MCRI (the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative) is still alive and gathering signatures to put its anti-preferences initiative on the 2006 ballot. (Thanks to the indispensable AADAP list for the link.)
Predictably, those who favor racial preferences object to MCRI “using the language of civil rights.” According to David Waymire, head of Citizens for a United Michigan (the lead group defending racial preferences),
“This is not about anything except ending affirmative action…. They’re getting the vast majority of the signatures by deception and deceit,” he added. MCRI’s opponents say it uses the rhetoric of civil rights and equal protection even though it seeks to ban affirmative action programs for women and minorities.
The nerve of those people, using “the rhetoric of civil rights” to oppose discrimination based on race!
HeHe
I’m with John on this one. What nerve! I’m sure you’ll get as much of a chuckle out of the news as I did….
Michigan is one of the most segregated states in the nation. Reports of bias, anti-minority discrimination and racism are the norm and not the exception there. It’s no suprise to me that there are people lining up to support Jennifer Gratz and Ward Connerly’s revisionist, “bring back the good ol’ days” movement.
Birds of a feather…
–Cobra
Yes Cobra, Connerly and Gratz want nothing more than to keep the black man down. Just like that guy the other day who looked at you funny…they’re all racists. Same goes for myself…we’re all itchin’ to bring the days of lynching, jim crow and, ultimately, slavery back. I mean, why else would someone want race neutral admissions at universities? When you think about it, I guess it is pretty obvious.
Thanks for advancing the debate buddy…
John,
So what is your solution to the problem of segregation, anti-minority discrimination and bias in Michigan, if you DON’T believe in Affirmative Action?
–Cobra
Cobra,
What is the solution to African-American families spending much less time worrying about their children’s education than whites. Why don’t blacks subscribe to newspapers and news magazines. Why don’t black visit libraries and bookstores as much as whites? Why don’t black visit museums and historical sites as much as whites.
I will believe their is racism in Michigan when I see the “No Blacks” sign at the Border’s bookstore.
Um… catch the people doing those things and prosecute / sue them under the plethora of applicable laws and court decisions?
I really just wanted to comment a laugh at the initials of the discriminator’s organisation…
Actual acts of discrimination in employment and public accommodations? Those can be dealt with by enforcing the law.
Private acts of discriminations by private individuals and groups? Those are to be left alone, as they are covered by First Amendment freedom of association guarantees.
And “bias”? Well, precisely who do you think you are trying to determine what others are to believe? Do you have some sort of God complex that you think you have the right to decree from on high how others must think and feel?
And since the Constitution forbids CONSTITUTION action that distributes benefits or burdens based upon race, affirmative action is and should be a dead letter in any institution receiving government funds.
You wrote:
Actual acts of discrimination in
employment and public
accommodations?
Those can be dealt with by
enforcing the law.
To play devil’s advocate… how do you prove or disprove discriminatory acts when it comes to hiring? The number of minority employees perhaps is the easiest way to check this, but this then leads to quotas. How else can these laws be enforced?
I believe courts have to weigh evidence in making such determinations. The number of minority hires could be one piece of evidence considered by the court but that evidence alone should be insufficient to conclude that discrimination has/has not occurred.
Cobra writes:
Michigan is one of the most segregated states in the nation. Reports of bias, anti-minority discrimination and racism are the norm and not the exception there. It’s no suprise to me that there are people lining up to support Jennifer Gratz and Ward Connerly’s revisionist, “bring back the good ol’ days” movement.
Birds of a feather…
–Cobra
Of course, this is somewhat true, there certainly is bias and discrimination in Michigan. This is why I support MCRI, which would end one of the governmental tools that make give that bias and discrimination more excuse to exist, and in fact, make them worse. When government discriminates, it is telling the individual it is OK to discriminate as well. It is a vicious cycle – it requires a quantum change in thinking – to break through the problem.
By the way, MCRI is still fighting vigorously, and you can show your show even with a small donation (or networking) if you are not in Michigan, or collecting signatures for us if you are a registered Michigan voter. Thanks.
Director of Outreach/Media, MCRI
http://www.michigancivilrights.org
That second “show” should be “support”.
Chetly,
Shameless plugs, huh? Well, I’ll tell you what. Let me know how much THIS group gave in donations to support your cause at MCRI.
http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/02/18/40330b8997a3f
I heard white linen is the “new black” for the fall.
–Cobra
You are going off the deep end, Cobra, if you think pointing out a hate group like the KKK makes your point. The problem is, the KKK is the perfect example of the difference in group belief systems between blacks and non blacks. The KKK is all but universally condemned and vilified among non blacks. Black racists (like Angela Davis of Kill Whitey Week fame, Cornell West, Malcolm X, Sharpton, the Black Panthers, etc. etc.) are all but universally acclaimed in the black community. It is considered rude in the extreme to point out the racism of blacks and their leaders because, well, presumably the same standards don’t apply. The PC CW now is that blacks are incapable of committing a racist act because they are a minority. Frankly, trying to intimidate your opponents by shaking the KKK flag and your remark about white linen is weak, as it draws comparisons between non black and black reactions to transparent racism within their own communities.
Also, I don’t know your politics, Cobra, but if you want to see the KKK
in modern America go check out the senior senator of the Democratic Party, Sen. Byrd of W.VA, a retired Klansman. THAT is a disgrace.
