Ohio Lawmakers Want To Pull The Camera Trap!

The Redflex traffic cameras may get banned by Ohio legislators. This one is located in Toledo, Ohio. This city and many others in the state have numerous cameras in areas located at high traffic intersections.

My community and neighboring areas advocate red light/speed cameras. These devices are placed at localities where traffic is at its peak. Many Americans who pass drive through the intersections are subject to stop at the red light. The camera triggers if the vehicle drive pass a sensor installed on the road.

It triggers a photo of the vehicle. It calculates the speed of the vehicle and the driver.

My community of Dayton, Ohio and its suburbs Trotwood and West Carrollton have red light and speed cameras. They impose a hefty fine for those run through the cameras.

Other communities in the metro area include Springfield, Middletown, Hamilton, and Elmwood Place.

Big cities such as Cleveland, Toledo and Columbus have red light and speed cameras as well.

Republican and Democratic state lawmakers are putting a halt to the traffic cameras. They've cleared a bill through the state house and it's going to the state senate. The bill if signed into law will end the Redflex contracts with city governments and advocate traffic cameras to be around school zones and special event sites.

The village of Elmwood Place was one of the communities that had traffic cameras. That camera pulled in over $1.8 million in traffic citations. Elmwood Place is located in Hamilton County, near Cincinnati.

The local police of jurisdictions with traffic cameras disagree with the bill and hope the governor will consider their concerns.

The Toledo Blade reports that in a 61-32 vote pitting Big Brother against safety concerns, the Ohio House on Wednesday voted to permanently disconnect red-light cameras across the state and all but ban the use of cameras to catch speeders.

The sole exception would be mobile speed cameras to enforce 20-mph school zones during restricted hours, but even then, the cameras would have to come with police backup.

Those holding civil citations they’ve received by mail because of those cameras shouldn’t think about throwing them away just yet. The Senate will leave for the summer later this week without taking up House Bill 69, putting the debate on hold until autumn at the earliest.

Driving much of the criticism is the speed-camera program run by Elmwood Place, a small village near Cincinnati. The program was decried by a Hamilton County judge as a “scam that the motorists can’t win.”

“Six thousand tickets in 30 days at $105 … with 40 percent of the revenue going to an outside company that is not located in the state of Ohio…,” Rep. Alicia Reece (D., Cincinnati) said. She represents Elmwood Place and a portion of Cincinnati, which rejected the cameras at the polls.

Speed cameras are being placed in communities to catch speeders on major roads. This one is located in Dayton, Ohio.

“It has become a money grab,” she said.

Rep. Rex Damschroder (R., Fremont), chairman of the House Transportation, Public Safety, and Homeland Security Committee, urged his colleagues not to cast what he characterized as a vote against public safety and for local tax increases.

“These lawbreakers are paying, and they’re paying big bucks for breaking the law,” he said. “The city of Toledo, Mayor [Mike] Bell came in and told how important this is to the city of Toledo — not just for public safety.

“They make about $4 million a year,” he said. “If we vote for this bill, we are going to be voting for tax increases for Toledo, because somehow their public safety department is going to be $4 million short. Somehow Toledo is going to have to make that up. And every town in Ohio that has been using this device to control speed is going to make up those deficits.”

The bill was sponsored by Reps. Ron Maag (R., Lebanon) and Dale Mallory (D., Cincinnati), and the vote crossed party lines. Of the northwest Ohio delegation, Reps. Michael Ashford (D., Toledo), Lynn Wachtmann (R., Napoleon), Robert Sprague (R., Findlay), Tony Burkley (R., Payne), and Jeff McClain (R., Upper Sandusky) supported the bill.

Joining Mr. Damschroder in opposition were Reps. Teresa Fedor (D., Toledo), Mike Sheehy (D., Oregon), Barbara Sears (R., Monclova Township), Tim Brown (R., Bowling Green), and Chris Redfern (D., Catawba Island).

Attempts to find some middle ground, standards that the roughly 15 municipalities with camera programs must follow, have come up empty so far.

Most of Ohio’s largest cities have camera programs. Toledo took in nearly $3 million in fines in 2012 and expects $4.2 million this year. Northwood, in Wood County, recently allowed its contract with its camera operator to expire, so that program has gone dark.

In Toledo, citations cost violators $120, of which $90.25 belongs to the city. Toledo last year went from collecting $65 on the $120 fine to collecting the greater amount.

Conservatives Go After Travyon Martin Witness Rachel Jeantel!

The racial extremists in the conservative media are going after star witness. They want to make the story about the witness and the victim instead of the idiot who shot the unarmed teen.

Anyone who has viewed Cornbread, Earl & Me starring actor Laurence Fishburne should look at this Trayvon Martin shooting case.

The 1970s blaxploitation movie deals with a police shooting that ends up killing a rising high school basketball star. The movie deals with police corruption, witness intimidation and racial stereotypes.

Nathaniel "Cornbread" Hamilton, a 17-year old high school standout was wearing a hoodie and he was dribbling his basketball in the rain. He didn't know that two local police officers were chasing after a rape suspect. When they lost the suspect, they eventually saw Cornbread. The police involuntarily shot and killed the teen. The impact of the shooting lead to a riot in the streets. And some of the witnesses included two young boys, a local storekeeper and a pimp.

They were in fear of retaliation by corrupt police officers.

The witnesses were intimidated by the police and were telling different sides of the story. When the jury was about to acquit the officers, the star witness a young boy Wilford Robinson stood up and testified against the officers and told the jury that he was intimidated by the police and feared that if he didn't tell his story, more incidents would happen.

The media painted Cornbread like he was a drug dealer and thug. They were trying to say that Cornbread was the person who instigated the shooting.

Today this is the same theme that's happening in America.

The outrageous comments that came from those racist extremists in the conservative movement already assures they're trying to taint the image of the woman who became the key witness in the that idiot's trial.

Rachel Jeantel is the last person to hear Trayvon Martin. She gave her side of the story.

When she took the stand, all of sudden, the conservative/white supremacist bubble was worked up over the fact she is a Big Black Woman. They went right to bat over the fact that she had an "angry Black woman" attitude during her cross examination from the idiot's defense team.

