Justice for Trayvon Martin

BET also had two excellent specials air March 29, 2012, .... "Shoot First: The Tragedy of Trayvon Martin" and "Racial Realities: Stay Smart and Stay Alive". 

BET News Special "Shoot First: The Tragedy of Trayvon Martin"

UPDATE - SEE ALSO:  TULSA SHOOTERS CHARGED WITH HATE CRIMES April, 14, 2012


Lawrence O'Donnell and other MSNBC:

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Little Old Ladies Thrown Under the Bus in Maple Heights

We were going to resume commenting on national politics, when the following came across our desk ...


According to the Plain Dealer, on October 17th, 2007, because of a plea by Councilman Paul Priebe to dedicate money from the Northfolk Southern Railway Company, to people who directly abut the railroad  [for "other problems" created by the railroad], money was placed in a special fund for those special people. Please read the story here. [click on the word "here"]

Many of those special people have grown quite some years older waiting for that money so they could repair their homes.

Well, we guess, council decided that they giveth (even though no one ever received it), so they can take it away, and we're sure the law director probably gave his blessing on that. Sources tell us that the council president asked various members of council to author a resolution that would allow council (or the finance director) to take that money in the special fund and throw it into the general fund to spend it however the finance director "needed" to spend it [and council, the mayor, and finance director (?)  agree they really needed it].

Well, those various members of council did in fact, author such a resolution which would only give 20% of that special fund (which is now worth around $800,00 or more?) to those special people; and, it appears they also put in a little extra wording which basically says that any further monies going to the city from railroad fees,  would not go to those special people , but would go directly into the general fund (?).  Some (or more than some) of these special people are little old ladies, (many of whom are African American by the way).

Now this resolution was discussed for (what?) a few months, before ... the final vote, which would take place on Wednesday, March 7th. 

Now, ... from what we hear, ... the newly appointed council person for district 5 (African American, Charles Crews Jr. who represents some of those who directly abut the railroad, which includes those little old ladies), came up with a proposal to give the special people an additional 10% of that special fund money (again, money that was set aside for them for "other problems created by the railroad"). Cefaratti (?) (who represents district 3, ... the other people who directly abut the railroad) was agreeable with that idea. Sources told us that Cefaratti (?) asked the finance director about that extra 10% ... and the finance director concurred with Cefaratti. .... Here's what appears happened though ....

The mayor (we hear) did not fight for the extra 10%  proposed  by Crews, or even suggest he would give back some of his own salary, or suggest that council agree to give those special people (many of them - remember - little old African American ladies) more from future fees from the railroad ... no, this mayor, who said he was one of the founding sponsors "of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C.", who said he was a "Wall of Tolerance Honoree in Montgomery, AL with recognition from Rosa Parks", who used a picture with President Obama and Mrs. Obama on his campaign literature ... no, inside sources said he ("threatened (?)") further layoffs of government employees (something, we guess, he felt he would have to do to help pay the bills) to get those "yes" votes on council's resolution, ... to get a "yes" vote from a  man who was appointed by council, with the law director's blessing, that disenfranchised   his constituents/employers in district 5 ... who are also some of the law director's (and council, and the mayor's ) employers.

Was the mayor right to do what he did (if in fact that's what he did)? You judge.

So did the newly appointed councilman for district 5 stand fast to get more money for his little old ladies who directly abut the railroad?   Nope, ... he along with every other voting member of council except for Anthony Cefaratti (who represents those special people in district 3), and Richard Trojanski (district 6 ) voted to throw those little old ladies "under the bus" with what we feel is a raw, raw deal. We applaud Trojanski and Cefaratti.

You do some real digging into this matter and see if you agree with us.  Oh yeah, while you're digging, ask those little old ladies (and the others) that are entitled to that special fund money, if they think 20% was fair, and enough to compensate them for the horrible noise and damage to their homes caused by the railroad.



[To be further edited, with corrections made if necessary]

The Boys Are Back In Maple Heights, Ohio

While the nation has woken up with a fighting spirit, saying "hell no" to a host of efforts to strip them of their civil liberties, women's rights, worker's rights and consumer rights, ... Maple Heights voted back almost the same old crew of years ago.  

Nasty (stinking) politics, arrogance, intimidation, and money rocked Maple Heights, and we don't think the place will ever be the same. 

Folks are leaving Maple Heights, ... fed up with home foreclosures, negative job growth, and high unemployment (pretty much what the nation is fed up with); and fed up with burglaries, rising taxes (and receiving less for their money), less than desirable student academic performance, and racial disparities. 

