The Cracker Point of View

I’m not Jewish, but my Scots-Irish tribe has some things in common with the Israelites: they experienced a calculated oppression that forced a great number of them to flee the land of their ancestors, settle in a hostile country and eventually overpower the locals… igniting an ethnic hatred that has poisoned a disputed country for centuries.

I’m a Cracker, as in “you mother f*ucking white cracker.”

Crackers: the over-eating, truck driving, racist, meth-using, tea bagger, predominant ethnicity of the south-eastern portion of the United States, are what is left of the Celtic people offered land by their English masters in a place that was already occupied: Northern Ireland.

The Crackers have a distinguished history. After the English, put down their dreams of independence (with the first set of laws in European history to make a language and way of life illegal)* they participated in violently taking their ethnic and linguistic brethren’s spiritual homeland: Ulster, historic seat of Irish Kings… moving in and taking over.

After a few decades of oppressing people that might have been their cousins, and looking for more land; they emigrated to America where they became the tools of the English slave-owning gentry in the colonies.

Any one who watched Alex Haley’s ROOTS in the 70’s might have noticed the Scottish accent of the foreman whipping the rebellious slave Kunta Kinte until he accepted that his “real” name was Toby.

Some of them found religion-in fact they all did: Crackers are most of the doctor-killing anti-abortion fanatics of the far right.

Religion didn’t used to be a bad thing for Crackers. One of my Scots-Irish ancestors, William Henry Drury -a very religious Cracker- preached against slavery on the basis of the Bible and then backed up his words by volunteering for the Pennsylvania artillery battalion that fought off Confederate guerilla attacks against Washington DC.- he lost his foot.

However, lately the Crackers seem to have forgotten the love part of Jesus, preferring anger and paranoia as more exciting motivators… Oppressing Mexicans in need of a job… hey we’re down with that.

So what does this have to do with Anthony Weiner? Not much, except that I think that partly because of my criticizing of Crackerness, I’ve finally found a reason to disagree with him.

He and Chuck Schumer have decided that the President Obama is being to too hard on Benyamin Netanyahu on the issue of settlements.

Weiner said this about the way Obama has been treating the Prime Minister of Israel:

“The appropriate response was a shake of the head – not a temper tantrum…Israel is a sovereign nation and an ally, not a punching bag. Enough already.”

But lets acknowledge the fact that Netanyahu humiliated Joe Biden a few weeks ago with a poorly timed, jingoistic announcement of more East Jerusalem settlements. The White House would have to have been absolutely spineless not to take exception to that exchange.

Also, It’s kind of clear that new settlements are not the first steps on the road to peace. You have to try really, really hard to convince your self of the opposite point of view.

So I feel that Weiner and Schumer should mention the need to support Israel unconditionally, without publicly criticizing Obama for sticking up for his VP. Casting aspersions on the President’s loyalty to Israel because of the back and forth with Bibi, is wrong, and joining Crackers like Glenn Beck and Pat Buchanan in taking shots at the President… is just embarrassing.

*In 1746 to subdue the Scottish highlands, the English Parliament passed the Act of Proscription. It banned the wearing of traditional Scottish attire (i.e. kilts etc.) forbade speaking in Gaelic, outlawed Scottish music, dancing, or playing of bag pipes, which the Act said “emitted an aggressive and warlike sound.”

Finally it banned all Scots from “bearing arms.” Glenn Beck (Beck is a common Scottish surname) and his ilk use the resonance of this particular, aspect of the collective Scots-Irish ancestral memory to inflame Cracker passions about the right to use assault rifles to hunt deer.

It's Engel v. Obama on Syria

If President Obama and Eliot Engel are at odds over one thing in particular, it’s Syria.

In the debate over Syrian diplomacy, the man who waited half a day to shake hands with President Obama at the State of the Union address, has been anything but friendly with the Prez.

Engel has sided with most Republican lawmakers (and a few Democrats) in opposing Obama’s appointment of an ambassador to Syria, whom the United States severed diplomatic relations with in 2005. In February — when Obama announced the move — Engel told the Jerusalem Post it was a “mistake.”

But the nomination process continued, essentially unhampered, until the scud news….

Here’s the deal:

  • Earlier this month Israel accused Syria’s government of providing the radical Islamic group Hezbollah with scud missiles, capable of striking anywhere in Israel.
  • Then, on Wednesday the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs told a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs panel that,“If these reports are true I’d argue that Syria made a mistake. Syria has made mistakes in the past. We need to have an access to the leadership in Syria in order to voice our concerns. We need to deliver our message to [Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria] loud, clear and directly. We would like the ambassador to be conformed and placed now. I disagree that sending an ambassador is a reward.”
  • On Thursday, Engel and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill) introduced a resolution calling for the tightening of restrictions against Syria.

