Sanders Being Harassed by blacklivesmatter#

Blacks say that they have to follow the example of Malcolm X and the Black Panthers because nothing else has worked. What they fail to recognize is that the black community has had atrocious leadership for several decades, little has been attempted, which is their fault. They should try following the MLK path at least long enough to prove that it does not work.

I am not buying the excuses of the thugs.

This is tangentially relevant because of the connection to peaceful/violent protest, and who's doing it: A british reporter has trouble explaining to brits why armed white men are able to walk around freely at the same time peaceful black protesters are being arrested.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/08/watch-british-reporter-in-ferguson-finds-whites-openly-carrying-rifles-and-peaceful-blacks-being-arrested/

I don't know exactly what this means. BLM has been a hashtag since its inception. I assume you are referring to Bernie's record on racial justice in general.

Bernie has done more for civil rights and racial justice than any other candidate in any election in the past decades. Starting with his work for CORE in the 60's.

But he kept going... always standing up for racial justice. This includes opposing the racist Welfare to Work rhetoric that Bill Clinton pushed and signed into law. Opposing the Death Penalty on the grounds of the disproportionate cost paid by African-Americans. Winning Vermont for Jesse Jackson...

... and he has be condemning police violence against African-Americans since the beginning of BLM.

Bernie has a far better record than Clinton on this issue.

If so then that British reporter is an idiot. The armed white men are not according to the cops violating other peoples rights, the blacks who are getting arrested are according to the cops violating other peoples rights.

What we have here from you is a lame attempt to manipulate me into feelings of guilt, which you hope can be used to get blacks what they want.

Fail.

He has lived his life supporting the issues and equality of black people.

I have followed and supported BLM directly related to the horrific deaths of several black people who shouldn't have even been detained.

Black Americans have EVERY right to protest these things and call the powers that be to account for it.

That being honestly said - there is no goddamn reason to pick at the only candidate running who legit gives a flying **** about the reality of black American's lives - and who has had a serious and strategic plan to beat it back for decades.

They need to accept his invitation to TALK rather than show up and act stupid and shout him down where he is unable to speak - or either spread the shout-down around. You see though, that they sneaked in some back door to talk to Hillary Clinton. Stinks.

They're losing the support of the progressives who've stood up for them for decades.

EDIT- I started feeling surly as I wrote this. Definitely not aimed at you. Just a bit pissed.

Because they are thugs selling a victim story that we are frankly sick of hearing constantly put up as a excuse for nonperformance, not people of honor/principle/reason/civility. And when we say so, when we try to honestly talk truth, we get a lot of temper tantrum with hands over the ears.

There are a couple of issues here.

One is that there is a difference between protest and extortion. Protest means protest, and civil disobedience means breaking a law or policy that is unjust.

But randomly inconveniencing people by stopping traffic and throwing stones through windows is something different. It is wrong to put this in the same box as peaceful protest or civil disobedience.

"We are angry and we are going to make people pay" is not something I am willing to support (even though I agree with the basic issue that is making them angry).

I agree. I'm a bit chafed by recent events - and I'm by NO MEANS the only one who feels that way.

When you feel free to use the word extortion and the phrase civil disobedience interchangeably you indicate to me that there is no point in listening to you anymore because you are not even trying to be honest or fair.

Extortion is an unjust act, civil disobedience (at least as defined by MLK and practiced during the civil rights movement) is fighting for justice. See the difference?

You read that wrong. Read it again Hawkeye. I am drawing a distinction.

The fact that you end up where I do has nothing to do with my point that you did practice abuse of language to argue it.

I care a lot about honesty and also language. And unlike most people I guess I dont refrain from criticism of my friends or of people who are going my way.

Lash said:

This is not what CBS news says happened. She invited 4 BLM protesters to speak to her after an event they came to disrupt, but showed up too late to get past security to protest. Misrepresenting what happened might help rationalize your bitter "Bernie good, Hillary bad" narrative, but it's still a misrepresentation.