Wondering if That Guy Who Throws Shit To The Wall posted it on his website?

Yes, he did.

I am guessing that Turd Flipper has taken to her Twitchy website to post Jeantel's social networking. Soon the woman will receive death threats and racial intimidation from the deranged White extremists.

I am guessing That Guy Who Helped Obama Win did a segment on his right wing carnival show about this woman's testimony. Yeah, he's already on this. After all, our buddy has taken the opportunity to grant the idiot legal funds if he was going to trial.



I am guessing that Bill-O was probably on talking about it with the Mustached Ambulance Chaser who once thought Al Capone had a vault of gold. After all the Mustached Ambulance Chaser once said that it's the victim's fault for his death because he wore a hoodie. He suggested that Black and Hispanic teens shouldn't wear a hoodie when going through a neighborhood.

Did King Hippo make a comment about this?

I am guessing he did. After all he's the one who always tries to tie President Barack Obama to any Black criminal who is probably one of "his sons".

Oh, he did talk about this. And yes, he probably found a way to blame the president for it.



I am guessing that the Reverend was defending the woman and blasting the members of the right wing agitation machine. Just heard the reverend signed a publishing deal with Cash Money Records.

I love how the racial extremists in the conservative movement rather focus on the witness and the victim instead of the suspect.

The idiot on trial for the death of unarmed teen.

What happen is heresay. I agree to that point. Jeantel didn't see the altercation. She could only hear what was going on. While under oath, the woman explained to the best knowledge that the victim uttered a racial slur about the idiot.

The conservative agitators were basically trying to make the case about the witness being an "ignant black sow" who has no business even telling the jury those made up stories about that idiot.

The first thing they didn't notice about Jeantel, is the age. The woman is 19-years old.

She smokes marijuana, is a confirmed underage alcohol drinker and act like any other reckless teenager.

I know women who are White who drink alcohol underage and smoke weed too. There's plenty of White teenagers who are reckless. But they're not shot by some idiot who was told not to confront them.

Salon Magazine reporter Mary Elizabeth Williams tells the story of the junk food media's obsession with the teenager's social networking websites.

The conservative agitators rather focus on the victim's past than the slug in chest and the fact he was unarmed.

Facebook and Twitter, she’s been known to post photos of her nails and talk about drinking. She is also the last person to have spoken with Trayvon Martin before George Zimmerman shot him to death last year, the woman who was on the phone with him when his fateful encounter unfolded. She is known in the justice system as Witness #8 in Zimmerman’s trial. She is, in fact, the prosecution’s key witness. But you’d be forgiven if you’d gotten the impression recently that she was sitting up there to defend herself.

Jeantel does not fit the comfortable image of the grieving girl. As Rachel Samara wrote Wednesday in Global Grind, “A predominantly white jury is not going to like Rachel Jeantel,” a girl “who has no media training and who is fully entrenched in a hostile environment.” There is confusion over whether or not she was Martin’s girlfriend, which eradicates her chances of being depicted as a devastated young quasi-widow. On the stand, she has been blunt, hostile and at times seemingly confused. Online, she has a documented history that includes partying. She is not thin or blond or demure. So there goes her credibility.

Idiot's family includes father, mother and wife on the right. Wife and idiot were charged with perjury earlier this year.

This week, the Smoking Gun carefully picked through her social media history, uncovering such bombshells as a recent image of what she described as her “court nails.” She has posted photos of liquor bottles and declared that “wowww I need a drink” and tweeted “party time let get high” [sic]. The Smoking Gun also reports that she’s posted “a sexually suggestive series of photos,” “made references to Martin’s death, referred to acquaintances as ‘bitch’ and ‘nigga,’ and wrote about having ‘jackass lawyers on my ass.’” She has in recent days deleted several dozen of her more damning tweets. And so Smoking Gun commentators have, in their turn, declared that she’s not just a “thug” but “proof the gene pool NEEDS more chlorine!” … “and maybe some arsenic too.” Funnily enough, there’s no mention on the site that on Monday she also posted, “I’m a friend god damn it,” or that she loves Jill Scott and Janet Jackson.

Here is what is true about Jeantel. She has publicly admitted to underage drinking and getting high. She is a poor speller (at least on social media). Her way with words is not calculated to win favor – she has testified that Martin told her “a creepy-ass cracker” was following him. She has responded to the defense’s line of questioning with an icy “You got it?” and “That’s retarded, sir.” The Daily News describes her diction as “often difficult-to-understand” and says it’s “cringe-worthy” and “humiliating” that she couldn’t read a letter out loud on the stand because she says, “I don’t read cursive.” Jeantel has also admitted to law enforcement that she lied about her initial claim that she didn’t attend Martin’s funeral because she was hospitalized at the time; she now says that she felt too “guilty” to face his parents and “didn’t want to see the body.” She admits that at the beginning of the investigation, she said she was under 18, because she didn’t want to get involved. She is unpolished and emotional.

Sybrina Fulton and Tracey Martin. The parents of slain teenager Trayvon Martin.

So is she a reliable witness? That’s yet to be determined. And watching her struggling to articulate “the sound of wet grass” to the jury, you can see not just her frustration but defense lawyer Don West’s undisguised exasperation. But when outlets like MSN gleefully seize upon the fact that she’s posting photographs of her nails, they invite exactly the kind of troubling and deeply offensive conclusions about what a “bitch,” what “ghetto trash,” what an “ugly ho” “buffalo” she is, that they have been racking up ad nauseam.

Of course it’s the job of the defense to question her and cast doubt on her testimony. And of course it is significant that her version of events has varied. There’s a lot at stake. George Zimmerman decided Trayvon Martin’s fate on Feb. 26, 2012, and now a jury will decide his. A jury that, by the way, is part of a justice system that is not supposed to exclusively serve the best educated and most articulate of our citizenry. So now would be a good time to point out that Jeantel’s weight, her nails, her sex, her color – these things have precisely jack to do with her account of what happened the night Travyon Martin died. Justice is supposed to serve teenagers too, and people who party and who don’t hide it when they’re angry or flustered, and women who can’t read cursive. It’s supposed to serve people whose dialogue wasn’t written for them by David E. Kelley. Remember that. Remember that Rachel Jeantel is not the one on trial.


