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Ja OPINIONS/ The Charlotte Post August 1,.1996 GOP turns ‘good’ Republicans into mean politicians By James Alsbrook SPECIAL TO THE POST One is white and the other is black, but Bob Dole and Clarence Thomas remind me of two wayward young girls who joined the wrong crowd and became prostitutes. Dole was a “good” young man, a decorated war veteran. He had black political friends and he had been “straight” on the civil rights issue. Then came Richard Nixon and his “Southern strategy” to avenge Lyndon Johnson’s civil rights initiatives. Nixon and then Reag2in courted Mississippi Ku Kluxers and other racists in their presidential campaigns in the South. They always condenmed civil rights and equal opportunity laws, and urged the Republican Party in Dixie to change from the party of Lincoln to the party of slave-time racists like Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and their disci ples, Stennis, Bilbo and David Duke. Dole tried to stem the Dixie tide. But well- entrenched, longer-tenured Southerners manipu lated Mississippian Trent Lott into Dole’s old job as Senate Republican leader. With Senate leadership and prestige in the hands of Southern whites. Dole, the presidential candidate, needs Dixie approval and seeks it by attacking affirmative action and dodging civil rights matters like the NAACP convention. He must sing and talk Dude. He must dance in lock step to the chin music of old-time Dixie^s vile racism. Clarence Thomas seemed to be a “good” young man when nearing graduation from the Yale Law School. Then came John Danforth, Missouri gover nor, Yale alumnus and heir to the Ralston mil lions. He was a “moderate” Republican, and a “do gooder” who gave Thomas a job in Missouri gov ernment. When Danforth was elected to the Senate, he got Thomas a job in the Reagan admin istration. Thomas had never practiced law independently. He was a dependen, grinning errand boy and hatchet njan for Republicans. He protected his job by obsequiously carrying out the racist political philosophy of Nixon and Reagan. He opposed the civil rights laws passed in the ‘60s, opposed the same affirmative action rules he used to get. his education, and challenged the 1954 Supreme Court decision desegregating pubUc schools. Dole and Thomas are firmly under the philosoph ical control of Dude pohtical leaders elected by seg regationists and church burners who want to diminish federal power and and greatly strengthen state power because: 1. Federal power in the Civil War (a) crushed unbridled white supremacy and slavery in the South, (b) made blacks citizens, and (c) gave blacks the right to vote. The slave states were forced to ratify three new and facilitating constitutional amendments or remain a conquered territoiy. The slave states swallowed this “equality” pill but immediately retaliated by setting up the Ku Klux Klan. 2. Tlie federal government employed black work ers despite state and local opposition to equally or better-qualified black workers. Before World War II, blacks with bachelor’s, masters’, law degrees or more were often forced to accept either menial jobs or government-controlled jobs such as postal work er or government clerk because of state and local racism. The Southern state and local governments for many years had “white jobs” and “colored jobs,” often putting ignorant whites in charge of black segregated schools. In Dude public education, the prejudiced whites for many years permitted blacks to get education for menial jobs only. The present South-dominated congressional leaders seek to reduce federal power so that race discrimination can be increased under state and local control. The objectionable Republican leadership consists of Haley Barbour of Mississippi, chairman. Republican National Committee; Trent Lott, Mississippi, Senate Republican Majority Leader; Don Nickles, Oklahoma, Senate majority whip; Newt Gingrich, Georgia, Speaker of the House; Dick Armey, Texas, House Repubhcan Leader; and Tom DeLay, Texas, House Whip. These men now set the nation’s legislative agen da and sing Dixie times to which Dole and Thomas are dancing. JAMES ALSBROOK is professor emeritus at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Message to Mel Watt: Become a conservative By Andrew Cline SPECIAL TO THE POST RALEIGH—Poor Mel Watt. He loves his job. It’s one of the best jobs in America. But his only two chances of keeping it involve either Supreme Court perfidy or his own apostasy. Mel Watt represents North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District. On June 13, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 5-4 deci sion, ruled Watt’s district a vio lation of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that “no state shall...deny to any person with in its jurisdiction the equal pro tection of the laws.” North Carolina violated the equal pro tection clause when it used race as a “dominant and controlling”factor to create a dis- ■ trict that was itself an unneces sary remedy to alleged past dis crimination, the court ruled. Watt, however, has other ideas. He believes that the majority of white Tar Heels are so inherently racist that they cannot bring themselves to vote for a black candidate. 