Wednesday Open Thread | SEAL Week

Posted on June 24, 2015 by rikyrah

Happy Hump day, Everyone. Hope you’re enjoying SEAL week.

$_35

Kiss From A Rose

seal-01

Fast Changes

seal

This entry was posted in Current Events, Music, Open Thread, Politics and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

68 Responses to Wednesday Open Thread | SEAL Week

  4. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 7:19 pm

    Slayla Ali @EbonyStarr5

    Gotta love it. Clinton threw LGBT ppl under the bus w/DOMA & DADT and they gave him an award.

    Slayla Ali @EbonyStarr5

    But the Black President undid a lot of Clinton’s wrongs & marriage equality is popping up in many states and they give him their ass to kiss

    Reply
    • rikyrah says:
      June 24, 2015 at 7:17 pm

      AnotherSlyfox Chris @AnotherSlyfox

      @itgurl_29 @PragObots They can’t debate. They have no idea how to do things. Its why they love the person that heckled at the WH.

      itgurl @itgurl_29

      @PragObots Not only that, but that anyone who doesn’t accept & “respect” their behavior is a bigot trying to “silence” them. What?!

      itgurl @itgurl_29

      @PragObots What really gets me is their reaction to those who won’t “respect” their outrageous and gross behavior!

      Reply
  7. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 7:13 pm

    BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

    ᴅᴏʟʟᴀʀ

    @callmedollar

    President Obama is one beer away from calling someone a muthafucka and I can’t wait.

    Reply
  14. Ametia says:
    June 24, 2015 at 3:56 pm

    The Senate has cleared a bill to give the President fast-track approval of international trade deals and will send it to President Barack Obama for his signature. The vote was 60-38.

    The Senate is now voting on a related bill dealing with assistance to U.S. workers who lose their jobs because of those free-trade pacts. That bill is expected to pass and go to the House for a vote Thursday.

    The fast-track authority and the workers’ assistance bill allow the President to complete a giant Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which would tie the economies of the United States, Canada and Mexico with several Asian and Pacific nations. Such a deal would also give the United States increased influence in the region — a priority for the White House.

    http://link.washingtonpost.com/548289943b35d072688b4aaa2r7kq.7lam/VYsSlkmO4LD2kHQJA7684

    Reply
  17. Ametia says:
    June 24, 2015 at 2:19 pm

    BOY BYE!

    BOSTON — The 21-year-old man convicted for his role in the Boston Marathon bombing made his first public statement since a jury said he should be sentenced to death, apologizing on Wednesday to victims of the attack, several of whom were in the courtroom.

    “I’d like to now apologize to the victims and the survivors,” Dzhokhar Tsarnaev said, the first time he has expressed remorse for the bombings. He added: “I am sorry for the lives I have taken and suffering I have caused you and the damage I have done.”

    The judge then formally sentenced him to death.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/tsarnaev-to-be-formally-sentenced-today-in-boston-marathon-bombing/2015/06/24/1cdf4fe6-1a6d-11e5-bd7f-4611a60dd8e5_story.html?wpisrc=al_alert-national

    A

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      June 24, 2015 at 2:28 pm

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pEs4A_Qkrs

      Notice anything about this article?
      By
      Jennifer Levitz
      Updated June 24, 2015 2:36 p.m. ET
      WSJ

      BOSTON—Dzhokhar Tsarnaev apologized to the victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing on Wednesday, just before he was sentenced to death for his role in the deadly attacks.

      “Now I am sorry for the lives that I’ve taken and the suffering that I’ve caused, and the damage I’ve done—irreparable damage,” Mr. Tsarnaev said in a brief statement.

      He apologized to his victims, saying that he had learned many of their names and faces and had prayed for them. Referring to the bombing, he said, “I’m guilty of it. If there is any lingering doubt of that, let there be no more.”

      Mr. Tsarnaev asked Allah to pray for healing for those affected and to “have mercy upon me, my brother and my family.”

      The 21-year-old spoke in federal court, where earlier several victims and family members spoke about the toll the attack took on their lives and loved ones.

      http://www.wsj.com/articles/dzhokhar-tsarnaev-apologizes-before-being-sentenced-to-death-for-boston-bombing-1435170191

      Reply
  19. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 2:04 pm

    Once again….it shall be pointed out that Black folks have long been under surveillance in this country, and the dudebros whining about the NSA can go somewhere, sit down, and STFU.