But according to the racial extremists in the junk food media, it's her on trial and not the idiot.

But that's why it's fair to say they're not on a jury. The trial by media nonsense happens because of perception of the victim or suspect. The media takes sides and the commentators (I meant agitators) rile up their audience with bravado and "what I would of done" rhetoric.

Instead of letting the jury hear all the facts, the agitators will try to paint the jury as the bad guys, the star witness as a stereotype or the suspect as a stereotype.

They use their freedom of speech to incite people.

Feds: Ohio Suburb Is Ordered To Have Public Transit!

The United States Justice Department and National Highway Traffic And Safety Administration ordered Ohio city to advocate public transit to the nearby hospital and two shopping malls.

Again, I am from Dayton, Ohio. A city that's located in the western portion of the state, Dayton is one of the rust belt cities where Americans are still divided over issues such as race, class and economic standings.

The city is the hub of Montgomery County. The population of the city at present time is 138,000 people.

It's the center of the Miami Valley region. The region sits around the Great Miami and Little Miami Rivers.

The Greene, a town center complex that is located in the Dayton, Ohio suburb of Beavercreek. 

Dayton is considered an economic wasteland. The blight and eyesores of abandoned buildings made the city prone to arsonists. Prostitution is on the rise. Crime is prevalent in many neighborhoods. There are no little to no national establishments on the western side of the city.

The city is close to being a minority-majority city.

With manufacturing drying up, the city is left with nothing but service oriented jobs with little to no pay for those who once built cars and airplanes. The young have migrated to bigger cities in order to find better jobs.

The older generation fear that crime will drive them to move away to the suburbs. And those who lived in the suburbs will eventually migrate further away from the city and suburbs.

Dayton is slated to have a horse racing track and casino, a truck stop and added the revitalization of Interstate 75, the city is trying rebound. Interstate 75 is the major north and south highway that travels from Canada to Miami, Florida.

Before John Kasich got into office, the Republican ran on the notion that cuts are good for the economy.

Dayton and Columbus, Ohio were hoping that Amtrak was on its way back. Kasich cut this train funds and placed it into pro-Republican businesses. Dayton was hoping that high speed rail would bring the city back.

Unfortunately won't happen anytime soon. So what's left is the public transit. A city such as Dayton must accommodate to its residents with public transportation. That's where the Greater Dayton Regional Transportation Authority comes into play. The RTA has 34 routes and it covers most of the Dayton area.

The Mall at Fairfield Commons sits on the corridor of Interstate 675, a bypass on the eastern outskirts of Dayton.

Unfortunately it doesn't cover the Dayton International Airport, and two nearby suburbs. The cities of Fairborn and Beavercreek have bus service only to serve Wright State University, Clark State College-Beavercreek campus, and the Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

The Greater Dayton RTA was handed a victory today. The public transit for the community is granted a right to have bus stops near The Greene, the Soin Medical Center, the Mall at Fairfield Commons and Wright State University.

These facilities are located in Beavercreek, Ohio, a suburb that located six miles from Dayton.

The residents of Beavercreek are pretty conservative. The area appears to favor Republicans over Democrats in the last elections.

The Greene County Area Transit Authority (Green CATS) and Greater Dayton Regionnal Transit Authority have long complained about the city of Beavercreek not allowing access to the malls and hospital.

Beavercreek refuses because of perceptions of violent crime and a rise in theft around the mall.

They have major concerns about loitering by riders and those who may solicit for money near stops.

A civil rights group in Ohio say otherwise. The group believes that due to the local leaders and the extremely conservative views of most residents in the city, they feel that race and class perceive a bias in their decisions.

Dayton is the smallest city that has overhead trolley service. Other cities include Seattle, San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia have trolley service.

Beavercreek is ordered to have public transit near shopping malls and hospital.

The city of Dayton still have issues with race. Dayton's population declined rapidly after the manufacturing bust by General Motors, and government facilities closing up in the city. The city was left with a large presence of boarded homes and abandoned businesses. Local shopping centers are bare and major retailers are moving further and further from the city. Most suburban shopping centers felt the bust as well. The two shopping complexes the Town & Country Shopping Center that's located in Kettering and the Dayton Mall are the only shopping areas with bus services. They both express concern about the public transportation.

They were concerned that fights, theft and panhandling would plague the malls. They concluded that the Salem Mall in Trotwood went out of business due to public transportation. The Salem Mall was the first Dayton mall. The mall was demolished years ago after many of its shops closed up! The residents of Trotwood blamed the bus for allowing criminals ruin a mall and the region.

The RTA have tried to calm the bad publicity. They've opened up transit centers that provide connecting services from Dayton to many area suburbs. They've partnered up with the Dayton Police and the county sheriff to provide adequate security for all RTA properties and the safety of all riders.

Dayton is bounded by the Great Miami River which separates the city from east to west.

Dayton is an urban rust city. Manufacturing dried up! White flight left the city with a nearly minority-majority population. The city is caught between major cities within a few hours drive. Most of the major attractions aren't near the city, they're either in the suburbs or the somewhere else.

Once again, Dayton has a long way to go in order to solve its racial issues! Hopefully it will for the better!

The Dayton Informer has videos on the controversy.

HIV Testing Day!

Yeah, I know it's hard for you, me and millions of others. But if you don't get a check, you may never know and it's could result in a deadly fate.

Today is National HIV Testing Day.

I hate tests! But this test here ensures that I live a healthy life!

"KNOW YOUR SCORE!"

I want my woman to know I keep myself healthy! And passing this test ensures that I have her feeling safe when we share our love!

Millions of Americans are living with HIV. Some may not even know they have the virus that may cause AIDS.

HIV/AIDS is a epidemic disease. It affects any age, race, gender, sexuality, nationality and it's transmitted from unprotected sex. It's transferred from sharing dirty needles. It's transferred through blood transfusions.

