# Hot Blava

The national debate will always seep over into local politics and thus, events on the national stage will find their way into Hot Blava. We hope that Hot Blava will be an interesting mixture of national issues and issues that affect Utah, and particularly Utah County where we live. Mostly, it is great to write about issues you're thinking about as it solidifies your thinking... or exposes your own irrationality. You can decide which is which.

## Wednesday, January 24, 2007

### How is this different than Jim Crow?

The Politico has an article titled "Black Caucus: Whites Not Allowed". An excerpt:

> As a white liberal running in a majority African American district, Tennessee Democrat Stephen I. Cohen made a novel pledge on the campaign trail last year: If elected, he would seek to become the first white member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
> Now that he's a freshman in Congress, Cohen has changed his plans. He said he has dropped his bid after several current and former caucus members made it clear to him that whites need not apply.
> (snip)
> Cohen said he became convinced that joining the caucus would be "a social faux pas" after seeing news reports that former Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, had circulated a memo telling members it was "critical" that the group remain "exclusively African-American."
> Other members, including the new chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., and Clay's son, Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., agreed.
> "Mr. Cohen asked for admission, and he got his answer. ... It's time to move on," the younger Clay said. "It's an unwritten rule. It's understood. It's clear."
> The bylaws of the caucus do not make race a prerequisite for membership...

It's not clear to me how this is different than a "Whites Only" drinking fountain. Rep. Cohen is barred from joining this group solely on the basis of his skin color.
What is the point of the Congressional Black Caucus? To advance the causes of black people. Do you have to be black to be interested in this goal?
Apparently.

## Thursday, January 18, 2007

### The Bloghive is Born

The word has started leaking out already, so it is time for my official announcement of the Utah Bloghive. I've been beta testing the site for a while and I think it is ready for prime time.
I'm hoping the site can become a hub for the Utah political blogging community. A place where we keep track of the things our friends our writing about and where we discover new voices. A place to keep tabs on the political issues that matter to Utahns.
You can read more about the effort on the site itself. I hope you'll find the site as useful as I already have. It is so cool to instantly see how many bloggers are talking about the State of the State address. As hot topics come up in the legislative session, I'm sure we'll see lots of headlines there too.
Perhaps one of the coolest things about the site is the Google search on the top right corner of the page. It will search only the sites that are listed in the bloghive. It makes it so much easier to find a post you read last month that you want to link in a comment or a post! Hopefully you will find it to be a great tool.
What are you waiting for? Head over to http://utahbloghive.org and start reading!