    I will not link back to the site, because only the facts of them being under FBI surveillance is of importance to me.
    ……………………..

    JUNE 22, 2015

    Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) files obtained by Judicial Watch reveal that the dad, maternal grandpa and father-in-law of President Obama’s trusted senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett, were hardcore Communists under investigation by the U.S. government.

    Reply
  20. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 1:31 pm

    Oh Alma!!!

    …………………….

    Scott Walker Handed Out $124 Million to Businesses, Some Owned by Donors, Without Any Staff Oversight

    Lots of sweetheart deals that yielded little for the state.

    By Zaid Jilani / AlterNet

    June 24, 2015

    Last Friday, the Wisconsin state government released an internal review of the practices of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), which supports business development in the state but has come under criticism for poor results and lack of transparency.

    The review revealed that the WEDC handed out 27 contracts to 24 companies in a two-year period between July 2011 and June 2013 without any staff review from the underwriting department. Altogether, these awards totaled $124 million.

    The review comes as the WEDC is set to meet on July 20th to discuss a loan that went to a failing company owned by one of Republican Governor Scott Walker’s own donors. In that case, the owner of the company that received a half million dollar unsecured loan gave $10,000 to Walker’s campaign.

    http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/scott-walker-handed-out-124-million-businesses-some-owned-donors-without-any-staff

    Reply
  21. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 1:27 pm

    side eye here…not that it’s not true…it’s just the timing of this is convenient, don’t ya think?

    https://twitter.com/mfpenney/status/613759822777946112

    Reply
  27. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    Dems renew push for Voting Rights Act
    06/24/15 09:20 AM—UPDATED 06/24/15 09:36 AM
    By Steve Benen
    Three months ago, President Obama delivered a powerful speech in Selma, Alabama, where he, among other things, called for Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act with a bipartisan bill. Former President George W. Bush, who signed a VRA reauthorization during his tenure, stood and applauded Obama’s call.

    But soon after the event honoring those who marched at the Edmund Pettus Bridge a half-century ago, Bush’s Republican allies made clear that they would ignore the appeal. Asked if Congress should repair the Voting Rights Act formula struck down by the Supreme Court, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) replied, “No,” blaming the Obama administration for having “trumped up and created an issue where there really isn’t one.” As we reported at the time, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) made similar remarks.

    The push to put things right, however, isn’t over. MSNBC’s Zack Roth reports that a new bill to strengthen the Voting Rights Act is ready for consideration.
    Lawmakers and civil rights groups said Tuesday evening that they will introduce new legislation aimed at strengthening the Voting Rights Act, ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling that badly weakened the landmark civil rights law.

    The new measure is in many ways stronger than the bipartisan legislation offered last year with the same goal, which has yet to even receive a hearing in the GOP-controlled Congress.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/dems-renew-push-voting-rights-act

    Reply
  30. Ametia says:
    June 24, 2015 at 11:32 am

    This news should PLACATE the whining folks who are complaining about POTUS ain’t doing nothing for their loved ones.

    White House has announced a presidential directive and an executive order that will allow the government to communicate and negotiate with terrorist groups holding American hostages.

    Officials will now be allowed to talk to those terror groups and discuss ways to secure the Americans’ release, though the government will maintain its policy of not making concessions to captors.

    While the government won’t pay ransom, officials will no longer threaten with criminal prosecution the families of American hostages looking to pay ransom to their relatives’ captors.

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      June 24, 2015 at 4:41 pm

      PBO’s not running around screaming like a banshee about the ignorance & dangers of race like we can & do, he affecting change in meaningful ways to benefit ALL AMERICANS, if they can get past their IGNORANCE & RACISM

      Reply
  32. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 10:51 am

    The New York TimesVerified account‏@nytimes
    Provided by Edward Snowden, previously undisclosed documents detail how the U.S. has targeted terrorism suspects http://nyti.ms/1Kcj9HY

    Reply
  33. Ametia says:
    June 24, 2015 at 10:48 am

    New open thread is UP! Thanks Rikyrah for hat-tipping us on a few gems this morning.