Engel’s statement, via UPI:

“This transfer of these highly lethal
 weapons … endangers American as well as 
Israeli lives, destabilizes the Middle East and is an existential threat 
to Israel and the independence of Lebanon,” Engel said in a statement.

He urged U.S. President Barack Obama to reconsider naming an ambassador to Syria and “enforce all existing sanctions against Syria.”

U.S. lawmakers put pressure on Syria

La Madrina*

“I know it’s not easy,” she said and then paused. She raised her eyes from the podium and looked at the young girls across the room, searching for their eyes behind long slanted bangs.

“Trust me. I KNOW,“ and then Congresswomen Velazquez cleared the stage for Nydia.

“I know, because I was there too… I came from Puerto Rico to New York when I was 19 years-old.”

Nydia Velazquez talked about how different the big city is from the warm country she came from. How every day brings new challenges, and how solitary it feels to be in a foreign country, without your family by your side.

She spoke of her brother’s drug addiction, and how frustrated it was for her, not being able to help him from afar.

The room was silent. A mother of five was drying her teary red eyes behind the glasses. The mother and her young daughter, like Nydia and one of seven Latina adolescents, tried to commit suicide.

An hour earlier, I got off at the Flushing Avenue stop. A couple of blocks from the train, I found the old facility for the new center, where the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new “Life is Precious” program was about to begin.

Located only three train stops away from my Williamsburg station, I was in the same 12th District, but stepped into a completely different world. It was bare, poor and neglected. No one was brunching, but a man who peaked out of his trailer grabbed something from a nearby pile of bags. The streets were quiet, but inside the decorated building, excitement and anticipation buzz was getting louder by the minute.

The room was full with more than 60 Hispanic teenage girls, mothers and therapists. There was one father and two male photographers. All were waiting for Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez: La Madrina.

As the godmother entered the room, she went straight to the girls. Hopping over the pre-cut red ribbon with her stilettos, she was kissing the girls, talking, taking pictures, spreading cherry blossom magic around the captivated crowd of Latina women.

“Velázquez to Announce Federal Support for Local Health Program,” the Thursday press advisory said, but something greater happened there. It was the first time Velazquez publicly spoke of her private experience, possibly, a more precious gift then the $167,000 Federal funding cardboard check she brought.

My internal debate was over. I didn’t have to wonder how to weave her personal narrative into the sunny Saturday “photo-op” event in Brooklyn’s suicide prevention center – she laid it all out there – her journey, her story, her struggle.

Then she delivered a few passionate words in Spanish. I didn’t understand much, but she said something about “Republicano” that instigated some laughs from the audience, and Congresswoman Velazquez was back.

Still, those few minutes, when the 19-year-old Puerto Rican newcomer Nydia was talking, for the girls, and mothers, both were present. She was both the powerful woman with an elegant white and navy stripe suite -Washington big shot – first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and a Latina who tried to end her life.

Maybe it’s all part of the game. But even if so – for the teenage girls in this critical moment of their lives – their petite elected official who went through the same thing they’re going through, it was huge.

* Godmother, matron of honor, woman who launches ship.

On the (legal) Money Trail

One of Charlie Rangel’s main advantages in his upcoming Congressional race will be the high amount of fund-raising cash he can pull in. Unfortunately he might have to spend that cash on something besides his campaign for re-election. It seems Rangel has raised $108,000 in the first quarter of 2010, but has had to spend $60,000 of it on legal fees in the first three months of the years. In total, he’s spent ab out $1.5 million in legal fees, according to opensecrets.org.

Rangel also spent $26,000 on illegal poster fines in New York City. According to the Daily News, he’s actually spent over $240,000 so far this year. In the past few elections, Rangel has raised $5 million, $2 million, and $2 million, and spent $4.2 million, $2 million, and $1.7 million, respectively. He’s still sitting on a nice campaign chest of $600,000 though he’s already spent a total of $2.6 million while only raising $1.9 million. It’s not exactly worrisome yet, but Rangel’s campaign is spending money left and right without bringing in enough. The prized bow-tie collection may even have to be sold on e-bay if things continue down this path.

One less thing to worry about, though, is State Senator Bill Perkins going up against Rangel, as he recently declared that he would be seeking re-election for his state assembly seat.

St. George Protects the Island from Dragons

st_george_slayingYesterday was St. George’s Day, a European holiday devoted to the legend of St. George slaying a dragon.

