Mediaboss Marketing

The NAACP is lost, and radicals like Melissa Harris-Perry have some suggestions for a new direction. Unfortunately, theyll send the organization further down its current path toward irrelevance.

The famed civil-rights group, founded in 1909 and instrumental in challenging state-sponsored segregation and lobbying for the Voting Rights Act, has been in decline for some time, with infighting plaguing chapters like the one in Cincinnati.

James Clingman, who served in leadership roles there, wrote recently that national officials were intimidating members to get them to fall in line. In 2014, things at the Philadelphia chapter came to a head when three board members were exiled after the president accused them of misusing funds for personal purposes.

In a 2015 interview with the Boston University alumni magazine, Cornell William Brooks, at the time the president of the NAACP, bemoaned the fact that the press paid little attention to his organization except to ask its leaders when the group will regain relevance: It wasnt always the first question, but it was always one of the first three.

Apparently, whatever answer Brooks gave wasnt the right one, because last week the organization just ousted him after only three years. Derrick Johnson, the vice chairman of the organization, explained, We are in a transitional moment ... This is the opportune time to begin to look at all our functions as an association and see, are we the right fit for the current reality?

So whats the current reality? Well, its not what it was at the organizations founding or its apex 50 years ago. African-Americans have full legal rights. Hate crimes are anomalies. Black people are running corporations, universities and until recently the White House.

But some activists seem to think little has changed. The NAACP carries the weight of history and burden of bureaucracy, wrote Harris-Perry, a Wake Forest University professor, in The New York Times. But it does not seem willing to shed blood, literally or in terms of the uncomfortable work that characterizes effective activism.

What do these activists need to shed blood over? Police violence against young blacks, to start with. Harris-Perry, whose tendency to exaggerate was evident when she invoked the legacy of slavery after MSNBC canceled her TV show, wrote that the trauma of a not-guilty verdict for George Zimmerman laid bare the bloodiness of [young black] lives. She mentions Michael Brown and Eric Garner as well.

Harris-Perrys real goal is not just to send the NAACP back out into the streets for some possibly bloody protests.

She also wants to expand its mission to include the defense of illegal immigrants and LGBTQ people, among others: Is [the NAACP] ready to have as its president a young person just out of foster care who, because he is transgender and black, lived with vulnerabilities many cant imagine?

Probably not. But whether its because of some academic notion of intersectionality (where all prejudice is subsumed into one category) or some kind of political calculus, the left insists on blending all of its supposedly issues-based organizations into one blob which has in turn become a wing of the Democratic Party.

The NAACP voted last year to support teachers unions and oppose charter schools even though most black people support school choice. Members of the National Organization for Women are now supposed to support not just equal pay but partial-birth abortion, even though most women oppose it.

And heretics are purged. A recent obituary for feminist crusader Roxcy Bolton in the Times explained that she helped form the Florida chapter of the National Organization for Women in 1966 but later became persona non grata when she refused to go along with the organizations embrace of a lesbian caucus.

The new direction for the NAACP may be a bridge too far, though. At the separate black graduation ceremony that was held for students at Brown University last week, one observer noted that keynote speaker Lisa Gelobter 91 was met with stony silence when she spoke of her transgender nephews right to use the bathroom corresponding with his chosen gender identity.

If the new agenda for black activists has become too progressive for Ivy League grads, maybe its time instead for the NAACP to try something different. Naomi Schaefer Riley is a senior fellow at the Independent Womens Forum.

Originally posted here:
How liberals are killing the NAACP - New York Post

Former FBI Director James Comey is expected to testify before the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday. President Donald Trump fired Comey from his post last month.

Here, Fox News takes a look at other proceedings that have garnered wide media attention through the years.

The Army-McCarthy hearings, 1954

Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-WI) faced off against the U.S. Army in hearings broadcast on television in 1954. McCarthy had earlier become the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chairman and had held anticommunist hearings, according to theUnited States Senate website.

"In the spring of 1954, McCarthy picked a fight with the U.S. Army, charging lax security at a top-secret army facility," according to the website. "The army responded that the senator had sought preferential treatment for a recently drafted subcommittee aide."

