The right tries to stir up false controversy over a field trip

Rightwing bloggers in Michigan and Republican Senate candidate Leon Drolet are stirring up a false controversy over an elementary school field trip in Ann Arbor.

Apparently, 30 students at Dicken Elementary School that are members of an academic peer-support group called the Lunch Bunch went on a field trip to the University of Michigan to hear from a black rocket scientist in the hope it would inspire the African-American students to consider science and engineering as a career. All the members of the club, currently, are African-American, but it’s open to all students. The purpose of the club is to help students struggling academically.

The club was created to help improve African-American students' MEAP performance, but again, it is open to all students. Drolet is charging discrimination because invitations did not go out to other students. I’m not aware it’s against the law to not invite someone.

District spokesman Liz Margolis told the Detroit Free Press that the trip was not paid for with school funds. The only cost was the bus, which was paid for by a private donation.

Drolet is the former chairman of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, which successfully amended the state constitution with Proposal 2, that banned affirmative action; long a target of the right., and he claims the trip "absolutely" violated Proposal 2.

"If it was directed, guided, organized by the school district, they cannot say they are doing a field trip today for blacks only, or for whites only, or for Hispanics only or for Asians only," Drolet told the Free Press.

You will recall, there was widespread voter fraud involved in putting the measure on the ballot and in collecting signatures. Despite those widespread allegations of fraud, no other body or office in the state was allowed to look into the fraud committed, In fact, Republicans went out of his way to take powers away from the state Board of Canvassers because they were concerned with the fraud committed.

Why can’t rightwing bloggers defend heir positions?

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was banned from another rightwing blog.

My crime; daring to disagree and bringing facts to an argument. Right-wingers cannot stand being challenged, and anyone who disagrees is accused of being a “troll. It just amazes me why there is even a comments section at the end of rightwing blogs if you really don’t want feedback.

The latest person who hates facts is called the “blogprof.” To his credit, he puts out a lot of copy, but then when you write fiction, you don’t have to worry about fact-checking. He was whining about a lack of coverage of the fake, Astroturf “tea parties” not being covered by the corporate media on a day the country was actually celebrating its independence. I simply pointed out the fact that the “tea parties” are organized by a pair of rightwing Washington, D.C. lobbying firms, and most people who attend these GOP fake rallies are a small, minority fringe group. In fact, a large majority are extremist groups like white supremacists, militia groups and other anti-government groups.

He didn’t like hearing the facts, and after a few exchanges, he deleted my comments and said I was banned, saying: “Kevin, you are banned from this site as well. Any posts will be deleted without exception. I'm done with your trolling.”

No problem.

This “trolling” charge continues to confuse me. When I see, spin, half truths and lies I point them out. That’s called debate, not “trolling.” If you can’t defend the BS you write, then don’t write it. I welcome trolls on my blog. I can back up every word I write, and my defense is not to delete a post I can’t debunk. Right-wingers should simply omit the comments section completely or put up a disclaimer that says comments only welcome from people they agree with.

I have only banned one person, and that was after repeated warnings to refrain from personal attacks. I then gave him the option of coming back if he apologized, and he could do it in private. He declined. Instead, he now uses deception and multiple email addresses to post as other people. Again, no problem. The personal attacks don’t even bother me much anymore. However, I did do away with anonymous posters, requiring them to register screen names to comment. But I didn’t factor in the basic dishonesty of some right-wingers, and he/they made it a point to show me how easily a dishonest person can get around that. Being honest, I never considered that angle.

But In the end, the personal attack says more about him than me.

Bloggers organize boycott of Chase Morgan

Michigan bloggers are spearheading a nationwide boycott of JP Morgan Chase over the bailout bank’s refusal to help out struggling Big 3 automaker Chrysler, putting 300,000 jobs in jeopardy.

JP Morgan Chase runs a large portion of Chrysler’s debt, and it is refusing to negotiate with the auto company on their debt: a move that could put thousands of hardworking American auto employees, the majority of them Michigan residents, out of their jobs by forcing Chrysler into bankruptcy. Anyone with a JP Morgan Chase bank account should close it out and to transfer their money to a local bank or credit union, and make sure they know why when you close it out.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Gov. Jennifer Granholm said that any banks that received rescue money from the federal government should be open to making concessions on the debt Chrysler owes them to help the automaker reach a deal with Italian carmaker Fiat necessary for its survival.

There is also an online petition and a Facebook group.