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 | | Dear Nation Friend:
Great news!
Katrina vanden Heuvel | ||
For more:
Click on this link and think about it. You are sitting in front of your computer screen, watching a video clip taken by a PBS journalist looking through their video camera, as an American soldier in Afghanistan, sitting in front of his computer screen, is watching video posted to YouTube that was taken by Taliban soldiers, looking through their video camera, while attacking American soldiers. You have just been virtually embedded with the Taliban.
To NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (PBS):
I am very disturbed to see "---- Compiled from wire reports and other media sources" at the bottom of many of your stories. Which wire reports? Which media sources? This strikes me as lazy, sloppy and opaque --- three attributes that do not traditionally bode well for a "news" organization.
Christine Bush
Mountain View, California
Greetings friends of SPLC:
I am writing to encourage you to re-consider your use of the term "mainstream", as in "Hate in the Mainstream". As a student of George Lakoff, I have come to appreciate the importance of cognitive frames. In this case, I fear that the SPLC is inadvertently reinforcing the notion that network broadcast programming and hate rallies are de facto "mainstream". They are not. The voices heard at anit-immigrantion rallies, professional pundits on network television and their sleazy kindred on talk radio DO NOT represent or serve the interests of the majority of Americans! I strongly urge you to stop reinforcing the notion that the voices you expose in the SPLC Intelligence Briefs are "mainstream" because this undermines the effort you have made to expose them as being precisely the opposite: radical.
Instead, I would encourage you to re-frame your efforts as "Hate on Our Public Airwaves" or perhaps "Voices of Deception", either of which better show these disturbing reports for what they are. Thank you for your careful consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Christine Bush
SPLC Supporter
Fox’s Cavuto Wins SPLC’s Dobbsy Award for Pinning Blame on Minorities for Mortgage Crisis
Posted By Mark Potok On October 6, 2008 @ 3:36 pm In Anti-Black, Anti-Latino, Dobbsy Awards, Extremist Propaganda | 21 Comments
[1]
The first wave of nominations are in, and one man stands head and shoulders above the rest to claim our inaugural [1] Dobbsy Award – Neil Cavuto of Fox News.The host of “Your World with Neil Cavuto” used his program to put the blame for the subprime mortgage meltdown squarely where he believes it belongs – on the shoulders of poor minorities who have dared try to own a home. In doing so, Cavuto has exemplified what it means to be a Dobbsy winner – a “mainstream” figure who makes utterly false or misleading statements that denigrate or defame an entire group of people.
Cavuto played Pin-the-Blame-on-the-Minority during a Sept. 18 [2] interview with U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.).
“[W]hen you and many of your colleagues were pushing for more minority lending and more expanded lending to folks who heretofore couldn’t get mortgages, when you were pushing homeownership… . Are you totally without culpability here?” he asked. “Are you totally blameless? Are you totally irresponsible of anything that happened?”
And just in case the audience didn’t catch his drift, he later spelled it out.
“I’m just saying, I don’t remember a clarion call that said, ‘Fannie and Freddie are a disaster. Loaning to minorities and risky folks is a disaster,’” he said.
That’s right. In Cavuto’s world, the real problem isn’t Wall Street greed or lax federal regulation of reckless banking behemoths. No, it’s all a matter of those irresponsible minorities who were willing to destroy the country’s economy for a two-bedroom home in the ‘burbs.
Recent reports by The Washington Post and The New York Times suggest otherwise.
The Post offered up a [3] story on Oct. 3 that included a look at the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1977, which was created to extend loans to minorities. Citing defenders of the act, the article noted that only a “tiny fraction” of subprime loans made since 2000 were created to satisfy the requirements of the act. Blaming the CRA for the economic fallout is “on the level of Swift Boat advertisements, except they are even less factual,” John Taylor, president and chief executive of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, told the Post. “They are trying to blame the victim, which is an old strategy that moneyed corporate interests always employ.”
Also on Oct. 3, The New York Times [4] published an article that chronicled how the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2004 relaxed a rule for investment banks that allowed their brokerage units to take on massive amounts of debt relative to their assets. That opened the door for more investment in the toxic mortgage-backed securities that have torpedoed the economy.
No matter how dubious Cavuto’s claim is, it has achieved widespread acceptance among conservative pundits and politicians. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) also [3] blamed the mess on loans to minorities.
