July 1, 2017

Timely: The South African Song that Moved a Nation & showed injustice can be defeated over time

I am in a community choir and we just learned this song. I got curious about the history of it and discovered that not only did it have a huge impact in South Africa, but it is very timely for what we are dealing with today. This is an amazing rendition of it; very inspiring.

"It’s easy to become discouraged about the problems facing the gold and diamond mining industries. From violence, to child labor, to toxic mercury emissions, the problems plaguing these industries are both serious and difficult to fix. When will things ever change? And how do gold and diamond miners maintain hope?
One way they have done so, at least historically, is through music.

snip

The song (in video) is called “Shosholoza.” This joyful melody was once sung by South African gold and diamond miners as they worked in the dark and oppressive mines. As the miners sang, their spirits were lifted. The version below is performed by the Drakensberg Boy’s Choir, a renowned choir from a South African private school for boys.
(Be sure to go to the halfway point when the whole choir joins in with drums)

What is Shosholoza about? The lyrics of the song refer to the steam trains that used to carry migrant miners from Zimbabwe to South Africa. But as the melody suggests, the song is really about hope. Literally, Shosholoza means “go forward” in the Ndebele language. Notice that in the video, the boys are wearing gumboots. Gold miners in South Africa traditionally wore these boots because the gold mines were frequently flooded with dirty, stagnant water. To cope with these terrible conditions, the miners would sing Shosholoza. Often they would sing in a call and response style; a leader would sing out a line and the rest of the group would repeat. Miners would swing their axes in time with the music.

The melody of Shosholoza is uplifting, but is it too sentimental to be taken seriously? Actually, the history of Shosholoza gives reason to believe that, over time, some injustices really can be defeated. In the late 20th century, anti-apartheid activists found the song inspiring and used it to keep up their hopes. Then, when apartheid fell, the song became a vehicle for national reconciliation. As depicted in the movie “Invictus,” South Africans of all backgrounds joined together in singing Shosholoza in willing their team to victory in the 1995 rugby World Cup. Today, Shosholoza is an unofficial South African national anthem. If you watched the soccer World Cup held last year in South Africa, you may have heard Shosholoza.

Many of South Africa’s gold and diamond mines are still unacceptably dangerous. But thanks in part to Shosholoza and its role in building a new South Africa, the country’s mines are far less dangerous and exploitative than during the days of apartheid. Going forward, Shosholoza reminds us that change is possible—in diamond and gold mining and in society more generally. Hope, persistence, and a sense of common purpose can make it happen."

https://www.brilliantearth.com/news/shosholoza-the-mining-song-that-moved-a-nation-2/

July 1, 2017

Oregon SOS letter to Kobach: how to prevent disenfranchisement & get all eligible voters registered

Letter at link. Worth reading. Tells Kobach how to make elections more secure, get every eligible voter on voter registration rolls, prevent intimidation, how much fraud we don't have, etc. Kobach is not gonna like this letter.
http://sos.oregon.gov/Documents/dennis-richardson-response-PEIC-letter.pdf

June 30, 2017

Oregon SOS mum on Trump's request for voter data amid fraud investigation

Oregon Secretary of State mum on Trump's request for voter data amid fraud investigation

long snip

Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson has not made a public comment yet about the White House request, drawing criticism from democratic leaders. KGW reached out to Richardson's office Friday morning and has not yet received a response.

Oregon law states the Secretary of State must turn over a list of voter names for a $500 fee. Other data which Trump is requesting is not required to be released under state law, and some is protected under the state's address confidentiality program.

U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) called on Richardson to deny the White House request from Kris Kobach, the White House commission vice chairman.

"Richardson should follow the lead of other SOSs & not send Oregonians' voter data to Kobach's commission," Wyden tweeted. "There is no way the federal govt should get Oregonians’ sensitive information when it can’t even keep classified staffer data safe."

"Ron's got it right. The Kobach request is stupid!" Blumenauer responded.

Oregon representatives Barbara Smith Warner (D-Portland) and Rob Nosse (D-Portland) issued a joint statement, urging Richardson to protect the privacy of Oregonians.

"When President Trump signed an executive order in May creating the Advisory Commission, you reportedly said you would decline any invitation to participate, citing Oregon's 'open and honest' election system," Warner and Nosse said. "Please join with Secretaries of State and Governors in California, Virginia, and Kentucky who have already responded to Kobach, and reject this federal intrusion into our state system."

http://www.kgw.com/news/politics/amid-white-house-voter-fraud-probe-wash-secretary-of-state-reviewing-request-for-voter-data/453293570

See this thread from yesterday - report on my phone call to SOS office:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=9269759

I called again just now and they have a recording saying that they are receiving a lot of calls and the SOS is reviewing the request. Under OR law, driver's license and SS number cannot be made public and to email concerns to [email protected].

