Piers Morgan vs Alex Jones… The Gun Control Debate

An interesting exchange between  CNN’s Piers Morgan and Alex Jones about gun control..Thoughts on this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyKofFih8Y

Jones was part of the crew of folks who created a petition to have Piers deported… As you watch this keep in mind, this is the same Jones that in Texas many Brown folks see him as a staunch anti-immigrant Nativist who promotes the offensive “Reconquista” conspiracy theory which has in many ways been fuel for far-right wing forces anti-immigrant militia forces.. In short Fear of Brown Planet…He expresses those sentiments HERE

Because he speaks on police brutality and will speak against certain types of government oppression, many have gotten sucked in believing he ain’t all that bad..Think again.. Here’s a few pieces  1) http://www.thomhartmann.com/users/political-fingers/blog/2011/05/alex-jones-neo-confederate-racist

2) http://www.irehr.org/issue-areas/race-racism-and-white-nationalism/item/376-who-is-alex-jones

3)  http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/i-hate-arabs-more-than-anybody-desperate-army-recruits-neo-nazis

Piers Morgan  & Alex Jones

An Open Letter to the Media about the Sandy Hook School Shooting Coverage

newtown signs bearsDear Media Outlets like NBC News, TODAY,  msnbc, CNN, CBS and ABC.com and all others.. I been watching your coverage of Sandy Hook school shootings…

Thank you for spending time letting us know that the killer of these 20 children, Adam Lanza was an ‘intelligent’, ‘gifted’  but at times nervous and fidgety. Thanks for letting us know that this man who little boys and girls between the ages 6 and 7 was a troubled man who suffered from mental challenges..Thank you for letting us how life was difficult and often ‘painful’ and somewhat traumatic for him when his parents divorced. It was good to know that Adam went through life awkwardly, and at times would become reclusive.

Thank you for bringing on experts to give a breakdown of what his mental sickness was and how we as a society can help cure it…

Thank you for letting us know about his mother and his dad and the types of ‘wonderful‘ ‘hardworking‘ people they were.. Thank you for letting us know they were ‘nice‘, ‘generous‘ people who were ‘well liked‘.

Nancy Lanza was a mom who tried her best

The media reminds us that Nancy Lanza was a mom who tried her best

Thank you for letting us know that Adam’s mother Nancy Lanza wasn’t some irresponsible monsterous person, but instead we now know thanks to your investigative coverage that she was fearful our government would collapse. Thanks to your excellent coverage, we now know that Ms Lanza was like those people we see depicted on reality TV shows like Doomsday Preppers…she was frightened and hence went around and stockpiled weapons even though she had a troubled son living with her.. Thanks for letting us know she wasn’t an evil woman, but a nice mom who didn’t want to leave her son alone and that she was trying her best to love her kids with little help..

Thank you for showing churches lighting candles in her name and thank you for showing folks in the community that say they pray and care for the souls of Nancy and her son. Thank you for not demonizing them, but instead praising them as folks who are forgiving and deeply compassionate even in the such horrific times

Corporate media folks, thank you in advance, for putting your investigative, analytic reporting skills to full use and letting us know the troubles and mental challenges that Ray Ray, Darnell and anyone else from the inner city who commits a crime is going through next time one occurs..Thank you for letting us know that Ray ray from the inner city who commits a crime was having difficulties coping with divorce,  their parents being separated etc, just like Adam Lanza

The media reminds us that Adam Lanza was an intelligent but  troubled man

The media reminds us that Adam Lanza was an intelligent but troubled man

Thank You in advance for not looking at poor single mothers who tried to raise their sons or daughters who went down the wrong path as somehow negligent, but instead, hard working and generous just like Nancy Lanza.

Thanks in advance for not lambasting our community that shows love for its own troubled members who make mistakes. And thanks for seeing our community as also deeply compassionate vs being a wrong headed enablers who need to be punished in the face of horrific tragedies.

Next time there’s a call for gang injunctions, stiffer prison sentences etc, thank you in advance for bringing on experts to discuss the mindset of young folks at risk and what steps we can take to turn them around.. Thanks in advance for humanizing folks who are having difficult times in our communities the same way you did the Adam Lanza, his mom Nancy and the rest of his family..Imagine if Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin and their families had gotten such wonderful coverage?

