The actual text of Attorney General Eric Holder's speech

Thanks for myth busting again, Ann. I was worried because some in the media took one sentence from his speech to mean something that it was not. I think that most of the uncomfortableness and awkwardness in these discussions is generational. Older folks, who lived through the civil rights movement and either had to drink from different water fountains or watched others do so seem to have more steadfast unchanging views than younger folks who grew up with Black History month and MLK day.

There was a very interesting discussion on Hardball between Pat Buchanan and Professor Dr, Michael Eric Dyson. Pat, who I can often tolerate except when he's discussing gender and race, got flustered and began shouting about why doesn't Dyson "clean up his community", why are there black churches, why do blacks attack whites (huh?).  The younger Dr, Dyson stayed calmer in an Obaman way, trying to see Pat's side and also have Pat see his side, though not necessarily agree. It takes two willing people or groups to have these hard conversations. Obama does a lot of listening before he jumps in with ideas and suggestions, which I think is needed if people want to have these conversations. One "side" can't do it alone.  Maybe it's time to focus on younger pre-senior citizens and just leave those who don't want to change to themselves.

He could have used the word scared.......but no he used the word coward and he meant what he said...........you can try and make excuses for the words he used and how he used them and the context for which he used them.....go ahead and make excuses......it is what it is..... he used the word COWARD............and don't think for one minute that this word was used for the left leaning political correct Democrats that have some kind of world understanding of what it is like to be black or a woman or a gay or any other classification that many want to stereotype our world because the conservatives of this country are racist and COWARDS.......this was a direct shot at conservative American.........that we are too stupid and cowards to try and reach across the color aisle and make friends with people that are different then ourselves.......its bullshit.........all people group up together according to many different things........look at bc.org......almost all of us are here because we have breast cancer.........I never did come to this website until I HAD BC.......doesn't mean that I was a coward about bc......doesn't mean that I don't care about women and men who have bc.........I was not part of the group.........and guess what bc doesn't give a rat's ass what color your skin is...........I am so sick and tired of being called a racist at this sight........and someone knows what I mean.........guess what AG Holder..........you are the the person that is making race something that it shouldn't mean but continues to do so because of you, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and all the other people that make race their business........Shokk

I would bet that most everyone working towards equality and civil rights would love to be "out of business". Civil rights is not a business, it's a life's calling by people who aspire better for those held down because they're in the minority, rather than majority. There are plenty of other things people in they gay community (which I know first hand) would love to be doing like AIDS prevention services and education, anti-bullying programs in schools, building retirement communities and nursing for older gays so they don't have to go back in the closet etc. I am sure folks in the black community have their own community goals. As we strive for civil rights and understanding between groups, we can still maintain our own cultural uniqueness. The italian section of my town has yummy food markets. It doesn't mean that foods from other cultures aren't good in their own unique ways for other cravings. There's nothing better than a good Jewish Deli. Choosing a restaurant with a variety of foods is great too, especially when there are people with varying tastes.

I wonder if any people in the majority, who seem to be so angry, have ever spent time listening to the concerns of people from the minority, listening individual stories with open minds and hearts. I wonder if any people from the minority have listened to the opinions of those in the minority to consider where they are coming from. Obama talked about concerns from both the majority and minority sides of the racial divide. I don't see how either side is going to move forward when they only point fingers and say YOU did/think/are this and not looking at the I part of the scenario.

I took a cultural diversity class in grad school that was just horrible, because the black female lecturer (the first and last class she ever taught) only acknowledged the issues of blacks and women. In her eyes no groups were kept down as much as those and nothing else mattered. A friend of mine had a great experience in her class, because her prof had a more inclusive syllabus that included universal and unique experiences from different groups of people in both the majority and the minority.

I don't think that those guys would love to be "out of business" .. they make millions doing what they do, they get their pic on the cover of mags and rags .. they enjoy the spotlight, the rants and the throngs of people begging for their help. I think the only person in my memory, but its not from living it, but from films, is that MLK was altruistic, Rosa Parks was, too ... but not these clowns.

I think with Condi, Colin, Holder, Obama in politics, Beyonce, Oprah and that handsmome Denzel, you now  have mainstream AA's that most people look up to ... Beyonce, Halle Barry, those girls are gorgeous .. I dont' think anybody thinks "black woman" first ..they think actress/singer hot women. 

With Condi and Colin you never heard about race .. they were just people qualified for the job. They didn't make an issue and neither did anyone else. 

I think its time to let things settle and stop throwing slurs at others and calling them racial cowards!

!

