The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Photo credti: dcwriterdawn on Flickr

NYS Senate bill 06779

AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to protecting a person’s right to know who is behind an anonymous internet posting

The Senate sponsor is Republican Thomas O’Mara, 53rd Senate district. The Assembly sponsor is Republican James Conte, 10th Assembly district.

As Wired reports

Proposed legislation in both chambers would require New York-based websites, such as blogs and newspapers, to “remove any comments posted on his or her website by an anonymous poster unless such anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post.” … Oddly, the bill has no identification requirement for those who request the takedown of anonymous content.

There are a lot of idiots in the world, and some of them are unfortunately Republican. O’Mara’s Senate district includes Ithaca, Elmira, Corning and my birthplace of Arkport. Conte’s district is a chunk of Suffolk County gerrymandered to include a winding piece of Nassau County. I suspect the voters of both districts may wish to choose another representative in the next election, based solely on the sheer stupidity of their current state Senator and Assemblyman.

UPDATE 5/8/2012 5:14 pm:  Let’s look at the arguments against Warren’s heritage.

1. The son gained no advantage by claiming his mother was Indian.
2. The area where O.C. Sarah Neoma Smith was born was Indian land.
3. The census records are only a valid proof if the census taker had the option to put Indian down for race. One of the comments states that assimilated Indians were listed as white at the time.
4. The Jonathan that is claimed to be the militia member is not Warren’s ancestor but a distant  cousin. There are two Jonathans in the family tree. The report linked below only covers her direct ancestry.

Everyone is forgetting that the Cherokee were one of the “civilized” tribes. They had adopted the English way of life to a great extent, including keeping slaves. They were as civilized as any white settler in the area at that time and cannot be differentiated based on occupation or residence.

UPDATE 5/1/2012 10:19 pm: Child is correct in his research. Neoma or Sarah Smith, born 1794 in North Carolina, seems to be Warren’s Cherokee ancestor. Two caveats. The family is not enrolled with the tribe. The sole reason to believe that she was Cherokee was her son, William’s statement upon his marriage. Clearly it would seem that Warren can claim to be 1/32 Cherokee.

I can find no support for the story that Warren told to the Boston Globe about her pioneering grandmother. While she was the oldest child at the time of the Oklahoma land rush, research appears to show that her mother was still alive.

UPDATE 5/1/2012 7:38 pm: A good Boston Globe article titled Document ties Warren kin to Cherokees. It reports the Chris Child finds but points out that it is not the end of the story. I continue to explore my findings, which are based on a 1880 Census report. Which John H. Crawford married Palina Bowen?

UPDATE 5/1/2012 noon: I sent this link to Hillary Chabot from the Boston Herald. She passed it on to Chris Child. Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press, New England Historic Genealogical Society, who believes that he has discovered the Cherokee link. He believes that I have the parents of John Huston Crawford (1858-1924) incorrect. Child feels that Crawford’s paternal grandmother was Cherokee.

Elizabeth Warren is the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts currently held by Republican Scott Brown. During her career, she was identified repeatedly as a member of a minority. She is currently claiming that family lore says that her ancestry includes Delaware and Cherokee blood, making her part Native American.

Her life story is compelling. Small town Oklahoma girl rises from poverty to make good. However, has any part of her success resulted from affirmative action programs and policies designed to assist minorities? The record is clear. Employers and colleagues considered her a minority.

Elizabeth Herring Warren is the daughter of Donald Herring and Pauline Reed. The claim is that her Native American heritage comes through her mother. The tribes involved are the Delaware and the Cherokee.

Pauline Reed was the daughter of Harry Gunn Reed and Hannie Elvira Crawford.

Harry Gunn Reed married Hannie Crawford on June 2, 1893, in Sebastian, Arkansas. Reed was born in 1873, in Illinois or possibly Ohio. Crawford was born in Missouri in 1875 or 1876, according to Warren in a February 2012 Boston Globe interview.

Warren’s family came to Oklahoma at the end the 19th century, part of the land rush that preceded statehood.

