"It was a natural reaction."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
May 10, 2015
'The Rock' Shares a Poignant Moment for Mother's Day: 'Are You Happy, Ma?'
"I used to worry about how I was going to buy groceries for us …"
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Muslim Cleric Who Said Pamela Geller Should Be Judged by Shariah Court Is Asked If Christians Should Kill Muslims Who Mock Jesus. His Answer?
"We will defend all the prophets …"
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
'It's Just a Tragedy': Church Members in Hattiesburg Join in Prayer After Two Officers Are Gunned Down
"Every day is a bad day (for violence), but especially on a day like today."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Egyptian Policeman Detained in Connection With Shooting Death of Protester — a Mother of a Small Boy (GRAPHIC IMAGES)
Video clips showed her collapsing in a colleague's arms with her head and chest soaked in blood after a masked policeman fired birdshot in her direction.
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
House Plans Abortion Vote to Mark Two-Year Anniversary of Gosnell Conviction
"…tragedies like those that occurred in Kermit Gosnell's office…"
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Chris Wallace Slams White House for Sending DHS Secretary on 'Another Sunday Show,' but 'Excluding' Fox News
"They declined to make him available."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Blind Mother Could Only Imagine What Her Unborn Son Might Look Like – Until Her Doctor Let Her 'See' Him in Very Unexpected Way
"That's an image of your son."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Ariz. Residents Discover Cameras Inside Fake Cactuses but the City Promises They're Not 'Secretive'
"We want to make sure we're answering everybody's questions about data retention, how the things will be used."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Mocking GOP Candidates and 'Draw the Prophet Muhammad' — SNL Tackles Two of the Biggest News Stories of the Week
"I haven't laughed this hard at an SNL skit in a very long time."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Florida Homeowner Thought a Burglar Was Sledgehammering Her Fence, but Then She Saw This Walk Across Her Yard Instead
"Just nonchalantly just strolling down the sidewalk like he owned our cul de sac."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Principal Angers Crowd During Graduation With Shocking Comment: 'Look at Who's Leaving…All the Black People'
"I can't believe she just said that."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Religious, Secular, Gay, Straight, Left-Wing, Hawkish Israelis Gather for Unusual Conference to Demand One Thing: Freedom
"Our friends in America should know that there is a live and kicking movement that aspires to freedom."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
500 Muslims Persecuted by Buddhists Flee, Wash Ashore on Two Boats in Indonesia
State-sanctioned discrimination in Myanmar.
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Stunning, Heartbreaking Images and Video From the Cisco Tornado
"This dog inspects what use to be his home."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Tech Crowd Likes Rand Paul's Stance Against NSA Data Collection. But Net Neutrality? Not So Much.
"Some people want to know what the hell is a Republican doing in San Francisco. I would say, it's about time."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
May 9, 2015
Two Mississippi Police Officers Fatally Shot, Suspect on the Loose
The suspect fled the scene in an officer's vehicle.
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Academy Award-Winning Actor Gives College Grads His Number-One Piece of Advice: 'Put. God. First!'
"I didn't always stick with him, but he's always stuck with me."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Ana Becomes Tropical Storm as It Nears the Carolinas
"Beachgoers are encouraged to use extreme caution this weekend."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Harassing Creep Caught on Video Pushing a Woman Aboard a Train. But She Teaches Him a Painful Lesson.
"What you gonna do, baby? What you gonna do?"
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Prince Releases 'Baltimore' Song on Twitter — and It Declares What We Ought to Do With 'All the Guns'
"We're tired of cryin' and people dyin' …"
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Bill Maher on Draw Muhammad Contest: 'This Is America. Do We Not Have the Right to Draw Whatever We Want?'
"When someone's position is, 'If you offend me, I will kill you,' it becomes virtuous for you to offend that person."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Castro's Daughter Sponsors Blessing of Cuban Gay Couples
Castro's daughter Mariela heads Cuba's Center for Sex Education, which has been pushing for gay rights in a country with a history of persecuting homosexuals.