That is all

Davey D

Trayvon Martin: 2 Videos Show George Zimmerman Lying & Police Cover Up

Here are a couple of videos folks should peep that shed additional light on the Trayvon Martin controversy.. The latest comes courtesy of ABC News which shows lack of blood, grass stains and a broken nose which contradicts Zimmerman’s claim he was in a life or death struggle with Trayvon….Oakland journalist Zennie Abraham walks us thru the video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hlG1msAcsQ

The second video is one in which someone shows us the Google Earth map of Twin Lakes Gated Community in Sanford, Florida. The video shows just how far and how much of chase George Zimmerman put up when chasing down Trayvon Martin.. I encourage all to take a look..Judge for yourself..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUqUGJ9a3yk

George Zimmerman

Both of these videos add to the overall questions,  I and a whole lot of other people have been asking; What kind of investigation is going on in Florida where all these new witnesses are popping up every 5 minutes to tell their tales on CNN?

Maybe Anderson Cooper should be Chief of Police in Sanford, Fla because he seems to be doing a better investigation then the police.. Heck I need to call up Anderson and tell him I’m a surprise witness who seen the whole thing.. ‘Dear Anderson Cooper, I’m a surprise witness to the Trayvon situation, I was coming around the corner and I seen the whole thing.. I seen the police lie, I seen the police lie some mo’ and then later on I seen the police lie one mo’ again..’ ….

All these damn witnesses is gonna lead to some sort of tainted trial.. In the words of Public Enemy-Can’t Truss It..

 

Which Side Are You On? Why Do So Many Rappers & Politicians Support Dictators

Global politics are always complicated. Our relationship with countries and their leaders are layered and weighed against our so-called national interests, political pragmatism and a bunch of other factors we rarely think about.

Here in the US how most of us view global politics is challenging because the mainstream media is where most of us get our news. These outlets have their own agenda and thus they tend to present stories from abroad in neat little news cycles and only after something has literally blown up to the point its hard to ignore.

In observing these newscasts we get a glimpse into a particular region where stories are framed as a made for TV movie story. On one hand we have the bad guys, the villains of sorts like Mubarak the ruler of Egypt, Ben Ali Ruler of Tunisia and as of late  Colonel Mumar Gadhafi-Despot of Libya.

On the other hand, we have the good guys like the Pro-Democracy protesters camped in Tahir square or the  young students forcing down Ben Ali. Now we the somewhat faceless anti-Gadhafi forces who are being cheered each day and getting military pledges of support from the US as they are capture city after city from their embattle ruler.

These uprisings have been presented to us with around the clock, blow by blow coverage, leaving many of us on the edge of our seats as we watched landmark events like the Pro-Mubarak supporters rushing the crowd with camels and beating protesters or Gadhafi’s ‘evil’ henchmen roaming the streets looking to slaughter those who stand up against them.

All this coverage is complete with theme music, fancy graphics, smooth talking pundits waxing poetic as they preen for their next high priced speaking gig and of course our on the ground guides (news reporters) who sometimes become the news themselves.. ie CNN’s Anderson Cooper when he got his ass kicked from those Pro-Mubarak thugs.

Unlike the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan where reporters were embedded with our combat troops, here we see folks out in the streets ducking bullets and trying not to get their equipment snatched. The whole thing is fascinating. But like most made for TV movies the action in Egypt, Tunisia and maybe Libya has been framed to have a happy ending. Mubarak left office.  Ali was bounced out, Gadhafi is on his last leg. We all toast one another, give high fives and cheer. We wave the Egyptian or Tunisian flag, became instant water cooler experts on the region and move on to the next uprising as if this was a soccer tournament

What’s lost while we immerse ourselves in these digestible ‘good vs evil’ news narratives are the complex realities that exists in the aftermath of these uprisings. For example, while our attention is focused on the battles in Libya very few of us have given a second thought about what’s going on Egypt. For many, that’s yesterday’s news. It’s a done deal. Nobody stops to think or find out if things have gotten better or worse. Nobody seems to care or even know that protests are still going on Egypt as folks are still out in the streets demanding sweeping reforms. Their end goal is to ensure they never have another dictator like Mubarak in place again. Sad part is while were watching Libya the military in Egypt which everyone cheered has been cracking down.