McCarthy would claimthat an attorney at the same law firm as Joseph Welch had been in a Communist Party-connected group, the website said. (Welch was the special counsel for the U.S. Army.)

WelchtoldMcCarthy, "Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

The Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings, 1991

Clarence Thomas was nominated to the Supreme Court by then-President George H.W. Bush. Thomas wentthrough a very contentious confirmation in 1991, when he faced allegations that he sexually harassed Anita Hill when they were colleagues in the federal government.

At the time, Thomas, who would become the second African-American to serve on the court, called televised Senate hearings about Hill's claim a "high-tech lynching."

Thomas would be confirmed, with the Senate voting 52-48 in favor.

The O.J. Simpson trial, 1995

Former professional football player Orenthal James Simpson was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in June 1994.

Simpson's defense, nicknamed the "Dream Team," consisted of multiple lawyers, including Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz, and Robert Kardashian.

The case has been referred to as the "Trial of the Century." Simpson was found not guilty in October 1995.

It also prompted wide media coverage, including books and the recent FX series "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story." A documentary which covered decades of Simpson's life as well as the murder case, "O.J.: Made in America," won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2016.

Simpson is currently in jail for a 2007 robbery at a Las Vegas hotel. He was convicted of first-degree kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit a violent crime. Simpson said he was trying to retrieve memorabilia and some personal items at the hotel.

Michael Jackson child molestation case, 2005

The King of Pop was accused of molesting a 13-year-old cancer survivor. Jackson faced four child molestation charges as part of a total of 10 charges,Fox Newsreported at the time. The musician was acquitted of all charges.

Following Jackson's 2009 death, his personal physician Conrad Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Murray's 2011 trial was televised, and 2.1 million people watched the reading of verdict, according to theHollywood Reporter.

Murraywas convictedin 2011 of giving Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol in June 2009 while the superstar was preparing for a series of comeback concerts titled "This Is It." Murray served two years in prison.

The Casey Anthony murder trial, 2011

Florida mother Casey Anthony was accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony. The girl was supposedly last seen on June 16, 2008; she was first reported missing, by Casey Anthony's mother, on July 15. A day later, Casey Anthony was arrested on charges of child neglect. She told police that Caylee had disappeared with a babysitter.

A utility worker working in a wooded area near the Anthony home on Dec. 11 found skeletal remains that were later determined to be Caylee's. Experts would testify that air samples indicated that decaying human remains had been present in Casey Anthony's trunk.

After a month-and-a-half-long trial, the jury took less than 11 hours to find Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. She was convicted of four counts of lying to police (though two counts were later dropped), and served about three years in prison while awaiting trial.

The George Zimmerman murder trial, 2013

In February 2012, neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman fatally shot unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in February 2012.

Zimmerman has claimed it was self-defense when he killed Martin, 17, in a gated community near Orlando. Martin, who lived in Miami with his mother, was visiting his father at the time.

Zimmerman, who identifies as Hispanic, was acquitted in Martin's shooting death. The case sparked protests and a national debate about race relations. The Justice Department later decided not to prosecuteZimmermanon civil rights charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

See the rest here:
Comey hearing: Other major live TV news events through the years - Fox News

Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, who became an advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement after her son was senselessly slaughtered by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman five years ago in Sanford, Fla., says that not enough is being done to save the lives of black children who continue to die in shootings.

Local 10 reports that Fulton said that when she heard that George Zimmerman said he killed her 17-year-old son because he felt threatened, she was determined not to be a victim, and in a new book called Rest in Power, she and Tracy Martin, Trayvons father, share their journey from despair to activism.

While speaking at her alma mater, Miamis Norland High School, Fulton said that she did not want Trayvons death to become just another homicide. But even with her new book and the work shes doing with the foundation she created in her sons name, she believes its still not enough, so she is considering a run for office.

I am considering running for office ... I can do my best, Fulton said.

Fulton joined Local 10s My Future, My Choice, an effort aimed at raising awareness about the need to end the ongoing cycle of violence in Miami, at a town hall Friday, which some of the cast members of Moonlight also attended.

Having gotten a taste of politics when she campaigned for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton last year, Fulton now thinks she is ready to do her part by running for office.