It can be spread from mother to child.

Besides cancer, HIV is one the top five health dangers in the world.

I share some of my experiences at the health clinic.

Get a HIV Test! It's the most important test of your life!

Immigration Reform Passed In The Senate!

Bipartisanship works.

The low approved U.S. Senate has passed the immigration reform.

A great move by the Democrats and the very few Republicans who put aside their differences for the sake of those who dream to become leaders. And of course, for the sake of their overwhelmingly White political party.

First they'll claim it's them who are credited for Civil Rights of 1965. Now it's going to be a redo of Republicans claiming credit for Immigration Reform of 2013.

Who gives a crap about the Democrat presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Barack Obama?

I never get enough of those ridiculous Republican commentators saying that if it wasn't for them, things couldn't get done.

No, it's because of the Republicans, nothing isn't getting done.

You have many members of the Senate (i.e. Republicans like Ted Cruz (Texas), Jim Inhofe (Oklahoma), Rand Paul (Kentucky), Rob Portman (Ohio) Mike Lee (Utah), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina)  Jeff Sessions, Richard Shelby (Alabama), John Cornyn (Texas) and Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) who will rule the day they voted against immigration reform.

These Republicans will doom their party.

Enough about them. This historical bipartisan vote was 68-32 on a measure that sits atop President Barack Obama's second-term domestic agenda. But the bill's prospects are highly uncertain in the Republican-controlled House, where party leaders are jockeying for position in advance of expected action next month.

Republican co-sponsors Senators John McCain (Arizona), Marco Rubio (Florida), Jeff Flake (Arizona) and Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) were joined in voting "yes" with Lamar Alexander (Tennessee), Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire), Jeff Chiesa (New Jersey), Susan Collins (Maine), Bob Corker (Tennessee), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Dean Heller (Nevada), John Hoeven (North Dakota), Mark Kirk (Illinois), and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).

Spectators in galleries that overlook the Senate floor watched expectantly as senators voted one by one from their desks. Some onlookers erupted in chants of "Yes, we can" after Vice President Joe Biden announced the vote result.

There is a high influx of African and Asian immigrants.

After three weeks of debate, there was no doubt about the outcome. Fourteen Republicans joined all 52 Democrats and two independents to support the bill.

In a written statement, Obama coupled praise for the Senate's action with a plea for resolve by supporters as the House works on the issue. "Now is the time when opponents will try their hardest to pull this bipartisan effort apart so they can stop commonsense reform from becoming a reality. We cannot let that happen," said the president, who was traveling in Africa.

In the final hours of debate, members of the so-called Gang of 8, the group that drafted the measure, frequently spoke in personal terms while extolling the bill's virtues, rebutting its critics - and appealing to the House members who turn comes next.

A great message.

"Do the right thing for America and for your party," said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who said his mother emigrated to the United States from Cuba. "Find common ground. Lean away from the extremes. Opt for reason and govern with us."

Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake said those seeking legal status after living in the United States illegally must "pass a background check, make good on any tax liability and pay a fee and a fine." There are other requirements before citizenship can be obtained, he noted.

He, too, spoke from personal experience, recalling time he spent as a youth working alongside family members and "undocumented migrant labor, largely from Mexico, who worked harder than we did under conditions much more difficult than we endured."

A piece of America includes immigrants.

The legislation's chief provisions includes numerous steps to prevent future illegal immigration - some added in a late compromise that swelled Republican support for the bill - and to check on the legal status of job applicants already living in the United States. At the same time, it offers a 13-year path to citizenship to as many as 11 million immigrants now living in the country unlawfully.

Under the deal brokered last week by Republican Sens. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Bob Corker of Tennessee and the Gang of 8, the measure requires 20,000 new Border Patrol agents, the completion of 700 miles of fencing and deployment of an array of high-tech devices along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Those living in the country illegally could gain legal status while the border security plan was being implemented, but would not be granted permanent resident green cards or citizenship.

A plan requiring businesses to check on the legal status of prospective employees would be phased in over four years.

Senators Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) (center), Mike Lee (R-Utah) (left) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) couldn't muster enough members to filibuster the immigration reform bill.

Other provisions would expand the number of visas available for highly skilled workers relied upon by the technology industry. A separate program would be established for lower-skilled workers, and farm workers would be admitted under a temporary program. In addition, the system of legal immigration that has been in effect for decades would be changed, making family ties less of a factor and elevating the importance of education, job skills and relative youth.

With the details of the Senate bill well-known, House Speaker John Boehner said at a news conference the separate legislation the House considers will have majority support among Republicans. He also said he hopes the bill will be bipartisan, and he encouraged a group of four Democrats and three Republicans trying to forge a compromise to continue their efforts.

He offered no details on how a House bill could be both bipartisan and supported by more than half of his own rank and file, given that most of the bills that have moved through the House Judiciary Committee recently did so on party line votes over the protests of Democrats. None envisions legal status for immigrants now in the country illegally.

Boehner declined to say if there were circumstances under which he could support a pathway to citizenship, but he made clear that securing the border was a priority.

"People have to have confidence that the border is secure before anything else is really going to work. Otherwise, we repeat the mistakes of 1986," he said, referring to the last time Congress overhauled the immigration system.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, also said he favors a bipartisan approach. At the same time, she noted that Democratic principles for immigration include "secure our borders, protect our workers, unite families, a path to legalization and now citizenship for those" without legal status.

Hopeful that the House Republicans get things done. But I doubt it. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio isn't likely going to do any favors for the president or his Republican majority.

They've threaten to usurp him if he compromises with the Democrats.

The Associated Press and Huffington Post contributes to a portion of this article.

Here's a few assholes who continues to slide the Republican Party into the abyss of ignorance.



______________

Witness: Trayvon Martin Called Shooter A Racial Slur!

The key witness in the trial of idiot accused of killing Trayvon Martin. Rachel Jantel gives a tearful testimony. The racist extremists in the conservative movement are outraged over teen uttering racial slur about idiot after being followed. The teen was unarmed when he was confronted by the idiot. The idiot will face face life in the iron college if they could prove he reckless killed the teen.