Malaise permeates the city of  Maple Heights. 

What is and is not funny about what just happened in Maple Heights, is that for all the mayor's focus on county corruption, his city would not have the homeowner face lift its received, without county money loaned to homeowners to fix up their properties. 

What is and is not funny about what just happened in Maple Heights, is that for all the mayor's focus on issues surrounding issue 6 (and his love of issue 6),  progressive Democrats, and not the business community, were responsible for most of the large projects in his city.

What's depressing, is that a lot of that money, flowed to people (businesses) who largely did not live in Maple Heights, and who hired little to no minorities from Maple Heights.

We see the mayor of Maple Heights doing what (we think)  he does best ... suing people (we aren't saying always successfully) who oppose him.  Perhaps he's delivering a message, ... if you criticize him, ... if you oppose him, you may just get sued or perhaps investigated.  Will someone please give Ciaravino a phone call? 

What will remain (we feel), unless the minority community and all residents of Maple Heights wake up, ... is high unemployment, poor job growth rate, home foreclosures, increasing taxes, continued decline in population and  less than desirable student academic performance.  

What will remain (we feel), is residents (especially property owners) who will be faced with paying a lot of salaries and benefits to a large majority of people who work in Maple Heights government, but don't live in Maple Heights. 

Remember:
[Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2009: 13.2%(8.7% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 15.7% for Black residents, 13.3% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 0.0% for American Indian residents, 0.0% for other race residents, 24.1% for two or more races residents)]

What Maple Heights residents must not forget, is that the people  they just rehired (people who have worked for them before), ... do in fact, work for them and not the other way around; and that, they better pay very close attention to the finances, legislation, and projects ... very close attention.  We don't think that these are financial wizards the residents just rehired. We believe most of them have no clue with regards to innovation, social media, and new technologies; and sorely lack vision for this 21st century. We believe most of them are stuck in the past, and most are the same ones who were around when the decline started.

*And you folks near the railroad ... make sure no one messes with your settlement money. 

And will someone tell us who bought Southgate USA?  Wouldn't it be funny if .......

Cuyahoga County Election Results



Update 11/21/2011:
 'Income Achievement Gap' Almost Double Black-White Performance Gap, Report Shows
by Louis Freedberg 

What Role for Labor in the Progressive Uprising? A Conversation With Labor Strategist Stephen Lerner | | AlterNet by Amy Dean

We love our unions, but damn, ....

Did this portion of a collective bargaining agreement go through?:

     [collective bargaining agreement regarding health insurance premiums - yep, it says that this group of gov't employees will pay only $20 (individual) / $40 (family) a month - if Maple Heights residents want to see the entire bargaining agreement, ... call Maple Hts City Hall]

December 12, 2011 UPDATE: When last we heard, Maple Heights approved this bargaining agreement. 

[Seems after some Maple Heights residents became aware of this bargaining agreement, the next day Maple Heights City Council held a special meeting and approved the bargaining agreement.]

Interesting:
December 21, 2011 [Politifact Ohio] 
Governor's health benefits claim a favorite from 2011

2010 (Wikipedia) Population, etc. data

The Buck Always Stops At The Top

I'm going to add to this post as I see fit, because I'm damn tired of seeing folks at the top pass the buck.

I don't care if you're the Pope, President of the United States, governor of a state, mayor of a city, manager of a business, head of a government agency, or city council president.  THE BUCK STOPS WITH YOU.  

YOU accepted the leadership role.  Stop making excuses.

Buck Passing

Pope accused of crimes against humanity by victims of sex abuse | World news | guardian.co.uk by Karen McVeigh, September 13, 2011

Maple Heights Town Hall Meeting Reveals Shocking News

While Southgate in Maple Heights quietly slipped from receivership (2009) into foreclosure a few days ago (potentially taking a major source of revenue from Maple Heights), allegations of voter suppression, voter intimidation, and [perhaps] financial nonfeasance were revealed. 

The Town Hall Meeting at the Maple Heights Library last night (held by the endorsed Democrats in Maple Hts) revealed such shocking news, that even we were not fully aware of, but had sensed for some time (check previous posts).

So that there is little guess work ... the targets of the voter suppression and voter intimidation are Mrs. Mitchell's supporters.  There have also been allegations that white males in camouflage attire have been following the endorsed Democratic female African American candidates; and Mrs. Mitchell has complained that quite a few of the  (vote for Neomia Mitchell) yard signs have been removed by people driving around in trucks (she also states that when she ran against the mayor previously, a lot of her yard signs were missing).  Mrs. Mitchell has also complained that there were voter registration applications she turned in to the Board of Elections that could not be found at the Board of Elections.  The stuff we've heard about or seen for our very own eyes is shocking.