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
'We Are Getting Creamed': Senator Says Republican Party Has a Huge Race Problem, and If He Were President He'd Push Immigration Reform
"If I were president of the United States, I would veto any bill that did not have a pathway to citizenship."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
'Over the Last 10 Days I Have Done Some of the Worst Things I Could Have Ever Imagined': Chilling Facebook Post Lays Out the Reason a Father Would Kill His Own Daughter
"The best little girl two parents could hope for."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Presidential Hopeful Says 'The American Dream Is Out of Reach' — and Not Because of Wall Street
"It's not out of reach because of Wall Street."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Jeb Bush Just Slammed Obama and Embraced Christianity in an 'Intriguing' Way
"[T]he Christian voice."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
'What Are You Gonna Do, You Gonna Arrest Me?': Woman Challenges Border Patrol and Gets Completely Shocked by Their Response
"This is what happens when you stand up for your rights against the US Border Patrol."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
'This Guy Is an Animal': Man Gets a Rematch With His Old Enemy, a Burrito. Watch How He Handles It.
"This is easier than I remember."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
World Health Organization Says Liberia Has Beaten Ebola
"The pain and grief will take a generation to heal."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
'Devastated': Mysterious Plane Crash Leaves Four Dead Near Atlanta
"They were just precious."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Prisoners Start a Massive Fight. When Iraqi Guards Tried to Break It Up, the Prisoners Killed Them and Escaped.
"[T]he police guards…went to break up the fight…"
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Reporter's Question for LeBron James After Heartbreaking Playoff Loss Makes Fellow Cavaliers Star Literally Shake His Head
Watch the stunning buzzer beater that resulted in a playoff loss for the Cavs.
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
May 8, 2015
Man's First Selfie Could Also Be His Last After Woman Mistakes His Photo for Something Else
"I felt sick. I am so embarrassed and devastated."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Big Bird Makes the Internet Cry
"This is a very sad story, but it's real."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Man Finds 23 Reasons He Should Have Put His Live Ammo in a Safer Place During Visit to Vet With Dog
"All the heavy metal went to the bottom."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
In the Final Seconds of This World War II-Themed Ad, It Will Be Very Clear Why It Is Going Viral
"Compassion is the true communication"
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
The Intense Reaction to a Best-Selling Author Caught on Video Physically Taking Away a Critic's Microphone
"…he just became my new favorite person."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Baltimore Officers File Motion Requesting Marilyn Mosby be Taken Off Case, Charges Be Dismissed
"Rarely… has a prosecutor so directly maintained so many conflicts of interest."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Report: NFL Commissioner to Suspend Tom Brady for His Role in 'DeflateGate'
"…highest profile player ever suspended in the 96-year history of the NFL."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Texas Governor Goes After Obama Admin. for Acting 'Outside the Law' in Defying Judge's Immigration Order
"Not only did President Obama's executive action violate the U.S. Constitution; his lawyers' actions show a blatant disregard for the rule of law…"
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
San Francisco Prosecutors Forced to Dismiss Eight Criminal Cases Because of Cops' 'Racist and Homophobic' Text Messages
"Its not against the law to put an animal down."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
'Test Me': This Suspect Didn't Want to Find Out if 79-Year-Old Military Vet Was Bluffing
"I said, 'Well, test me.'"
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
'Whooping on Me': Obama Goes After Dems Who Oppose Him on Trade
"They are just making this stuff up."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Glenn Beck Says This Form of Taxation Is Absolutely 'Criminal'
"I've already paid taxes on this! Now you're going to take everything that I've earned?"
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Cops Catch Woman and High Schooler in Back Seat of a Car That Smelled of Pot. Just Guess How They Know Each Other.