    I’M BESIDE MYSELF WITH ANGER RIGHT NOW. Lord HELP ME!

    Reply
  34. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 9:50 am

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    Clinton sees #BlackLivesMatter as a stepping stool to the White House, nothing she’s said or done makes me believe she actually cares now

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    we’re about to get the Jon Stewart effect with Hillary Clinton (and i mean no disrespect to Stewart cause i think he GETS this)…

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    Clinton is just gonna parrot the shit black folks have BEEN saying and get applause and be called “revolutionary”

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    and its gonna be unearned because she hasn’t actually proven that she’s learned why she was wrong before

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    there’s a huge difference between doing shit because you think it gets you votes and doing shit because you actually believe it

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    Hillary Clinton has never come out and said “yeah we were wrong for what we did” and until that moment?

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    i don’t believe anything she does or says is genuine and i won’t give her credit for not being overtly racist anymore

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    Notice: Hillary Clinton didn’t start speaking on race until after she was blasted online by black folks about not speaking on race

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    They went back..ran the numbers, saw the focus groups and told her she still needs the blacks. Yup. sorry but fuck Clinton

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    I’m sorry but I’m just pissed cause I remember. I remember that the tea party partly spun out from racist Hilary supporters.

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    there was a lot of racism coming from the clinton camp and their supporters and did Clinton step in to stop it? nope.

    Ruler of New Wakanda @insanityreport

    she acted like she didn’t see it happening. Now all the sudden she’s all the sudden in touch with the black community? man fuck outta here

    Reply
  35. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 9:42 am

    Bryan Stevenson on Charleston and Our Real Problem with Race

    Bryan Stevenson has spent most of his career challenging bias against minorities and the poor in the criminal justice system. He is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, based in Montgomery, Ala., an advocacy group that opposes mass incarceration and racial injustice. Stevenson is a member of The Marshall Project’s advisory board. He spoke with Corey Johnson. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

    CJ: When you saw the news about the Charleston shootings, what were your thoughts?BS: Anytime I hear news of this kind of extreme violence targeting innocent people, I think immediately about the ready access to guns that so many people in this country have, and I mourn our nation’s failure to act more responsibly on limiting access to these weapons. I think it was pretty clear early on that a young white man going into a historic black church and slaughtering people in this way couldn’t be understood outside the context of our racial history of violence and terror directed at black people. And so, my thoughts about our failure to deal more effectively with that history were also right on the surface. And then, when more information came about the racially motivated character of this assault, it just confirmed all of my fears about what our failure to deal more honestly with our history of racial injustice, where that has left us.

    CJ: Why do you think we keep failing on these fronts?

    BS: I actually think we’ve never really tried to succeed. I really do believe that this country never committed itself to a conversation about the legacy of slavery. At EJI, we’re really focused on what slavery did to America, what lynching and terrorism did to America, what segregation and Jim Crow did to America, and we’re focused on these historical eras because we’ve just never had the conversation we needed to have. Very few people in this country have any awareness of just how expansive and how debilitating and destructive America’s history of slavery is.

    The whole narrative of white supremacy was created during the era of slavery. It was a necessary theory to make white Christian people feel comfortable with their ownership of other human beings. And we created a narrative of racial difference in this country to sustain slavery, and even people who didn’t own slaves bought into that narrative, including people in the North. It was New York’s governor — in the 1860s — that was talking about the inferiority of the black person even as he was opposed to slavery. So this narrative of racial difference has done really destructive things in our society. Lots of countries had slaves, but they were mostly societies with slaves. We became something different, we became a slave society. We created a narrative of racial difference to maintain slavery. And our 13th amendment never dealt with that narrative. It didn’t talk about white supremacy. The Emancipation Proclamation doesn’t discuss the ideology of white supremacy or the narrative of racial difference, so I don’t believe slavery ended in 1865, I believe it just evolved. It turned into decades of racial hierarchy that was violently enforced — from the end of reconstruction until WWII — through acts of racial terror. And in the north, that was tolerated.

    https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/06/24/bryan-stevenson-on-charleston-and-our-real-problem-with-race?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_source=opening-statement&utm_term=newsletter-20150624-208

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      June 24, 2015 at 11:09 am

      Bryan Stevenson is my hero. A brilliant man who should be considered for the Supreme Court at the next available opening. That is assuming he would want to be on the SCOTUS.