So today (or yesterday) when Obama address the mayors of some cities about the spendilus bill that there were some where their governors may not accept the money......which would include Texas, Idaho, Louisiana, and Alaska......of course Senator Clyburn (D-SC) said that if these governors refused the stimulus money they are racist..........that they dislike black people........ok what does the stimulus bill have to do with black people.......I thought it had to do with all the people of the United States........hmmmmmmmmm.........so let me get this straight........also it was Senator Clyburn that added the clause at the last minute the so called stimulus bill that if a governor refused the stimulus money then the state representatives have 45 days to vote and override the governor of any particular state........sweet.............so again let me get this straight......if any particular governor decides that they don't either need nor want the stimulus money they are RACISTS..........wow..........and see my liberal friends that insist that it is us on the right that are the racists what a load of crap.....................Shokk

Clyburn is great, sunny. I think you misunderstood the point of his statements. In some states, like Louisiana, blacks are disproportionally still effected, homeless, displaced etc  by hurricaine katrina (which is where a lot of the infrastructure money was to be headed) because in the 9th ward, there happened to be a lot of poor, blacks living there. So blacks will be disproportionally hurt by not having access to this money, so it will be harder for them to better themselves.

Nobody said all people on the right were racists. There are people in your party who make prejudice statements and seem to hold prejudice beliefs. Maybe if you grew up being limited by the color of your skin you'd be more sensitive. Why not think about where Clyburn is coming from rather than jump on him? He's certainly not a racist for wanting blacks to have access to better themselves. Not that all blacks are poor or need that betterment, but there are those, particularly in the south who are still not enjoying the equality those in more urban and suburban places do.  Like it or not, the poor, uninsured and unemployed will benefit more directly from the stimulus than middle and higher income, insured and employed folks. The economy will grow from the bottom up, no more of this trickle down business. So when  governors refuse money that will need to be paid back anyway by his states citizens and their children, they cut off their noses to spite their faces. They miss out on infrastructure. They miss out on jobs, Not taking the money is stupid, because it's not for the governors, it's for the citizens. If states refuse to take the money, their citizens still have to pay it back in taxes.

This is a time to look at what's good for the country and how to get back on track. Not what the stimulus is doing for individuals, but for the country. I'm all for those who are or have been disenfranchised because of generational racism getting a bigger share of the pie and it's not fair for a governor to deny them that.

Ann, I'm done with this thread. Thanks for starting it and trying to clear up misinterpretations.

Starla - Is the book titled:  Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can Do  by (female) Star Parker (I read it, and others, while participating in a Cross Cultural Discussion Group, years ago). It was written about 5-6 years ago. She also wrote another book in 1998. She is now a CNN consultant and a nationally syndicated columnist. Her personal "story" and accomplishments are amazing!

Editorial Review (Amazon):   America has two economic systems: capitalism for the rich and socialism for the poor. This double-minded approach seems to keep the poor enslaved to poverty while the rich get richer. Let's face it, despite its $400 billion price tag, welfare isn't working. The solution, asserts Star Parker, is a faith-based, not state-sponsored, plan. In Uncle Sam's Plantation, she offers five simple yet profound steps that will allow the nation's poor to go from entitlement and slavery to empowerment and freedom. Parker shares her own amazing journey up from the lower rungs of the economic system and addresses the importance of extending the free market system to this neglected group of people. Emphasizing personal initiative, faith, and responsibility, she walks readers toward releasing the hold poverty has over their lives. Born-again black conservative Parker puts her political faith on the line in no uncertain terms. Liberal Democrats are pimps, she says, who use black political leaders as whores to seduce black voters into supporting welfare and other policies that have produced a passel of welfare brats (black and white)--permanent dependents on government handouts. Before she presents this analysis, she tells her own fascinating story of descent, after four abortions, into welfare-dependent, unwed motherhood and of rising out of it, thanks to a Christian conversion experience, to become the successful editor-publisher of a community service magazine. That enterprise was destroyed by the 1992 Los Angeles riots, in which most of her advertisers' businesses perished. She then launched the Coalition on Urban Affairs, which advocates conservative social policies. With Benet's help, she makes a fast-reading, colorful, entertaining book of her story and opinions. With an introduction and probable on-the-air promotion by Rush Limbaugh, Parker's may become the most popular black conservative testimonial ever.

Product Description:   In her own unique way, Star Parker, the outspoken former welfare mom who has become "one of the Republican Party's most unlikely darlings" ("People"), tells the inspirational story of how she has turned her life around with L.A. publicity. 

(Disclaimer: I am NOT endorsing or rejecting this publication.)

Sunny you wrote:

Other scholarly studies have been done to prove that the blame was not the government keeping them down with "hand outs;" it has been attributed now to the study of the history of assets and who owns the most in this country that demonstrates why black families, and other families of color have had such a difficult time in reaching the level of wealthier Americans in this country.

Interesting...can you please list the studies you are referring to or post the links? I would love to read them... Thanks!