So the Staten Island neighborhood of St. George decided to join in on the fun and hold an art and music fair in a local park.

Bands performed in Tompkinsville Square, a short walk from the Staten Island Ferry. Artists displayed paintings and photographs, kids did arts & crafts, tree-huggers dressed as fairies and distributed seed bombs to promote Earth Day.

All this in a park once, and intermittently still, populated by drunks, crackheads, methadone patients, and welfare recipients from the food stamp office right across the street.

Like most of New York City, crime has decreased since the Giuliani administration, and the area is relatively safer than it once was.

The St. George neighborhood, home to the Staten Island Ferry, is the Island’s northernmost point, the progressive shore: an artist enclave, a commuter haven, a place which stands as Staten Island’s best opportunity to become a vibrant and dynamic piece of New York City, instead of the insulated Jersey Shore mall-culture.

This locale, close to Manhattan and Brooklyn, is the previous city council district of now-Congressman Mike McMahon and represents a more Manhattan-centric liberalism than the rest of the boro.

The North Shore is also the home to Staten Island’s first African-American elected official as well as the first openly gay pol.

Another local politician, State Senator Diane Savino (D – SI and Brooklyn), made a passionate plea advocating gay marriage in the New York State last year.

But, again, Sen. Savino represents the North Shore, and this is the exception to the norm on the Island.

The South Shore is conservative in nature and not particularly welcome to outsiders. They would not exactly embrace the idea of an openly gay person in theory, never mind as an elected official. And if they tolerate African-Americans, they certainly don’t want them living in their gated community.

In a Slate.com piece, Jonah Weiner (a former St, George resident) tried to explain the Island’s intransigence toward the rest of the city.

Weiner likened the New York Harbor, which separates the aforementioned boroughs, to a moat that protects a majestic land from the miscreants.

What side that majestic land is on, however, depends on whom you ask, according to Weiner.

I would argue that an Islanders perception of the moat depends more upon where they live.

The North Shore is a diverse environment, a place where once-Councilmen McMahon could practice his centrist democratic ideals with apparent impunity from the Island’s more conservative, moat-friendly areas. Here, the castle is a ferry ride away.

To the Islanders on the Southern shores, in their heavily-fortified McMansions, St. George the neighborhood, like the patron saint himself, is their protective barricade against the potential ‘dragons’ that may lurk on the other side of the harbor in the dirty, graffiti-infested streets they left in the ’70s to join the kingdom of Richmond County.

Meeks, Sanford, and Their Happy Days


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While this week didn’t have any new scandals–damn–Greg Meeks’ involvement with financier schemer R. Allen Sanford has been brought back to the surface as allegations that the SEC ignored one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history for eight years.

It may be difficult to comprehend that a commission who’s mission is ” to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation” would miss out on such a large show, especially since numerous insiders and examinations by their own employees pointed out that the financial group was, perhaps, a cover for something else from as early as 1997.  And what about Mr. Madoff?  How’d they miss that one?  What could they have possibly been spending their time doing that they couldn’t have followed up on the complaints?

Oh.

Greg Meeks’ involvement with Sanford goes back to 2006, when the Congressman was allegedly contacted by Sanford to “retaliate” against a former Venezuelan employee of Sanford’s who was threatening to blow the whistle on the whole thing.  So, like any self-respecting Congressman would do, Greg Meeks paid a visit to Hugo Chavez in Venezuela (paid, allegedly, by Sanford).  A year later, the whistle blower was indicted.  And Meeks?  He was rewarded with a trip to the Caribbean funded by the Inter-American Economic Council–a non-profit created by Sanford.

I’d wondered how Greg Meeks could be so pro-bank coming from an area that was hit so hard by corporate greed and shoddy mortgages.  But now, it’s coming more into focus.  You want to run for re-election?  You need money.  You want to get a better gig down in DC?  Cash money, yo.  And as far as the trips go–I can see Meeks’ brain working to explain it.  Everybody was doing it; why should he get in on a little fun?  The thought that it would risk his career didn’t really occur to him.  Meeks, clueless and out of touch, jumped the shark.


They came, they saw, they hearted: Nadler's other constituency

Tourism is big in New York City. When it goes down, city officials and businesses notice with lament. When it goes up, workers in Time Square, likewise, notice with lament. Tourists bring their dollars (euros, yen, rupees) to our city. In return we provide them with the story, sights, sounds and smells of the greatest city in America.

