From the WSJ:
In Ricci v. DeStefano, firefighters in New Haven, Connecticut who passed a qualifying exam were denied promotions to lieutenant or captain because of the color of their skin. They were white.
The High Court will decide whether New Haven violated civil rights law and the Constitution when it threw out the results of the examinations after no black test takers passed. The city doesn’t deny that its decision to scrap the test was based on race, but it justifies it under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which requires employers not to rely on exams that have a racially disparate impact. If it promoted the white candidates, the city says, it would face lawsuits from the black candidates.
A federal court agreed and dismissed the case before it went to trial. The court further concluded that the city’s action did not violate the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. No racial discrimination occurred, the court said, because all the results were disregarded and nobody was promoted. Imagine the outcry if the races of those who passed or failed had been reversed.
Ricci next went to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, where a three-judge panel affirmed the lower court’s unpublished decision in a cursory statement that did not address the core Constitutional issues. The lack of discussion — and paper trail — in such an important case is unusual. One of the judges on the panel was Sonia Sotomayor, who is almost certainly on President Obama’s short list for the Supreme Court.
When the full appeals court voted 7-6 against re-hearing Ricci, Judge Jose Cabranes wrote a dissent noting that the panel’s summary order contains only “a single substantive paragraph” and that “this Court has failed to grapple with the questions of exceptional importance raised in this appeal.” He said the plaintiffs “must now look to the Supreme Court.”
Given the current Court’s 4-4 conservative-liberal split, the fate of the firefighters probably hangs on the protean jurisprudence of Justice Anthony Kennedy. He has been skeptical of race-based government schemes, going back to his early years on the Court in Richmond v. Croson in 1989. “The moral imperative of racial neutrality is the driving force of the Equal Protection Clause,” Justice Kennedy wrote in that racial set-asides case. He also concurred in Justice Roberts’s opinion in the Seattle schools case, though taking a more narrow view. Schools can be “race-conscious,” he wrote, though race can’t be the only or controlling factor.
Well, it’s more than just that. Kennedy essentially legitimized the idea of “diversity” as it is currently used — meaning he gave legal weight to the idea that the color of someone’s skin is more important, in determining what is “diverse,” than the content of their characters. So determining how Kennedy will rule on such issues is a toss-up at best.
And in fact, the Justice Department seems to be counting on Kennedy kicking the can down the road, much like O’Connor did on affirmative action during the Bush administration:
A danger in Ricci is that Justice Kennedy will join the Court’s liberals and decide not to decide. That’s the option urged by the Justice Department, which proposes sending the case back to a lower court for further study. Justice says the city acted properly in throwing out the tests, assuming that it did so not as “a pretext for race discrimination.” Except that seems to be exactly what New Haven did. The facts of Ricci are not in dispute and Justice’s proposal smells like a political maneuver to deep-six a controversial case [my emphasis].
New Haven can’t be faulted for aiming to make its fire department more diverse. As part of a multiracial, multiethnic society, we all have a stake in encouraging minorities to participate in the modern workplace and rise to leadership positions. At the same time, there’s got to be a better way to accomplish this goal than by denying promotions to workers who earned them under a well understood process open to all candidates.
Employers deserve clarity about what they can and cannot do without risk of being sued. And the Ricci plaintiffs deserve to have the law applied equally — whatever the color of their skin.
I agree with the WSJ editorial writers on the larger point, but again, I don’t see how skin color necessarily equates to diversity. Which is why I find their almost perfunctory invocation of the good of “diversity” in the editorial problematic and, ultimately, self-defeating: because if what we are after is clarity on racial justice issues, a good place to begin, it seems to me, is with a deconstruction of cultural platitudes of the kind that has editorial writers arguing that diversity is both a legitimate goal and is tied to skin color, then endeavoring, in the same argument, to unknot themselves by suggesting that race-consciousness, while legitimate and desirable, must be canceled out by race neutrality.
In the end, Chief Justice Roberts said it best: “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
It is when Justices try to mitigate the straightforward truth of such a statement to appease the perpetually race-conscious that they get into intellectual trouble, and perforce begin acting as philosopher kings rather than interpreters of the law.