'Therefore, to ensure that blacks get elected to office, the government must create special voting districts in which blacks outnumber whites. “There is substantial racially polarized voting in North Carolina,” Watt told The Charlotte Observer after the ruling. He said that without racially segregated voting dis tricts, blacks would be subjected to the same situation that exist ed when whites disallowed black voting. If Watt were cor rect, then he and Rep. Eva Clayton, who represents North Carolina’s other majority-minor ity congressional district, would be the only elected black offi cials in North Carolina. They are not. Ralph Campbell, who is black, defeated Franklin Freeman (now Correction Secretary), who is white, to win the Democratic nomination for auditor in 1992, then went on to defeat Republican J. Vernon Abernethy, who is white, to become state auditor. And, of course, Harvey Gantt twice defeated white challengers for the opportunity to take on Jesse Helms. Of North Carolina’s 170 state legislators, 24, or about 14 per cent, are black. Though many were elected from urban dis tricts in which minority voters make up a sizeable portion of the electorate, that is not the case for each of them. Nor is it the case that white conserva tives automatically reject black candidates in favor of whites. Black Rep. Larry Linney, R- Buncombe, was elected by most ly middle class, white conserva tives, as was Rep. Henry McCoy, R-Wake, who also is black (and happens to be my representative). If white conservatives, like myself, who oppose all govern mental preferences based on race can and have voted for black candidates over white ones, then Watt’s argument is wrong, prima facie. ANDREW CLINE is director of publications at the John Locke Foundation, a conserva tive think tank in Raleigh. Rebuilding by building black men By Michael Session NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION Born in Midway, Ala., Jesse Peterson learned first-hand the difficulties of growing up with out a strong father figure. Raised by his grandmother, Peterson led a turbulent life in his youth that only resulted in an early adulthood filled with drug dependency and welfare assistance. Ironically, Jesse himself fathered illegitimate children, recycling his misery for others. At the age of 37, Jesse had decided he had enough. And so he found God and changed his life. Believing self-effort and moral commit ment to be the twin keys to the regeneration of the black family - and hence the black communi ty, Jesse founded in 1990 and currently presides over the Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny. In Jesse’s own words, BOND is committed to “rebuilding the black communi ty by rebuilding the black man.” BOND is a non-profit grass roots organization formed for the purpose of addressing the ever-increasing problems encountered by black families and American communities at- large. To solve the problems of the family, the problems have to be identified. Jesse does not hesi tate in his diagnosis of what is wrong with many families: “We believe this rebuilding process involves helping men to overcome the enslavements of denial and the deterioration that comes from living a non- committed fife. We believe most men have failed their families and this is the cause of the breakdovm of society. This fail ure comes out of men lacking character strength, self control and the moral values common to men of goodwill everywhere.” Instead of simply talking about the problems these fami lies face, Jesse teaches people how to overcome them. BOND holds weekly forums in order to discuss as a group how to over come problems faced by fami lies. Individual counseling is offered to help people find solu tions to their problems. Political, social, economic, and spiritual networking is encour aged and opportunities for this type of networking are provided. Seminars are held to teach peo ple business, politics, economics, and education. Literature and audio/video material with infor mation to help people realize the need to live a responsible and committed life are also offered. What is BOND’S message? 'The organization preaches that social and economic improve ment comes naturally out of one’s desire to improve one’s self and one’s community. This should be guided by common sense and moral values. Husbands and fathers are taught to be responsible and committed to their wives and children. Wives and mothers are asked to do the same for their husbands and children. Young people are taught to seek the values that empower them with natural self-control, self- determination, self-reliance and the understanding to see those same values in others. BOND also stresses the responsibility of people and institutions in positions of power. Leaders are challenged to speak truthfully and live a credible life that reflects their words and allows their listeners to think and speak freely. Religious and non religious organizations are asked to accept criticism gra ciously and conduct their activi ties with the goodwill and safety of the community in mind. Most of Peterson’s time is now spent running BOND and giv ing speeches. Previously, Jesse hosted a talk show in Oregon, and ran his own custodial busi ness. As president of BOND, Jesse never took a dime for him self until this past year, as his time has been increasingly devoted to fulfilling BOND’S goals. Everyone else affiliated with BOND from the instruc tors at the seminars to the sec retary who keeps track of mem bership is strictly volunteer. The funding for BOND activities comes from grassroots dona tions and people who have become successful through BOND’S guidance. As a former drug addict and welfare depen dent, Jesse Peterson’s back ground is one of hopelessness and despair. As president of BOND, he is forging a new future for himself and many others. MICHAEL SESSION is regional coordinator for Project 21, a black conservative organi zation. Letters To The Post We support black churches The writer is chairman of the board of elders. Central Christian Church. We, the Board of Elders of Central Christian