Her grandmother, Hannie Crawford Reed, who had already lost her own mother, drove a horse-drawn wagon from Missouri to the territory at the age of 13, according to family lore. Hannie’s father rode ahead on a horse.

“Her little brothers and sisters were bouncing around in the back of a wagon,” Warren said of her grandmother, who lived to age 94. “That woman made life happen.”

Harry Reed’s parents were Joseph Reed, born in Ohio, and Charity Gorman, born in Illinois.

Hannie Crawford’s given name was, apparently, Bethanie Elvina. Her parents were John Huston Crawford, born in Missouri, and Palina Ann Bowen, also born in Missouri.

Warren’s story falls apart. Grandmother did not lose her mother at an early age. Palina Crawford died in 1905, in Arkansas. Hannie was born in Missouri. She had siblings that were born after her, in Texas 1883, Arkansas in 1889 and finally Oklahoma 1894, 1896 and 1897.

Incorrect: John Houston Crawford was a druggist in Missouri. His father was a physician, born in Kentucky. His mother came from England.

Palina Bowen’s father was born in Indiana. Her mother was born in Kentucky. Both outlived Palina and both died in Clarksville, Arkansas, where Palina also died.

Incorrect: Nothing in Warren’s maternal ancestry leaps out as Native American. Her mother’s family was raised in the Indian Territory, and that is the most that can be said about Warren’s minority status.

The story in the Boston Globe just is not possible given the other records that seem to exist.

Here is the current report on Elizabeth Warren’s maternal ancestry.

Paul Monachino was a sergeant in the East Rochester Police Department on June 14, 2011. After an evening celebrating the appointment of the new police chief, while in his personal car, he caused a motor vehicle accident and was arrested for DWI.

In December, 2011, Susan Walsh was the director of the Greater Rochester International Airport. After an evening of drinking, while driving her county vehicle, she caused a motor vehicle accident and was arrested for DWI.

Monachino and Walsh both resigned their jobs.

Monachino plead guilty and received a sentence of six months in jail with five years probation.

Walsh plead guilty and received a sentence of 100 hours of community service, a $750 fine, and will have an interlocking device installed on her vehicle for a year.

The circumstances of both offenses are virtually identical. One offender receives the maximum sentence and the other receives a slap on the wrist. Why?

Walsh has powerful political connections in Monroe County. Monachino does not. Did politics play a part in the differences in sentencing?

Georgetown law School third year student Sandra Fluke

Democratic members of the House had attempted to have Ms. Fluke testify before an Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on a religious exemption from Obama administration regulations on medical insurance and mandatory coverage for birth control. Fluke was not on the agenda and the committee chairman, Darrell Issa (R-CA), refused to allow her testimony. The Democratic Steering Committee hearing was scheduled to take that testimony.

• Sandra Kay Fluke was born in 1981 and is now age 31.
• 2003 Cornell University graduate with BA in Policy Analysis & Management, as well as Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
• Employed by Sanctuary for Families in New York City 2003-2009
• Entered Georgetown University Law School 2009
• 2010 recipient of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Fran Kandel Public Interest Grant

Georgetown University is a Roman Catholic institution. The medical insure that it provides does not cover the costs of contraception, which the Catholic Church views as immoral.

Fluke, in her testimony, stated “Without insurance coverage, contraception, as you know, can cost a woman over $3,000 during law school. For a lot of students who, like me, are on public interest scholarships, that’s practically an entire summer’s salary. 40% of the female students at Georgetown Law reported to us that they struggle financially as a result of this policy.”

Radio personality Rush Limbaugh ignited a firestorm of controversy when he discussed Ms. Fluke and her testimony on his nationally broadcast show on February 29. “Well, what would you call someone who wants us to pay for her to have sex? What would you call that woman? You’d call ‘em a slut, a prostitute or whatever.”

In a March 3 statement, Limbaugh apologized for his remarks.

For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.

I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit?In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone’s bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.

My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.

