Pubs work on plans to outright steal next election.

[O Really]

I guess I think he's an asshole because I consider him a white guy who's trying to be black and making money in the process. Sort of a capitalist cultural appropriator.

I'm not an Eminem fan, but I think he generally earned that culture growing up in a mostly Black Detroit 'hood.

[Vrede too]

I guess I think he's an asshole because I consider him a white guy who's trying to be black and making money in the process. Sort of a capitalist cultural appropriator.

Eminem has had more than his share of Feuds and Controversies, but I think that criticism of him was settled decades ago when he turned out to be so good.

Legacy

Credited for popularizing hip hop to a Middle American audience, Eminem's unprecedented global commercial success and acclaimed works for a white rapper is widely recognized for breaking racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. Rising from rags to riches, Eminem's anger fuelled music represented widespread angst and the reality of American underclass. With African Americans and Hispanic and Latino Americans developing the hip hop art form, Eminem's undisputed regard as one of the greatest rappers of all time and his prominence in a form of black music has led to him being regarded as an important figure of 21st century popular music. He has been greatly influential for artists of various genres. Stephen Hill, the then vice president of African American themed television network BET (Black Entertainment Television), said in 2002,

''Eminem gets a pass in the same vein that back during segregation black folks had to be better than average, had to be the best, to be accepted [...] he is better than the best. In his own way, he is the best lyricist, alliterator and enunciator out there in hip-hop music. In terms of rapping about the pain that other disenfranchised people feel, there is no one better at their game than Eminem.''

In 2002, the BBC said that the perception of Eminem as a "modern-day William Shakespeare" was comparable to the reception of American singer Bob Dylan: "Not since Bob Dylan's heyday in the mid-1960s has an artist's output been subjected to such intense academic scrutiny as an exercise in contemporary soul-searching. US critics point to [Eminem's] vivid portraits of disenfranchised lives – using the stark, direct language of the street – as an accurate reflection of social injustice." In addition, the BBC highlighted that, "Where parents once recoiled in horror [to his music], there now seems a greater willingness to acknowledge a music that is striking such a chord among the American young, angry white underclass." Dan Ozzi of Vice highlighted that Eminem during the early 2000s was "the one artist high school kids seemed to unanimously connect with. [...] he represented everything high school years are about: blind rage, misguided rebellion, adolescent frustration. He was like a human middle finger. An X-rated Dennis the Menace for a dial-up modem generation."

... Eminem has been credited with boosting the careers of hip hop proteges such as 50 Cent, Yelawolf, Stat Quo, Royce da 5'9", Cashis, Obie Trice, Bobby Creekwater, Boogie, and hip hop groups such as D12 and Slaughterhouse. A number of artists have cited Eminem as an influence, including The Weeknd, Logic, Joyner Lucas, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran, J. Cole, Chance the Rapper, Regina Spektor, Lana Del Rey, and Juice WRLD. Many of the stated rappers have also called Eminem one of the greatest rappers of all time, or the greatest.

Achievements and honors

With global sales of over 220 million records, Eminem is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has had ten number-one albums on the Billboard 200: seven solo, two with D12 and one with Bad Meets Evil. He was the best-selling music artist from 2000 to 2009 in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan. He was also the best-selling male music artist in the United States of the 2010s. He has sold 47.4 million albums in the country and 107.5 million singles in the US. The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, "Lose Yourself", "Love the Way You Lie" and "Not Afraid" have all been certified Diamond or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Eminem has over ten billion views of his music videos on his YouTube Vevo page, and in 2014 Spotify named him the most-streamed music artist of all time.

Among Eminem's awards is 15 Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards and 17 Billboard Music Awards, Billboard named him the "Artist of the Decade (2000–2009)". In 2013, he received the Global Icon Award at that year's MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony. His success in 8 Mile saw him win the 2002 Academy Award for Best Original Song for his song "Lose Yourself", co-written with Jeff Bass and Luis Resto, making him the first rapper to receive the award. He also won the MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best Actor in a Movie and Best Breakthrough Performance and the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song for "Lose Yourself"....