Church, Lexington, Kentucky, are out raged by the tragic epidemic of church burnings which has occurred in recent months. We. are. also concerned about the sickness manifested by such mean, mindless, and cowardly behavior. We are especially dis mayed that so large a number of the destroyed buildings belong to African American congrega tions. We are equally concerned that voices of hatred, often man ifesting themselves in racism and extreme social views, are at the root of some, if not many, of these despicable acts. We urge all churches and other religious bodies to con demn these actions. We believe we need to join together in seek ing both appropriate penalties for those responsible and gener ous resources to restore the church buildings. We commend the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA in providing leadership for all the churches in responding with positive, practical help. We support the use of federal investigative resources, in con junction with local efforts, in pursuing the causes of these burnings, the possibility of a conspiracy of religious and racial prejudice, and the prose cution of the responsible cul prits. We are grateful for those national and local leaders who have condemned these abhor rent acts. We continue to believe that with strong leadership it is possible to create a climate that will lead us beyond the racism, intolerance, and hatred that continue to exist in our nation. Paul H. Jones Lexington, Ky. When we stand up for children, we stand for selves Marian Wright Edelman This past June 1, hundreds of thousands of Americans stood for children at the Lincoln Memorial as an American com munity to commit ourselves to putting our children first, to building a just America that leaves no child behind, and to ensuring all our children healthy and safe passage to adulthood. The important thing is that we stood together: red, white, brown, black and yellow; young and old; rich, middle-class, and poor; female and male; physical ly and mentally challenged; Jews, Gentiles, Christians, and Moslems; Republicans, Democrats, independents, liber als, moderates, and conserva tives - each an inextricable part of the amazing sacred mosaic of God’s universe and of America’s democracy. We came from every state and from over 3,700 spon soring organizations, represent ing tens of millions of Amencans. We came by trains, planes, buses, and cars. Some of us walked, and some came by wheelchair. Some came with family, and some had no family. No one was excluded. Some of us who came are working so hard at two or three jobs to make ends meet that we spend little or no time with our chil dren. And some of us are so des perate for one decent job and child care that we do not enjoy the time we do have with our children. Some of our children have access to the best health care in the world, and some of I us live in fear every day that our children will get sick and be J unable to see a doctor because we have no health insurance. Some of our children are tracked to Princeton and Yale, and some of our children are tracked for prison and jail — for about the same cost but with vastly different dividends, for them and for America. What Stand For Children Day revealed is that while we are not all the same and do not agree on everything, we do agree on one crucial thing: That no one in America should harm children and that every one of us can do more to ensure that our children grow up safe, healthy, and educated, in nur turing families and caring com munities. Children depend on many adults - their families first and foremost, but also their neigh bors, teachers, and religious and community leaders - to guide their way and support them on their journey to success and adulthood. That’s why we stood for our children and families on June 1. That day helped us realize that together we can give our children-back their childhoods, safety, and hope, and improve millions of young lives right now. It helped us see that we as a nation need to do more of what we know works for all our children, like every other wealthy, industrialized nation. We stood together because we know that government is only part of the answer and because we know we are the answer - individuals, families, communi ty and religious leaders, and cit izens who hold ourselves per sonally accountable and who hold our leaders publicly accountable with our voices and votes. As active citizens, we can make our leaders help rather than hinder our children, and make it easier rather than hard er for famihes to raise healthy, safe, educated, and moral chil dren. We stood together because we realize that children require a seamless web of family, commu nity, employer, and government support. All children need strong family and social values; private charity and public jus tice; good home training, good school training, good job train ing, and good moral training; and parents and leaders who struggle to practice what they preach. So many of our children are morally confused because so many adults talk right and do wrong in our private, profession al, and public lives. Now that we have returned to our communities, we must keep standing for children every day until all America stands with us. Take at least one step for just one child and you will make a difference. And from now on, remember: You do not stand alone. We stand together. South Carolina native MARI AN WRIGHT EDELMAN is president of the Children’s Defense Fund, and a leader of the Black Community Crusade for Children. For more informa tion, call (800) 663-4032.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Aug. 1, 1996, edition 1
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