"A very unfortunate situation."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
News Anchor Under Fire for Non-PC Remark on Live TV About Michigan's Large 'Arab Population'
"…an example of racial profiling at its worst"
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
Border Crossing Agents in Spain Shocked by What They Saw in X-Ray of Suitcase
"Could have had a tragic end."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
BBQ Joint to Offer Discounts for 'White Appreciation Day' — but the Owners Aren't White
"…we thought the least we could do was offer one day to appreciate white Americans."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
'Unconstitutional Coercion': How One State Hopes to Use the Ruling That Upheld Obamacare Against the Obama Administration
"The federal government is at it again."
Origin: TheBlaze.com - Stories
April 20, 2015
Hillary Clinton's 1969 Thesis on Saul Alinsky
“THERE IS ONLY THE FIGHT…”
An Analysis of the Alinsky Model
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree under the Special Honors Program, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Hillary D. Rodham
Political Science
2 May, 1969
So here I am, in the middle way, having had twenty years—Twenty years largely wasted, the years of l’entre deux guerres Trying to learn to use words, and every attempt Is a wholly new start, and a different kind of failure
Because one has only learnt to get the better of words For the thing one no longer has to say, or the way in which
One is no longer disposed to say it. And so each venture Is a new beginning, a raid on the inarticulate
With shabby equipment always deteriorating In the general mass of imprecision of feeling,
Undisciplined squads of emotion. And what there is to conquer By strength and submission, has already been discovered Once or twice, or several times, by men whom one cannot hope To emulate–but there is no competition–There is only the fight to recover what has been lost And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business. T.S. Eliot, “East Coker”
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements………………………………… i
Chapter
I. SAUL DAVID ALINSKY: AN AMERICAN RADICAL . 1
II. THE ALINSKY METHOD OF ORGANIZING: THREE
CASE STUDIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
III. “A PRIZE PIECE OF POLITICALPORNOGRAPHY”. . 44
IV. PERSPECTIVES ON ALINSKY AND HIS MODEL. . . 53
V. REALIZING LIFE AFTER BIRTH . . . . . . . . 68
Appendices……………………………………… 76
Bibliography……………………………………. 84
April 5, 2015
24 things that require a photo ID
Voter-ID laws continue to get a lot of attention, and proponents of the law are being drowned out by opponents claiming the laws discriminate against certain voters.
Rather than getting IDs to the people who are supposedly disenfranchised, opponents spend their efforts trying to end the laws, even though polls consistently show overwhelming majorities of voters approve of the laws.
Below are just some of the examples of things you need to prove your identity for:
1. Alcohol
2. Cigarettes
3. Opening a bank account
4. Apply for food stamps
5. Apply for welfare
6. Apply for Medicaid/Social Security
7. Apply for unemployment or a job
8. Rent/buy a house, apply for a mortgage
9. Drive/buy/rent a car
10. Get on an airplane
11. Get married
12. Purchase a gun
13. Adopt a pet
14. Rent a hotel room
15. Apply for a hunting license
16. Apply for a fishing license
17. Buy a cell phone
18. Visit a casino
19. Pick up a prescription
20. Hold a rally or protest
21. Blood donations
22. Buy an "M" rated video game
23. Purchase nail polish at CVS
24. Purchase certain cold medicines
But not to vote?
March 29, 2015
Here is the full text of Indiana’s “religious freedom” law.
SENATE ENROLLED ACT No. 101
AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning civil procedure.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
SECTION1.IC34-13-9 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2015]:
Chapter 9. Religious Freedom Restoration
Sec. 1. This chapter applies to all governmental entity statutes, ordinances, resolutions, executive or administrative orders, regulations, customs, and usages, including the implementation or application thereof, regardless of whether they were enacted, adopted, or initiated before, on, or after July 1, 2015.
Sec. 2. A governmental entity statute, ordinance, resolution, executive or administrative order, regulation, custom, or usage may not be construed to be exempt from the application of this chapter unless a state statute expressly exempts the statute, ordinance, resolution, executive or administrative order, regulation, custom, or usage from the application of this chapter by citation to this chapter.
