Marriage amendment divides black community
October 15, 2008
DEIRDRE CONNER, The Times-Union
- African-American voters in Florida are a reliably solid base for Democratic candidates and are expected to turn out in high numbers next month to vote for Barack Obama.
But if polls hold true, nearly two-thirds of them may break with their candidate - and other black political leaders - on the state’s controversial marriage initiative.
Organizers on both sides think African-Americans are the crucial swing vote on Amendment 2. The measure would add a definition of marriage to the state constitution and outlaw any other union that is the substantial equivalent.
The state conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People opposes the amendment, as does Obama. The NAACP’s national president, Julian Bond, and civil rights hero and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., have spoken out against it.
Blacks and Amendment 2
October 11, 2008
Ernest Hooper, St. Petersburg Times
- Imagine a black man standing on a yacht and pulling up the rope ladder after climbing aboard, even though more people are down in the water.
That’s the vision I get whenever I hear black people, especially black ministers, promoting Amendment 2, the state’s proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage.
I just don’t understand how blacks can demand equality while denying it to gays.
Middle- and upper-class blacks always hear a message about how we have a responsibility to reach back to the inner cities and lend a hand even though we’ve escaped to the suburbs or moved up to a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Shouldn’t the same principle apply to gays? Shouldn’t we help other folks achieve equality now that we’ve made strides?
Feds investigating sheriff after ‘Hussein’ remark
October 8, 2008
Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott may have more to worry about than just the court of public opinion. Federal investigators are now looking into whether Scott broke the law by campaigning for John McCain.
Officials with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel say they have received so many phone calls from the public that they launched an investigation into Sheriff Scott on Tuesday.
The question is - did he use his position as sheriff to influence an election? If so, he could be in violation of a federal election law called the Hatch Act.
NBC 2
‘Obama Half-Breed Muslin’ sign angers neighbors
October 1, 2008
.jpg)
From Central Florida News 13
- A sign in one man’s front yard has stirred up a controversy in his community.
Neighbors of Andy Lacasse said the sign, which reads “Obama Half-Breed Muslin [sic],” breaches the fine line between free speech and inappropriateness.
“I got nothing good to say about Obama,” Lacasse told News 13. “If I see anybody touching that sign, I got a club sitting right over there.”
Lacasse put the sign on his lawn Saturday. A Korean War veteran, he said he was a registered Democrat until Obama won the nomination.
“That’s the Democratic Party. They’re nothing but a bunch of cutthroats,” Lacasse said. “Like I always said, you show me an honest politician, I’ll show you an honest thief.”
Lacasse’s neighbors said they are not all content with letting him show his opinion where everyone can see it.
“When you use words in that nature, people tend to discount anything you have to say,” said Steve Rice, who lives a couple streets away from Lacasse.
“If you’re going to attract attention, at least make sure your spelling is right,” Rice added, referring to Lacasse’s misspelling of the word “Muslim.”
Rice said everyone is talking about the sign. He added he has no problem with free speech, but he does not think it is appropriate to bring race into the issue.
Rice also said the sign was wrong, and that Obama is a Christian, despite many people thinking he is Muslim.
Obama has repeatedly identified himself as a member of the United Church of Christ. His father, however, was raised Muslim.
Rice dropped by to chat with Lacasse, whom he had not met before. They talked about campaign tactics, and that Rice was a supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton.
“Are you happy what they did to her?” Lacasse asked.
“Of course not, but am I going to post a sign going after a race or group of people because of it? No, I’m going to say, ‘Vote for someone else,’” Rice replied.
“Look what he’s doing to Palin,” Lacasse said, referring to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Republican John McCain’s running mate. “Come on. He got people going to Alaska, looking for something to say bad about her.”
Lacasse said he plans to put an even bigger sign in place of the small, handmade one.
Palm Coast City Council apologizes to NAACP
October 1, 2008
KARI COBHAM, News-Journal
- City Councilwoman Mary DiStefano on Tuesday called for the removal of two Leisure Service Advisory Committee members after accusations of discrimination from the NAACP.
But council members agreed instead to send a letter of apology to the Flagler County chapter of the national civil rights group and issue another letter to all committees advising them on the city’s code of ethics and the council’s expectations on fair application review.
“We don’t need to fragment; we need to build,” DiStefano said later in support of the decision.
The local NAACP applied in July for a city cultural grant to fund its program celebrating the organization’s centennial in 2009. Based on the committee’s recommendations, the council approved in September spending $2,800 out of a possible $5,000 for the group’s programs.
Recent Comments