The only thing I can do is try, Fulton told Local 10. And I am not afraid to try.

Read more at Local 10.

See the rest here:
Sybrina Fulton, Mother of Trayvon Martin, Says Not Enough Is Being Done to Save the Lives of Black Children ... - The Root

Published Jun 6, 2017 at 4:26 pm (Updated Jun 6, 2017)

'); //-->

There has been so much written over the past few weeks regarding George Zimmerman as a talking point referring to the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017. The bill, also known as H.R. 38 would allow people from states with very lax requirements to carry hidden loaded guns in states with much higher standards, like New Jersey.

No matter what you think of the Zimmerman case, it was a horrible, unfortunate situation where no one won. We can re-litigate it to death but the facts are Trayvon Martin is dead and George Zimmermans life has spiraled out of control. If H.R. 38, Concealed Carry Reciprocity is passed into law these types of incidents will be more prevalent in our country. That alone is great reason to oppose this dangerous legislation.

In New Jersey to conceal carry a gun in public, a person needs to apply for a permit, submit 3 letters of character reference, prove under oath a justifiable need for the firearm and complete several firearms training courses. As a result of our strong gun laws, we have the 5th lowest number of gun deaths per capita in the U. S.

Concealed Carry Reciprocity would force New Jersey to accept concealed carry weapon permits issued by states with more lax requirements. Here are some reasons this is not a good idea:

Twenty-one states issue permits to convicted stalkers.

Twenty states allow individuals who have been convicted of crimes of violence to obtain concealed carry permits

In Texas alone, more than 400 criminals (including armed robbers and rapists) were issued permits between 1995 2000, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Florida has more than 1 million concealed carry permit holders. An Orlando Sentinel analysis of a six-month period in Florida reported that CCW permits were issued to more than 1,400 felons, 216 people with outstanding warrants, 128 people with active domestic violence injunctions against them, and six registered sex offenders.

National concealed carry reciprocity legislation is opposed by key law enforcement organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence and many others. The District Attorney of New York City, Cyrus Vance Jr. recently remarked, Its a terrible idea, we dont want shootouts in the middle of Manhattan.

There is no credible evidence to show that lax concealed carry laws reduce crime. Claims that guns are used defensively millions of times a year have also been widely discredited. It is rare when a gun is used in self-defense.

I urge readers to contact their Congressional Representative and urge them to oppose the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, H.R. 38. You can reach Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen at 973-984-0711 and Josh Gottheimer at 888-216-5646.

The mission of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is to create a safer America by cutting gun deaths in half by 2025. The strategy centers on the idea of saving lives by keeping guns out of dangerous peoples hands.

Sue Hannon

President, Sussex County Chapter

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Sparta, NJ

Read more here:
Concealed carry reciprocity is dangerous for New Jersey - The Sparta Independent

An NYPD officer during the NYC Pride March on June 26, 2016 in New York City. Eric Thayer / Getty Images

Rodney Diverlus, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto, pointed to the fraught history between police and black communities, as well as queer communities, in his response to GOALs invitation.

I think its outrageous to be honest with you, Diverlus said in an interview with NBC Out. This is coming from one of the most violent police forces in the world, the NYPD, and it just shows the lack of commitment from our police force to be addressing any of the real issues with this action.

BLM has been protesting police brutality since its inception in 2013, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida.

In March of last year, BLM

The invitation from New York police to Toronto police does nothing to better the relations between police forces and black communities. Were talking about how black and queer people face violence from police and how queer communities can be more inclusive to black communities, Diverlus said. Were talking about life and death.

Related:

James Fallarino, a spokesman for the NYC Pride March organizers, noted in an interview with NBC Out that the invitation to the Toronto Police Service did not come from NYC Pride organizers. However, he said GOAL was welcome to invite whomever they'd like.

Our policy around the NYC Pride March is that anybody who wishes to register can do so, and then theyre welcome to invite anyone they like to march with them, he explained. In the context of that, we look forward to having police officers from all over representing GOAL.

Follow

Go here to see the original:
After Toronto Pride Exclusion, Canadian Cops Invited to Attend NYC March - NBCNews.com