(h/t Terry H)
I don’t care about dirty socialist union scum firefighters what will be just fine making up for their lack of promotion by abusing overtime. It might just be I have a cold though.
Dude, I wish I got overtime. I’d totally abuse it.
I kind of abuse my regular time, too, though.
/me returns to work.
Interesting and per usual I agree 100% with you. John McWhorter has an interesting piece that deals a little more with the racial dynamic. Here it is:
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=7b72fffc-f7b5-4a94-8221-d0dbfd60e4fb
Hey, there you are, Ella. I just wanted to say thank you for a comment you made to me the other day. I had just despaired a little (something about embracing nihilism as a Christian) and you said something to me that set my mind at ease. Again, thanks.
oh. I’m all about the abusing. I just think if Baracky’s dirty socialist presidency is to succeed with respect to achieving unprecedented social strife and class warfare then I better do my part.
hf
What is “abusing overtime”? You do realize, of course, that it is cheaper to pay overtime than to hire more people.
This is teh abusing, Darleen, and as a faithful reader of firefightingnews.com what I can tell you is it’s this sort of abuse what tars all of the dirty socialist union scum firefighting community a lot unfairly.
Throwing out the test results because no black takers passed cannot be seen as anything other than hanging a sign saying “non blacks need not apply” unless it can be shown that the test was somehow prejudiced against blacks.
What Makewi said.
And the idea that lots of skin colors = diversity would only apply to the ranks of the KKK.
In Latin America, you’ve got all kinds of diversity in terms of skin color, but not a lot in terms of equality and whatnot. As far as character diversity, which occurs in all societies, skin color didn’t exactly correlate. Nor did socioeconomic status or religion or whatever other category you wanted to apply.
I want to see some white guys and Asians insist on equal hiring practices in the NBA. Whatever the coaches and GMs use as criteria have a disparate impact. Blacks account for what, 12% of the population, so on a 12-man squad that would be less than two players per team. Granted, the Asian population is even lower, so there might be some teams without any, but isn’t Yao the only ethnic Chinese in the league?
I want my firefighters to be uniformly qualified. Preferably highly qualified. No diversity.
Question is, did the vendor that developed the written multiple choice component of the test (it had multiple components and IIRC the complaints were the written MC exam) look for an equally valid assessment with less disparate impact? If so, and the job analysis (assuming they did one … I hope) supports the use of such an instrument, there’s not a requirement to throw out the test. Let them complain. If the adverse impact is justified it’s ok to have adverse impact.
A lot of places will throw out exams with high disparate impact just because they don’t deal with the complaints, but that doesn’t mean you should. Curious to see how this turns out.
They all look black after they come out from fighting a fire.
Firefighting is tough work and so long the promotion test is neutral and focused on the skills needed for leadership roles in firefighting (which involve brains and phsyical fitness) race should not be a factor.
I also wonder when some governmental body is going to stand up to the racial McCarthyites. Chief Justice Roberts has it correct; can he convince a majority of the court that the day has come to end this?
“Still, we justify the rhetorical contortions that excuse black people from challenging examinations; in the end, it is based on a tacit sense that such things are antithetical to black authenticity, that it is somehow untoward to require this kind of concentrated scholarly exertion on black people.”
Good link, Obstreperous Infidel.
Of course, I don’t even know what the questions on the test were and if they were related to the jobs the applicants were testing for. (My guess is the test questions were relevant, but I don’t know.) The purpose of having a written exam (especially a multiple chice portion) is to have an objective measurement in order to weed out favoritism of any kind – obviously.
Ironically, these exams are developed to avoid complaints of discrimination/political favoritism/nepotism. Taxpayers didn’t exactly get their money’s worth that time.
God forbid they leave hiring and promotion decisions to a competent, ethical administrator who, knowing he can get sued no matter WHAT he does, makes a choice based on the interests of the agency and taxpayer.
It’s not about stopping discrimination, it’s about redress for past discrimination. You’d think a Chief Justice would have the ability to identify the topic at hand.
it’s about redress for past discrimination
Because as soon as you “redress” racial discrimination (how much would it take? $200,000? $4.2 million?), racial minorities will stop being unhappy and whites will stop being mean.
