As word of the presence of ICE agents in the neighborhood spread, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums rushed over to Esperanza Elementary School, where a number of parents and community members had gathered.
Addressing them, the Mayor called the situation the “the ugly side of government.”
He labeled the ICE actions “inappropriate and unnecessary” and reiterated that children needed education, not harassment. “There should be no raids in Oakland,” he said.
Is this what has become of our great nation? A willingness of our government to intimidate parents through fear tactics in public schools? Have we been reduced to such base behavior? Say what you will about the illegal immigration, but NEVER, let me repeat, NEVER, should any government willingly strike fear within a child who has committed no crime!
http://www.alternet.org/rights/84718/
Then there is the issue of how we treat our young boys in school as second class citizens, behind the advocacy of “veiled” superiority of their opposite gender.
For evidence of this you have only to look at the popularity and hatefulness of the phrase “girls rule, boys drool”. And the popularity of books like “The rules”. You see these concepts in popular media, comedy shows, and advertisement every day. No-one seems to object to that form of abuse, except the people affected most by it. Drive by Manassas on 234 and see a sign advocating for the “female knee” or the “female heart”, only we know what is best for you. Where are the signs advocating for the “male heart”, the “male knee”, or “prostrate cancer? You can’t tell me these gender focused advocacy groups have had no impact on this clever “indifference” to the opposite gender.
Personally I deeply believe the “signs” should be about “cancer, knees and hearts period!” and all the federal funding going into the same pot. This is what politically active gender based advocacy groups have caused.
Why do I dismiss claims of HSM as a nativist group? Well, I signed the charter, and have attended many of the meetings.
He personally went to that 7-11 for whatever reason but generally he councils political involvement rather than aggressive personal confrontation.
I really don’t know what bone some people have against him. He’s firmly in the American political tradition. It’s just miscategoruization to paint him as some radical who has racial animus. His agenda is all out on the table.
Again, I think it’s a ig mistake if you think Greg and Cory Stewart stirred this issue up … they are responding to how people feel out here. And trying to help people preserve their rights. Greg took up this cause because of his plight in his own neighborhood. It’s a plight seen and shared by many here.
Michael,
Please, all I ask is for a modicum of research before “speaking” on a subject. Maybe you are not aware of the womens sufferage movement Michael. That was the movement to demand that women have the right to vote. So clearly, the LWV was formed to fight for the right of women to vote, it has obviously moved, some time ago, from that original mission statement almost 100 years ago, to an organization focused on a much broader message. Once again, I urge to visit their website so you can become more knowledgable on the facts and not your preconceived opinion.
http://www.lwv.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
League of Women Voters:
“About the League
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, has fought since 1920 to improve our systems of government and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy. The League’s enduring vitality and resonance comes from its unique decentralized structure. The League is a grassroots organization, working at the national, state and local levels.
There are Leagues in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Hong Kong, in addition to the hundreds of local Leagues nationwide. The League of Women Voters of the United States and the League of Women Voters Education Fund operate at the national level with grassroots support from state and local Leagues.
The League of Women Voters is strictly nonpartisan; it neither supports nor opposes candidates for office at any level of government. At the same time, the League is wholeheartedly political and works to influence policy through advocacy. It is the original grassroots citizen network, directed by the consensus of its members nationwide. The 900 state and local Leagues – comprising a vast grassroots lobby corps that can be mobilized when necessary.
Over time, the League’s legislative priorities change to reflect the needs of society and critical issues of concern. The organization remains true to its basic purpose: to make democracy work for all citizens. The League of Women Voters makes a difference in the lives of citizens because of the energy and passion of thousands of members committed to our principles.”
“Representative Government
Promote an open governmental system that is representative, accountable and responsive.
Founded by the activists who secured voting rights for women, the League has always worked to promote the values and processes of representative government. Protecting and enhancing voting rights for all Americans, assuring opportunities for citizen participation, working for open, accountable, representative and responsive government at every level—all reflect the deeply held convictions of the League of Women Voters.
The League worked courageously to protect fundamental citizen rights and individual liberties against the threats of the McCarthy era. In the 1960s, attention turned to securing “one person, one vote” through apportionment of legislative districts based substantially on population. In the 1970s, members worked to reform the legislative process and open it to citizen scrutiny, and to balance congressional and presidential powers. The League also sought to reform the campaign finance system to reduce the dominance of special interests, affirmed support for the direct election of the President and fought for full voting rights in Congress for the citizens of the District of Columbia.”
michael, 10. May 2008, 18:17
Elena, their actions speak louder than their words . If they were so concerned about that mission statement, they would have simply formed “The league of voters”. Their is no need and it is against the concept of “indivual rights, representing all individuals” to align with any political group identified by gender, race, religion or ethnic group. Everyone cleary knows where their true loyalties lie, regardless of how “genderless” their mission statement is crafted. This is just to shield and deflect theiri true beliefs and actions taken.
I know this is hard for you to admit and see as truth.