And besides Lash, instead of whining about how BLM is "picking on Bernie", you might stop to consider that they did him a favor by forcing him to get out ahead (with NEW policy statements that addresses CURRENT events)of a set of issues that he is going to need to show himself keeping abreast of. Bitch about them all you want about how unappreciative they are, but "Bernie" is going to NEED BLM.

... and BLM needs Bernie. There is no one who will be better for actually making progress on racial justice issues, including addressing racial injustice in policing than Bernie will.

And there is no one who has been been better on racial justice issues than Bernie, from Welfare, to voting rights, to policing, to housing, to education all the way back to the civil rights movement, and CORE in the 1960's. Unlike any other candidate running, Bernie has been consistently pro-civil rights over the past 50 years.

Bitch about Bernie all you want, but if you really care about making progress (rather than just expressing anger) you should make sure he makes it into the White House.

I have not been expressing anger about this issue at all, and it's interesting that you suggest I have. It's also interesting that you see "Bernie" as the only electoral vehicle BLM could use to further their cause. Because that's the only reason I can think of that you'd say they need him. They "picked" on him because he was and is getting a lot of visibility lately. He needs them because he ain't goin anywhere without the black vote, and blacks care a lot about a movement that's speaking out about disproportionate death and violence at the hands of police.

See, here's the thing. A lot of people hate Al Sharpton because they say he's just a huckster capitalizing on chasing racial 'ambulances'. But I notice that for a whole bunch of stories, Al Sharpton was the only person making noise until the rest of the media caught on. I can list a lot of the black families that personally called on Sharpton to come to their town because they were afraid their child or other loved one's death at the hands of cops was going to get brushed under the carpet.

We in this country have a pathologically short memory and attention span when it comes to pain being inflicted on black people by police. That's why when I see a group of young people like blacklivesmatter# who started their protest movement in response to a slew of relatively recent deaths at the hands of police, I'm not that quick to critique them. The sad fact is, unless SOMEBODY doesn't shake, rattle and bray about black lives mattering until there are legislation and/or policy changes, the country will make all those deaths into just more background noise, and quickly go on to what's really 'important'.

Like we do with everyone we dont like or dont want to deal with. The end of Welfare As We Know It and the Great Recession both show that people who are cut out of the American dream are supposed to disappear silently.

You are not wrong that making noise is required, it is the right thing to do. It however must be done with respect for the rest of our rights. Abuse does not excuse becoming an abuser, and I will stand up to anyone who claims different.

British? I am a 80 year old U S white man and I dont understand it either. Can you explain it to me. No gun nuts please. I have seen all your bullshyt I care too.

How about looking at things as they are? Why did they have access to Bernie - and why did they not have access to Hillary? There are reasons.

They "got there too late"? And you buy that? Horseshit.

So, BLM changes their tactics for one candidate? Shut down Bernie's 5000-person speech after ppl stood in the heat for 2 hours, but let Hillary have her little $3000, a head meeting as she pleases and sit down with her, have tea and discuss their day? Sell that **** elsewhere. They're on the same payroll.

Btw, Bernie IS good and Hillary IS bad. BLM isn't looking too credible these days either.

If you want to trace the source of our contentious tone, you can find it in your last post. You can't really stay away from personal insult with me. Speaking my opinion isn't whining.

ICYMI: Bernie had a plan for prison and cop reform before Netroots. Nobody else did.

I'll tell you something else. Bernie Sanders is offering the movement the next few years of his life. I'm desperate for a leader who'll take on the oligarchs and corruption that plagues my government. Bernie and I will both survive if he's not elected, I'll have just missed the chance of a lifetime to clean up government / Wall Street collusion - but the possible change for the black community is deep and historic. They've never had a candidate with the desire, the plan, and the transparent honesty who is hell bent on breaking down institutional racism. Just like i am sure I'll never see his like again - I'm sure they won't either.

Bernie may not be elected without a large group of black supporters, but make no mistake - they need him a hell of a lot more than he needs them.

They are losing support from lifelong allies because of what looks a hell of a lot like collusion with Hillary Clinton and her paymasters.

btw, why do you put quotes around the man's name? Passive aggressive a bit?