Just like that. Overnight. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is.
See, I don’t have a problem with that. As someone that works by the hour (non-union by the way), if someone wants to work their ass off to earn more, more power to them.
Besides, how much does the average congresscritter make? I’d rather pay that kind of salary to someone putting out fires than those that fan them…
hf
I thought that is what you are referring to. But where is the “abuse”?
Look, I’m a supervisor, I don’t get overtime (only comp time) but I work at a 24/7 facility and we just could not function without getting staff to cover overtime shifts. The last 2 week period alone we covered 310 overtime shifts. Some people volunteer for those shifts, others don’t want to work as much (our limit is that no one can work over 128 total hours in two weeks).
It ain’t abuse if it is necessary. And like I said, many institutions, especially ones that are 24/7 (police, fire, prisons, hospitals) cannot justify employing enough people so that no one works overtime.
It’s not about stopping discrimination, it’s about redress for past discrimination.
Which can’t be done, but I do appreciate your being honest for a change.
Sure, lets redress former slaves, maybe even members of their immediate families.
What Thomas Sowell refers to as “cosmic justice”, Thor. Society chasing it’s tail attempting to right the wrongs done by and upon the long dead. Ethic purge, anyone?
It’s not about stopping discrimination.
Focus.
“In the end, Chief Justice Roberts said it best: “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.—
So would it be fair to say that those most concerned with racism are racists? Sounds about right to me.
Comment by Darleen on 4/23 @ 3:57 pm #
Comment by Dan Are on 4/23 @ 3:58 pm #
Please ignore the retarded marmoset.
Thank you.
It’s not about stopping discrimination, it’s about redress for past discrimination.
The best part is that this redress can be redefined at the whim of those demanding it, has no measurable benchmarks to establish success or failure, and carries with it the ability to define opponents of the first two features as racists.
I will consider your views about the overtime. I don’t get overtime but I get a lot of perks. Like this one client sent me a pair of little plastic USB speakers recently. That was so great.
As with the war on drugs, with the huge money making legal system built up around it, those that are fighting the war on racism would be devastated if the problem was seen as fixed.
Or the assholes among us would declare it’s still relevant because of past racism. Whatever.
As the country that was most instrumental in ending slavery, I think American blacks should pay more taxes than others. It would be the patriotic thing to do. /sarcasm>
They should take this to the next level and abolish the fire department. What is the department, other than a place where minorities can be humiliated by low test scores? Time to move onward from this failed model.
Comment by Makewi on 4/23 @ 4:04 pm #
Please ignore the lying bandwidth thief.
Thank you.
Why not reinstitute commercial fire departments?
There are still houses in Philly with fire plaques over the front door.
My great-grandfather was a serf in Slovakia. I think Barry O should invade, and give me back the property that’s rightfully mine.
And pay for Rosetta so I can learn the effin’ language.
Justice!
Thomas Sowell is entitled to his opinion, as are you, but there is no time limit to court mandated redress based on the life span of the perps. The most pertinent consideration for moving solely toward race neutral is whether or not the redress has been achieved.
I think it’s good for select whites who lack a conscience and certain white revisionists of history to get a good long taste of reverse discrimination. Their howls of anger allow us to revisit how blacks must have felt, and, of course, it makes for good comedy.
Please ignore the dissembling slime mold.
Thank you.
My great-great granpappy died fighting for Lincoln to end slavery, I think blacks should pay me, oh, around 3.8 billion dollars for my families sacrifice for their benifit.
REPARATIONS BABY!!!
What a fucking imbecile.
As a Minnesotan, what is the dollar amount of redress I can get for being descended from the First Minnesota regiment that took such a heavy beating at Antietam, Bull Run, and especially Gettysburg? ‘Cuz unless I hear otherwise, my bill was paid in full nearly 150 years ago.
“Their howls of anger allow us to revisit how blacks must have felt, and, of course, it makes for good comedy.”
“Felt” is past tense. Justice has been served!!
And what is “reverse discrimination”? My mom’s from Italy, Nubians invaded and enslaved us many times. Was their later enslavement in the American South a “good long taste of reverse discrimination”?
lee
I am actually a descendant of bond slaves (unlike Obama). I expect a check, too.
