The Freedmen’s Bureau Project

7 Comments
The 150th anniversary of Juneteenth was this past Friday, and on that day a major project was announced that would help African Americans reconnect with their Civil War era relatives. The Freedman's Bureau:
The Freedmen’s Bureau was organized to assist freedmen in 15 states and the District of Columbia after the war. The bureau opened schools, managed hospitals and gave support to an estimated 4 million slaves. The 1.5 million images released Friday are from the actual reports filed by the 900 agents of the Freedmen’s Bureau who were located across the country.
Saturday Open Thread [6.20.15]

Saturday Open Thread [6.20.15]

5 Comments
The news is full of stories of how people who should be the most concerned for justice for the 9 people killed by the terrorist Dylann Roof are working overtime to minimize his crime and to minimize the magnitude of his acts. This would be, of course, white privilege on display, still trying to minimize the value of black lives and minimize the crimes committed by white terrorists. So take a good look:
In Which We Find Neither Accountability or Fiscal Sensibility in the Wilmington City Council — AGAIN

In Which We Find Neither Accountability or Fiscal Sensibility in the Wilmington City Council — AGAIN

11 Comments
Tonight, the Wilmington City Council will vote on an amendment to the budget to add more management staff to the WPD. They will do that without having any hearings, with little notice to the public and without Bud Freel (the Finance Chair) in attendance. Councilman Freel is one of the few points of fiscal accountability (heck of any accountability) in the City Council and doing this without him available (guess Council President Gregory did not offer Bud first class tickets to come back to vote) and without a good public airing is good government malpractice. But then, we are talking about a group of people who aren't much interested in good government -- or, frankly, in representing their constituents. Here is what is being voted on:
Thursday Open Thread [6.18.15]

Thursday Open Thread [6.18.15]

5 Comments
Paul Waldman: “It’s tempting to feel a little sorry for the Republican Party. Here they were, trying to have a perfectly civil and sober primary campaign to determine their candidate for the presidency, when along comes Donald Trump.” “Here’s the problem, though: Donald Trump is the essence of contemporary Republicanism. It’s a distilled essence, boiled down to a viscous and sour consistency. But if you want to know what Republicans believe and who they are, you don’t need to look much further. He’s a walking caricature, but it’s a caricature created from everything Republicans believe.”
The NRA’s Wayne LaPierre calls on Congress to pass a law requiring armed church congregations

The NRA’s Wayne LaPierre calls on Congress to pass a law requiring armed church congregations

2 Comments
Note: These are the actual words of LaPierre after the Newtown Connecticut shootings where 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and 6 adult staff members. I've lightly edited the original sickening statement, and changed references from schools to churches, and changed an "us" reference (meaning the NRA) to Second Amendment enthusiasts.