Sandra Fluke resources:
Sandra Fluke on LinkedIn
Sandra Fluke at Georgetown Law
Transcript of testimony by Sandra Fluke before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee held on Feb. 23, 2012
Statement by House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi at the February 23, 2012 hearing
Statement by Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney at the February 23, 2012 hearing
Law Students for Reproductive Justice statement about former President Sandra Fluke

Long time Facebook friend Tamar Shermadini stars in this video.

Power Line Blog contest winner

Your votes are worth $2,000 to Don Brookins, the creator of “Doorbell,” who may have launched a second career with one of the year’s most popular political videos.

Nothing will change without you voting. If you cannot vote for a candidate, then vote against one. Remember that Americans don’t elect politicians for life so voting out an incumbent is always a good idea.

Our picks:
Governor – Carl Paladino (R) (and we ARE holding our nose)
Lt. Governor – Robert Duffy (D)
Comptroller – Harry Wilson (R)
Attorney General – Dan Donovan (R)
Senate 2 yr term – Joseph DioGuardi (R)
Senate 6 year term – Jay Townsend (R) (oust entrenched incumbent)
Congress 28th district – Jill Rowland (R) (oust entrenched incumbent)
State Senate – Mary Wilmot (D) (oust entrenched incumbent)
State Assembly – Mark Scuderi (R) (oust entrenched incumbent)

On the BACK of the ballot – vote NO on all propositions

The word “gerrymander” means

to divide (a territorial unit) into election districts to give one political party an electoral majority in a large number of districts while concentrating the voting strength of the opposition in as few districts as possible

according to the Merriam Webster dictionary. New York’s 28th Congressional District was carefully crafted to illustrate that definition. Actually, it was crafted to ensure that the inner cities of Buffalo and Rochester would always be able to elect a liberal Democrat.

New York's gerrymandered 28th Congressional District

The current occupant of this Democratic seat for life is Louise Slaughter. We have criticized Louise in the past for her ultra-liberal views and anti-military stances. And, for the fact that she retains her Texas accent after have been an area resident for decades.

The New York Republican Party routinely offers sacrificial lambs for Louise to slaughter in each Congressional election. We’re hoping that the current candidate can do much better.

Jill Rowland is a practicing dentist, wife and mother. Her name will be appearing on both the Republican and Conservative Party lines on November 2.

Jill Rowland - Click image for more information.

Jill Rowland for Congress

Twitter: @JillforCongress
Facebook: Jill Rowland
Website: http://jillrowland.com/

Here’s the story: More Than 1,000 Gather in Protest at Rochester’s 2010 Anti-Tax Tea Party

The Rochester Tea Party organizers have scheduled another outing for all of us that oppose the big spending, high taxing, big government. There was a hugely successful gathering last year and they hope to make this year’s even larger and louder.

Date: Thursday, April 15, 2010
Time: 11:30 am EDT to 1 pm EDT

Location: Genesee Crossroads Park

The park is located in downtown Rochester, NY, on the west bank of the Genesee River north of Main Street and south of Andrews.

Further information can be found at the Rochester Tea Party website.

Photos from the April 15, 2009 Rochester Tea Party

As much as I loath Harry Reid, he’s being slammed for saying something that ought not to draw any criticism.

CNN:

“He (Reid) was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama – a ‘light-skinned’ African American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,’ as he said privately. Reid was convinced, in fact, that Obama’s race would help him more than hurt him in a bid for the Democratic nomination,” they write.

Barry Obama is half white, thus he is lighter skinned than many black men. He does not have an accent when he speaks, unless he chooses to use one – much like Rev. Jesse Jackson. Both are facts and not subject to dispute.

I cannot provide proof that a light skinned black man would do better in an election than a dark skinned black man. It is a moot point since Obama did win the election and his race was indeed a factor.

A 2004 article about the play “Yellowman”, by Dael Orlandersmith, explored the issue of color within the black community as seen in the play.

From The People’s News:

Leeds is among the millions of blacks trying, for the first time, to enunciate clearly and properly use all the words they speak. This attention to language actually is a return to their roots. Until the mid-1960s, blacks, including groundbreakers like Jackie Robinson and Malcolm X, spoke in a cadence that sounded whiter than someone asking for Grey Poupon.