I don’t think this allows for the black ones to have as much dignity as the ones who get jobs based on merit. I don’t get how you would ever ask for a raise if you already know that you’re dragging the organization down just by showing up every day. It’s just sort of institutionalizing a loser attitude I think, this affirmative action thing.
So the decision that “redress” has been finally been fully made… is to be left to those who are the benficiaries of the “redress”. No worries there!
So, anyone know the html code for me to type the infinty symbol?
I think it’s good for select whites who lack a conscience and certain white revisionists of history to get a good long taste of reverse discrimination. Their howls of anger allow us to revisit how blacks must have felt, and, of course, it makes for good comedy.
Says the little bitch who lives off mommy and daddy’s money.
Hope no one clones up neanderthals, every human on the PLANET would owe them, for our competing and clubbing them into extinction.
Jeff, spare us all from my typing. Spellcheck, please!
Trying “& infin ;” without the spaces LTC.
∞
#46, NO way, man. I ain’t taking the fall for what Cro-Magnon did. I’m blaming them!
Oy, that reductio ad absurdum is exhausting. I should’ve heeded N. O’Brain’s marmoset caution.
Just type & ignore the talking asshole.
Spaces don’t matter.
Told ya, Dan.
Mr. O’Brain …
You really need to install Trollhammer. You’ll thank yourself.
Just think … if trolls used it, they’d just be talking to themselves.
The reason I supported the War in Iraq was the possibility of Reparations for my Irish ancestors who were kidnapped by the Norse and sold in Iraq as slaves for the silver mines.
Have not heard if any progress has been made upon the matter …
So, how long until the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world say “enough, we have had redress made unto us” ∞ years?
Squid, try Stephen Sears “Gettysburg”.
Great read.
Thanks Sdferr!
de nada, LTC, happy to oblige.
…damn, now I’m gonna be up all night thinking about the neanderthal opportunity cost of extinction. Their missed role in the UFC alone…
Me, I like to throw in questions about how successful the strategy has been in getting us closer to the goal of a race-neutral playing field.
But I’m all racisty like that.
“As the country that was most instrumental in ending slavery,”
Not by a long shot. The British Whigs (under Fox), after being convinced through a very long battle in Parliament, led by Wilberforce and, finally, Pitt did much, much more. We certainly expended the most blood in resolving the issue though.
And that blood wiped out the debt forever. Just my opinion.
Comment by Diana on 4/23 @ 4:36 pm #
Thanks, Diana, but I’m using IE.
Plus there’s the sheer pleasure in exposing that lying, bandwidth stealing pussy for what he is with each and every one of his mendouchious natterings.
Remember, whore is a slimemold with the intelligence of Corky the Retard and the soul of a Gestapo torturer, a creature so vile that he couldn’t lick the sand from my sons combat boots.
Mr thor:
I am Gustaf Oxenstierna, creator of an new webzine called Modern Douchebag that is set to debut in three weeks. We are a left-tilting publication (hence the name) and all of our contributor slots have been filled, save one. I have followed your comments in the threads of this blog for some time now and am convinced that you would be a fine addition to our writing staff. We need writers that take Douchebaggery to the next level in order to effectively combat Wingnut Extremismâ„¢ and I would be honored if you would accept this offer.
In addition, if your writings exceed our standards of Douchebaggery you will have a chance to be Editor-in-Chief of our next webzine venture, Shitass Quarterly, which is slated to debut in September. I am supremely confident, Mr. thor, that you will be a rising star amongst the Leftwing Douchebag community should you choose to accept my offer.
You may contact me at leftwingassholes *at* loserville *dot* com.
Sincerely yours,
Gustaf Oxenstierna
My experience is that it’s rare and difficult to successfully cry discrimination at hiring, but it’s always attempted at firing. End result is minority applicants are hired less, and only if they appear to be total kissasses. Not exactly progress.
Redress for past discrimination against other people?
Russia is going to have a hard time footing that bill!
As would any nation. Danes: “We have a little bill for damages for those two attacks on Denmark during the Napoleonic Wars.” Britain: “Funny you bring that up. Here’s our bill for the Vikings.” Ireland: “Hey! I’ve got one for both of you!”