Congratulations, Neil. You’re our first Dobbsy winner!
The competition was keen. But you’re head and shoulders above the rest. Of course, it’s easy to stand out when you are standing on the backs of an entire group of people.
Somewhere, Lou Dobbs must be smiling.
XML markup of Obama Inaugural Speech by Christine Bush is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at folio.greycat.cn. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://greycat.cn.
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<root>
<meta author="Christine Bush" licenseURL="http://creativecommons.org/l
−
<preparedText source="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/0
<salutation>My fellow citizens:</salutation>
−
<prologue>
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
</prologue>
−
<challenges>
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.
</challenges>
−
<status>
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
</status>
−
<historical>
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
</historical>
−
<context>
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
</context>
−
<tasks>
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.
−
<economic>
The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.
−
<infrastructure>
We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.
</infrastructure>
</economic>
−
<science>
We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders
</science>
<healthCare>to raise health care's quality and lower its cost.</healthCare>
−
<energy>
We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.
</energy>
−
<education>
And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.
</education>
<campaign paraphrase="Yes we can.">All this we can do. And all this we will do.</campaign>
</tasks>
−
<change>
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
−
<generationalShift>
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
−
<market>
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
</market>
</generationalShift>
−
<safety>
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
</safety>
−
<war>
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
</war>
</change>
−
<heritage>
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
</heritage>
−
<muslims>
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
</muslims>
−
<poorNations>
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
</poorNations>
−
<callToService>
−
<military>
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.
</military>
−
<civilian>
And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
</civilian>
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new.
−
<values>
But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true.
−
<progressive>
They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
</progressive>
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
</values>
This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
−
<race>
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
</race>
</callToService>
−
<remembrance>
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
−
<quoteWashington>
"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
</quoteWashington>
</remembrance>
−
<summation>
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
</summation>
</preparedText>
</root>
Mr. Crovitz:
This is sleazy journalism that is trying to paint network neutrality as a non-issue by conflating content with capacity.
"Put simply, Net Neutrality means no discrimination. Net Neutrality prevents Internet providers from blocking, speeding up or slowing down Web content based on its source, ownership or destination."
(Source: http://savetheinternet.com/=faq)
The motivation for smart network management should be precisely to assure Net Neutrality, not to circumvent it. Google is not suggesting that this comment should be blocked, delayed or priced differently so that you can watch Hannumation! on YouTube any faster. Edge caching just acknowledges that even data moving at the speed of light gets to you sooner if it doesn't have to travel as far.
But instead of an educational discussion of the mechanics of network management, we are offered a series of nuanced suggestions that Net Neutrality is some kind of wishy-washy nuisance getting in the way of a competitive market. The author suggests that Net Neutrality, "at least as lobbyists have used the phrase", has been compromised by the Google offer. The author says that President-elect Obama supports, not Net Neutrality, but "network neutrality" in scare quotes, adding "whatever the phrase now means". The author says there is "finally agreement that efficient management of networks on the Web is a good thing" as if Net Neutrality proponents have been pushing for mandated inefficiencies? I don't think so. The author says "the Net is hardly neutral" when in fact it is where content is concerned.
What drives free market evangelists nuts is precisely the fact that networks do not care whether they are moving packets of multimedia or text. They are all bits. Net Neutrality is about keeping them ALL moving regardless of origin, destination or owner. An argument for greater capacity need not be an argument against the democratic use of capacity. Derisively saying that "regulators treat the Web as if it were a common carrier like a railroad, discouraging efficient network management and pricing" the author lets slip that his concern is not with performance but with profits. Perhaps the telecoms should fly in some executives on private jets, not some *common* carrier, and ask for a bailout too.
Journalism? Never mind.
I am very disappointed in your decision to share the inaugural platform with Rick Warren. Of course, I voted for Ralph Nader precisely because I knew you would disappoint in this and so many other ways.
Nonetheless, I encourage you to revoke your invitation. If you can un-invite President Carter from the Democratic National Convention, you can un-invite Mr. Warren.
Sincerely,
Christine Bush
Mountain View, California
We heard remarkable testimony at trial today in our case against Ron Edwards, the leader of the Imperial Klans of America (IKA) and his top lieutenant, Jarred Hensley.
A former Klansman stunned the courtroom when he told the jury that Edwards ordered him to kill SPLC founder and chief trial counsel Morris Dees in the late 1990s.