"Who is this creepy-ass cracker?" That's the words from the key witness prosecutors wanted on the stand in the trial of that idiot who is facing a second degree murder charge of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.

Rachel Jeantel was the last person to talk to Martin when he got into the confrontation with that idiot.

The idiot could get life in the iron college if he's found guilty.

We here at Journal de la Reyna want a fair trial for that idiot. The individual is innocent until proven guilty.

The 19-year old woman was on the phone with Trayvon Martin when she overheard the confrontation between the teen and the idiot. The racist extremists in the conservative movement are already trying to tear apart her testimony by looking into the woman's social networking websites.

These racist extremists believe that the media is taking the side of the victim. Of course, people like That Guy Who Helped Obama Win and That Guy Who Throws Shit To The Wall have maintained the narrative that the idiot was defending himself from a thug who wanted to start trouble. The victim may have had problems in school, smoking weed, and having tattoos and did utter a racial slur about the idiot: But once again, Trayvon Martin didn't have a firearm, that idiot did.

Besides I could say that members from that idiot's family have said racial slurs about Blacks. Just a few months ago, the idiot's brother and father have made some disgusting comments about Black youth.

So what does this testimony have to do with the trial?

The idiot at his trial in the death of unarmed teen.

According to the prosecutors, Jeantel's testimony may unravel that idiot's excuse of self-defense.

While on the phone with Jeantel, the teenager spotted the idiot and told the young woman that he was being followed by that "creepy ass cracker". The woman told the teen to run away from the idiot. I guess what the teen did was try to outmaneuver the idiot through the gated community.

The racist extremists in the conservative movement already assume the victim is at fault.

The junk food media's obsession with Black youth. It's the perception that all Black men are "natural born criminals". That's what that idiot thought. That's what these racist extremists think. They just don't see that the teen was minding his business. They see the victim as a criminal who deserved his untimely fate. They don't see this young teen as one of their own. They're quick to blame President Barack Obama, the NAACP, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Eric Holder, Tracey Martin, and Sybrina Fulton for meddling in the affairs.

Instead of working one solving problems, the racist extremists would rather continue on the downward spiral of blame. Blame the victim. Blame the Democratic Party for the problems of Black youth. Blame the president for every crime that occurs in urban America.

Martin's father Tracey wipes tears. His mother Sybrina Fulton is on the left. 

The junk food media already want to make the case about the key witness and not the suspect. Who cares about what she does in the comfort of her home. She wasn't the one with the gun.

Who's the one who carried firearm? The idiot on trial.

This is a tactic from those in the defense. They're so incompetent it's almost likely they'll have a mistrial based on how they've started off with the ridiculous joke and the cross-examination of the young woman.

They asked the woman why she didn't attend the funeral of the victim. The woman was distraught and didn't want to react like most people who see the deceased in a box.

The suspect is the one who had killed the victim. He's on trial, not the witness, not the victim. If the victim was alive, he would have a story to tell. But since he was taken out with a slug to the chest, the young teen can't say well that "Nigga is following me!"

Racist extremists are more concerned with his social networking websites than slug in his chest.

ABC News reports that Jeantel said she told Martin to run but that he responded that he was almost home.

"I say, 'Trayvon,' and then he said, 'Why are you following me for?'" Jeantel testified today. "And then I heard a hard-breathing man come say, 'What you doing around here?' ... And then I was calling, 'Trayvon, Trayvon.' And then I started to hear a little bit of Trayvon saying, 'Get off, get off.'"

At times during her early testimony with the prosecution, Jeantel dabbed away tears, as did Trayvon Martin's father, Tracey Martin.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Don West tried to dig into the chain of events preceding Martin's death. West asked why Jeantel didn't call law enforcement after the phone died.

"I thought he was going to be OK because he was right by his daddy's house, but his daddy was not home," Jeantel said as Martin's father cried in court.

Tracey Martin eventually reached out to Jeantel after looking at his son's phone log, Jeantel said. She added that she expected law enforcement to reach out to her.

But none did, apparently, until the Florida Department of Law Enforcement contacted her much later.

The defense later moved to impeach Jeantel after accusing her of telling lies under oath, including her whereabouts during Martin's wake.

"Under oath, you created a lie and said you went to hospital?" asked West.

"Yes," responded Jeantel.

She said she lied because she didn't want to see the body.

Jeantel became increasingly agitated during the cross-examination and court ended for the day when she scoffed about having to continue testifying Thursday.

Jeantel's testimony followed testimony from the first witness to say she thought she knew who was screaming for help in the fatal altercation.

Jayne Surdyka testifies.

Jayne Surdyka was in her home on the night Trayvon Martin was shot and killed and said she could hear a "loud, dominant" voice 20 to 30 feet from where she was. She said she opened her window and could "see two people on top of the ground and one on top of the other."

She said she could hear a "boy's voice" crying for help.

Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda then played Surdyka's emotional 911 call as Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon's mother, and Surdyka dabbed tears from their eyes.

During cross-examination, Surdyka described the altercation and cries for help as a life-or-death struggle.

"It was, as if nothing else, a plea for mercy?" West asked.

"A plea for someone to save them," Surdyka said.

Mark O'Mara, the idiot's high profile attorney cross exams prosecutors star witnesses.

Zimmerman, who has said he was defending himself, has claimed he was the one screaming that night and that he shot and killed the unarmed teenager after Martin repeatedly banged his head on a concrete sidewalk. Prosecutors suggested it was Martin who was screaming.

But Manalo said she did not know who was punching whom.

The testimony followed a key ruling in the trial by Circuit Judge Debra Nelson to allow jurors to hear several non-emergency calls the former neighborhood watch captain made to police well before the encounter with Martin.

Zimmerman is heard asking during the calls for police to come to his subdivision and check on suspicious strangers, often black. The prosecution argued they should be submitted into evidence because they show his mind-set in the days and months leading up to the shooting.

"The defendant made the calls, he created these tapes, he created these situations. He shouldn't complain," prosecutor Richard Mantei said.