      Reply
      • Ametia says:
        June 24, 2015 at 4:30 pm

        Bryan Stevenson speaks so much truth, Liza.

        The true history is that for decades, we humiliated black people in this country every day. For decades we did not let them vote, we did not let them get full education, we did not let them work for pay, we did not let them live as full human beings with dignity and hopefulness, we denied all of these basic opportunities to African Americans, and we’ve never really talked about the consequences of that era of apartheid and segregation.

        Reply
  36. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 9:04 am

    Last Call: 30 Films Leaving Netflix in July (And the 3 You Must See)

    Photo of Zack Sharf
    By Zack Sharf | Indiewire

    June 22, 2015 at 2:45PM

    If you’ve been itching to see any of these movies, now’s the time to start streaming!

    http://www.indiewire.com/article/last-call-30-films-leaving-netflix-in-july-and-the-3-you-must-see-20150622

    Reply
  37. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 9:01 am

    now this is something I’d want to see.

    …………..

    New Docuseries Centers on 3 Black Plastic Surgeons & Their Clients (Watch 12-Minute Preview)

    By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act

    June 23, 2015 at 1:32PM

    This actually could be a *revealing* series (pun intended), but it’s Lifetime, and it’s still reality TV, so the jury’s still out… at least until it premieres in July.

    A new docuseries coming to Lifetime, titled “Atlanta Plastic,” will follow 3 of Atlanta’s top African American surgeons and their clients.

    The series will feature board-certified physicians Dr. Wright Jones, Dr. Marcus Crawford and Dr. Aisha McKnight-Baron who are at the top of their game. The doctors’ patients, both male and female, come from all walks of life and request a variety of procedures from tummy tucks, Brazilian butt lifts and facelifts, to breast augmentation, liposuction and rhinoplasty.

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/new-docuseries-centers-on-3-black-plastic-surgeons-their-clients-watch-12-minute-preview-20150623

    Reply
  38. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 8:59 am

    Review: ‘What Happened, Miss Simone’ Leaves Us Wondering What Happens When What You Love Most, Haunts You

    Shadow and Act
    By Aramide A Tinubu | Shadow and Act

    June 23, 2015 at 10:44AM

    Iconic cultural figures are often placed on pedestals. They remain mysterious to us and we are left to speculate about their lives and experiences. It is rare for someone who has been so revered and idolized globally to have the opportunity to share their own story. Using Nina Simone’s own words, interviews with her family and friends, as well as footage from her life, Academy Award nominated director Liz Garbus paints a portrait of a woman who was both a master, and a victim of her time. Nina Simone’s life was one of both unimaginable success and gut wrenching suffering.

    Reflecting back on life is no easy feat, it’s often a painful task to undertake, leaving the subject vulnerable and exposed; their flawless image forever riddled with unpleasant truths. And yet, when these truths are brought to light, it is the humanity of that subject that shines through.

    “What Happened, Miss Simone?” acts as an introduction for new fans of Nina Simone, while providing a deeper understanding of the songstress for long time supporters. The film chronicles Nina Simone from her humble beginnings to her modest end.

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/review-what-happened-miss-simone-leaves-us-wondering-what-happens-when-what-you-love-most-haunts-you-20150623

    Reply
  39. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 8:56 am

    He’s lucky he didn’t wind up with an icepic in the chest.

    https://twitter.com/BlackDebutante/status/613489052285730816

    Reply
  44. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 8:47 am

    THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 6/23/15
    Civil rights icon, Myrlie Evers, reacts to Confederate flag debate

    Myrlie Evers, civil rights icon and chairman of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute, and Jerry Mitchell, investigative reporter for the Jackson, MS Clarion-Ledger, talk with Rachel Maddow about the sudden change in the politics of race in the South

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/myrlie-evers-reacts-to-confederate-flag-fight-470320195891