KENNETH SAID NOT SCREAMED – THE LWV HAS BEEN AROUND FOREVER. I HAVE FOLLLOWED THEIR ACTIVITIES ALL OVER THE NATION AND THEY ARE AS REPUTABLE AN EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION AS THERE IS ANYWHERE……IF ONLY VOTERS STUDIED THE FACTS AND ISSUES – AS THE LWV PUTS TOGEHTER EVERYWHERE, WE WOULD BE A MUCH BETTER INFORMED DEMOCRACY AND HAVE MUCH BETTER POLITICAL LEADERS…….THEY ARE SUCH A BREATH OF FRESH AIR IN PWC
Rick Bentley, 10. May 2008, 20:34
Again, I think it’s a ig mistake if you think Greg and Cory Stewart stirred this issue up … they are responding to how people feel out here. And trying to help people preserve their rights. Greg took up this cause because of his plight in his own neighborhood. It’s a plight seen and shared by many here.
KENNETH SAID NOT SCREAMED – I STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH YOU RICK….WHY DID GOSPEL GREG AND THE TWO SSs GO DOWNTOWN TO SEEK ADVICE FROM FAIR RATHER THAN OUR HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED COUNTY GOVT LEADERS – THAT IS HOW RESOLUTIONS ARE NORMALLY DEVELOPED. BOCS TELL STAFF HOW TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS ……IN THIS CASE…..THEY WOULD HAVE BEEFED UP ENFORCEMENT OF EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD AND MOTOR VEHICLE LAWS…..NUT NO, THEY WENT TO A HATE GROUP…..WHO TOLD THE TWO SSS HOW TO DEVLOP A RESOLUTOIN, DAMN, THEY EVEN WROTE IT ….. AND PWC HAS BECOME LACKEYS FOR FAIR……….NICE GOIN FELLAS…….
BOSC ASKS STAFF FOR THEIR PROFESSIONAL OPINIONS AS TO HOW TO LEGALLY AND ADMINISTRATIVELY ADDRESS A PROBLEM……….
Kenneth, the local politicians had plenty of time and opportunity to develop solutions while the problem worsened and worsened … the only reason they did anything at all was the organized political pressure citizens exerted, through Greg’s organization, and the unofficial simmering anger. Left to their own devices they don’t care about fairness or people’s lives, just about how to keep their developer friends rolling in cash.
Your suggestion is that through application of zoning laws and such the problem could have been addressed … but that was and would be under attack from the ACLU, every activist judge at every level of Government, and even our tool President’s own Jutice Department (who were VERY active in trying to beat Manassas down when they started to try to beef up zoning) … the only way to beat the unholy alliance of bleeding-heart activist judges and conservative bankrollers was to froma legal standpoint go after ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, there’s by no reasonable person’s judgement a right to identity theft and human smuggling in the constitution, whereas according to the ACLU we have the right to overcrowd and not carry IDs around and to demand government operate in Spanish and so on and so forth.
This is the world we live in … at least, outside of the gated communities.
Firedancer…as I have stated earlier, ICE does NOT conduct raids in schools. I read the entire article that Elena referenced and nowhere does it claim that ICE was in the school. At the closest they were four blocks away. There is one activist that states that she “knows ICE is conducting raids” at schools but she offers no proof, no specifics to back up her claim. However, by policy, ICE does not conduct raids at schools.
You are against raids, but they are the ONLY enforcement method in the immigration system once an illegal alien is here. If you remove that potential, you may as well open the borders for any and all to come from anywhere.
Rick Bentley, 11. May 2008, 8:38
Kenneth, the local politicians had plenty of time and opportunity to develop solutions while the problem worsened and worsened … the only reason they did anything at all was the organized political pressure citizens exerted, through Greg’s organization, and the unofficial simmering anger. Left to their own devices they don’t care about fairness or people’s lives, just about how to keep their developer friends rolling in cash.
Your suggestion is that through application of zoning laws and such the problem could have been addressed … but that was and would be under attack from the ACLU, every activist judge at every level of Government, and even our tool President’s own Jutice Department (who were VERY active in trying to beat Manassas down when they started to try to beef up zoning) … the only way to beat the unholy alliance of bleeding-heart activist judges and conservative bankrollers was to froma legal standpoint go after ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, there’s by no reasonable person’s judgement a right to identity theft and human smuggling in the constitution, whereas according to the ACLU we have the right to overcrowd and not carry IDs around and to demand government operate in Spanish and so on and so forth.
This is the world we live in … at least, outside of the gated communities.
KENNETH SAID NOT SCREAMED….NOT QUITE RICK….EITHER OR BOTH OF THE SSs COULD HAVE ASKED THE COUNTY STAFF TO ANALYZE THE ISSUES FROM A LEGAL AND OPERATIONAL SENSE AND COME UP WITH WAYS TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS….THE STAFF WOULD HAVE COME BACK AND ADDRESSED THESE ISSUES THRU A REAL RULE OF LAW RESOLUTION…..NOT THIS IDIOTIC THING THAT WAS DEVELOPED – KEEP THE LITTTLE OLD LADIES WITH ACCENTS OUT OF OUR SENIOR CENTERS AND THE POLICE THING…..THAT IS GOING NOWHERE……..WE NEED TO GET AWAY FROM NAME CALLING…BLEEDING HEART JUDGES AND LIBERALS AND ACLU AD NASEUM……..WHAT DID WE GET THANKS TO THE TWO SSS AND GOSPEL GREG..THE RESOLUTION FROM HELL….DEVELOPED BY THE FAIR FOLKS…AS GEORGE BUSH TOLD ADM BROWNIE AT THE KATRINA MESS……GOOD JOB FELLAS……OR HOW ABOUT MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!