Sec. 3. (a) The following definitions apply throughout this section: (1) "Establishment Clause" refers to the part of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of the State of Indiana prohibiting laws respecting the establishment of religion. (2) "Granting", used with respect to government funding, benefits, or exemptions, does not include the denial of government funding, benefits, or exemptions. (b) This chapter may not be construed to affect, interpret, or in any way address the Establishment Clause. (c) Granting government funding, benefits, or exemptions, to the extent permissible under the Establishment Clause, does not constitute a violation of this chapter.
Sec. 4. As used in this chapter, "demonstrates"means meets the burdens of going forward with the evidence and of persuasion.
Sec. 5. As used in this chapter, "exercise of religion" includes any exercise of religion,whether or not compelled by, or central to, a system of religious belief.
Sec. 6. As used in this chapter, "governmental entity" includes the whole or any part of a branch, department, agency, instrumentality, official, or other individual or entity acting under color of law of any of the following: (1) State government. (2) A political subdivision (as defined in IC 36-1-2-13). (3) An instrumentality of a governmental entity described in subdivision(1) or (2), including a state educational institution, a body politic, a body corporate and politic, or any other similar entity established by law.
Sec. 7. As used in this chapter, "person" includes the following: (1) An individual. (2) An organization, a religious society, a church, a body of communicants, or a group organized and operated primarily for religious purposes. (3) A partnership, a limited liability company, a corporation, a company, a firm, a society, a joint-stock company, an unincorporated association, or another entity that: (A) may sue and be sued; and (B) exercises practices that are compelled or limited by a system of religious belief held by: (i) an individual; or (ii) the individuals; who have control and substantial ownership of the entity, regardless of whether the entity is organized and operated for profit or nonprofit purposes.
Sec. 8. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), a governmental entity may not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability. (b) A governmental entity may substantially burden a person's exercise of religion only if the governmental entity demonstrates that application of the burden to the person: (1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and (2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.
Sec. 9. A person whose exercise of religion has been substantially burdened, or is likely to be substantially burdened, by a violation of this chapter may assert the violation or impending violation as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding, regardless of whether the state or any other governmental entity is a party to the proceeding. If the relevant governmental entity is not a party to the proceeding, the governmental entity has an unconditional right to intervene in order to respond to the person's invocation of this chapter.
Sec. 10. (a) If a court or other tribunal in which a violation of this chapter is asserted in conformity with section 9 of this chapter determines that: (1) the person's exercise of religion has been substantially burdened, or is likely to be substantially burdened; and (2) the governmental entity imposing the burden has not demonstrated that application of the burden to the person: (A) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and (B) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest; the court or other tribunal shall allow a defense against any party and shall grant appropriate relief against the governmental entity. (b) Relief against the governmental entity may include any of the following: (1) Declaratory relief or an injunction or mandate that prevents, restrains, corrects, or abates the violation of this chapter. (2) Compensatory damages. (c) In the appropriate case,the court or other tribunal also may award all or part of the costs of litigation, including reasonable attorney's fees, to a person that prevails against the governmental entity under this chapter.
Sec. 11. This chapter is not intended to, and shall not be construed or interpreted to, create a claim or private cause of action against any private employer by any applicant, employee, or former employee.
1ST SESSION
H.R. 1308
To Protect the free exercise of religion.IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 11, 1993
[co-sponsors]
Mr. MCKEON, and Mr. GALLO introduced the following bill, which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
To protect the free exercise of religion.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSES.
