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21 Dec 2010 22:06

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Politics: Haley Barbour backtracks on controversial segregation statements

  • Nobody should construe that to mean I think the town leadership were saints, either. Their vehicle, called the ‘Citizens’ Council,’ is totally indefensible, as is segregation.
  • Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour • Making the inevitable backtrack after his controversial statements that suggested he didn’t think racism in the South wasn’t that big a deal. And not a moment too soon. This guy wants to possibly run for president in 2012. After that interview, have fun with that, buddy. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Dec 2010 10:59

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Politics: Haley Barbour’s not feeling the love over civil rights comments

  • There’s nothing in his past that shows that. If you pick out a sentence or a paragraph out of a fairly long article and harp on it, you can manipulate it.
  • Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour’s press secretary, Dan Turner • Criticizing the coverage of comments Barbour made to The Weekly Standard about living during the Civil Rights era. Liberal organization Media Matters, which obviously would want to make political hay out of something like this, promoted the comments, in which Barbour praised the White Citizens’ Councils (a late-’60s group that opposed integration of different races) as “an organization of town leaders” that were a positive force in the community. As for the civil rights struggle in his hometown, Yazoo City, Mississippi, he simply said: “I just don’t remember it as being that bad.” Barbour, who’s been suggested as a presidential candidate more than once, has been one of the party’s most successful figures in recent years, so if something like this stuck, it could hurt his chances. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Aug 2010 11:46

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Politics: Glenn Beck awkwardly tries to reclaim civil rights movement, fails

  • If it’s not the essence, then we’ve been sold a pack of lies. The essence is that everyone deserves a shot — the content of character not the color of skin.
  • Glenn Beck • Explaining that his goal for yesterday’s march was to take the civil rights movement “from politics” and back to the “people of faith who believe you have an equal right to justice.” Beck made the comments today on “Fox News Sunday.” And he doesn’t agree with even that part of the civil rights movement, either. He claims that King’s speech, on top of voting rights, dealt with economic issues. He says “full and fair employment” and “decent housing” were part of what King was trying to sell, “but that’s a part of it that I don’t agree with.” Does Beck even know what he’s saying anymore? Seriously? There’s so much loopy logic in his treatment of civil rights that we can’t believe anyone takes it seriously. It’s like he accidentally backed into the civil rights debate because of his awful timing and is trying to back himself out of it. And failing. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2010 10:09

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U.S.: Also (sadly) dead: 98-year-old civil rights trailblazer Dorothy Height

The former chair and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women was one of the few women in a civil rights leadership position. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jan 2010 09:18

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Culture: “Pants on the Ground”: Should “American Idol” ditch age limits?

  • We think we understand why ‘American Idol,’ which dedicates itself to discovering new talent, would impose this restriction. But is the show being unfair to prospective contestants, or even shooting itself in the foot?
  • New York Times culture writer Dave Itzkoff • Suggesting “American Idol” has hurt itself with the age limit restriction. Beyond General Larry Platt, the 63-year-old “Pants on the Ground” supergenius (who has a killer backstory), it’s worth noting that “Britain’s Got Talent” star Susan Boyle has sold WAY more records than any recent “Idol” winner, and she’s 48. Maybe that’s why Simon Cowell is leaving – “The X Factor” doesn’t have an arbitrary age restriction that lends itself to a cookie-cutter effect. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Oct 2009 14:55

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Politics: Daily poll: Can Obama expand rights for gays?

  • Fresh off his Nobel Peace Prize win, Barack Obama will speak at a Human Rights Campaign dinner tonight. Many are hoping he can make a dent in an issue that many gay-rights supporters have been hoping for. But Obama’s been distracted by everything else. Now that he’s finally giving it some attention, can he pull it off? Vote. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jul 2009 10:54

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U.S.: The two sides of Detroit businessman Jim Burwell

  • The good side Jim Burwell, a mechanic, was famous in Detroit as a businessman who was apparently color-blind. He helped out those in the community – especially the poor – who needed it. He gave generously to Detroit’s Black Panther party.
  • The guy Jim Burwell
  • The evil sideYears after his death, it came out that Burwell was a top-ranking Klansman, a revelation which shocked many. “A whole lot of black people considered him their friend,” said civil rights activist Ron Scott. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

16 Jul 2009 14:11

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Politics: ESPN.com columnist: Don’t compare gay rights to civil rights

  • This is one of the main reasons why so many blacks bristle at the comparison of the two movements – everybody wants to sing the blues, nobody wants to live them.
  • ESPN.com columnist LZ Granderson • In a column on CNN comparing the gay rights movement to the struggle that blacks have faced. Granderson, an openly gay black male sportswriter (which is a pretty specific social segment), takes the movement to task for leaving out black people and complaining that President Barack Obama isn’t moving quickly enough. Granderson has a long history of insightful comments on gay rights, by the way. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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