Not a wannabe, an is. One could just as easily pan all white rockers for having ripped off the "Black" rhythm and blues.

[neoplacebo]

Fair enough. I just don't like him, his "music,"or the whole idea of rap as "music" and the Grammy awards are based as much on dollars as they are on talent.

[Vrede too]

Coca-Cola boycotted over Georgia voting rights bill

Coca-Cola: Contact Us
https://us.coca-cola.com/support/contact-us

Re: Coca-Cola boycotted over Georgia voting rights bill
https://www.yahoo.com/news/coca-cola-bo ... 56915.html

Democracy matters, racism is vile, and silence is consent. I am boycotting all Coca-Cola products until you take a strong stand against all voter suppression.

Sincerely,
(Vrede too)

With very very rare exception I already don't consume any Coca-Cola products, but they don't have to know that.

Thank you for contacting The Coca-Cola Company. We appreciate your interest in our brands and your feedback.

On March 25, controversial Georgia voting legislation was signed into law. While we are disappointed in the outcome, we don’t see this as the final chapter.

Voting is a foundational right in America, and we will continue to work to advance voting rights and access in Georgia and across the country. Throughout Georgia’s legislative session, our Company partnered with a broad coalition to engage with lawmakers from both political parties to express our concerns.

As soon as Georgia’s legislature convened this year, our Company joined with other Georgia businesses to share our core principles: We opposed measures that would seek to diminish or restrict voter access and we advocated for broad access, voter convenience, election integrity, and political neutrality. Anything that inhibits these principles can lead to voter suppression. We took these steps because they align to our Purpose and the conscience we follow.

Last year, we introduced our first-ever Company Election Day holiday in the U.S. and supported nonpartisan get-out-the-vote campaigns across the country. We will continue to push for greater access to voting through advocacy at the federal level, where we expect to see more proposals this year aimed at expanding voter access. We will also continue to press for improvements to Georgia’s election laws in future sessions.

We have never wavered on our point of view and we have, and will continue, to meet with a wide array of stakeholders inside and outside of Georgia to hear their views, work together, and advocate for greater voting access. We will do this because it is the right thing to do and will help create a better shared future for everyone.

Voting in our country is a sacred right and duty, and we recognize we have a responsibility to protect it and promote it.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us again.

Sincerely,
The Consumer Interaction Center

Not bad. Maybe I'll end my boycott and just go back to never drinking Coca-Cola products.

[Vrede too]

Delta, Coca-Cola forcefully condemn Georgia elections bill as activists ramp up pressure on corporations

Boycott over. < burp . . . in theory >

[Vrede too]

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=870&p=136121#p136121

Dayum. They're actually doing the right thing and being leaders.

CANCEL GEORGIA!

Edit: Hah! Just heard about this after posting:

... Today, Major League Baseball caved to fear, political opportunism, and liberal lies," said Gov. Kemp. "Georgians - and all Americans - should fully understand what the MLB's knee-jerk decision means: cancel culture and woke political activists are coming for every aspect of your life, sports included. If the left doesn’t agree with you, facts and the truth do not matter....

Guess you shouldn't be canceling voters then, Repug.

[GoCubsGo]

True dat!

[Vrede too]

True dat!

To: customerservice@website.mlb.com
Subject: GA

Ignore the whining from Gov Kemp and other Repugs. They shouldn't be canceling voters and you are doing the right thing.

Yours,
(Vrede too)
Hendersonville, NC

[Vrede too]

Now we know who did their homework in grade school and who didn't.


Jen Psaki annihilates (Faux Noise) Peter Doocy's misleading question on Georgia voting


Article.