Protests in Bahrain

Many of us immediately after Mubarak was forced out of power started cheering for uprising in Bahrain, but that’s been all bit forgotten. Does anyone know or care who the Crown Prince of that country is or how long he’s been in power? ? Do we know what the opposition is fighting for?  Do we really care? Bahrain in our collective consciousness has come and gone even as folks still pushing for change, boldly challenging Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

For a brief moment we heard about protests in Yemen which has long been a stronghold for Al Qaeda, but sadly that country has been out of the news cycles for weeks even though protest against the government are continuing daily.

This is not to put anyone down for not understanding all the particulars or staying up to speed with everything going on in the middle east. That’s a monumental task for most, but all of us need to be striving to expand our understanding of global happenings as the world around us get smaller. More importantly all of us need to be looking at the roles we played in passively and sometimes very actively supporting the regimes and dictators who are being challenged.

For example, very few of us are reflecting on the fact that two months ago if asked who ruled Egypt we did know the name Hosni Mubarak. Very few of us cared that there was brutal repression even though many have gone over there to see the ancient wonders of the Pyramids and Sphinx. Many of us are not bothered by the fact that for 30 years we as a country supported a ruthless dictator.

Over the years there have been all sorts of pilgrimages to Egypt aka Kemet but have we spoken about Mubarak and his oppression?  Was that an oversight? Why didn’t we know what was going on and what role did we play along with our government in the oppression the millions who eventually spilled out on the streets? We need to sit back and think about that for a minute as we cheer these uprisings.

As things unfold in Libya many are asking the long hard questions about the support many have shown over the years for Gadhafi. When the bloodshed started I saw all sorts of tweets and facebooks status asking about the support Minister Farrakhan has shown Gaddafi over the years, the visit Reverend Jeriamiah Wright made in 1984 or the recent visit made by  former Congresswoman and Green party candidate Cynthia McKinney. What was that about people are asking? Why are these folks who are about the business of social justice in bed with a guy like Gadhafi?

Others were quick to point out that singer Lionel Richie did a concert in front of Gadhafi’s bombed out home in Tripoli in 2006. Still others are asking about the private concerts given for Gaddafi’s son and the family overs the years that have featured luminaries like Beyonce, Jay-Z, 50 cent, Russell Simmons, Mariah Carey, Usher and numerous others. How can all these people pal around with a ruthless tyrant everyone seems to be asking?

Minister Farrakhan has had along friendship with Gadhafi

There are no easy neatly packaged answers. Minister Farrakhan came out during his saviors day address and talked about his long friendship with Gaddafi. He’s been down with Gadhafi for almost 3 decades. But he’s not alone. In a recent article in the Root called Romancing Dictators they outline list of notables Black leaders from Jesse Jackson to former US senator Carol Mosely Bruan who have hung out with dictators. Are such folks in support of oppression? Hungry for power? Or caught up in the fanfare of being in the presence of folks who are the heads of state of their respective countries?

It could be plain old selfishness and shortsightedness on their part or there could something more. Each of those folks have to wrestle with why they hung or been friendly with leaders who we deem unsavory but so do many of us on smaller scales. For example, some of us reading this remain supportive and friendly with wife beaters, drug dealers, the neighborhood thug etc.. Some of us have adorned or supported artists who have named themselves after ruthless despots like Khadafy, Scarface, Noreaga, Gotti etc.. Would we name ourselves or support an artist who’s named himself after a Klan leader or Hitler?

This is not to dismiss any one’s transgressions or say two wrongs make a right, but to raise questions that ALL of us must answer. Who are we rolling with and why? What principles and values do we hold and are we being true to them? Can we afford the luxury of aligning ourself with the state and being against the people?

There are some that are insisting that those artists who performed for the Gadhafi clan have blood money and they should give what they earned to charity. Folks are outraged that such prominent artists would perform for the leader of that country. That’s something to consider.

Dick Cheney's old company Haliburton has done business with Libya. Do they have blood on their hands?