Here is something interesting:
In an early piece of campaign literature put out by the mayor, it shows a picture of a bunch of Mrs. Mitchell's yard signs in a big heap in front of former Mayor Ciaravino's yard signs.  Where did he get that picture?  Better still ... how was he able to get a picture of Mrs. Mitchell's yard signs conveniently placed  in a pile in front of a pile of Ciaravino's yard signs?

The Democratic Party (given the problems that confronted them in Cuyahoga County) we believe, would not endorse a candidate that they felt had any real and substantial and highly incriminating evidence  linking her to any crimes or scandal.   That's why, we think, they chose Mrs. Mitchell.  It seems the mayor wants people to think otherwise (maybe trying to have her investigated).  We feel this is unbecoming of a mayor of any city (see Mayor Lansky's pictorial characterization of his African American female opponent) . 

We also learned that some of the salary raises that were given over the last few years, may not have gone thru city council as they should have (correct us if we're wrong).   Why the council president did not take a stand when it happened, is a mystery to us.

Please remember (Maple Hts statistics):
[Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2009: 13.2%(8.7% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 15.7% for Black residents, 13.3% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 0.0% for American Indian residents, 0.0% for other race residents, 24.1% for two or more races residents)]

The job growth rate in Maple Heights is in the negative figures (around -10%).  Most of the people who work in Maple Heights (esp. those who draw high salaries with fantastic benefits), do not live in Maple Heights.

Where has television and print media been in investigating what appears to have been going on in Maple Heights?  Where are they now?

While the scandal unfolds, we expect public officials to continue to deflect attention away from them unto what they'll state as "politics as usual" (and we think the nasty smear campaign against Mrs. Mitchell will continue ... and probably will get worse); however, this is not "politics as usual" and the people who are suffering, and will continue to suffer (esp. from the repercussions of all this), are the residents (esp. property owners) of Maple Heights. 

We'll update .. as we gather more information.

Information on the Maple Heights financial state audit that was recently completed (which includes information on the 2009, 9.95 million dollar note (debt) which now puts Maple Heights over 18 million in debt) ... www.auditor.state.oh.us 

[By the way, Mrs. Mitchell, the mayor's opponent,  was not a member of council in 2009.  We also just learned that Maple Heights general fund may be in the red. Bond interest payments, (and salaries if we're correct) come from the property taxes.]

What Role for Labor in the Progressive Uprising? A Conversation With Labor Strategist Stephen Lerner | | AlterNet  by Amy Dean


Several residents complained that a "Re-Elect Lansky" yard  sign was placed on their lawn without their permission and the letter below was left at their house (we have permission from them to post it).  We leave it up to you if you consider this "voter intimidation".  (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

Mayor of Maple Heights does the Razzle Dazzle

UPDATE: 10/17/2011

Okay everyone, ... let me back up with a rewrite because folks have been calling, ... and have said in classic Ricky Ricardo style, ... "Lucy, you've got some splaining to do".

So the explanation:

A friend of mine called to tell me that there was a huge piece of campaign literature from the Maple Heights mayor, stuffed in her mailbox.  Like so many of you who saw it, ... she was almost speechless.  Anyway, she gave it to me, and I was also, ... at first,  speechless.  Me, ... speechless ... but not for long.

Well, those who know me, know I always do my research.  After my eyes got adjusted to all that gloss and ego, I focused on the resume portion of his campaign brochure.  While there was quite a bit of stuff there, I jumped to his "education" ..  He says he is a graduate of Maple Heights High School ... great, .. then he hit me with the "WOW"

I was beginning to give the mayor his propers about the "Graduate of Cleveland State University", but dag gum it, my eyes caught the words,  "Leadership Academy" ... see, most people just saw the words graduate of "Cleveland State", but not that Leadership Academy part.  What they don't know is that the Academy holds leadership training, (up to) 2 week courses that cost a pretty penny; but  there's no pass or fail test at the end.  Right?  I then saw "Graduate of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Leadership in the 21st century".  Harvard U's Leadership for the 21st century program is a 5 to 10 day program (depending on the topic). The program requires participants to be actively engaged in the classroom, in small groups, and in individual reflection. One does have to apply; however, there is no formal educational requirement. Even though the mayor didn't actually graduate from Cleveland State or Harvard University with a Bachelors or Masters Degree, I totally give him his props for wanting to improve his leadership skills.   And, the David C. Sweet Award in 2002 .. you have to be an alumni of the Cleveland State U Leadership Academy (which he says he was) to receive the award (and I'm not sure of the nomination process).