[Vrede too]

Knocking while black:

Georgia Lawmaker Charged With Felony For Knocking On Gov. Brian Kemp’s Office Door

Her "crime"? Being a Black legislator nonviolently attempting to witness the signing of a voter suppression law, an official public act.

It gets even worse:

Georgia governor reportedly signs voting restrictions into law under portrait of slave plantation

Perfect.

Update:

Georgia lawmaker arrested after knocking on Gov. Kemp's door will not be prosecuted

... "After reviewing all of the evidence, I have decided to close this matter," Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said in a statement to the Associated Press. "It will not be presented to a grand jury for consideration of indictment, and it is now closed." ...

“While some of Rep. Cannon’s colleagues and the police officers involved may have found her behavior annoying, such sentiment does not justify a presentment to a grand jury of the allegations in the arrest warrants or any other felony charges,” Willis said....

Related tweets:

While one party embraces fascism, Ms. Cannon walks & talks democracy

... Today, Major League Baseball caved to fear, political opportunism, and liberal lies," said Gov. Kemp. "Georgians - and all Americans - should fully understand what the MLB's knee-jerk decision means: cancel culture and woke political activists are coming for every aspect of your life, sports included. If the left doesn’t agree with you, facts and the truth do not matter....

Guess you shouldn't be canceling voters then, Repug.

True dat!

How dare Politicians whine about “Cancel Culture” when they make Laws to “CANCEL VOTES”?

Georgia had 5 Recounts.

The best way to have Politicians listen to what you say is to “hit them in their Wallets”.

Only $$$$ gets their attention. God bless Delta, Coca-Cola & MLB.

Go Sistah!! Give the modern slave masters hell!! You're walking on the footsteps of giants, beloved and powerful Rosa Parks, John Lewis, MLK, Jr., and many more who suffered and died in the struggle against the aberration of white supremacy. Now is your time. Power on, Sistah....

[Vrede too]

Many more Common Cause Texas tweets at this link:
https://twitter.com/CCauseTexas/status/ ... 8700650500

Much more on the topic, including the full Harris County Republican Party video at this link:
Alarming video reveals details of discriminatory poll watcher program in Harris County

[Vrede too]

Georgia Faith Leaders to Urge Boycott of Home Depot Over Voting Law

A major coalition of Black faith leaders in Georgia, representing more than 1,000 churches in the state, will call on Tuesday for a boycott of Home Depot, arguing that the company has abdicated its responsibility as a good corporate citizen by not pushing back on the state’s new voting law....

“We don’t believe this is simply a political matter,” Jackson said. “This is a matter that deals with securing the future of this democracy, and the greatest right in this democracy is the right to vote.”

... “This is not just a Georgia issue; we’re talking about democracy in America that is under threat,” said the Rev. Timothy McDonald III, pastor of the First Iconium Baptist Church in Atlanta. “We’ve got to use whatever leverage and power, spiritual fortitude that we have, including our dollars, to help people to understand that this is a national campaign.”

Home Depot’s headquarters are in Georgia, and it is one of the largest employers in the state. But while other major Georgia corporations like Coca-Cola and Delta have spoken out against the state’s new voting law, Home Depot has not, offering only a statement this month that “the most appropriate approach for us to take is to continue to underscore our belief that all elections should be accessible, fair and secure.”

While not publicly wading into the fray, one of the company’s founders, Arthur Blank, said in a call with other business executives this month that he supported voting rights. Another founder, Ken Langone, is a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump.

Jackson said that the faith leaders were calling for four specific actions from Home Depot: speaking out against the Georgia voting law, publicly opposing similar bills in other states, offering support for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in Congress, and backing litigation against the Georgia law....

hd_investigations@homedepot.com
(only e-address I could find, hopefully they will forward internally)

Re: Georgia Faith Leaders to Urge Boycott of Home Depot Over Voting Law
https://www.yahoo.com/news/georgia-fait ... 43369.html

Democracy matters, racism is vile, and silence is consent. I am boycotting Home Depot until you take a strong stand against all voter suppression.