I wonder if folks are just as upset with the US-Libya Business Association which include American companies like Dow Chemical, Chevron, Exxon, Halliburton, Shell, Raytheon and Occidental Petroleum to name a few. There are more companies including some prominent lobbying groups like the Livingston group, White & Case and Blank Rome who have all broken bread with Libya. Do these companies have blood on their hands and should they like the aformentioned artists be giving the money they earned to charity as well?  Do we give any of these artists and companies a pass because they all got down with Gadhafi after sanctions were lifted under George Bush?

In any case if these artists and businesses don’t give back their earnings are you willing to boycott them to avoid having blood on your hands?  It’s interesting to note that the website to the US-Libya Business Association has suddenly went dark once all the drama started. It seems like an attempt to erase their digital footprints.

As I said earlier global politics are always complicated and the reason is because we as a country have a hard time breaking our habit of propping up and supporting dictators. Over the years we’ve made all sorts of excuses. Back in the days we were afraid of communism spreading so we put our money behind all sorts of crazy despots who seemingly took glee in smashing on their people. No one wants to talk about how years later we do robust business with China, a communist country with a shoddy human rights and free speech record, while decrying the our disdain for that form of government at Tea Party rallies. Are we trying to have it both ways?

As a country we stood steadfast behind this dictator Saddam Hussein for Years

Later we said we had to protect our ‘national interests’ in the Middle East (translation Israel), so it didn’t matter who we got behind as long as they promised not to attack Israel. So we supported the Shah of Iran, We supported Saddamn Hussein, We turn a blinds eye to the abuses in Saudi Arabia. We supported Muburak. What’s crazy is that earlier on, there were News pundits that were ok with keeping Mubarak in power for fear of the Muslim Brotherhood boogey man taking over Egypt.

We can go on and on listing our glaring contradictions. The list is long, especially as we started bending the rules and tossing aside our principles in the wake of 9-11 as we been engaged in the ‘War on Terror‘. It’s from us propping up Osama Bin Laden to our support of the Contras to our full embrace of South Africa’s Aparthied regime.

We as a country have long layed down in some strange political beds. What’s even sadder is that many of us try to act like the rest of the world doesn’t notice. Trust me, they do. When such contradictions are pointed out, there are apologist who are quick use the labels Unpatriotic  and Anti-American.

Even now with President Obama, while he made history in being the first African-American president, him aligning himself with Wall Street and carrying out wars and alliances with some of these same ruthless despots is just as troubling as when Bush was doing it..

As a country we’re quick to point out the human rights abuses of everyone but the dictatorships we support along with our own. As Minister Farrakhan pointed out the other day in his remarks about Gadhafi, if he’s persecuted for crimes against humanity, the same should apply to former President George W. Bush for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s a real talk.

With that being said, all of us need to look beyond the neatly packaged revolutions we’re seeing on TV and take some unattractive things into account. First, we need to ask ourselves why are we aligning ourselves with dictators and tyrants in our quest to smash on oppressive forces here? Are we doing so because they can open up purse strings? Is it because we find ourselves powerless here and gravitate toward anyone who exudes it themselves? Is it because we don’t trust our media and concluded that anything they report needs to be viewed with lots of skepticism?

Is it because we hate US imperialism so much that we blindly get behind anyone else who shares the same sentiment and is willing to pressure or stand up to the leadership without fully examining their position on other key issues? If so how are we any different from the people and policies we say we detest?  For example, I know there are white supremacist who dislike the police. Do I stand alongside them if I’m in agreement?

Why have so many supported Ghadafi over the years?

At the same time those who are in the mist of liberating themselves need to be honest in assessing whether or not they want freedom for themselves or for all people?  For example, in Egypt we saw the coming together of a large poor  voiceless class of people and a middle class population. In victory will the poor be forgotten as the Middle class rushes to fill the seats of power? Will things change for those who are down and out? Such lines aren’t always rich and poor, a lot of times they center along Tribal, religious and ethnic lines.

In Libya we hearing reports about Black Africans being beaten in the streets accused of being foreign mercenaries when in fact many are fellow Libyans? In places where there are Black-Arab tensions and conflict how will that be resolved or will we have a situation where freedom comes in these uprisings, everyone dances in the streets and when the dust settles we have new group of oppressors in power?