Zimmerman's lead defense attorney said the calls were irrelevant and would confuse jurors, but Nelson overruled his objection today.

Before I go, I have a YouTube page that is currently following the trial. Visit AxiionAmnesia for all the latest updates on this trial.

Deen Dong!

The celebrity is distraught about the situation. But the remorse is a little too late when they're pulling the money out of her cookie pots.

Celebrity agitators are still in shock over chef Paula Deen's awkward and yes tearful apologies for uttering NIGGER to her Black patrons. But so far the damage is done and she's paying for it by the lost of major sponsors.

Just like our friend on talk radio, King Hippo, Deen made herself famous on the theme of reality television and the day to day activities being monitored by the camera. Her mouth got her in trouble and the boycotts towards her business and trademarks are suffering.

It took a White whistleblower to expose the celebrity and her brother for downright sexist, racist and outright ignorant comments towards the president, Blacks, and Hispanics.

The agitators are seeing the free fall of the Southern gourmet chef.

Over 30 sponsors have severed ties with her. The Food Network has fired her and put an abrupt end to her longtime programs.

Some of her most loyal fans are demanding retribution by boycotting the network and attending her restaurants.

Celebrity meets a Black chef.

Is that enough?

I think not.

You start to notice that there's pictures circulating the internet with the celebrity being in the presence of Black entertainers and athletes.

Yeah, many Americans including myself loved Paula Deen. She was the charming and yet outspoken advocate for heavy calorie food. Her key to successful dishes was a stick of margarine (butter).

She had to cut back on that stuff after she was revealed she had Type II diabetes.

She had to make drastic health changes and lost over 50 pounds.

Now Lisa Jackson, a former employee of restaurants owned by Deen and her brother, Earl "Bubba" Hiers, filed a lawsuit alleging racial and sexual discrimination. In a story initially reported by the National Enquirer, Deen stated in her deposition that she has used the "N-word" at times, saying "Yes, of course. But that's just not a word that we use as time has gone on. Things have changed since the '60s in the south."

Deen said she employed the term when telling her husband about an incident “when a black man burst into the bank that I was working at and put a gun to my head. I didn’t feel real favorable towards him,” Deen said of the bank robber."

Pictures circulate with celebrity embracing Black people.

Deen also admitted she was sure that she’d used the word since that incident. Jackson’s attorney responded by asking Deen to explain how the N-word might be used in a “non-mean way.” Specifically, Deen said she probably used the word while repeating a conversation between blacks. She also said that her family, including Hiers, do not discriminate against any race and object to the N word “being used in any cruel or mean behavior.” Deen also described wedding plans for her brother with a "true Southern plantation-style theme". She planned to employ black male servers to represent slaves in the antebellum era, although she denied having used the word "nigger" when discussing the wedding waitstaff.

As a result of the controversy, Food Network announced that it would not renew her contract when it expires at the end of June 2013.

For the same reason, in June 2013, Caesars Casinos, Walmart, Smithfield Foods dropped her as a spokeswoman.

Again, are you forgiving of Paula Deen?

Will you be willing to give her a second chance?

In the age of President Barack Obama, should any White celebrity get a pass if they utters some negative theme to piss off women, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and the LGBT community?

Or should they be scrutinized for it?

Zimmerman Trial! [NSFW]

Big trial for idiot. The idiot is accused murdering unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida.

This story contents include images that may appear disturbing. Take discretion in reading this.

The former neighborhood volunteer is on trial for the second degree murder of an unarmed teenager in the gated community near Sanford, Florida.

The legal proceedings start off with the prosecutors delivering the bombshell audio recordings of this idiot's frequency of calls. The vulgar laced phone call describes the suspicious individual (i.e. the victim) as a "fucking punk" and even made the comment that "they always get away!"

Racism spawned by websites like this one.

Could you imagine that the idiot's defense team started off with a joke that fell flat?

We'll here's the story from the Associated Press.

Several times in six months, neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman called police to report suspicious characters in the gated townhouse community where he lived. Each time, when asked, he reported that the suspects were black males.

On Tuesday, the judge at Zimmerman's murder trial in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin listened to those five calls and weighed whether to let the jury hear them, too.

Prosecutors want to use them to bolster their argument that Zimmerman was increasingly frustrated with repeated burglaries and had reached a breaking point the night he shot the unarmed teenager.

A clear picture of shooting victim Trayvon Martin.

The recordings show Zimmerman's "ill will," prosecutor Richard Mantei told Judge Debra Nelson.

"It shows the context in which the defendant sought out his encounter with Trayvon Martin," Mantei said.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara argued that the calls were irrelevant and that nothing matters but the seven or eight minutes before Zimmerman fired the deadly shot into Martin's chest.

The prosecution is "going to ask the jury to make a leap from a good, responsible, citizen behavior to seething behavior," O'Mara said.

The judge did not immediately rule on whether to admit the recordings as evidence.

Prosecutors played the calls with the jurors out of the courtroom at the beginning of a day in which a former Zimmerman neighbor testified about what she saw of the confrontation.

Also, prosecutors presented graphic photos of Martin's body, a police officer described trying to revive Martin as bubbling sounds came from his chest, and a police manager described how she helped Zimmerman set up the neighborhood watch.

In the calls, Zimmerman identifies himself as a neighborhood watch volunteer and recounts that his neighborhood has had a rash of recent break-ins. In one call, he asks that officers respond quickly since the suspects "typically get away quickly."

One shot to the teenager's chest killed him.

In another, he describes suspicious black men hanging around a garage and mentions his neighborhood had a recent garage break-in.

Zimmerman, 29, could get life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder for gunning down Martin as the young man walked from a convenience store. Zimmerman followed him in his truck and called a police dispatch number before he and the teen got into a fight.

Zimmerman has claimed self-defense, saying he opened fire after the teenager jumped him and began slamming his head against the concrete sidewalk.

Zimmerman, whose father is white and whose mother is Hispanic, has denied the confrontation with the black teenager had anything to do with race, as Martin's family and its supporters have charged.

