Cardinal Roger Mahony, a vocal leader of the marches against congressional attempts to crackdown on illegal immigration, does not support a planned student and worker boycott on May 1.

Ever the politician, Mahony consistently talks out of both sides of his mouth at once. Do I, a lapsed Catholic, sound cynical? After years of watching Mahony lie, evade, and conceal on the priestly pedophilia issue, you betcha. But time is now running out for him on that.

Supremes to Mahony: turn over the files.

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony must turn over to L.A. prosecutors the personnel files of two priests accused of molestation after the U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear his request to keep them private.

He spoke at the May 10 immigrant rights rally in LA. His first sentence was “If you are carrying a flag that is not the American flag, we ask that you roll it up.” The rest of his speech was like that; distant, remote, and cold. He seemed scarely a Man of God offering aid to those who might need it, rather he was a grumpy politician, ordering people to do as he demanded, dimly aware that his base had gotten away from him. Organizers of this march, and the Church was a major player, wanted it to be a silent vigil march with no placards and no flags that were not American.

Instead, the march was noisy, with lots of placards and more than a few non-US flags among the thousands of US flags. (Last time I checked Irish and Italian parades in the US fly their flags, and the British bars in LA sure show theirs. So why all the hubbub about non-US flags at immigrant rights demos?)

When you call a demo and ask/demand that people do something, and instead they do the opposite, then clearly events have moved beyond you.

My original post on the April 10 March was polite to Mahony even though I felt differently, thinking he’d actually support the immigrants. But his support, it’s now clear, is talk with no action of substance.

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During the 80’s and early 90’s, I was active on a BBS net called ILink, we had about 500 BBS worldwide linked together. The conferences had a reputation for being high quality. Why? because they were moderated. Obnoxious folks and trolls (those looking to start arguments) could be removed. While that task was never enjoyable, it worked. The signal-to-noise ratio remained high because there was a protocol to remove noise when it became offensive.

I do that here too. The comments are moderated. I recently deleted a bunch of comments in a thread on immigrant rights because right wingers were getting nasty and making borderline racist comments. And I’ll do it again, if needed.

That thread had more comments than any previous post here. The same thing is happening on other blogs too. That the right-wing is foaming in rage this much against immigrant rights movement neatly demonstrates just how powerful the movement is becoming.

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As students from neighboring secondary schools walked out of class recently to protest immigration legislation, one Inglewood [California] elementary school imposed a lockdown so severe that some students were barred from using the restroom. Instead, they used buckets placed in classroom corners or behind teachers’ desks.

Appalled by the school’s action, Worthington Elementary School parents have complained to the school board and plan to attend another board meeting next week.

Schools aren’t prisons. Officials who make them into prisons need to be fired. Making elementray school students pee in buckets because students elsewhere are walking out is bordering on deranged.

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In contrary to accepted wisdom/spin

Influential African Americans across the country back up recent polls showing strong black support for illegal immigrants and for Senate proposals to offer them work permits and a path to citizenship.

Although polls show frustration in black communities over a perceived loss of low-wage jobs to illegal immigrants, they also indicate the issue is not dampening African Americans’ sympathy with the struggles of Latinos, who make up the vast majority of recent immigrants to the United States.

Thos who wish to use immigration rights as a wedge issue to divide Latinos and African-Americans will no doubt be disappointed their racist ploy isn’t working.

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The mother of Anthony Soltero on Friday demanded that the De Anza Middle School assistant principal she claims threatened her son with jail time be kept away from children.

Louise Corales dropped off a letter at the office of Ontario-Montclair School District Superintendent Sharon McGehee requesting that Assistant Principal Gene Bennett be removed or transferred from his position until an investigation is completed.

In her letter (PDF) she says the Vice Principal carries handcuffs to cuff students, that another student attempted suicide after being threatened by him, and that he made the threats to Anthony in front of other students.

Let’s hope he did make the threats in front of witnesses, and that they testify to this. His threats had no legal basis, in fact school code specifically says organizing such walkouts is legal. This sick sadist needs to be fired then indicted.

Link via PetsOnCrack

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From BlairWatch

It was only a week ago when I talked about Blair’s Iranian Dilemma - a situation he got himself into. I predicted that supporting a US strike would abruptly end his career. I still stand by that, but Tony has chosen to save himself

“Tony Blair has told George Bush that Britain cannot offer military support to any strike on Iran, regardless of whether the move wins the backing of the international community, government sources claimed yesterday.”

Now Bush has no international allies or friends left. None. Is Bush insane enough to attack Iran? Sure. But with public opinion so opposed to it, he may be forced not to. That’s what will stop him, the people. Congress sure won’t. Democrats should be screaming opposition to Bush’s insane plans but instead, as usual, they’re squeaking about how they just need stay quiet and then they might win big in November. That Iran and the Middle East could be a conflagration concerns them little, just that their party wins. What a pathetic, gutless, amoral party the Democrats have become.

PS Here’s why doing nothing and hoping for victory in November is a dumb strategy.

In California, Schwarzenegger has just moved ahead in the polls against two Democratic challengers, no doubt helped by the challengers doing little to nothing to differentiate themselves from him, much less launching a serious attack. Arnold was road kill a few months ago. Now he’s polling higher than  the do-nothing Democrats.

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