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Civil Rights
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A new Civil Rights movement for
African, Latino, and Asian Americans |
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From the Blog Now that we have an African
American President, it seems like the politically correct thing to do. Barack
Obama’s immediate predecessors, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton both expressed
heartfelt regret for slavery but never moved to issue a formal apology.
So now the U.S. Senate has unanimously voted to issue a formal apology for
slavery, and the wheels are in motion for the House to approve it and Obama to
sign it. Then all will be forgotten, right? Not by a long shot.
In approving this resolution, the
Wall Street Journal quoted Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA): “Let us make no
mistake: This resolution will not fix lingering injustices. While we are proud
of this resolution and believe it is long overdue, the real work lies ahead”.
What “real work” is he referring to? Clearly the work does not include any
accountability by the government. The apology does not include any admission of
guilt or acceptance of liability: “Nothing in this resolution (a) authorizes or
supports any claim against the United States; or (b) serves as a settlement of
any claim against the United States”.
While I am not in favor of reparations, nothing spells insincere quite like
an apology filled with CYA disclaimers written by government lawyers.
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"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all
Men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness ..." - from the Declaration of
Independence.
Our founding fathers laid the groundwork more than 200 years ago. Unfortunately,
these "unalienable Rights" did not apply to African Americans (slavery was still
legal at the time) or women (who could not vote). African, Hispanic, and Asian
Americans have spent the last two centuries fighting for equality in the eyes of the law,
law enforcement, courts, and public opinion. The black Civil Rights Movement of the
1960s galvanized the nation and led to sweeping legislation - the Civil Rights Act of
1964.
Today, a new Civil Rights movement is underway to continue the work of its predecessor.
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