Syrian-born and Muslim, Bill Dalati faced a lot of undue criticisms when he ran for Anaheim’s city council in 2006. Unlike Costa Migra Mayor Allan Mansoor, Dalati did not polish off his heritage when it stupidly came under question after then State GOP head Shawn Steel labeled him an “Islamic Extremist.” That’s all we got to hear about the man last time around. Before any such nonsense is rehashed this time around, I penned a pre-emptive corrective in the Orange Juice Blog. Maybe now we can proceed to hear what Dalati’s platform for the city is:

http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2010/08/anaheim-city-council-candidate-bill-dalati-is-the-anti-mansoor/

{Is Mansoor a Self-Hater? YES!}

Orange County’s Arab-Americans are trouncing Costa Migra Mayor Allan Mansoor as a sellout and are increasingly supporting his rival Phu Nguyen for the 68th Assembly District of OC. Read all about it in my latest Orange Juice Blog post:

http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2010/08/ocs-arab-americans-call-out-self-hating-mansoor/

Local activist fixture Duane Roberts has officially thrown his hat in the electoral ring today. As a candidate of the Green Party, Roberts will challenge Barbara Boxer for her U.S. Senate seat. A press release on his website outlines the campaign platform: single payer health care, legalization of marijuana; tuition-free public university education; withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan; no war on Iran; same-sex marriage; immigrant rights; solar power; and no privatization of Social Security.

As always with the Greens, it’s a solid platform that finds much agreement.  Roberts is good peoples and I will lodge my protest vote with his candidacy.  Perhaps, however, with the Greens losing registrants over the course of the past five years, the activist would be better positioned to seek out a future city council seat in Anaheim given his local reputation and name recognition. Grandstanding Republicans like Harry Sidhu and Democratic ditzes like Lorri Galloway have won. Roberts should easily be able to help Anaheim ‘go Green.’

He would just need someone to help his campaign spread the good noticias in espanol!

The Tillman Act of 1907

Back in the day on January 26th, 1907, the United States Congress passed the Tillman Act. The legislation was aimed at campaign finance reform as it forbade direct contributions made by corporations and national banks to federal electoral campaigns. President Theodore Roosevelt had sought out the ban and ironically his arch-nemesis Senator Benjamin Tillman responded by sponsoring the bill. Known as “Pitchfork Ben” the lawmaker from Southern California was an outlandish white supremacist who, despite his ulterior motives, nevertheless placed limits on the notion of “corporate personhood” through the legislation. Unfortunately, the Tillman Act had weak enforcement mechanisms as corporate executives found numerous loopholes by which they could still funnel massive contributions to their favored political candidate and influence electoral outcomes. Subsequent attempts to regulate campaign finance reform continued throughout the century.

In a Supreme Court decision issued just last week, such financial institutions were given first amendment right protections by a 5-4 vote. With that in mind, the highest judicial body in the land should be re-abbreviated as SCROTUS as it has allowed for corporations to really have us by the…well, you know what…

Tricky Dick Couldn’t be Kicked

Back in the day on November 6th, 1962, Richard Nixon lost the race for Governor of California. Despite the fact that tricky dick had fallen just short of 120,00 votes to his opponent John F Kennedy two years prior in the national Presidential election, his margin of defeat to Governor Brown in the statewide contest was nearly 300,000. Such a defeat had many commentators and analysts wondering if Nixon’s political ambitions had finally come to an end. Angered by what he considered an adversarial media, Nixon appeared before a press conference at the Beverly Hills Hilton to utter words of defiance that would become infamous. Tricky Dick told the members of the press, “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.”

Unfortunately, the society of the U.S. allows for politicians like Nixon to reinvent themselves time and time again. Just six years after he uttered his infamous words Nixon did not retire from politics. Instead he went on to be elected President where he would kick us all around.