- (a) FINDINGS.--The Congress finds
- (1) the framers of the American Constitution, recognizing free exercise of religion as an unalienable right, secured its protection in the First Amendment to the Constitution;
(2) laws "neutral" toward religion may substantially burden religious exercise as surely as laws intended to interfere with religious exercise;
(3) governments should not substantially burden religious exercise without compelling justification;
(4) in Employment Division of Oregon v. Smith the Supreme Court virtually eliminated the requirement that the government justify burdens on religious exercise imposed by laws naeutral toward religion; and
(5) the compelling interest test as set forth in Sherbert v. Verner and Wisconsin v. Yoder is a workable test for striking sensible balances between religious liberty and competing governmental interests.
(b) PURPOSES. -- The purposes of this Act are --
- (1) to restore the compelling interest test as set forth in Federal court cases before Employment Division of Oregon v. Smith and to guarantee its application in all cases where free exercise of religion is substantially burdened; and
(2) to provide a claim or defense to persons whose religious exercise is substantially burdened by government.
SEC. 3. FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION PROTECTED.
- (a) IN GENERAL. -- Government shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except as provided in subsection (b).
(b) EXCEPTION. -- Government may burden a person's exercise of religion only if it demonstrates that application of the burden to the person --
- (1) furthers a compelling governmental interest; and
(2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.
(c) JUDICIAL RELIEF. -- A person whose religious exercise has been substantially burdened in violation of this section may assert that violation as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and obtain appropriate relief against a government. Standing to assert a claim or defense under this section shall be governed by the general rules of standing under article III of the Constitution.
- (a) JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS. -- Section 722 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (42 U.S.C. 1988) is amended by inserting "the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993," before "or title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964".
(b) ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS. -- Section 504(b)(1)(C) of title 5, United States Code, is amended --
- (1) by striding "and" at the end of clause (ii);
(2) by striking the semicolon at the end of clause (iii) and inserting "; and"; and
(3) by inserting "(iv) the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993" after clause (iii).
SEC. 5 DEFINITIONS.
- As used in this Act --
- (1) the term "government" includes a branch, department, agency, instrumentality, and official (or other person acting under color of law) of the United States, a State, or a subdivision of a State;
(2) the term "State" includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each territory and possession of the United States;
(3) the term "demonstrates" means meets the burdens of going forward with the evidence and of persuasion; and
(4) the term "exercise of religion" means exercise of religion under the first article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
SEC. 6. APPLICABILITY.
- (a) IN GENERAL. -- This Act applies to all Federal and State law, and the implementation of that law, whether statutory or otherwise, and whether adopted before or after the enactment of this Act.
(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. -- Federal statutory law adopted after the date of the enactment of this Act is subject to this Act unless such law explicitly excludes such application by reference to this Act.
(c) RELIGIOUS BELIEF UNAFFECTED. -- Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize any government to substantially burden any religious belief.
SEC. 7. ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE UNAFFECTED.
- (a) IN GENERAL. -- Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect, interpret, or in any way address that portion of the First Amendment prohibiting laws respecting the establishment of religion. Granting government funding, benefits, or exemptions, to the extent permissible under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, shall not constitute a violation of this Act.
(b) DEFINITION. -- As used in this section, the term "granting government funding, benefits, or exemptions" does not include a denial of government funding, benefits, or exemptions.
Rainbow Regulation Page
Rainbow Home Page
March 17, 2015
Village clerk fired over Ferguson shooting comments
“This was a unanimous decision of the board to terminate John Muhammad as clerk. The reason for the termination is he continued to misrepresent his position as city administrator and manager rather than village clerk” said Magee.
“John Muhammad does not speak for the Village of Uplands Park. We’re glad they caught the person that did this to the officers and wish both a speedy recovery.” Said Spurling.
Muhammad did ask to retrieve his belongings then quickly left the building. Uplands Park has a population of 447 residents. Now the number of village employees has dropped from three to two.