Fortunately, an undercover FBI investigation foiled the plot. The would-be assassin served three years in prison, but Edwards was never charged — and the extent of his involvement had not been disclosed until today.
We also heard testimony today from two Klansmen who were present the night our client, Jordan Gruver, was brutally beaten by IKA members recruiting at a county fair in Brandenburg, Ky. They testified that Edwards is motivated by greed and obsessed with recruiting new members so that he can fill his coffers with donations and membership dues.
You can read full coverage of today's testimony on our blog.
We have long believed that litigation is but one tool we can use to fight injustice and intolerance. We also believe that by reaching children before their minds are filled with bias, we can prevent some of the hatred that resulted in the case we're trying today. We're pleased to report that today an estimated four million students in thousands of schools participated in our annual Mix It Up At Lunch Day and crossed social and racial boundaries by sitting down with someone new at lunch.
Morris and I would like to thank you for your support. We'll continue updating you over the next couple of days as we wrap up the trial.
 |  | | Sincerely, |
The prolific and controversial web culture of piracy, particularly file sharing, has taken the world by storm, and for more than a decade, we’ve been waging a war in the name of the 20th Century’s model of “copyright law.”
The content industry has convinced the world that extremism in copyright regulation is good for business and economic growth. But that's false. Join Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig as he discusses the potential creative accomplishments that our society could achieve, if only we viewed copyright and intellectual property (IP) laws differently.
During the presentation, Professor Lessig will expound on these concepts, as he maps out in his latest book, “Remix – Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy”: “Our past teaches us about the value in ‘remix.’ We need to relearn the lesson. The present teaches us about the potential in a new 'hybrid economy' — one where commercial entities leverage value from sharing economies. That future will benefit both commerce and community. If the lawyers could get out of the way, it could be a future we could celebrate.”
| Where | Computer History Museum 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. Mountain View, CA 94043 Directions | |
| When | Tuesday, December 16, 2008 | |
| Registration | Free. Suggested donation of $10.00 at the door from non-members. To register or for more information on the event, please visit the Museum's website or call (650) 810-1005. | |
Morris Dees and I are here in Brandenburg, Kentucky, where we just finished the first day of trial in our lawsuit against Ron Edwards, leader of the Imperial Klans of America, and one of his key lieutenants. Our client, Jordan Gruver, was severely beaten, knocked to the ground, and kicked by two Klansmen wearing steel-toed boots.
This morning, we selected a jury and called as witnesses one police officer who saw Jordan being kicked by two Klansmen, and another who interviewed Jordan after the attack and described him as a physical and emotional wreck. Jordan's jaw was wired shut, and he was afraid for his life.
We also put Imperial Wizard Edwards on the stand and presented evidence about the annual white-power rally he hosts, where Klansmen, racist skinheads and neo-Nazis are encouraged to commit violence against minorities. Edwards will be back on the stand tomorrow.
You can read more coverage of the trial on our blog. I'll update you again after tomorrow's testimony.
Thanks for standing with us in our fight against hate and injustice.
| | | Sincerely, |
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Southern Poverty Law Center
Nov. 10, 2008
Dear Christine,
I'm writing to you from Brandenburg, Kentucky, where I'll be going to court Wednesday against the leader of Imperial Klans of America (IKA) to win justice for a teenage boy who was brutally beaten by IKA members.
Led by Imperial Wizard Ron Edwards, the IKA is one of the largest and most dangerous Klan organizations in the country. Each year, Edwards hosts a "white-power" rally at his compound, where he indoctrinates followers in hate and violence through speeches, music and the display of violent, racist imagery. They even bring little children to this festival of hate.
You may recall that our client, Jordan Gruver, was attacked by Klansmen who had attended one of Edwards' white-power rallies and were recruiting for the IKA at a county fair. They thought Jordan was, in their words, an "illegal spic." Jordan, who's a U.S. citizen, suffered serious injuries, including a broken jaw.
I wish you could be in the courtroom with us, but it's not wise. We've received numerous threats since we filed the suit.
I'm deeply grateful to you for helping us seek justice for Jordan and, hopefully, put these hate-mongers out of business.
SPLC President Richard Cohen, who is here with me, will be updating you on our progress throughout the trial.
Sincerely,
Morris Dees
Segregated Drinking Fountains II by Christine Bush, Grey Cat Productions is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.american-fm.org.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.picturehistory.com/.
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