Sincerely,
(Vrede too)

I avoid big box stores and Lowe's is closer, but they don't have to know that.

Despite Trump's call to boycott baseball, MLB sets viewership record after pulling All-Star game from Georgia

[Vrede too]

Dems walk, stop Texas GOP's sweeping voting restrictions

Democrats pulled off a dramatic, last-ditch walkout in the Texas House of Representatives on Sunday night to block one of the most restrictive voting laws in the U.S. from passing before a midnight deadline.

The sudden revolt torpedoed the sweeping measure known as Senate Bill 7, which would have reduced polling hours, empowered poll watchers and scaled back ways to vote in Texas, which is already has some of the nation's strictest voting laws.

For Democrats, the victory may be fleeting: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who had declared new voting laws in Texas a priority, quickly announced that he would order lawmakers back to the state Capitol for a special session. He did not, however, say when that would happen....

, for now.

[Vrede too]

Texas Gov. Abbott says he'll target (all) legislators' pay after Democrats block restrictive voting bill

[O Really]

Texas Gov. Abbott says he'll target (all) legislators' pay after Democrats block restrictive voting bill

Ummm, he might want to check with a real lawyer on that - if he knows one.

[Ulysses]

Texas Gov. Abbott says he'll target (all) legislators' pay after Democrats block restrictive voting bill

Ummm, he might want to check with a real lawyer on that - if he knows one.

Yeah, seems a bit dodgy to me too.

Of course, there's always the Conservative manta, "I AM THE LAW!"

(With apologies to HG Wells)

[Vrede too]

Texas Gov. Abbott says he'll target (all) legislators' pay after Democrats block restrictive voting bill

Ummm, he might want to check with a real lawyer on that - if he knows one.

... "I will veto Article 10 of the budget passed by the legislature. Article 10 funds the legislative branch," Abbott tweeted Monday. "No pay for those who abandon their responsibilities. Stay tuned." ...

I think he can do that, but it would affect everyone in the Leg on down to janitors, wouldn't take effect until Sept, and vetoes can be overridden.

[Vrede too]

Observers of the Arizona audit say they were mocked over shirt color and witnessed software malfunctions, security violations, and personnel issues with the controversial GOP-led ballot count

[Vrede too]

North Carolina county bans Coca-Cola machines after company criticizes Georgia voting law

Officials in Surry County, North Carolina, voted to remove Coca-Cola machines from all government facilities in response to the beverage company CEO's remarks about Georgia's controversial new voting law.

The ban passed during a Board of Commissioners meeting on May 17 with a 3-2 vote as a direct response to Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey's comments calling the voting law "unacceptable" and "a step backwards."

Commissioner Ed Harris provided "TODAY" Digital with the copy of a letter he sent Quincey, calling out the company's "corporate political commentary favoring the Democratic party" and announcing the decision to remove Coca-Cola machines from government facilities....

Democracy-hating Surry County is adjacent to VA, is 90.40% White and votes 3 to 1 Repug.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surry_Cou ... h_Carolina
With only about 72K residents, I'm sure it's less than 20 machines. Coca-Cola has already earned more from the free PR. RepuQ county commissioners just aren't very smart. I'm going to buy a Coke, which I almost never drink, today.

Not related to Surry County and maybe not related to GA, but Coke's pro-democracy position has not hurt it:

Coca-Cola (KO) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know

Btw, 'KO' is a great market moniker. Pepsi is 'PEP', which is also pretty good.

[Ulysses]

Texas Gov. Abbott says he'll target (all) legislators' pay after Democrats block restrictive voting bill

Ummm, he might want to check with a real lawyer on that - if he knows one.

Yeah, seems a bit dodgy to me too.

Of course, there's always the Conservative manta, "I AM THE LAW!"

(With apologies to HG Wells)

That's a reference to HG Well's classic "The Island of Dr. Moreau"...