“If Malcolm walked up behind you and started talking, you would think ‘What white man has come in here?’” the late black nationalist’s friend, Elliott Saffron, told The Peoples News. “What Malcolm was saying was black, but how he was saying it was white.”

There was a paradigm shift, however, in the late 1960s when the speech patterns of blacks like Stepin Fetchit and Buckwheat—who had previously been considered buffoons—became a favored way of speaking. ‘Talking white’ became an insult.

New Black Man blog:

The notion of “talking white” and “acting white” have long been bandied about in black communities, but for a nation that has historically chosen to be oblivious to the inner dynamics of Black life in America, such a discussion elicits a fresh focus. It was just last year that perennial protest candidate Ralph Nader accused then Senator Obama of “talking white” as part of Obama’s effort to assuage white voter fears that he might be cut from the same cloth of traditional Civil Rights leaders. Nader’s comments would have been offensive, if not for the fact that there quite a few Black Americans who also read diction as an index of racial authenticity.

The black community as a whole does not recognize all their black brothers and sisters as equal. Being human, they have the same mix of prejudices and stereotypes as any of us. The notion that Harry Reid was being racist for recognizing two true facts about then candidate Obama and concluding that they would help his candidacy is plain stupid.

Or so says a Washington Times columnist when viewing the 2010 Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute’s Great American Conservative Women Calendar.

Speaking of blondes, no roster of Republican hotties would be complete without the irreverent Ann Coulter, who precedes Miss Prejean in the calendar as Miss September.

True to form, Miss Coulter bucks tradition by being the only calendar girl not in a white button-down shirt; she is photographed in a simple white t-shirt with her signature cross pendant dangling from her neck.

Other women in the calendar, which is distributed free to publicize the institute, include former Virginia Republican Party Chairman Kate Obenshain, who looks seductively into the camera for her glamour shot, political strategist Kellyanne Conway and columnist Michelle Malkin, who both sport shirts unbuttoned to reveal a hint of decolletage — but not a micrometer more than befits a conservative pinup girl.

Go on over to the Institute’s site and order several today!

Do you believe that people are basically good, or are they bad and in need of salvation? Curiously, that philosophical debate is at the crux of the political struggle in this country and the world today.

Humans can be amazingly generous, selfless, and willing to sacrifice for a greater good. They can also tolerate dictators, mind numbing regulation and the loss of even the most basic freedoms.

Glenn Beck is devoting a great deal of air time on his radio and television shows to the proposition that there is a conspiracy to take the freedoms that Americans enjoy away from them. Call the plotters Communists, Socialists or Liberals, they have formed a multitude of groups for the sole purpose of enslaving Americans and destroying our way of life.

The politicians of the Democratic and the Republican Parties in the United States are guilty of acting in their own self interest. American voters are, as well. Politicians use their power to bribe the voters and the people who give money to campaigns. voters re-elect politicians based upon what they can bring to their districts.

It’s all very venial and not anything to be proud of. By electing politicians, the voters are saying that they prefer that others take care of them and provide governance and direction.

Let’s talk about speed limits on the highway. Speed limits, the laws that enforce them and the police who enforce the laws exist because SOME PEOPLE cannot be trusted to do the right thing and drive at a safe speed. You and I always drive safely. We may speed just a little, but that is because we are very busy and have important things to do. SOME PEOPLE need to be controlled because they interfere with that. SOME PEOPLE also think that they’re special and act like it, so they ought to be punished.

Replace speed control with any other legal issue and you see the problem. Self-centered thinking. It drives everything in politics.

Are their groups that are actively promoting the destruction of the United States? There are. However, most of what Glenn Beck and others see as a Communist plot is merely people acting as is their nature, to ensure their own comfort and lack of responsibility and self importance.

Ideology and theology have little real say in American politics. Sorry, Glenn, but the driving forces behind the people and groups you see as a threat is selfishness. They need speed limits so that they can speed. They need limits on speech so they can be heard. The threat is not from an overarching conspiracy but from human nature and a wish to never have responsibility.