Then they say stay on the line to talk to someone. The woman who answered was very nice and said they expect a statement by the end of the day-he is reviewing stuff. She said she personally has had about 60 calls today and there are five other people answering the phones. It's almost closing time so it will have to emails after 5 PDT.

June 29, 2017

Just talked to Oregon assistant SOS about Kobach voter fraud data request. This is heartening!

I just got off the phone with the assistant to the OR SOS about the Kobach voter data request. The SOS is away from the capitol right now but they are all over it, and he said they will have a decision hopefully by the end of the day. I don't know which way he will go; he is a Republican, but this is a blue state with a lot of activists.

The good news is he said they are getting LOTS of calls, all from people who feel the same way I do which is NO WAY! I didn't even have to explain; as soon as I mentioned Kris Kobach, he stopped me and said, "I already know why you are calling." And told me they were getting lots of calls on it. And this only just happened today, so people are paying attention to this and letting their voices be heard.

I will update this when I learn more, hopefully later today. I hope Rachel covers this tonight.

June 29, 2017

"sexist cyber bullying"... Shep Smith devastating reaction to Trump's Mika tweet

Even Fox is taking it on; well, at least Shep is. He is the most reasonable of any of them.
Meanwhile, Sarah Huckabee Sanders defends Trump and asks what about the fact that he is constantly being attacked?

June 29, 2017

Rescued Pit Bull Elected Town Mayor After Beating Out Chicken and a Donkey (This is not satire!)

Meet Brynneth Pawltrow, a rescue pit bull that is making strides in Rabbit Hash as their latest town mayor.

The pup, nicknamed Brynn, was rescued by owner Jordie Bamfort when she was just a puppy, and beat out a cat, a chicken and a donkey during the election.

"I'm so proud of her," Bamfort told InsideEdition.com. She explained that their campaign started off as a joke, but they jumped at the opportunity to raise money for the historic town.

Even though Brynn and Bamfort live six miles outside of Rabbit Hash, "It is such a special place for me. When [Brynn] hears, 'Let's go to Rabbit Hash,' she cries the entire way there."

Since being elected and becoming the town's second female mayor, Brynn has been fulfilling mayoral duties such as appearing at fundraisers, being pet by locals and taking naps by the river.

snip

The hamlet of about 300 people, located within Boone County, doesn’t really need a mayor, but Rabbit Hash started electing animals as a part of a local fundraiser since the 1990s.

Video at link:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/rescued-pit-bull-elected-town-mayor-after-beating-out-chicken-and-a-donkey/ar-BBDiyDd

June 29, 2017

Here's Mika Brzezinski's perfectly wordless response to Trump's sexist tweets about her

https://twitter.com/morningmika/status/880415526371176448

June 29, 2017

Brian Karem Teams Up with Jim Acosta, CNN Panel BLASTS Trump after Reporter vs Sarah Sanders

Jim Acosta says "More of us will be speaking up in days to come."

June 28, 2017

Reporter Who Called Out Sarah Huckabee Sanders: "I can't take it anymore. We're bullied every day."

“We are bullied and browbeaten every day ― and I’ve pretty much had enough of it.”

Brian Karem, the reporter who scolded deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for attacking the press during a briefing Tuesday, says he’s had enough of the White House’s “bullying.”

The Montgomery County Sentinel executive editor warned that the White House’s aggressive behavior toward the media is unconstitutional and sabotages the First Amendment.

“For the government to sit there and undermine, essentially what is very essential checks and balances system ― it’s disheartening,” Karem said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Wednesday. “It’s unnerving. I can’t take it anymore. It’s nuts.”

snip

Karem condemned the president’s latest tweets on Wednesday and encouraged his fellow reporters to push back against Trump-led efforts to weaken the Fourth Estate

“We’ve been called the ‘enemy of the people’ from that White House,” Karem said. “We’ve been told that we’re fake media. We are bullied and browbeaten every day ― and I’ve pretty much had enough of it.””

“It’s not good for this country,” he added. “It’s got to be stopped and ... more of us have to stand up to it every day."

Video and more at link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/brian-karem-sarah-huckabee-sanders-trump_us_595390cfe4b02734df2ebcd5?section=us_politics

He's calling for the media to stand up. Imagine what they could do if they did.

June 26, 2017

Full grown lion reunites with woman who rescued him as a cub; gives her a huge happy hug

Guaranteed to make you smile and open your heart!