On Tuesday, Day 2 of testimony, prosecutors called to the stand a former Zimmerman neighbor, Selene Bahadoor, the first witness to say she saw part of the struggle.

She described the sound of movement from left to right outside her townhouse and said she heard what sounded like someone saying, "No" or "Uh."

She said that when she looked out a window she saw arms flailing in the dark. She said she left to turn off a stove and then heard a gunshot. The next time she looked out, she saw a body on the ground, she testified.

In cross-examining her, O'Mara accused Bahadoor of never mentioning the left-to-right movement in previous interviews.

Zimmerman contends he lost track of Martin and was returning to his car when he was attacked. But Bahadoor's testimony appeared to suggest Zimmerman was moving away from his vehicle.

O'Mara later confronted her with a post she made on Facebook in which she "liked" a petition that championed the arrest of Zimmerman following the shooting.

A Sanford police sergeant who was the second officer to arrive on the scene also testified. Sgt. Tony Raimondo said he tried to seal a bullet wound in Martin's chest with a plastic bag and attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Bubbling sounds indicated air was escaping the teen's chest, Raimondo said. Martin was pronounced dead a short time later.

During Raimondo's testimony, prosecutors showed jurors a photo of a dead Martin face-down in the grass, another of Martin's body face up with his eyes slightly open, and a third of the bullet wound. Martin's father, Tracy Martin, walked out of the courtroom during the testimony.

Wendy Dorival, former coordinator of the Sanford Police Department's neighborhood watch program, testified how she had worked with Zimmerman to set up a watch in his neighborhood.

When asked by prosecutor John Guy if neighborhood watch participants should follow or engage with suspicious people, she said no.

"They are the eyes and ears of law enforcement," Dorival said. "They're not supposed to take matters into their own hands."

Similarly, Donald O'Brien, president of Zimmerman's homeowners association, said it was his understanding that neighborhood watch members are supposed to "stay at a safe distance" and "let the police handle it."

But Dorival said she was impressed with Zimmerman's professionalism and dedication to his community.

"He seemed like he really wanted to make changes in his community, to make it better," she said.

O'Mara told CNN on Tuesday night that defense attorney Don West was trying to bring levity to the proceedings when he began his opening statement Monday with a "knock-knock" joke, but that "it probably should have been rethought."

Photo of Martin laying on the grass face down.

Asked about Martin's parents leaving the courtroom at a few difficult moments in the proceedings, O'Mara said he understood, but that both sides need to steer clear of "a maneuver or showboating" that could influence jurors.

O'Mara said he wouldn't make a decision about putting Zimmerman on the stand until seeing more of the state's case.

"In this case, they have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt not only that the crime was committed and that it was in fact a crime, but that George didn't do so in self-defense," O'Mara told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "They have to disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt. If I think that they ever get to that burden, then we might consider whether we have to present any case at all."

BREAKING: SCOTUS Strikes Down DOMA And Prop. 8!

Historical decisions was handed today.

The LGBT community and President Barack Obama can relish in a huge victory. The Supreme Court had handed the conservatives a defeat. Another devastating blow to the right wing extremism. This will be discussed by the usual suspects in the junk food media.

Now you'll hear from our conservative agitating buddies about how this is going down. They'll say that this was an activist court decision. The Supreme Court has been criticized for this decision as well as the striking down of the Voter Rights Act.

Wow, what a monumental decision. The liberal wing of the Supreme Court assisted with Justice Anthony Kennedy, struck down the controversial Defense of Marriage Act, a legislation that devolved marriage between a man and woman.

Again, I throw my hat to those who fought for this victory. They deserve the right to marry and it's not hurting anyone!

The law passed both houses of Congress by large majorities and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996. Section 3 of DOMA codified the non-recognition of same-sex marriages for all federal purposes, including insurance benefits for government employees, Social Security survivors' benefits, immigration, and the filing of joint tax returns.

Clinton and key legislators have changed their positions and advocated DOMA's repeal. The Obama administration announced in 2011 that it had determined that section 3 was unconstitutional and, though it would continue to enforce the law, it would no longer defend it in court. In response, the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives instructed the House General Counsel to defend the law in place of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Section 3 of DOMA has been found unconstitutional in eight federal courts, including the First and Second Circuit Court of Appeals, on issues including bankruptcy, public employee benefits, estate taxes, and immigration.[n 1] The U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Windsor, declared Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional on June 26, 2013, "as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment.

United States v. Windsor is a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York's decision in Windsor v. United States, which found Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, as it defines the term marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife" and spouse as "a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife".

The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in December 2012 and heard oral arguments on March 27, 2013. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Windsor on June 26, 2013, striking down Section 3 of DOMA and declaring the provision unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment.

There are over 30 states that have gay marriage bans. This decision will eventually null and void these bans.

The California Proposition 8 was a ballot measure that allowed citizens to discriminate. It was voted in and placed into a state constitutional amendment after the November 2008 state elections. The measure added a new provision, Section 7.5 of the Declaration of Rights, to the California Constitution, which provides that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

By restricting the recognition of marriage to opposite-sex couples, the proposition effectively overturned the California Supreme Court's ruling of In re Marriage Cases that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. The wording of Proposition 8 was precisely the same as that which had been found in Proposition 22, which had passed in 2000 and, as an ordinary statute, had been invalidated by the State Supreme Court in 2008. California's State Constitution put Proposition 8 into immediate effect the day after the election.

The proposition did not affect domestic partnerships in California, nor same-sex marriages performed before November 5, 2008.

Hollingsworth v. Perry is a case before the United States Supreme Court, on appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. There, a three judge appellate panel held that California's Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative that amended the state constitution to allow only opposite-sex couples to marry, was unconstitutional.

Lawsuits challenging Proposition 8 were filed in state and federal courts nearly immediately after the initiative's passage. In Strauss v. Horton (2009), the California Supreme Court ruled that Proposition 8 was a valid enactment under California law. However, in August 2010, Judge Vaughn Walker of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that Proposition 8 violated the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The judgment was stayed pending appeal.

On February 7, 2012, a divided three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit upheld the decision of the district court, though it did so on much narrower grounds than the District Court did.

