Coverage of the LaVena Johnson case appears to be picking up, if the email notices I’m getting are any indication. A new petition has been started via Color of Change, please check it out.
We should all be chanting “Attica, Attica” on this one.
Though some common upscale blogs are posting about the plight of our returning vets ( and are looking for journalist to do a story on the situation), not too many are posting about the rape and or murder of our women in the military. Though I have seen a bit of a pick up in the coverage of this story recently we have to keep this going, keep writing our legislators, and those in charge of investigation.
Read also A Deadly Wall of Silence
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It seems the endless reign of Congressman Roscoe Bartlett — my congressman — will not be interrupted. All this due to the insipid candidate presented on the other side of the fence, the complacency of constituency here and the continued Republican nature of this red county in a blue state. I wonder if anyone cares about all the “confusion” he suffered, confusion which led to a million or so dollars worth of underreporting on his property sales.
Congressman Bartlett said the omissions, involving at least four properties, reflected a combination of inattentiveness and confusion by himself and others about the deals.
(source) FNP
Confusion = time to stop at the 8th term before it hits 9. He is after all 82 years old, with waning enthusiasm for the office, though there hasn’t been a serious contender for his slot in some time. The complacency of this county is astounding.
New blood doesn’t go over well here I’ve noticed. Hark the call for English as the official language, the sanctioned targeting of Hispanics by the sheriff’s department, and the refusal of Walkersville to allow a man to sell his land to a Muslim organization to build a mosque. Citing traffic as their main concern the little town, which would allow thousands to park for a little league baseball game, would brag about it even, refuses the mosque in the name of traffic.
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Chips and Quips — Sterling ( the man with the sunglasses ), bestowed the Arte y Pico award on me.
The Peak of Art.… or the best way I can say Pura Vida, but pertaining to art — whether it be art of the standard kind, art of the word or art of life.
This originated at Arte y Pico
Sterling is trippin, but still I am ever grateful.
I am to bestow it upon others.
There are rules of course, always rules. I am loath to follow rules in most cases, but I will abide by them in this case. They say the older you get the less likely you are to protest the rules. I think there is some truth in that.
I’m passing this on to a few people. Skipping those to whom it would cause severe disruption of digestion, and taking into account some have already gotten this little plaque.
Pia: For the art of everything.
Womanist Musings: For the art of much needed words on the sad ways of the world.
MoJo: For making self absorption an art, and making it worth reading. That is a compliment really, it just sounds funny.
Yobachi of Black Perspective Net: For his constant work in perfecting the art of activism.
Kelly: For perfecting the written art of real life, and those envy producing photos of Italy.
The Rules are as follows below the fold.
1. 1) Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.
2) Post the name of the author and a link to his or her blog so everyone can view it.
3) Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.
4) The award-winner and the presenter should post the link of the “Arte y pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) Please post these rules.
Now to choose five blogs that meet the criteria in rule 1 (in no particular order):
Thanks for passing it on, cooper — of course you deserve it. If I’m trippin, I don’t want to come down.
BTW, your link to “Black Perspective Net” needs fixing.
Thanks, for the award and the correction. Ihad many errors spelling and grammatical which I fixed and posted, but never went through. I am grateful for the check-ups
We’re all tripping, we’ll probably crash in as any good ensemble would, together.
Excellent selections. I like “the art of everything” as Pia’s citation.
It is what is is, and it is everything,
I have just been so terrible wounded by what happened to Laveena that I have not been able to blog about it. I simply don’t have the words to convey the horror that I feel. I am so glad that the blogospehre has picked up on this though. It is so painful daily to discover the ways in which we are intentional cruel to each other.
It is a story I was not aware of either but it is something we can advertise and hound until something is done, and we should.
I just put Lavena on my sidebar. I agree it is something to be pursued diligently.
You off all people — Pura Vida in the Costa Rican sense.
You’re choices are good, I’ve read them all one time or another, as for now it’s lightening here and I’m getting off this thing.
That whole Bartlett thing is not surprising …forgetful, inattentive, confused.
Good for the Lavena on the sidebar, boo hiss of tired old Roscoe.
Putting Lavena on my sidebar is a good suggestion I wasn’t aware of her case until I read it in your blog. My non blogging friends in particular have picked up on it.
Thank you Cooper. You continually surprise me and touch me just when I need to be picked up
It’s lightening here now and the shows are better than any fireworks, so…
I do want to keep this story alive and it does seem it is getting more play.
Of course who else is queen of everything?
Hope you enjoyed the lightening on the beach.
[…] Wonderland or Not » Blog Archive » Pure Life, Unnecessary Death, and Infinitesimal Congressional T… “They say the older you get the less likely you are to protest the rules. I think there is some truth in that.” I’ve found the opposite to be true, at least after 40. (tags: arteypico awards wonderlandornot blogging activism) […]
One would think that LaVena Johnson’s death would nudge an outrage throughout the country and that it would above the fold in every blog, paper, broadcast. But no. It’s old news and therefor gets a pass. WTF.
BTW — your link “A Deadly Wall of Silence” is not working.
I am forever amazed at what they don’t cover.
Link fixed thanks.
Hey Coop,
Thanks for bringing this to the forefront — you are more up to date than the so called news. People in this country are becoming alarmingly complacent — remember Germany 1933?
Hope all is well with you & grad school is breezing by …
It’s easy in tis case he is in my local news. and the Lavena Johnson story is picking up inconsiderable head. I hope it continues.
I saw this a few days ago as I was skimming incoming links in my dash board, but didn’t have to to say anything.
But I wanted to come back and say thanks. I like your assesment “perfecting the art of activism”. I’m trying to do what I can with it anyway.
I hope I’m learning through my attempts, and come up with a good formula for modern internet based activism.
Thank you for so often being in support. Speaking of, what do you think about tazer usage: http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/blog-on-wednesday-against-abusive-taser-use/