None of this is easy, but true freedom comes about when everyone is liberated and we act upon principles not selective alliances that allow us to get caught up in to where we are indistiguishable from the despots being challenged.

Bottom line Which Side are you On?  Its a question we better ask ourselves over and over again as we fight the power.

-written by Davey D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dr05tXktSo

On President’s Day We Remember How our Founding Fathers Owned Slaves

As we celebrate President’s Day the thought that four of our first 5 Presidents owned slaves has not gone unnoticed. I’ve been observing how President Ronald Reagan has undergone a major PR, revisionist makeover and could not help but wonder how much of a make over our early Presidents have undergone. BTW we set the record straight on Ronald Reagan with this essay we penned a couple of weeks ago.. Why All of Us Should Celebrate Ronald Reagan Day-Let’s Teach the Kids

It’s no secret that when we learn about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in school, their slave-owning legacies are barely mentioned.  In fact if you bring it up, some so-called patriot types get angry. I found this out a few years ago during an appearance on CNN when engaged in a debate and some far right pundit attempted to extol the virtues and wisdom of the Founding Fathers.. She mentioned George Washington specifically. When I pointed he was a slave owner she almost blew a gasket. I haven’t been back on CNN since.

Its obvious reminding folks of our founding father’s dubious past is a touchy topic. Look at what’s going on in the great state of Tennessee. There you have Tea Party Lawmakers want to remove slavery and its association to Founding fathers from history books.

You have other Tea Party folks like Congresswoman Michele Bachmann attempting to rewrite history by suggesting the Founding Fathers attempted to end slavery. They did nothing of a kind and she got famously schooled by CNN reporter Anderson Cooper for making such erroneous remarks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg8kDG94kb8&feature=player_embedded

No one wants to talk about how slaves were beaten, raped and at the mercy of slave owners. They were property with absolutely no rights and yet we insist on honoring the Founding Fathers on days like President’s Day without fully acknowledging the cruel institution some were a part of.  In addition there was the genocide that many participated in when it came to dealing with Native Americans. Treaties broken, people slaughtered and land taken are all a part of their sordid legacy.

The mantra of many who hold up the founding fathers on president’s Day is Deny, deny deny until people start believing the lies. I’m reminded of this encounter I had during the 2004 RNC in New York City. I came across a brother holding a banner of the Founding Fathers. I asked him about it and things got a little testy. He even called the police..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9erWU9Qjobw

This President’s Day we should do more than shop at Macy’s for their annual sale.. We should become students of history and try to correct the wrongs of the past. It starts with us being honest about our Founding Fathers.

On a side note this year President’s Day falls on the Feb 21, this was the day Malcolm X was assassinated.. We should remember his legacy today. He’s sadly being written out of history, probably by the same folks who are busy remaking Reagan and removing the word ‘slavery’ from text books.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7o3zVD7rx0

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

 

 

Rallies Planned in 18 Cities Demanding CNN Drop Lou Dobbs as they Premier Latinos in America

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DaveyD-leather-225I recently heard some grumblings from some who are suddenly feeling protective of  CNN pundit Lou Dobbs as they fell back on the free speech argument.

The basic gist of the argument is as follows; “Lou Dobbs has a right to his opinion and what is taking place by Latino organizations rallying and demanding he be dropped is censorship”.

Noting could be further from the truth. Lou Dobbs does in deed have a right to his opinion, but not when it comes to spreading lies and half truths to millions on the airwaves and people can’t rebut. It’s interesting to hear people crying in defense of Lou Dobbs , while those very same people and forces have remained astonishingly silent when former CNN host Glenn Beck led a witch hunt against Green for All activist Van Jones.

Jone’s ‘free speech was called into question from the bully pulpit of the corporate airwaves resulting in Jones resigning from his post at the White House. many feel like he was forced out.  Beck has since gone on to continue his witch hunt for people he personally feels have uttered the wrong ideological opinions past and present.
 
All it took was a couple of articles and a well placed letter from the widow of the cop who was killed and Hill was fired. News of his dismissal came to Hill via news media. He was never called and personally informed until after the fact. It didn’t matter that Hill had a right to his opinion or that Mumia has always maintained his innocence and millions around the world believe and support him. None of that ‘free speech mattered’.

