In one of his most funniest routines, Flip tells the story of Christopher Columbus asking Queen Isabella for money to discover America. Columbus seals the deal when he tells the Queen he’s going to find Ray Charles.
Well, the world discovered that no one can sing America’s praises better than Brother Ray.
I received the media advisory during Danah Boyd’s talk at the Personal Democracy Forum 2009. Reading the advisory, I was surprised that questions were not being solicited from members of BlackPlanet, the largest black social network.
Herein lies the reality that makes all of this quite messy to deal with. It wasn’t just anyone who left MySpace to go to Facebook. In fact, if we want to get to the crux of what unfolded, we might as well face an uncomfortable reality... What happened was modern day “white flight.” Whites were more likely to leave or choose Facebook. The educated were more likely to leave or choose Facebook. Those from wealthier backgrounds were more likely to leave or choose Facebook. Those from the suburbs were more likely to leave or choose Facebook. Those who deserted MySpace did so by “choice” but their decision to do so was wrapped up in their connections to others, in their belief that a more peaceful, quiet, less-public space would be more idyllic.
Danah continued:
MySpace has become the “ghetto” of the digital landscape. The people there are more likely to be brown or black and to have a set of values that terrifies white society. And many of us have habitually crossed the street to avoid what is seen as the riff-raff.
The fact that digital migration is revealing the same social patterns as urban white flight should send warning signals to everyone out there.
We are surprised and very disappointed with this decision. It is clear that the majority of the Court is caught up in a time warp. Especially disheartening is the Court’s failure to see the changing face of race issues and the need for diversity in this country, particularly in our safety forces as they continue to take not only a community but a more global role.
We believe that it opens the door wide open for cheap and substandard testing and virtually guarantees that persons discriminated against--whether White, Black, or Hispanic--will have to resort to courts to have their issues redressed. This will sadly make any resolution of discrimination and testing far more adversarial, combative, and expensive than it needs to be.
In her dissenting opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, joined by justices David Souter, Stephen Breyer and John Paul Stevens, wrote:
Firefighting is a profession in which the legacy of racial discrimination casts an especially long shadow.
Ginsburg also questioned the fairness of the test:
In so holding, the Court pretends that “[t]he City rejected the test results solely because the higher scoring candidates were white.”…That pretension, essential to the Court’s disposition, ignores substantial evidence of multiple flaws in the tests New Haven used. The Court similarly fails to acknowledge the better tests used in other cities, which have yielded less racially skewed outcomes.
Ginsburg’s concerns were echoed by Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights:
The ruling does not eliminate the legal responsibility of employers to find non-discriminatory solutions in hiring, promoting, and compensating employees. However, employers will now face a convoluted minefield when attempting to protect workers from discrimination.
The Court’s decision is clearly contrary to Congress’ intent in passing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It leaves employers in a quandary, and gives them a disincentive to voluntarily ensure a fair workplace.
The case is Ricci v. DeStefano. Background info is available here.
Consider: Billboard reports that airplay for Michael Jackson’s music increased 1,735 percent. "Billie Jean" alone had 4,540 plays (up from 318 the week before).
Under current law, Michael Jackson’s estate will not get a dime from radio stations that have played his songs in a continuous loop since his untimely death.
For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words. He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.
Indeed, Michael brought joy and pleasure to his legions of fans. I was on a flight to Toronto from San Francisco shortly after “Thriller” was released. I hit the repeat button and listened to “Billie Jean” nonstop for the duration of the trip.
In 1983, it was amazing to see babies who couldn’t talk or walk, sing and bop to “Beat It” in their strollers and cribs.
Michael Jackson was “Bad,” but he is in a better place. He now has the peace that eluded him in life.
Michael is “Gone Too Soon.” We love you and will miss you very much.
This afternoon, President Barack Obama will meet with a small group of Congressional leaders of both parties to discuss immigration reform. According to a White House press advisory:
The meeting is intended to launch a policy conversation by having an honest discussion about the issues and identifying areas of agreement and areas where we still have work to do, with the hope of beginning the debate in earnest later this year.
In all honesty, our immigration system isn’t broken. Instead, an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants broke the law and are now demanding the right to live in America.
While the open-borders crowd and the MSM stereotype amnesty opponents as “nativist dead-enders,” a lot of progressives oppose so-called “comprehensive immigration reform.”
A poll commissioned by Progressives for Immigration Reform found that 45 percent of self-identified progressives and liberals “somewhat oppose or strongly oppose a pathway to citizenship or amnesty for illegal immigrants currently in the workforce.”
Among the poll’s findings:
Sixty-seven percent believe the level of population growth caused by immigration negatively impacts the quality of life.
Fifty-eight percent think current levels of immigration are harmful to the environment.
The results of this poll demonstrate what many on the political left have known for some time. Immigration is not a partisan issue. There are many progressives and liberals that are concerned about the unintended consequences that large scale immigration has on the environment, economy, and other issues that many liberals are concerned about. It is time to take this issue off the back burner. We need to talk frankly about the effects of immigration and find solutions that benefit both Americans and the global community.
In a speech before the Migration Policy Institute, Sen. Charles Schumer, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, observed:
After my many meetings with stakeholders, and other members of Congress, I truly believe that the fundamentals for immigration reform exist if we coalesce around seven key principles that the American people overwhelmingly support.
The main idea that underlies each of these seven principles is that the American people are fundamentally pro-legal immigration and anti-illegal immigration.
Schumer acknowledged:
The first of these seven principles is that illegal immigration is wrong—plain and simple. When we use phrases like “undocumented workers,” we convey a message to the American people that their Government is not serious about combating illegal immigration, which the American people overwhelmingly oppose.
Above all else, the American people want their Government to be serious about protecting the public, enforcing the rule of law, and creating a rational system of legal immigration that will proactively fit our needs rather than reactively responding to future waves of illegal immigration.
People who enter the United States without our permission are illegal aliens, and illegal aliens should not be treated the same as people who entered the United States legally.
The bottom line: Living in America is a privilege, not a “human right.” We the people decide who can legally come to the United States.
