How Come Juneteenth Isn't a National Holiday?

How come ... okay, I do realize that we live in the United States of Amnesia ... but how come Juneteenth isn't a major holiday in this country? The end of slavery ... isn't that one of the most important, profound events this country has ever had? All the struggles, pain, deaths that went into the movement towards that goal!!!!

This country was built on the strenuous efforts, the enormous strength and hardship and deep deep pain of those folks that were kidnapped from their homelands.

It's hypocritical isn't it ... when rich folks talk about kidnapping of their family members by "extremists" ... it makes it sound like it is the most heinous crime -- that is if freedom fighters are doing the kidnapping. But those same rich folks don't talk about slavery like that. Maybe ... maybe the words come out of their mouths ... but if you watch closely ... the passion is not there.

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From today's Writer's Almanac:

On this day in 1862, the U.S. Congress outlawed slavery in all United States territories. This congressional act nullified the Supreme Court decision known as the Dred Scott case, decided five years prior, which prohibited blacks from ever becoming U.S. citizens.

But few were actually freed on this day. At the time, the country was about a year deep into the Civil War, and most states that allowed slavery had already seceded from the Union to form the Confederacy — and were not taking orders from the United States Congress. Abraham Lincoln was still working on drafts of the Emancipation Proclamation, the final version of which wouldn't be delivered until the following January, about six months later. And even that would have little immediate effect on freedom in many states, since the South had a separate government with different laws.

The state of Texas was the last state to continue to allow slavery after it had been abolished in all other states. Then, on this day in 1865, exactly three years after Congress officially outlawed slavery, a Union general and 2,000 troops arrived by ship into Galveston, Texas, to announce to that the North had won the war, that the Emancipation Proclamation was in effect, and he would be there to enforce it by military means. With this, the last remaining slaves in the nation were finally freed. And it's because of this event that today is an official holiday in about three dozen states, called "Juneteenth" day. Some of the biggest Juneteenth celebrations in the nation are in Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; Chandler, Arizona; and San Francisco, California. They're traditionally jubilant festivals, which revolve around big picnics.

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Politics: President Obama and The Lying Liars of the RNC

ICHC For All Your Cattitude Needs

Gee, guess what? The RNC, which is totally full of FAIL and PWN, has to resort (once again) to LYING OUTRIGHT (like they've never done THAT before) to smear President Obama.

What's got today's RNC's knickers in a knot? It seems, (they say), that President Obama (according to them, known liars that they are) has said the constitution is flawed.

Well, now, according to the RNC that's like saying God has no underwear on, or something. Except, oops, Gee Dumbya Bush and Condi Rice and a whole buncha other people kinda said the same thing.

See, our President was referring to slavery. And if that ain't a flaw in the constitution, I don't know what is. Michael Steele, Rush Limbaugh, whyn't y'all go back to deciding whose teeny peener is bigger, guys, cos this is the biggest "no-story" story I've heard in years.

What a bunch of fucking losers.

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Politics: Guantanamo Bay Manual Leaked

Snarly McCrashcart's repulsive visage courtesy of Mimus Pauly

Oh, my. How most fortunate that there are still people in government service and out, who believe in the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and their right to blow the whistle on a corrupt government.

Raw Story points us to a Wired expose on the leaking of a Guantanamo Bay manual on the InnerTubes. Yes!

The 238-page document, "Camp Delta Standard Operating Procedures," is dated March 28, 2003. It is unclassified, but designated "For Official Use Only." It hit the web last Wednesday on Wikileaks.org.

Wikileaks was set up by open-government activists to function as a clearinghouse for open disclosure. And a good thing, too.

A little sunshine will clean out the fetid swamp that the government has become. Nepotism, cronyism, bribery, corruption, prostitutes gay and straight, slave labour, lies, petty revenge, and secrecy. It's time for all of that to go. We're better than that.

We don't have to live in Darth Cheney's fantasy world of fear and nonexistent suitcase nukes. We don't have to live in Bubble Boy's propaganda world where everything you want is real if you only say it three times. We don't have to live in the hysterical, fearful world of the DHS and the NSA where every conversation and mouse-click must be spied on because somewhere out there among the 300 million or more, there could be one individual who might be dangerous. We're better than that.

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Workers' Rights: Nooses, Bullwhips, Dartboard

This is one of those "WTF??" stories that just make you hold your head and wish it was time to start drinking heavily.

AP reports that William Hartline, superintendent of the public works department in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, has been accused of displaying nooses, a whipping post complete with bullwhip, and a dartboard featuring a picture of a black man, in his office. But let's let you read their own words about Mr. Hartline's office:

The investigation will be based in part on photographs Lee took in 2005 of his superintendent's office. In them, the nooses dangle from a wooden contraption that reaches to the ceiling. A bullwhip hangs from a wooden post labeled as a whipping post. A black man stands at the center of the dart board, and his groin area makes up the bull's-eye.

Whitmer said material was found in the office Wednesday night. The dart board he found had a photo of a white man tacked to it, he said. He also said he only located one noose. Whitmer said it was attached to a contraption labeled a "butt-kicking machine" that propelled a fake foot out when someone pulled on the noose. He also found a sign that read, "BILL'S WHIPPING POST."

Jefferson Parish president Aaron Broussard has suspended Mr. Hartline and announced an investigation into what can only be called a hate crime. He is also calling on the parish council to pass an ordinance similar to the Federal hate crimes law, which would enable the parish to refer such incidents to the sherriff's office for criminal investigation.

The FBI has also begun an investigation into the allegations.

Jesus fucking J.H. Christ on a pogo stick! Who does this shit, in this day and age? I hope the sonofabitch gets busted, along with any others like him.

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Human Rights - Yet Another Reason To Stop Buying Imported Goods

unless we can get STRINGENT guarantees of worker rights. Jeebus, this is disgusting.

Eight workers were so traumatised by their experiences that they were only able to remember their names.

The labourers had to work unpaid for 20 hours at a time, and were only given bread and water in return.

I'd like to see those morons who buy cheap imported crap at Mall Warts thrown into factories like these and forced to labour 20 hours a day on bread and water.

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