Former Fox News pundit Dr Marc Lamont Hill

Former Fox News pundit Dr Marc Lamont Hill

It was just last week that media pundits launched a campaign to ulster popular media analyst Marc Lamont Hill who is one of the few progressive voices that regularly appeared on Fox News. The two ultra-conservative pundits took issue with Hill’s support of Mumia Abu Jamal who sits on death row and Assata Shakur who escaped the law and is exiled in Cuba. These pundits went to a Fox shareholders meeting confronted News Corp owner Rupert Murdoch and demanded that he get rid of an employee who they felt was out of bounds for supporting a convicted ‘cop killer’.

How this connects to CNN even though these recent happenings occurred on rival Fox, is that as a news media outlets it hasn’t used its bully pulpit to demand that such distortions and McCarthy era tactics cease. It remained silent or  in this instance has participated via Lou Dobbs whose insidious rhetoric  has helped foster a climate that has led to a spike in hate crimes. With that in mind, there should be absolutely no objections to groups demanding Dobbs be dropped. The fact that Latinos groups have to hold rallies in 18 cities, get petitions and go through all sorts of hoops versus a couple of media pundits pushing their strongly felt opinions on the airwaves is a clear indication just how imblanced things are..

-something to ponder-

Davey D


CNN-ClearlyNotnewsToday CNN premiers ‘Latino in America’ Premiere, Nation-Wide Rallies Planned to Demand CNN to Dump Lou Dobbs!

 You can join the efforts! Scroll down for a list of cities and make sure you download your signs!!!

Download Graphics here:

Community leaders, politicians and faith groups in 18 of the top U.S. Latino media markets are set to rally together in local protest events on Wednesday, October 21stin an effort to increase the pressure on CNN to remove Lou Dobbs from its programming. Calling CNN hypocritical for airing “Latino in America,” an advertising-driven special on Latinos, while at the same time hosting the anti-immigrant rhetoric of Lou Dobbs, the events are part of our BastaDobbs.com campaign, a coalition of Latino organizations from across the country that is led by online advocacy group Presente.org.

CNN-canthaveitbothways“Our message to CNN is clear: You cannot have it both ways. It’s either promotion of hatred by Lou Dobbs or real news regarding the Latino community,” said Isabel Garcia, a prominent civil and human rights attorney in Arizona who is highlighted in the “Latino in America” series and who is also participating in the BastaDobbs.com effort.

“Lou Dobbs abuses the CNN platform to dehumanize and spread fear about Latinos and immigrants. It is no surprise that hard-working Latinos in this country are increasingly victims of hate-motivated violence,” added Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles(CHIRLA). “CNN must be accountable to one of the largest minority groups in the United States if it seeks to gain their following and respect”.

CNN-profitsfromhateOn Wednesday, press conferences and public actions threat of Lou Dobbs on CNN are planned these locations!

ALBUQUERQUE, NM
12 PM NOON @ National Hispanic Cultural Center
1701 4th St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102

ATLANTA, GA
10 AM @ CNN Building Downtown
190 Marietta St. Atlanta, GA 30303

BOSTON, MA
11 AM @ Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St. Boston, MA 02133

CHICAGO, IL
12 PM NOON @ Casa Michoacan
1638 S. Blue Island Ave. Chicago, IL 60608

DENVER, CO
12 PM NOON @ Colorado State Capital
200 E Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80203

GREENVILLE, NC
12 PM NOON @NCCE Lenoir County Center
1791 Hwy 11/55, Kinston, NC 28504

HOUSTON, TX
11:30 AM @Houston City Council
900 Bagby St. Houston, TX 77002

LAS VEGAS, NV
5 PM @ Hermandad Mexicana Transnacional
740 N. Eastern Ave.- Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV 89101

LOS ANGELES, CA
10 AM @ Carecen
2845 West 7th St. Los Angeles, CA 90005

MIAMI, FL
12 PM NOON @ Center for Immigrant Orientation
2610 SW 8th St. Miami, FL 33135

NEW YORK, NY
4 PM @ CNN Building Downtown
10 Columbus Cir. New York, NY 10023

PHOENIX, AZ
12 PM NOON @ 802 N. 7th St. Phoenix, AZ 85004

SACRAMENTO, CA
12 PM NOON @ Cesar Chavez Plaza Park
J St & 10th St, Sacramento CA 95814