By the way, Mrs. Mitchell, the mayor's opponent (who doesn't boast about her credentials, memberships, associations, etc) is a college graduate.

The mayor also lists "memberships" and "community service". I saw "Founding Sponsor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C."  See, I'm also a "Founding Sponsor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial ..."  How did I become a Founding Sponsor?  I donated money a couple of days ago:. ... and that "Wall of Tolerance Honoree in Montgomery, Al with recognition from Rosa Parks (click here).

Like I said, I always do my research; and I always ask questions (esp. of politicians) ... like ...what do you have to do to become an honoree or a sponsor?  Did you get an invitation in the mail (etc.) to become a member, sponsor or honoree, and does that designation get secured by sending money?

The other thing I want to see are dates ... did this event/honor/service/etc. happen before you started campaigning or after you started campaigning? .....Actually, that question is sort of ridiculous,  since politicians are always in campaign mode.  Anyway, you can do the rest of the research about the mayor's resume, on your own.

This is what get's me about politicians (they throw things out there, and they know you probably won't dig deeper), and this current mayor said it himself ... he's a pro when it comes to campaigning ... and this man is a career politician.

The professional, expensive, glossy brochure (with items referenced above) is a step up from those negative campaign pieces he had previously; however, WOW, this piece was enough to dazzle any number of  African American residents in the (predominantly African American) Maple Heights.  But I'm sure he knew that ... that's probably why the photos, glossy, American flag background, resume, and sports center spread.  

And, ... Oh Lord, ... that "photo op" front page?, ... with people who black folk love, ... Right?

Maple Heights:
[Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2009: 13.2%(8.7% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 15.7% for Black residents, 13.3% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 0.0% for American Indian residents, 0.0% for other race residents, 24.1% for two or more races residents)]

And the final razzle dazzle ... endorsement from (not the Democratic Party), but lo and behold .. the mostly conservative editorial department of the Plain Dealer - Plain Dealer Publishing Co. (member of the mighty and self interested Chamber of Commerce via the Greater Cleveland Partnership).

I think the mayor has definitely learned some valuable lessons from those leadership workshops/seminars, and advice from others.  One lesson he's learned?  The man does make connections, and he does network. Well done!  If he had to switch parties to do it, he did it.  Nothing illegal about that.

God love ya Maple Heights residents ... but you damn better "wake up and smell the coffee", and start asking some important questions about your city finances and those  salaries and benefits that may be sucking you dry.  Take a look at those salaries and compare them with other similar size cities with the same economic conditions   (residents, .. if need be, use the Ohio Public Records Law to get information on city finances and salaries;  or ask your council person for them).

 Maple Hts population / Cleveland population / Cleveland Mayor's salary / Shaker Hts population / Shaker Heights Mayor's salary

The mayor is probably a likeable guy in public (definitely not if you oppose him), and he does do some good things; however, the major criticism is, ... not opening the financial books up (esp. the audit) for every resident to see ... and what Maple Heights residents (the mayor's  boss) should be laser focused on; ... If you're in deep (decided to take out the word we previously used) debt (personal, as well as city debt), and residents are paying these higher (compared with ..) salaries with benefits (especially higher than average salaries and benefits to a lot of folks that don't live in Maple Heights) ... and residents are not paying attention (at all) to the legislation, those projects, the revenue losses that are going to shock them, and those smaller dollars that add up, ... and if the council president is just a "yes" man/woman to the mayor (and we're not saying that's what's happening, but Maple Heights residents need to be vigilant), ... at some point, the shit's going to hit the fan, ... and no amount of razzle dazzle is going to shift the focus then.

[While property owners started losing their homes in great numbers to foreclosure starting around the end of 2007, read what Mayor Lansky, along with Superintendent Keenan, were celebrating.  Interest payments on some of those bonds comes due in 2012. Just learned that the general fund is in the red. Interest payments on the bond come from property taxes. One would think that with all these new schools, Maple Heights students would do better.  Wonder whose taxes are going to go up?]