LuckyDuck, because I do not feel that people sneaking in to work hard in unpleasant jobs are in the same category as heinous criminals, I feel that raids are a dehumanizing, immoral law enforcement tactic. I am not comfortable having agents chase people around like rats. This is my own opinion, and I’m not going to argue about it with anyone. Enforcement should be done strictly with the employers.
If there are so damn many dangerous criminal aliens roaming our streets as the two SSs and Gospel Greg preach, why the hell aren’t they chasing after them and not the folks in the meat packing plants………these are really dumbass moves…probably political appeasements……and also wasting taxpayer money in the process………
Elena, with all due respect, and I do mean that, I still see no evidence the the LWV is taking any action on men’s equality issues, only on women’s equality issues. I don’t care what their mission statement says, I only see evidence of their actions, such as being upset that nuns (women) were denied Illinoise voting access, not because they were women, but because they had no ID according to Illinois statute. They could care less if men voters were denied access or they would have said so. They did not, so their actions speak louder than any words you may quote from their mission statement. I don’t care why they were started in the 1920s, that time has long pas., I only care what they stand for now, and it is not equal rights for all, only rights for “some”, exclusive of “others”, in this case exclusive of “males”.
They do not care that the statute is a law applied to male and female voters equitably, only that it denied a perceived and erroneous right for “some” women to vote, that were not legally authorized to do so, as a result of not meeting the fair and equitable statute applied equally to all.
They are a woman’s organization focused only on women’s issues, not finding a solution equally for men and men’s issues, or ALL people’s issues. Only their gender.
That is why they are a supremacist group and a segregationists group as much as any other hate group you want to identify with.
Elena, whoult it make more sense to you if tthe LWV had claimed that a small group of “white males” had been denied access to vote in Illinois? Would you still be so quick to defend their mission statement, and ignore their actions? You and every one who thinks in terms of group rights issues, would be screaming “white supremacy hate group” in a heartbeat.
Michael – i have worked with LWV off and on for over 40 years and find it to be an excellent educational organization that is way above partisan nonsense……..just my opinon, but they are like public interest scholars and workers who dont discriminate against anyone……..
Ken, I don’t share that opinion. I see no evidence of advocacy that does not have its basis in women’s issues and advantages for women being taken on and funded by the LWV..
If one of those signs up there on health issues had said” “We have specially designed knees and do heart surgury only for “white men”, the LWV would be all over it, claiming hate group and hate organization and white supremacy. Because the political cause(s) are focused on Women’s issues, the LWV will always support it, never a cause focused on men’s issues, just as they have with every political issue they have ever taken on benefits women in some way, while being indifferent to men. Every one of these has be focused on improving social benefits for and advantaging women over men, never on advocating politically to support men’s issues. That make them a hate group and gender segregationists in my book. They will not stop this until they become simply the “league of voters” and work only on issues that are beneficial to all people, regardless of gender. I see it in their actions, and am not fooled by their words and mission statement.
Michael,
Are you purposefully being obtuse? You are continuing to speak from ignorance, in spite of the facts before you regarding this organization.
You have not presented facts. Only written goals and missions. Facts are the actions they (The LWV) take working almost entirely from a woman’s position on womens political issues (The nuns comment is a fact), the fact that it is still a “league of Women Voters” and not a “league of voters”, a fact is from the 2005-2006 newsletter, that ALL the elected officials in this newsletter are “female” and the board of directors are female, and the writers os the articles are female.
http://ca.lwv.org/lwvc/publications/voter/voter2005_sum.pdf
Another fact I don’t have time to dig into, but the political positions themselves favor womenb’s issues and not mens issues predominantly if not almost exclusively from what I see in an issues scan:
Education, Voter registration, Campaign reform, etc, are from my quick scan, positions elaborated to focus primarily on woman’s views of these issues, and not men’s views on these issues (although I’m sure some of the lawyers paid to draft these are men as well as women).
My point is they are not taking on any issues unless a base of women voters would support it and they are indifference to the majority base of men’s voting issues, male voters, and men’s rights political issues.
They will not take this genderless view until the league hanges its name to “league of voters” and has a typical “skills” based board of directors representation that is blind to gender. I do not believe that is the case loooking at the legal briefs and members of the organization.
I am not being obtuse, but very open and forthright in my personal observation of the gender bias and discrimmination in this organization.
I don’t agree that you don’t think that it is, because I’ll bet you could care less about a genderless political position, or a group of people who do not advocate a specific gender position that supports your personal beliefs and perceptions of gender issues.
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