Longtime Civil Rights Leader Resigns
The longest-serving member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Russell G. Redenbaugh, a conservative unaffiliated with either major party resigned yesterday, saying that the agency spends money irresponsibly in pursuit of conservative and liberal partisan agendas -- and should be shut down.
Redenbaugh's resignation came months after the commission moved from a liberal to a conservative majority, and followed years of conflict under the leadership of Mary Frances Berry. Berry and liberal co-chairman Cruz Reynoso were removed in December by Bush, who in turn appointed conservative Republican Gerald A. Reynolds to succeed Berry.
The commission is set to press what some civil rights advocates, some academics and the two remaining board members call a Republican agenda. On Friday, the board is scheduled to consider launching studies on whether Social Security shortchanges African Americans and whether minorities and women deserve advantages in the awarding of federal contracts. Both issues are part Bush's agenda. The commission's staff relied on research by the conservative Heritage Foundation to shape the proposal for the study.
Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, said "in each of these studies, I can assure you that they are going to reflect the right's ideology. It confirms our worst fears that the commission is now little more than a handmaiden for the far right."
The commission was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957 to investigate denials of civil rights, but in recent years it has become a forum for partisan wrangling.
For example in 1980, Chairman Clarence Pendleton used his position to condemn affirmative action for African Americans and Hispanics, as well as equal rights for women. President Ronald Reagan unsuccessfully tried to remove several liberal commissioners who criticized Pendleton.
So this combined with the probable stale mate over the fillibuster certianly looks like rightwing ideolgy is going to bring much of the government to a stop for an undetermined amount of time. I predict untill either 2006 or even 2008 when we have some changing of the players.
Maybe if the Washington rightwing players would stop trying to force their way as the "only" way in life this crap could end.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed !
:firefight AD now slips into her flame resitant suit to prepare for the unaviodable backlash that goes along with not riding on the conservative party bus parked here in Poo :firefight
Re: Longtime Civil Rights Leader Resigns
Quote:
On Friday, the board is scheduled to consider launching studies on whether Social Security shortchanges African Americans and whether minorities and women deserve advantages in the awarding of federal contracts. Both issues are part Bush's agenda.
The current social security system definitely does shortchange blacks, because the SSI taxes collected are the same, the average life expectancy is shorter thus amount of SSI benefits collected will be less, and there is no inheritance provision. I find it highly ironic that proposals which would result in blacks receiving more money are now being objected to by liberals because the proposal originated with GWB!
Re: Longtime Civil Rights Leader Resigns
AD,
The conservatives do not have a party bus. We have a very reasonable Ford Escort left over from the Reagan administration. It gets good mileage and has a nice 8-track tape player where we run tapes of the Gipper's speeches.
Re: Longtime Civil Rights Leader Resigns
LOL ! Excellant sense of humor from Monty :)