I was quite shocked to learn that El Presidente attended and spoke at Coretta Scott King’s funeral, until I heard that other speakers hassled him to his face. (For which I’m sure someone is getting fired right now.)
Former SCLC leader Joseph Lowery wrote a poem to eulogize Mrs. King:
“She extended Martin’s message against poverty, racism and war
She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar
We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there
But Coretta knew and we knew that there are weapons of misdirection right down here
Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor.”
Former President Jimmy Carter also had some choice words at the funeral, reminding people that Dr. King was a victim of domestic government spying, and pointing to Hurricane Katrina as a sign that the civil rights movement has lots of work left to do. Meanwhile, his son Jack Carter announced his campaign for U.S. Senate in Nevada:
Carter… served in the Navy in Vietnam but was discharged in 1970 after admitting using drugs. Carter said he’s not concerned that the administrative discharge will affect his election chances.
“I am who I am. I like who I am,” he said.
With primaries (which are decisive here in Orange County) less than 3 months away, North Carolina is just one of many states whose election technology is not ready for prime time.
“Most punch-card and lever voting machines are being replaced, but electronic machines deployed in Florida, North Carolina, Indiana, Maryland and California have been plagued with certification, security and other problems, including questions about the reliability and accuracy of paperless ballots.”
Not news at all, but here’s a sweet note from Dick Cheney: “We have all the legal authority we need” and all you nosy journalists and legislators better butt-out or you’ll find yourselves on Candid Camera, too.