A suggestion: Maple Heights residents, you need to form a watch dog committee of representatives from every district, who will not  "rubber stamp" everything the mayor or council does. Please attend caucus (before council) meetings and ask questions.  Go over legislation, go over every line, every expenditure ... have them justify the expense, and justify the projections.  Take an interest in what your police do? Examine, Examine, Examine, ......Question, question, question ...  Make suggestions.   Make sure you have someone on the committee that understands finance; and if you have to call your elected officials on the carpet, do it ...
You are their boss, but you gave them, and other government employees, the power to change your life considerably (for the better or the worse).  Share the power or take it back.

What are these candidates plans going forward? What are they going to do to make Maple Heights a better place for all the residents? 

Addendum: 
Let me make something clear. ... salaries are paid from the general fund .. which is tax dollars.  If people are jobless (which many are), and there isn't enough money in the general fund, those in the administration will try to come up with creative ways to get the money.   Municipalities almost always look to pass levies for a host of things (school and safety expenditures).  The people who usually pay for these levies are property owners.

Now Maple Hts was one of the worst hit by  home foreclosures ... so who bears the burden of these levies?  Well if these politicians can't get money from property owners, they may dip into money set aside for other things, .. but if they can't legally dip into other funds or those funds are not there,  they'll either raise taxes some other way or borrow (and when you borrow you must pay it back with interest).

Whatever the mayor's administration and city council (or superintendent of a school via mayor) ask you (tax payers) to do, ... as stated before, ... those levies will usually be paid on the backs of property owners. And with bonds, tax payers will pay the interest until the bond matures.  When it does mature, and,  if you can't pay, you may be able to refund; however, you can't refinance the loan forever.  You see where I'm going here?   Think end of 2007 into mid 2009 ... businesses closing, people losing their homes and their jobs in the hundreds of thousands.

Maple Heights residents, the shit is about to hit the fan sooner than you think. ... You're losing revenue faster than a train crossing the country. 

In addition: Keep in mind, a majority of the salaries and benefits you are paying are going to people who don't live in Maple Heights; and many of the businesses who are reaping the rewards of  doing projects in Maple Heights  (like building schools), probably don't live in Maple Heights either.

Maple Heights 2007

Maple Heights 2008


Maple Heights 2010 - Charter Amendment

Maple Heights 2011

Superintendent Keenan in 2011

What Role for Labor in the Progressive Uprising? A Conversation With Labor Strategist Stephen Lerner | | AlterNet  by Amy Dean


Update 11/21/2011:
 'Income Achievement Gap' Almost Double Black-White Performance Gap, Report Shows
by Louis Freedberg 
 

Maple Heights:

Job Growth (2000 - 2011):	-10.8%
Unemployment Rate:	10.3%

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We do not comment on comments.  We also suggest you do not give any information out about how to support one candidate over another candidate.  

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Is Your Political Opponent Bugging You?

Brace yourself.  As a progressive politician, you may be concerned with political organizations or politicians bugging your meetings, home, car ... whatever.  Nowadays, there's a vast number of unscrupulous politicians that have the ability to use homeland security to spy on their political opponents.  If caught, they can always drum up some excuse as to why they did it. 

How can you tell if a politican has abused his office?  Well, these unscrupulous folks can't seem to keep their mouths shut (human nature I guess) ... they also like to brag.  If you discuss things in private, but the unscrupulous politician says something that only you or a small group of people might know, he/she is probably abusing their power and may be using homeland security to bug you. 

This is why it is so very important, if you feel someone has abused their political office ... report your suspicions to the appropriate authorities.  Protect yourself ...

Every politician should have their meetings, home, car, etc. swept for bugs.  It will probably be costly hiring a professional; however, better safe than sorry. 

Get Ready for the Expose of the Reign of Three Kings

Now I'll admit this is a teaser title.  You know how this club loves to zero in on a really good story.  You also know that for the most part, we've focused on national politics until just recently.  That's why we've called this blog Clevelands Secret Club Part Two.  There will be a lot more focus on the Cleveland area.

For years, certain communities have allowed certain politicians to suck them almost dry.  How did that happen? ... Well, part of that was, people just not paying attention, trusting the people they elected, turning a blind eye, apathy; there's a host of reasons. 

Don't get me wrong, there are some really good people (including politicians) in many of these communities ... however, they may not have shouted enough, may not have protested enough, may have been afraid to seek justice ... and so, we watch as a major scandal unfolds.

Stay tuned ....

A Climate of Intimidation in Maple Heights government

We live in a country where we value our free speech and the right to criticize our elected officials.  Well, in Maple Heights government, you've been given notice ... criticize, voice concern ... and you may be looking at a lawsuit. 

