July 27, 2009, 2 p.m. – Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, released the following statement in response to President Obama’s comments on the arrest of noted scholar Henry Louis Gates:
“We agree with the president when he said, ‘that there’s a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately.’
“What the president said was honest and it was right. There is a long sad history in this county of African Americans and other people of color being subjected to racial profiling.
“Now is the moment for this country to tackle this issue as well as the many inequalities in the criminal justice system. The arrest of Dr. Gates is an unfortunate reminder that we are not yet a color-blind society and must work each and every day to complete the unfinished business of ending racial discrimination in America.”
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I didn’t want to inject anything to the readers sub-conscious concerning the above statement from the Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman. But now that you have read it, I want to ask everyone a question… Can you honestly tell me what she meant by her last sentence?
I think I know the answer, but I want to see how others read it.
Gio-
One of the many lessons to have come from this debacle
Is that blacks have work ahead – work that they must tackle.
Someday, to achieve equality we must see that it’s arrived,
But it won’t happen all at once, it’s not so cut-and-dried.
It’s not just whites that oppress blacks, that is a crude delusion
Because on his porch in the first moment Gates leapt to a conclusion.
I suppose it was inevitable since he dwells upon what is WRONG.
Yet this is only half the truth which sadly will prolong
The injustice and the hate and the fear that he despises.
By researching what is going RIGHT he may be in for some surprises.
Many whites work long and hard to see folks as human beings.
Despite social conditioning many whites have been freeing
Their minds and hearts to see all folks as folks, just as they were born.
Blacks should pause to think of this before they stomp and storm.
Give the white folks a chance, that’s all that I am saying
Before you hoot and holler and commence to braying.
I’d love to see the doctor do a show on PBS
That probes these issues and the work ahead, and yet
The glass really is half full, many things are going RIGHT.
It’s just not as good a story as an ugly fight.
Hopefully the doctor can find a way to tell
Stories of success, overcoming racial hell.
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Newbis Pertusus (Piercing the Clouds), Pennsylvania
newbispertusus.wordpress.com
nubis,
On almost any lefty blog you would be bombarded with death threats for what you just wrote. And most of them would be the elite white liberals. You know, the supposed smart ones.
Gio-
Gio,
I’ve avoided posting my personal reaction to this unending imbroglio because I just find it so unpleasant. But here it is:
I believe that many blacks in America have a GIGANTIC chip on their shoulders ALL THE TIME. They either have convinced themselves that EVERYthing that happens to them is due to racism, or they are using that to excuse their own behavior and/or for political advantage. NOTHING is good enough. NOTHING satisfies them.
I don’t even want to get into the random encounters I’ve had with African-Ams here in the SF Bay Area where I’ve felt intimidated and just plain frightened by their behavior on the streets.
I am just really really sick of this — a sentiment shared by many many Americans.
Eowyn,
That chip on the shoulder is firmly planted there by people like Farahkan and Rev. Wright. They are the ones responsible for any setbacks minorities have had to endure over the last 20 years.
Gio-
The only racism I see in America today is being practiced by black race hustlers and race pimps like Lee, McKinney, Maxine Waters, Cornel West, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, “Rev.” Wright, Hussein Obama, and Dr. “Yo mama” Gates.
Sad.
-Dave
I see a lot of racism by black people. Like a reverse racism. There seems to be some sort of issue where certain, educated and wealthy black people like to make out that they are victims of the white man when in fact they are not.
I saw a video of Rev Manning on youtube. He was warning the blacks that they cannot continue to push the whites around…that we would riot like nothing they have ever seen before. I don’t think we will riot, simply because we know better than that. But there will be some sort of white revolution if things continue.
The type of revolution I see coming will be a back to basics revolution. It won’t be white power or anything dumb like that. It will be a call to arms as more blacks get free taxpayer money. Once Americans figure out that Obama wants to send all the “descendants of slaves” free money there will be a back lash like no other.
There has been a lot of wrongs in our history. And I can see a new wrong happening right now. Reverse discrimination is still discrimination.
Gio, if the left feels that way, that’s fine. I’ll mention first that if the left goes to far to the left they become the radical right. And then I will mention that I regularly serve as a peacekeeper when the KKK comes to town, and I regularly serve as a peacekeeper during cd actions at nuke bomb plants. And maybe I’ll mention my years of intentional poverty at the social justice center. What I care about is truth and nonviolence. The so-called left has some good ideas on that score. Believe it or not, the right does too.
At one KKK event, so the story goes, a skinhead showed up late and tried to get through the huge throng of counter-protesters. The skinhead was tripped and started getting kicked. Three peacekeepers intervened and escorted the skinhead to the stage to join his half dozen comrades. Nevermind that the message of the rally was hateful and despicable. The message was just words. At the stage, the skinhead turned to the three peacekeepers – a black, a homesexual, and an Israeli-American – and said “Wow, you saved my life! Thanks” And the black man said to him, “Yeah… you owe your life to a faggot, a stinking yid, and a nigger. You got a right to say what you wanna say. I don’t have to like it.” That’s what I try to live by and the “left” should try much harder to do the same.
Newbis Pertusus
Sheesh… you’d think I could spell my own blogname. Try this: nubispertusus.wordpress.com
My first thought after reading the last sentence was how could she focus on her perceived negative instead of the cop doing his job? Did she not read the report or listen to the 911 call? Obviously not because she has an agenda.
As proven by the libs, they are the ones that see color first (remember Boxer and Alford?) and perpetuate the racism, along with those Dave named.
They forgot the real message of Dr. King.
DCG,
Thanks for bringing Dr. M.L.K. into the conversation. In todays poisonous political climate, I doubt if Dr. King would get involved, but privately I’m guessing he would be very upset with a lot of Black leaders for their absolute refusal to accept the truth.
Gio-
Notice how his family usually stays out of these types of events (at least from what I see)? They aren’t in the news like Sharpton, et al. They see there job as trying to bring people together (as oppose to divide) through their work and messages instead of through grandstanding.
Some just aren’t listening…
Well it is like I said the other day, White America is ready for a black president but it seems some had more faith in them than they have in each other… By that I mean White America can have a black president and not see the color of his skin, however black america can not without the underlining of the hate they feel towards the White man…
It is easier to blame us when in fact they themselves have kept all of America’s riches out of their reach…. Some of black america had parents that were not victims, took all America had to offer and ran with it… others had welfare moms and parents that on daily basis talked trash about the things the white man has kept from them… They have every opportunity as anyone else in this country, and some choose to remain victims no matter what….
Obama has proved although he was voted in to office he still thinks of himself the victim of things that happened years passed…
Gates got what anyone else would have gotten skin color be damned… You mess with the LAW YOU PAY THE PRICE, black or white,,,,
Are we now supposed to let black people go free because they want to be victims and break the law? No the cop did what he should have done…
By the way, what is reverse racism? Isn’t racism RACISM?