That is me above. Forgot to enter the data.
Cobra,
How many groups that support the burning of Korean business or the murder of jews or the vicious beating of white truck drivers are out there supporting AA?
Finally I understand where Cobra is coming from. He lives in Michigan, and more specifically, Detroit, if I recall correctly from another post on another thread.
Detroit is one of those microcosms that seem to be disconnected from much of the rest of the world. Sort of like Berkeley, only in reverse. Yes, Detroit is one of the most racially bigotted cities in the U.S. I lived and worked in Michigan and in the Detroit area for years.
But the bigotry that I saw was primarily by blacks against whites and hispanics and asians and anyone else who wasn’t part of their little world in and around Detroit. And some of the most blatant bigotry I saw was black-on-black: those blacks who managed to break out of the cycle of poverty and gang violence, through education and hard work, were systematically attacked by other blacks who seemed to feel that the success of any black was ‘dissing’ them. Crime and violence are a way of life, and the city’s black culture systematically destroys any efforts to improve conditions.
Yes, given that this is the environment that Cobra lives in now gives me an understanding of why he sees the world only in racial terms.
As mikem notes, Cobra has only one theme: a relentless attempt to justify black gang violence and racism.
His argument is, as always, that he wants to do this only in reprisal, because the other (whites = KKK) side did it first.
There is no difference between your side and the other side, Cobra. Cobra, I know both white and black people who have risen about the obsession with gangs and racial vendettas. It’s a matter of personal enlightenment and morality. Ever thought of giving it a try?
I keep telling you, and you refuse to respond, that the person who suffers in this scenario is YOU. Do you think you might ever get this? You are being eaten alive by your obsession with racial violence and vengeance. Get healthy. Find something else to do with your mind and time.
First of all, I’m a resident of diverse, and beautiful Perth Amboy, NJ.
Second, why shouldn’t I make known what kind of groups SUPPORT the MCRI movement? Why, I would think that people like Chetly would be happy to get money from ANYBODY, regardless of their affiliation.
Why are you anti-affirmative action types so mad at the KKK? They are against Affirmative Action, quotas, set asides, minority preference programs, integration, diversity initiatives, multiculturalism and hold “liberal” politicians and minority civil rights leaders in as much contempt as many posters to this blog do. Mikem is incorrect. The Klan’s lack of PUBLIC popularity stems from a bad marketing campaign, a substandard public relations department and their devotion to nostolgic uniforms and ceremonies. A Karl Rove style make-over, with tailored suits, better euphemisms like “traditionalist”, “Colonial heritage”, and “legacy of the Founding Fathers”, would immediately vault them back into the “core” of the conservative movement. If you don’t believe me, visit the websites of OTHER neo-conservative sites like the Council of Conservative Citizens, Southern Partisan, Daughters of the Confederacy, Aryan Nations, Christian Identity, Stormfront, so forth and so on.
Superdestroyer,
I’m an African American, and since, according to you, I’m not CAPABLE of buying and reading a newspaper, magazine or visiting a library or bookstore, I guess I can’t do the research to tell you how many black killers support Affirmative Action.
Stephen,
I don’t respond to you because you leave me SPEACHLESS. What on God’s green earth does “black gang violence” have to do with ANY POST I’ve ever made to this blog? I guess any minority who DARES disagree with a white conservative viewpoint has to be a bandana wearing, hand-signing Blood or a Crip. You need a hug, my brother.
–Cobra
Cobra, you are simply shameless in your race hatred. Unable to deny the ignorant racism that infects many black icons, you inform us that conservatives are Klansmen with good PR and nicer clothes. Fine. Enjoy your hate filled life. Keep screaming at the world that you are a victim of racism because your hatred is unwelcome.
Cobra,
I don’t know if you’re using the phrase “neo-conservative” as mere shorthand for “new conservatives” or something, but if you are, it’s a rather unfortunate choice of words, since “neoconservative” refers to people at just about the opposite end of the spectrum from those groups. (If you’re using it because it’s a trendy word you’ve heard and think you’ll sound intellectual by using it, it isn’t working.)
Besides, as the article you linked to points out, But in some ways, O
David,
You are right. I shouldn’t use the term “neo-conservative” in place of “new conservative.” Both groups are dangerous in my opinion, and I wouldn’t want to confuse the dubious, “corporate crusaders in the middle east” activiities of Wolfowitz, Perle, Woolsey, Cheney with the white nationalism revival of the other group.
As far as comparing the Ku Klux Klan with the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus…well, I’ll leave that sentence to the fellow posters to decide if that holds any water.
–Cobra
Cobra asked:
Why are you anti-affirmative action types so mad at the KKK?
Because it believes in racial preferences, because it does not believe in equality (now or later), because it insists on treating people with regard to their race, because it believes in rewarding some and punishing others based on race. In short, for the same reasons we oppose the racial preferences endorsed by “affirmative action types.”
What the hell?
I’ve always disagreed with affirmitive action. It’s a waste. It’s discrimination at it’s core, saying that some people deserve better treatment because or what colour of skin they have. Fuck, I could go get a nice tan and get better career advancement opportunities. When a minority member is promoted over an experienced non-minority member simply for government quotas, it hurts us all! I think Affirmitive action is way out of date. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no KKK member, I don’t discriminate. At all. Which is why my opinion is the way it is.
Stupid Law.
Gra.