Shirley Chisholm Makes History

Back in the day on November 5th, 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American woman to be elected to the United States Congress. The pioneering lawmaker edged out her political opponents in an upset victory for Brooklyn’s 12th Congressional District Seat. In her autobiography “Unbought and Unbossed,” Chisholm wrote of her history-making election by stating, “That I am a national figure because I was the first person in 192 years to be at once a congressman, black and a woman, proves that our society is not either just nor free.” Not content with merely having a symbolic victory, Chisholm set out to shake things up in the halls of Congress and promised that there might be fireworks. After being assigned to the House Committee on Agriculture, the freshman congresswoman from the urban district of Brooklyn railed against the seniority system. She wanted to advocate for educational issues and legislation aimed at improving the lot of woman and minorities.

After two terms in Congress, Chisholm once again would make history by seeking the Democratic nomination for President in 1972. She was the first black woman to do so in this regard as well.

The Election of Salvador Allende

Back in the day on September 4th, 1970, Senator Salvador Allende claimed victory in the presidential election of Chile. A perennial candidate, the socialist leader finally won a relative majority of votes against his political rivals. In the historic campaign, Allende formed a broad based coalition known as Unidad Popular – or Popular Unity – which forged together the socialists, communists and left social democrats in common electoral cause. Jubilant at the coalition’s prospects for victory, Henry Kissinger famously said, “I don’t see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist because of the irresponsibility of its own people.” As the first self-proclaimed Marxist freely elected in the hemisphere, Allende sought to transform his country peacefully along the path of socialism. But before Allende could begin to implement his vision, he had to have his relative majority ratified by Congress first.

Allende would go on to wear the presidential sash, but would not complete his term…

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson became the champion of champions in his profession by capturing a NBA record tenth title. The Zen Master marked the occasion by wearing a yellow “Malcolm X” cap drawing attention to the Roman numeral of his acheivement. Always noted for his appreciation for literature and eastern philosophy, Jackson was interviewed in 2004 on KPFK by Alan Minsky and Mark Torres. The free speech radio station dug a little deeper by asking him a question about the Bush-Kerry elections. The following is just an excerpt of an at length 45 minute interview with Jackson about the Lakers, meditation, politics and his book “The Last Season.”

You can get the CD by pledging $40 to KPFK online during its current fund drive:

http://www.kpfk.org/pledge/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/1378?osCsid=35cd847eb36f8f9896cdd585dcbc3550

[audio http://mimisdeprived.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/pj.mp3]

Jeannette Rankin Takes Her Seat

Back in the day on April 2nd, 1917 Jeannette Rankin was sworn in as the first Congresswoman in the history of the United States. It didn’t take long for this pacifist woman from the state of Montana to make trouble in the halls of Congress. Just four days into her term, she cast one of the few votes against U.S. entry into World War I stating, “I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war.” Her stance was quickly vilified along gender lines by those who saw women as unfit to be politicians and Rankin lost her seat two years later. After a number of years working for peace, Rankin sought and won re-election to the House of Representatives in 1940. Now among a handful of women legislators, Rankin distinguished herself and made history once more. With World War II raging overseas, she cast the sole vote against U.S. entry into hostilities.

Looking back at Rankin’s career, it’s true as they say, “well behaved women seldom make history.”

NY Assembly Expels Socialists

Back in the day on April 1st, 1920, the New York State Assembly voted by an overwhelming margin to expel five socialist members from its legislative body. Finding the democratic will of the people to be an “April Fools Joke,” the action taken against them was not enough for one Assemblyman, Louis Cuvillier, who was on record of having favored their execution rather than expulsion. Three months prior to their dismissal, the five socialist members were singled out during a session and accused by newly elected Assembly Speaker Thaddeus Sweet of belonging to a political party whose principles he deemed “inimical to the interests of the United States government and the state of New York.” In a statement addressed to their constituents, the suspended socialists said, “The brutal Republican majority, aided by the spineless Democratic minority, has taken the position that you have no right to be represented by persons of your own choice.”

After the “Albany Disaster,” as it was dubbed, special elections were held in which all five socialists were returned to their seats by the voters of New York.