March 10, 2015
Ferguson fake-out: Justice Department’s bogus report
Modal Trigger
Still pushing dubious charges: Attorney General Eric Holder's "proof" of racism in the Ferguson, Mo., police department doesn't hold up.Photo: Getty Images
Addressing the nation from Selma, Ala., on Saturday, President Obama said that while racism may be “no longer endemic,” as it was 50 years ago, his Justice Department’s report on Ferguson shows that the “nation’s racial history still casts its long shadow upon us.”
Sorry: The Justice report doesn’t prove disparate treatment, let alone discrimination.
In fact, it looks more like something ginned up to distract from the embarrassing fact that Justice (in another report released the same day) wound up fully validating the findings of the Ferguson grand jury.
Racism is serious, and those engaging in it should be shamed — but we should have real evidence before accusing others of it. And every one of the Justice report’s main claims of evidence of discrimination falls short.
Starting with the primary numerical claim. The report notes on Page 4: “Ferguson’s law-enforcement practices overwhelmingly impact African-Americans.
“Data collected by the Ferguson Police Department from 2012 to 2014 shows that African-Americans account for 85 percent of vehicle stops, 90 percent of citations, and 93 percent of arrests made by FPD officers, despite comprising only 67 percent of Ferguson’s population.”
Those statistics don’t prove racism, because blacks don’t commit traffic offenses at the same rate as other population groups.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ 2011 Police-Public Contact Survey indicates that, nationwide, blacks were 31 percent more likely than whites to be pulled over for a traffic stop.
Ferguson is a black-majority town. If its blacks were pulled over at the same rate as blacks nationally, they’d account for 87.5 percent of traffic stops.
In other words, the numbers actually suggest that Ferguson police may be slightly less likely to pull over black drivers than are their national counterparts. They certainly don’t show that Ferguson is a hotbed of racism.
Critics may assert that that “31 percent more likely” figure simply shows that racism is endemic to police forces nationwide.
Hmm: The survey also reveals that men are 42 percent more likely than women to be pulled over for traffic stops. Should we conclude that police are biased against men, or that men drive more recklessly?
In fact, blacks die in car accidents at a rate about twice their share of car owners.
A 2006 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study found that black drivers who were killed in accidents have the highest rate of past convictions for speeding and for other moving violations. This suggests that there are a lot of unsafe black drivers, not racism.
The Justice report on Ferguson continues, “African-Americans are at least 50 percent more likely to have their cases lead to an arrest warrant, and accounted for 92 percent of cases in which an arrest warrant was issued by the Ferguson Municipal Court in 2013.”
Again, this pretends that a mere difference is evidence of discrimination.
But the report’s statistic doesn’t even look at the seriousness of a charge — something that makes a big difference in whether to issue a warrant.
Could it be that blacks are more likely to face particularly serious charges?
Since Justice has gone through the case files, it could easily have answered the questions. Perhaps it didn’t like the answers. (Unfortunately, no national data are available for comparison.)
Another major complaint in the Justice report: “Most strikingly, the court issues municipal arrest warrants not on the basis of public-safety needs, but rather as a routine response to missed court appearances and required fine payments.”
If you think that this is unique to Ferguson, try not paying your next speeding ticket.
As for the anecdotal evidence Justice offers to bring home this complaint, well, here’s an anecdote from Washington, DC — a town with a black mayor and black-majority city council.
Megan Johnson, a black DC woman, recently failed to pay 10 parking tickets within the allotted 30 days. The city doubled her fines from $500 to $1,000, then booted, towed and sold her car — and charged her $700 for towing and impounding it.
DC sold the car at auction for $500 and won’t even credit that amount to what she owes. It’s now attaching her tax refunds.
Justice’s Ferguson anecdotes no more prove racism than Megan Johnson’s experience proves the DC government is racist.
Finally, for “direct evidence of racial bias,” the report describes seven emails from Ferguson police officers from 2008 to 2011 that Justice describes as offensive to blacks, women, Muslims, President Obama and his wife, and possibly people of mixed race.
But this begs some big questions: Did only one or two of the 53 officers send the emails? Did the objectionable emails end in 2011 because those officers no longer worked for the department, were told to stop?