If there were to be, say, a member of congress who was an unofficial representative for all those who come to enjoy the attractions and amusements, few could claim the title like Jerrold Nadler. His district is basically New York City’s version of Epcot Center.

The Natural History Museum!

The Empire State Building!

Lincoln Center!

The World Trade Center site!

The Brooklyn Bridge!

Coney Island!!!

It’s almost as if, in carving up the 8th congressional district, the single largest constituency of concern was the Tourists. The Tourists, as those of us living in New York know, are a sensitive, curious class of people. Clutching their folding maps and wearing  unironic “I Heart NY” shirts–their socks and shorts up a bit too high, their regional accents and skyline fixated glances a little too revealing–they are easy to spot. Were we natives to live up to the outside world’s narrative of us as wild beasts in a wild jungle, these Tourists would be easy prey.

Yet they come; they visit, they spend, they leave actually hearting New York. Part of this can be attributed to their patron saint of vacationing, a representative who works to keep the points of interest places worth coming to. Whether it’s helping the city fund and improve Coney Island, or working with other elected officials to bring a space shuttle to the Intrepid, Congressman Nadler takes care of his Tourist constituents.

But do the Tourists, upon returning home, remember?

If we look at what passes for political discourse around the country these days, the answer is a resounding, “Ya betcha heck no.”

Gay rights, ACORN, health care reform, socialism–whether directly or not, the issues of the day seem to put a glowing red dot on Nadler’s forehead where right-wing culture assassins take aim. Often (thought not always) the missives denouncing the issues Nadler supports or is associated with come from afar.

While they’re enjoying the view of western Manhattan from the Top of the Rock, the Tourists are really looking down on the front lines of the political and social culture war.

But that’s not what the Tourists see. They see the things that make New York City an amazing place to visit. They see the cultural capital of America. They see the history of success and failure, from Wall Street to the Lower East Side tenements, that have helped make this country the amazing place it is..

And its great that that’s what they see. But do they see that all that history, all that striving and pushing and pulling, has produced the Jerrold Nadler’s of the world? Perhaps woven into all that makes New York City such an amazing place to visit are the reasons Nadler takes the position he does on so many divisive issues. Perhaps a solemn visit to Ground Zero or a hot dog from Nathan’s on the boardwalk are just as valuable to America and her Tourists as securing equal marriage laws for gays and repealing the Patriot Act.

Seeing this and remembering it when they got home would show that the Tourists really do heart New York–and their unofficial congressman.

Crowley Silent on Ariz Immigration Law

Arizona just passed a strict new immigration legislation. The law allows police to question people about their immigration status if they suspect someone is in the country illegally.

Crowley pushed for reform last summer when he, and 111 Democrats, asked President Obama to make the issue a priority.

Crowley issued no press release in response to the Arizona law. No public rebuke. No nothing.

Crowley was the first one to sign the bill last summer, and right next to his name was Luis Gutierrez, the 9-term Democrat from Illinois. Gutierrez had no problem making noise this week.

“Where is the Justice Department? Here is an injustice against the basic rights. Where is the administration of Barack Obama and his Justice department?” said Gutierrez, according to MSNBC

Gutierrez, surprisingly, was one of Obama’s first supporters – even when most hispanics were supporting Hilary Clinton – when he decided to run for President. A long-time advocate for immigration reform, Gutierrez is now threatening his own party.

“We can stay home,” Gutierrez said in an interview with The Hill. “We can say, ‘You know what? There is a third option: We can refuse to participate.’ ”

Gutierrez is not a neophyte trying to make a name for himself, but a former cab driver who’s won handily in his last few elections. And still has dramatically low fundraising numbers – he raised less than $200,000 in 2006.

His arguments for immigration reform are more for the ears of Democrats.

“It is an answer to too many years of pain —mothers separated from their children, workers exploited and undermined security at the border— all caused at the hands of a broken immigration system,” he said in a December press release.

Crowley, on the other hand, knows that many Republicans see immigrants taking up more of their tax dollars – especially after Health Care Reform. So he crafts a different argument.

“A key element of this reform is requiring all undocumented immigrants to register, go through background checks, pay taxes, and study English in order to obtain legal status and be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship,” Crowley wrote in December.

Crowley, who must be upset about the issue, has not publicly criticized any members of his party; and most likely won’t. But Gutierrez resembles Crowley’s district neighbor, Jose Serrano, in that they’ve been in office for a long time and both are Puerto Rican. Serrano, one of the few Democrats who voted against the financial bailout and also raises little campaign money, and Gutierrez have nothing to lose. Already widely popular in their districts, going against their party will not lose them any money or future elections.

