability to achieve full rights.”

[RWC] “Gay” means homosexual.  “Allowing gays to marry” really means same-sex “marriage.”  Homosexuals can already marry as long as they marry someone of the other sex.  Heterosexuals must abide by the same restriction.

The U.S. Supreme Court did not overturn California’s Proposition 8 and here’s the twisted story.  Prop 8 is more than a regular law.  Prop 8 was a voter referendum that modified the CA Constitution to say, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”  Prop 8 passed with 52% of the vote.  Since Prop 8 is an amendment to the CA Constitution and nothing illegal was done to pass the amendment, the CA Supreme Court ruled Prop 8 was constitutional.  A same-sex couple then sued the state in a U.S. district court and the judge ruled Prop 8 violated the U.S. Constitution.  At this point, CA Attorney General Jerry Brown (D) – as well as his successor – chose not to appeal the ruling.  As a result, the official Prop 8 proponents took it upon themselves to defend Prop 8 and appealed the U.S. district court’s ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  The Ninth Circuit affirmed both the legal standing of the appellants and the lower court decision.  Of course, the official Prop 8 proponents appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.  When the Court heard the appeal, it did not rule on the U.S. constitutionality of Prop 8.  Instead, the Court ruled the appellants didn’t have legal standing to appeal the district court’s ruling either to the Ninth Circuit or the Supreme Court.  In doing so, the effect was to leave in place the district court decision against Prop 8.  Whew, got all that?

“Environmental Justice – Many low income people and minorities face environmental challenges that threaten their health and their lifestyle.  In Los Angeles, African Americans are twice as likely to die in a heat wave.  68% of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal plant and this creates more incidences of asthma.  Latino children are twice as likely to die from an asthma attack as non-Latino children.  There are many more issues related to the environment that impact outcomes for these communities.”

[RWC] Anything named “_______ justice” (fill in the blank) by lefties has nothing to do with justice.  It’s about government taking something from someone and giving it to someone else, as in robbing Peter to pay Paul.

You’ll note NAN didn’t mention the source of the data, but a little searching found the data apparently came from “Air of Injustice - African Americans & Power Plant Pollution” (2002), published by the usual suspects.  It also appears NAN took some liberties with the data.

First, NAN claims “In Los Angeles, African Americans are twice as likely to die in a heat wave.”  “Air of Injustice” says, “People of Color are twice as likely to die in a heat wave” but not specific to LA.

Second, NAN claims “68% of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal plant and this creates more incidences of asthma” but failed to mention a majority of whites (about 56%) also “live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant.”

Third, NAN claims “Latino children are twice as likely to die from an asthma attack as non-Latino children” but “Air of Injustice” doesn’t mention Latinos at all.  What you will find is “The death rate from asthma for African Americans is twice that of whites.”  Coincidence?  In any case, the EPA says “asthma deaths among children are rare, 195 children under 18 years of age died from asthma in 2003.”

I’m white and live about six miles downwind from nuclear (two reactors) and coal-fired [the largest power plant of any kind in PA (2,490 megaWatts)] power plants, a lot closer than 30 miles.  The cooling-tower water-vapor plumes from these power plants are visible from my township.  There are/were two other much smaller coal-fired power plants even closer used primarily to provide electricity to a couple of local industrial sites.  The population of Beaver County (location of the power plants) is 91.3% white (2012 Census Bureau estimate).  Other counties immediately downwind are Allegheny (81.5% white), Armstrong (98% white), Butler (96.7% white), Indiana (95.1% white), and Westmoreland (95.3% white).

“Youth – Many of the aforementioned issues affect youth, but in addition to those challenges, youth often deal with college loans.  In recent years the college loan interest rate has been at risk for doubling multiple times.”