SAN ANTONIO, TX
12 PM NOON @ Esperanza Peace & Justice Center
922 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX 78212

SAN DIEGO, CA
12 PM NOON @ Offices of American Friends Service Committee
3275 Market St, San Diego, CA 92102

SAN FRANCISCO, CA
12 PM NOON @ Sun Rise Restaurant
3126 24th St. San Francisco, CA 94110

TUCSON, AZ
12 PM NOON @ El Tiradito in Old Barrio
on South Main St. between W. Cushing St. & W. Simpson St. Downtown Tucson, AZ 85701

 

CNN’s ramping it’s ‘Latino in America,’ but it’s getting ruined by Lou Dobbs

ALBOR RUIZ – NY LOCAL
Loudobbs-racist-225Readmore: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/10/18/2009-10-18_lou_dobbs_ruins_cnns_latino_program_aim.html#ixzz0UOaB9E7z

In a few days CNN will launch its ambitious “Latino in America” series. Hosted by the popular Soledad O’Brien, the heavily promoted four-hour program will air on Oct. 21 and 22.

“Witness the evolution of a country as Latinos change America, and in return, America changes Latinos,” is how CNN entices potential viewers on its Web site. The series is a serious effort to capture a larger share of the Hispanic market – and according to some who have seen it, a worthy one.

Ironically, the series comes at a time when CNN has a huge trust problem with Latinos – and its name is Lou Dobbs.

Dobbs, some say, has thrown ethics overboard and has made a career out of vilifying immigrants.

“The truth is that CNN already airs a nightly program on Latinos in America. It’s called ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight‘, and for 260 hours a year CNN provides air time for anti-immigrant distortions and anti-Latino propaganda,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, a national pro-immigration reform group.

America’s Voice, along with Media Matters, and Presente.org, have called on CNN to dump Dobbs.

“They (CNN) think that a few hours of serious reporting on Latinos by sunny Soledad O’Brien can make up for thousands of hours of anti-Latino extremism from the dark Lou Dobbs,” said Roberto Lovato, of Presente.org and a leader of the movement to dismiss Dobbs.

Through the Present.org Web site, www.bastadobbs.com, over 70,000 people have signed a petition demanding CNN President Jon Klein fire Dobbs. It reads, in part: “As President of CNN, it is imperative that you act quickly and decisively to drop Dobbs from your network, and send the message that CNN does not tolerate hate speech. There should be no place for the likes of Dobbs on the ‘most trusted name in news.’ “

Hate speech has created a hostile environment for Latinos in America resulting in violence and death. The FBI says that from 2003 to 2006, hate crimes against Latinos increased 40%.

Visitors to the Presente.org can watch the eye-opening video, “CNN: Lou Dobbs or Latinos in America?” They can also find some of Dobbs’ most outrageously false claims, such as the 7,000 cases of leprosy caused by Latino immigrants..

Dobbs has also claimed that “Just about a third of our prison system is made up of illegal aliens.”

But the Department of Justice reports that immigrants (legal and illegal) make just 6% of the prison population.

Presente.org is committed to set the record straight.

“For us, ‘Latino in America’ is a teachable moment that we will use to raise awareness about how Dobbs spreads lies about immigrants in his program and opens it to the most dangerous hate groups in the U.S.,” Lovato said. “It is also about raising awareness that by watching CNN, Latinos are disrespecting ourselves.”

America’s Voice and Media Matters planned to run an ad targeting Dobbs during the broadcast of Latino in America, but CNN refused to air it.

America’s Voice says it plans to run the ad on a competing network.

Angelo Falcón, executive director of the National Institute for Latino Policy in New York, points out that Dobbs’ problem (and CNN’s) is “he doesn’t understand the widespread antipathy to him and his race-baiting that exists throughout the Latino community, on its left, right and middle.”

The question CNN must answer is a clear one, Lovato said: “What is it going to be: Lou Dobbs or Latinos in America?”

aruiz@nydailynews.com

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/10/18/2009-10-18_lou_dobbs_ruins_cnns_latino_program_aim.html#ixzz0UOYyNbNY

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