Given Crowley’s track record of seeking out leadership positions, he probably has higher aspirations and the cash to make them happen. He’s already raised $3 millionin campaign contributions, far exceeding the House average. With President Obama planning federal immigration reform legislation, Crowley will wait for the political storm-of-the-week to pass before speaking up.

From Relief to Rebuild, Haiti Is a "Family Affair"

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After three months of delivering water, shelter and health services in Haiti, the federal government agency in charge of international development is planning its next phase of relief efforts: rebuilding the country’s economy.

“And we rarely get to work with the members of Congress,” said Phil Gary, who works for USAID as chief of staff of the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance.

On this rare instance, he was referring to Rep. Yvette Clarke.

Presenting in a second-floor, sterile-beige room of about 70 businesspeople at the Calvary Cathedral of Praise in Brooklyn, Gary outlined new relief efforts to break down camps and build up commerce in Haiti.

“Haiti needs more than relief economy, it needs a rebuilding economy,” Clarke said.

IMG_3065The USAID meeting Saturday, hosted by Clarke, was a “How To” briefing for businesses interested in helping rebuild Haiti – an agenda that seems to increasingly define the politics of a fledgling congresswoman.

“I have a real bias,” Clark said, adding a little hip action and humor to her speech. “I love the Caribbean. I can’t help it. It’s in my blood.”

She said her Jamaican heritage and her large Haitian constituency make this relief effort “a family affair.”

“I’m focused on the 11th Congressional District, but I’m very mindful of the Haitian community,” Clarke added.

Her successor in city council, Mathieu Eugene, who, according to his website, is the first Haitian-born official elected to New York City Council, turned to Clarke at the meeting and said: “We in the Haitian community are lucky to have you.”

IMG_3072Indeed, they might very well be.

In February, Clarke introduced the Haitian Emergency Life Protection Bill, which would allow Haitians with already approved immigration petitions to come to the U.S. She then visited the devastated country early March, followed by her introduction of the Haitian Private Sector Encouragement Act, which would spur investment in small and medium-sized businesses owned by Haitian citizens.

(Republican Sen. Richard Lugar and Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy introduced a similar encouragement act in the Senate earlier this month.)

And now Clarke has brought contract work opportunities with USAID into her district.

IMG_3051“We mean business here,” she punctuated.

At this rate, she’ll soon be sharing a national stage with, say, Bill Clinton and his Global Initiative on efforts to help Haiti.

She just has to make sure there is no shady contracting activities or other dubious transactions that will call into question her leadership to rebuild a country known for its poverty and corruption.

Espada's Bloodletting of the Bronx is Par for the Course – But Not for Serrano

Anyone following New York politics this week knows that the news was in the Bronx.

Not to be outdone by Charlie Rangel or David Paterson, State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., made the front page of city dailies all week as the latest New York Democrat to be accused of misusing his power for personal gain.

This should not come as a surprise to followers of this blog, as we noted Espada’s predisposition for misconduct in the February post about the Bronx Democratic Family Tree.  At issue is how Espada spent $14 million in funds funneled from taxpayers through his Soundview Health Clinic on sushi and trips to Puerto Rico.  His trouble’s culminated in a civil suit brought on by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and a raid on the health clinic’s offices this week.

Deseree Pilgrim-Hunter, a community organizer in the South Bronx is campaigning for Espada’s seat in Albany.  Espada is a popular figure in the area, but his legal troubles should make it easier for Pilgrim-Hunter to win.  In 2007, Jose E. Serrano honored Pilgrim-Hunter’s leadership at a Black History Month event.

Crookedness from civic leaders is nothing new in the South Bronx.  It is a tradition that goes back to the late Ramon Velez, a former City Councilman who’s Hunts Point Multi Service Center provided much-needed health and social services to poor residents in the 1970s.  Meanwhile Velez used it as a front to funnel federal dollars into dummy corporations he set up.  These days, Espada is joined by the Arroyos – a mother and daughter Assemblywoman and City Councilwoman duo.  They are under investigation for using their South Bronx Community Corporation as a slush fund with the classic Bronx pol business model.

But not every leader north of 125th Street is a criminal.

Jose E. Serrano appears to have some of the cleanest hands in the Bronx.  The Congressman has lived in the area since he was seven years old – so he must have grown up around the same culture of corruption.  Yet, for some reason – perhaps the fact that he really is dedicated to making the Bronx better for his constituents – Jose E. Serrano has not opened up a non-profit of his own to exploit.  In 2007, Serrano honored Pilgrim-Hunter’s leadership at a Black History Month event.