    Reply
  46. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 8:38 am

    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: It’s Media Terrorism to Deny Charleston Was About Race
    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar @kaj33
    June 20, 2015

    Stop me if you’ve heard this before: A man walks into a crowded room… and shoots a bunch of people. Yeah, you’ve heard it before. Get used to it, because statistics suggest you’ll be hearing it a lot more. According to a study by Harvard and Northeastern University researchers, from 1982 to 2011, a mass shooting occurred an average of every 200 days; since 2011, mass shootings happened an average of every 64 days. Each time it happens, politicians and commentators immediately rush into to announce the social significance of the tragedy. And sometimes, these commentaries can be more harmful than the actual shootings because of their long-term effect, to the point of creating even more widespread damage to the community.

    There’s a lot of debate about whether or not this was a terrorist act. Terrorism is a political tool that has a specific goal. Terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan want to drive Americans out of their countries. Terrorists in other countries do it for the same reason: to gain political power. After an hour at the prayer meeting, Dylann Roof stood up and proclaimed that he was there “to shoot black people.” His rambling manifesto during the shootings was: “You rape our women, and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.” In his mind he was a terrorist, but in reality this was nothing more than hate crime using terrorist tactics to enact his racist fantasy. Roof had no hope of driving African Americans out of the country, starting a race war or engendering any political or social change at all. We shouldn’t use it as an excuse to discuss terrorism because that diverts us from the actual problem.

    The real threat here isn’t that this is an indicator of an surge in right-wing racist attacks, it’s that we allow this incident to be used as a political football by those who hope to leverage it to their gain, which is a more subtle form of terrorism: media terrorism.

    ……………………….

    Those who refute the clear racial element in these attacks are like Holocaust deniers who say there were no gas chambers, no mass genocide, that the world is just conspiring against the poor misunderstood Nazis. Slavery was America’s Black Holocaust. There were over 10 million slaves in the U.S. between 1525 and 1866, and they were systematically stripped of their identities, dignity, human rights, and far too often, their lives. Yes, that’s ancient history and Americans today should in no way be blamed for the misdeeds of their ancestors. But the hard truth that deniers wish to avoid is that the residual effects of that slavery, abolished 150 years ago, still permeates society. Statistics prove that, despite enormous gains and sincere efforts by many in the white and black communities, African Americans are still struggling to gain economic, educational, and judicial parity. As long as we admit the problem, we have a chance of eventually fixing it.

    http://time.com/3929382/charleston-hate-crime-terrorism/

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      June 24, 2015 at 8:45 am

      CHECK! *LOOKING@YOUCHUCKTODD-MSNBC*

      That segment aired Sunday was CRIMINAL, seriously, torturing Black Americans after 9 of us were slaughtered in a church by that white, angry, racists, terrorist, Dylann Roof.

      Reply
  47. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 8:36 am

    The look on Joe Madison’s face is priceless

    https://twitter.com/desusnice/status/613538910065463296/photo/1

    Reply
  48. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 8:35 am

    ABC News ‏@ABC 2h2 hours ago
    How to check if your bottled water is part of recall of 14 brands due to potential for E. coli http://abcn.ws/1de0YDh

    Reply
  49. rikyrah says:
    June 24, 2015 at 8:32 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

    Reply
  50. Ametia says:
    June 24, 2015 at 7:58 am

    NO SHIT SHERLOCKS! NYT must have been scouring social media to dig up some TRUTHS

    Homegrown Radicals More Deadly Than Jihadis in U.S.
    By SCOTT SHANEJUNE 24, 2015

    Non-jihadi extremists have killed more Americans than radical Muslims since the 9/11 attacks, according to a report published by the New America Foundation.

    A breakdown puts the death toll of non-Muslim attackers at 48 after the Charleston shooting, while jihadis have killed 26 Americans in the last 14 years. Many attacks in the former category have been carried out by white supremacists, including the Sikh temple shooting in 2012.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/us/tally-of-attacks-in-us-challenges-perceptions-of-top-terror-threat.html?via=newsletter&source=CSAMedition

    Reply
  51. Ametia says:
    June 24, 2015 at 7:56 am

    Wappy HUMP DAY, Everyone! :-)

    Reply

Leave a Reply to rikyrahCancel reply