The Justice Department’s report reads as a prosecutor’s brief, not an unbiased attempt to get at the truth, with evidence carefully selected and portrayed in the strongest possible light.
Differences don’t necessarily imply racism, but the Obama Justice Department doesn’t seem to care.
John R. Lott is the president of the Crime Prevention Research Center and a former chief economist for the United States Sentencing Commission.
February 22, 2015
Study: Ending affirmative action would devastate most minority college enrollment
Posted June 6, 2005; 01:14 p.m.
Princeton University researchers have found that ignoring race in elite college admissions would result in sharp declines in the numbers of African Americans and Hispanics accepted with little gain for white students.
In a study published in the June issue of Social Science Quarterly, authors Thomas Espenshadeand Chang Chung examined the controversial notion that eliminating affirmative action would lead to the admission of more white students to college and found it to be false. The assertion that qualified white students are being displaced by less qualified minority students was a prime plaintiff argument in the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court cases against the University of Michigan (Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger).
"We're trying to put these admission preferences in context so people understand that lots of students, including those with SAT scores above 1500, are getting a boost," said Espenshade, the professor of sociology who co-authored "The Opportunity Cost of Admission Preferences at Elite Universities" with Chung, a senior technical staff member in the Office of Population Research. "The most important conclusion is the negative impact on African American and Hispanic students if affirmative action practices were eliminated."
According to the study, without affirmative action the acceptance rate for African-American candidates likely would fall nearly two-thirds, from 33.7 percent to 12.2 percent, while the acceptance rate for Hispanic applicants likely would be cut in half, from 26.8 percent to 12.9 percent. While these declines are dramatic, the authors note that the long-term impact could be worse.
"If admitting such small numbers of qualified African-American and Hispanic students reduced applications and the yield from minority candidates in subsequent years, the effect of eliminating affirmative action at elite universities on the racial and ethnic composition of enrolled students would be magnified beyond the results presented here," the report says.
The authors also cite other studies and the actual experience of the University of California system where affirmative action has been eliminated: "The impacts are striking. Compared to the fall of 1996, the number of underrepresented minority students admitted to the University of California-Berkeley Boalt Hall Law School for the fall of 1997 dropped 66 percent from 162 to 55.... African-American applicants were particularly affected as their admission numbers declined by 81 percent from 75 to 14, but acceptances of Hispanics also fell by 50 percent. None of the 14 admitted African-American students chose to enroll. Of the 55 minority students admitted, only seven enrolled in the fall of 1997, a falloff that had the effect of reducing the underrepresented minority share in the first year class to 5 percent in 1997 compared with 26 percent in 1994."
Removing consideration of race would have little effect on white students, the report concludes, as their acceptance rate would rise by merely 0.5 percentage points. Espenshade noted that when one group loses ground, another has to gain -- in this case it would be Asian applicants. Asian students would fill nearly four out of every five places in the admitted class not taken by African-American and Hispanic students, with an acceptance rate rising from nearly 18 percent to more than 23 percent. Typically, many more Asian students apply to elite schools than other underrepresented minorities. The study also found that although athletes and legacy applicants are predominantly white, their numbers are so small that their admissions do little to displace minority applicants.
The authors based their work on models previously developed in a 2004 study where they looked at more than 124,000 elite university applicants' SAT scores, race, sex, citizenship, athletic ability and legacy in combination with their admission decision. This more recent study honed in on more than 45,000 applicants. Both studies are part of the multidimensional National Study of College Experience, which is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Espenshade is professor of sociology and faculty associate at the Office of Population Research at Princeton University. His research and teaching interests include higher education in the United States, the racial dimension of college admissions and campus life, intergroup relations on college campuses, social demography, and contemporary immigration to the United States. Espenshade joined the faculty in 1988 after receiving his doctorate in economics from Princeton in 1972.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)