On June 5, 2012, the Ninth Circuit denied a request for a rehearing en banc.

The proponents of Proposition 8 appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court on July 31, 2012.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case by granting a writ of certiorari on December 7, 2012. Oral arguments were heard on March 26, 2013.

On June 26, 2013, the Court held that the parties who had intervened to defend Proposition 8 (after the state of California declined to defend it) did not have standing. The Supreme Court remanded the case to the Ninth Circuit with instructions that the appeal be dismissed.

The case has long been regarded as a landmark case by supporters of both the plaintiffs and the defense.

The plaintiffs' attorneys, Theodore Olson and David Boies, were listed on the 2010 Time 100 for "their nonpartisan and strong legal approach to challenging Proposition 8".

The Defense of Marriage Act, the law barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages legalized by the states, is unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday by a 5-4 vote.

"The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. “By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected than others, the federal statute is in violation of the Fifth Amendment.”

Justice Kennedy delivered the court’s opinion, and was joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito all filed dissenting opinions. Justice Clarence Thomas joined Scalia's dissent in whole and parts of Alito's opinion.

DOMA, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, prevents same-sex couples whose marriages are recognized by their home state from receiving the hundreds of benefits available to other married couples under federal law. During the Obama administration, the Justice Department initially defended DOMA in court despite the administration’s desire to repeal it. But the Justice Department changed course in early 2011, finding that the law was unconstitutional and declining to defend it any longer. House Republicans have since spent hundreds of thousands of dollars taking over that defense.

Plaintiff Edie Windsor, 84, sued the federal government after the Internal Revenue Service denied her refund request for the $363,000 in federal estate taxes she paid after her spouse, Thea Spyer, died in 2009.

During the March oral arguments in United States v. Windsor, a majority of the court seemed to express doubts about the constitutionality of DOMA. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that supporters of the law seemed to want "two types of marriage," likening same-sex unions to the "skim milk" version of marriage.

The Associated Press and Huffington Post contribute to the remainder.

Another Round For Chris Brown!

On set of his music video. The troubled entertainer is facing the music for an apparent hit-in-run.

Troubled celebrity yet again in the spotlight. The washed up 24 year old celebrity is going to the iron college if they can prove that he's a reckless driver.

Of course, here a no duh answer for ya!

Does Rihanna and Frank Ocean ring a bell?

If he's convicted of a hit-and-run in Los Angeles, he could face up to a year in the iron college.

He currently lives in Los Angeles and the neighbors aren't a big fan of his stewardship.

The entertainer is in Los Angeles County Court. TMZ, the celebrity news agitator reports the L.A. City Attorney has filed 2 criminal charges against Brown, in connection with a minor accident last month where Chris rear-ended a Mercedes and allegedly refused to fork over his driver's license number and gave bogus insurance info and then left the scene.

The City Attorney has charged Chris with hit-and-run -- for leaving the scene without exchanging proper information.  He's also been charged with the crime of driving without a valid license. The crimes are punishable by a maximum of 6 months for each offense.

We've also learned the City Attorney will refer the matter to the L.A. County D.A. for a possible probation violation in the Rihanna beating case.  Worst case scenario -- if the judge in that case concludes Chris broke the law and thereby violated his probation, he could be sentenced to the iron college for 4 years.

Well done, Mr. Brown.

Another temper tantrum moment will put the brakes on your already dismal career.

Chris Brown appears on RCA Records.
Rihanna appears on Def Jam. She is affiliated with Motown Records.

SCOTUS Watch!

Big decision coming from Supreme Court.

Controversial decisions on the Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act are coming.

The LGBT community is patiently waiting on the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The conservative wing of the Supreme Court includes Chief Justice John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clearance Thomas, and Samuel Alito are not approving. The swing resides in Chief Justice Roberts and Kennedy. They are the swing justices.

The liberal wing of the Supreme Court includes Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are likely going to favor the rights of the LGBT community.

President Barack Obama last year came out in favor of gay marriage and there are over 12 states that have legalize gay marriage.

This decision could impact a lot of Americans who love their partners and want to have the rights as straight couple to marry.

Again, gay marriage doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother me that two loving people want to celebrate unison of love.

Who are we to stop them?

Wednesday and Thursday will be the day of reckoning for all who fought for the right to marry.

Developments will continue.

SCOTUS Gives Voting Rights The Ax!

Conservative wing of the Supreme Court struck down provision that prevents voter discrimination.

In a major decision, the conservative wing of the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Act that advocated for Southern states to be monitored for scheming during elections.

The progressive movement is outraged by the decision. Many figured that the Supreme Court is now acting like a bunch of activists. The 5-4 decision once again proves that each decision made by the court will greatly affect everything.

In Shelby County v. Holder, the United States Supreme Court struck down Section 4(b) of the Act and its formula for requiring preclearance as unconstitutional based on current conditions, saying it was rational and needed at the time it was enacted but is no longer necessary, notwithstanding the fact that Congress had nearly-unanimously reauthorized the Act in 2006. Preclearance itself was not struck down, but has no effect unless Congress passes a new formula.

That portion of the Act in question was designed to prevent discrimination in voting by requiring all state and local governments with a history of voting discrimination to get approval from the federal government before making any changes to their voting laws or procedures, no matter how small. In an opinion by Chief Justice John G. Roberts that was joined by Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito, the Court did not invalidate the principle that preclearance can be required.

Petitioner Shelby County, in the covered jurisdiction of Alabama, sued Attorney Genera Eric Holder in Federal District Court in Washington, D.C, seeking a declaratory judgment that sections 4(b) and 5 are facially unconstitutional, as well as a permanent injunction against their enforcement. The District Court upheld the Act, finding that the evidence before Congress in 2006 was sufficient to justify reauthorizing §5 and continuing §4(b)'s coverage formula. The D. C. Circuit affirmed. After surveying the evidence in the record, that court accepted Congress’s conclusion that §2 litigation remained inadequate in the covered jurisdictions to protect the rights of minority voters, that §5 was therefore still necessary, and that the coverage formula continued to pass constitutional muster.