I don't know about you, but for many, to feel that your criticisms, your concerns may place you in a courtroom, is intimidating and is an attempt to stifle not only dissent, but to prevent transparency in government.  If you fear that there may be monetary repercussions, or some kind of retribution for asking questions, or speaking out against what you perceive as an injustice or smear campaign against another, or speaking out about what you perceive are discriminatory practices, you may just stop asking questions, voicing concerns, or criticizing. 

But that's what they want.

We see this happening all across our nation, where residents, ordinary citizens are being intimidated, some even arrested for criticizing their government, and/or their public officials.  

I say to you, don't let that stop you.  Report this intimidation to the proper authorities.  Let those around you know how you feel.

[Information on the Maple Heights financial state audit that was recently completed (which includes information on the 2009, 9.95 million dollar note (debt) which now puts Maple Heights over 18 million in debt) ... www.auditor.state.oh.us ]

RELATED:

Ohio Citizen Action, 2010

Is there a pattern that keeps coming up time and time again?
[This mayor himself acknowledges he's sued around 12 and counting.]

The True Conservative Agenda

Every time you come to this blog, I want you to do two things. 1. I want you to watch the video where Elizabeth Warren is speaking. 2. I want you to read "Scrooge & Marley, Inc. -- The True Conservative Agenda" by Thom Hartmann

I want you to do this at least once a week in fact, ... once a week, without fail.

While concerted efforts are being made to keep you focused on things like the small number of "welfare queens", everyday most of our carcases are being picked clean by corporations and a whole bunch of (bought and paid for) politicians who are helping those corporations pick our carcases clean. In addition, mainstream media, corporate media, keeps diverting our attention away from the real culprits ... the corporations (which includes them)  and their lackeys who are picking our carcases clean. 

And if, God help us, we figure out who is picking our carcases clean, and we rise up and protest as they've done at "Occupy Wall Street" protests and rallies, there is the "police state"* to silence us or keep us in line. 

While women's rights, civil liberties, civil rights, worker's rights, consumer rights are being taken from us by conservative, corporate politicians who have corporate lobbyists and special social interest groups writing legislation to take away those rights, corporate media focuses our attention on trivial matters, entertainment, bullshit topics, manufactured wars, and race baiting  that is meant to divide us, while our carcases are being picked clean.

At the same time, (predominately) African American and other minority communities are becoming more and more vulnerable, and oblivious to the fact that there are greedy politicians in their midst, who are abusing their power, using police to harass residents who uncover wrong doing, and funneling "African American Community" tax dollars into theirs and outsider's hands ... all this,  that will eventually lead to those communities becoming bankrupt, powerless, and dispirited. 

Aren't you tired of this bull? ... I know I am.   So what are you going to do about it?

*Occupy Wall Street protest: NYPD accused of heavy-handed tactics | World news | The Guardian

*The Real Reason Why Police Cage Peaceful Protestors | | AlterNet October 3, 2011

* America’s Growing Police State « The Most Revolutionary Act

*Monitoring America | washingtonpost.com  

The Last Word - Michael Moore talks Occupy Wall Street  September 28, 2011

Racial Profiling on an “Industrial Scale”: FBI Using Census Data to Map and Police Communities By Race by Justin Elliott, October 24, 2011

The Democratic Party Has Given Orders To Run a Clean Campaign ... BUT

The Democratic Party has given orders for candidates to run a clean campaign, yet we don't feel the former Republican, supposed "well to do", Maple Hts, Ohio mayor is listening.

For months, he has consistently and ruthlessly attacked his female African American mayoral opponent with  innuendo, unsubstantiated smears, and misleading statements ... even at city council meetings.  We believe the mayor has now tarnished the office of mayor in Maple Heights.  

Maple Heights is a city of about  70% minority residents (61%+ African American).

Now most people who are aware of our club, know we don't trust most politicians; however, in this case, his opponent is outmatched by money and power, limiting her chances for a fair fight.

The mayor has made this mayoral race so contentious that now her supporters are being harassed.  Several days ago, a white councilman, who openly supports the mayor's opponent, was allegedly awakened after midnight with a call that was chilling.  They called him a "nigger lover".  

Since the Democratic Party has endorsed (not the mayor, but) his opponent, we expect the Democratic Party to step in and protect this councilman. 

Our suggestion to the mayor is to run on the issues.

We are shocked and outraged, and so we will be keeping a close eye on this year's mayoral race until election day, November 8th.

Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow Talk about the Buffett Rule and Wealthy Americans