Mikey NTH — imagine the lawsuit against the American natives for slaughtering peaceful Norse settlers!
Mao’s kids are pretty screwed.
At last the perfect anti-AGW argument. The fucking glaciers have it coming.
Just look what they did to that poor Italian guy!
Glaciers, and their right-wing lies of working for a level playing field.
Wait a minute…
Or you could just let the dead past remain dead and do better in the future?
No money in that, is there?
What about the neanderthals? Think of what they could’ve taught us about removal of unwanted body hair?
My hope is that when enough people cry discrimination, it’ll all become background noise.
?
It has nothing to do with whether I think you’re racist or if you think I’m racist. The topic is whether the redress that’s been ordered by and approved by our Suspreme Court has been fulfilled, the same Court that protects your freedom to express your opinions, and/or your freedom to idnetify another country whose courts and laws you agree with more than the U.S.’s so that you might relocate there and bask in agreement with that country’s legal system’s rulings.
Focus. Besides, Barack Obama spoke of AA in similar terms as those above during his successful ascension to the Presidency and clearly stated that a healthy debate of affirmative action’s finality was necessary. But as long as AA is the law of the land it is to be respected, else LTC John might have to intervene on behalf of the gov’t to protect those laws. That’s some irony soup, that!
I make snide comments about people what get affirmative action. Well usually I say they are losers. That’s not snide exactly it’s more disapproving I guess.
Nice post, router. I’m sure I’m not alone here believing Barry O is intentionally burying the economy (darts at the phone book could pick a better cabinet) just to be the needed savior for troubled times. And we’ll get a second round of FDR-like powergrab.
Meanwhile the court is twisting all over itself trying to reconcile a paternalistic state with a constitution and common law history of property rights, individual rights and limited government.
Please ignore the talking crap sandwich.
Thank you.
“If Republicans did to minority children what the Democrats do, through their education policies, they would be denounced as the worst racists on earth.”
-David Horowitz
Hi there, little pink-pantied pissy bitch. Any imaginary EvooooL Communists cause burning in your urinary tract today?
Those warm burning sensations make ’em Commies feel so real, eh, pissy swish.
“But as long as AA is the law of the land”
HUH? Marmosetland.
Sorry, N. O’Brain, that was the last time. I vow never to read thor again. With hand on “The Road to Serfdom” I swear.
I think it’s good for select whites who lack a conscience and certain white revisionists of history to get a good long taste of reverse discrimination.
Reverse discrimination? You have an MFA in English and you just used the phrase reverse discrimination?
The topic is whether the redress that’s been ordered by and approved by our Suspreme Court has been fulfilled…
No. The topic is discrimination. Read the original post. Focus.
And look up the definition of redress while you are at it.
…and nice Horowitz quote. Soft racism is the worse kind.
“New Haven can’t be faulted for aiming to make its fire department more diverse.”
Of course it can. I don’t care if my firefighters are 200 lb micks or 7-foot freaking Zulus. I want people who are really good at putting out fires. Anything else IS race-based and discriminatory.
The litigants are going down the wrong road. They should be approaching their case from a Waiver and Estoppel basis. Simply put, the local municipality outlined the basis for hiring. The applicants agreed to that process and proceeded to be tested verbally and in written form. The scores were released…and the municipality voided the agreement without cause (should the Federal Court and Appellate Court be taken at their word). In essence, the poor decisions by both Courts just made it easier for the litigants to win, but they are going to have to re-file.
Worm
You don’t have an MFA in English and that, Bmoe, is at the heart of your inability to define authorial intent.
Historic inevitability of Revolution! Catch that phrase.
You’d think with a name like Horowitz a higher plane of regard would be given to hard racism, as in the fuckin’ ovens of Auschwitz.
But Horowitz is entitled to his
assholeopinion as well.God, thor is a complete numbnuts.
Worm, if this got in front of a jury, don’t you think the heroic, kitten saving firefighter would get a nice settlement for being jacked around by the system?
Smoke,
The word “numbnuts” implies that perhaps he can’t help himself, that he doesn’t know any better. I beg to differ. He knows exactly what he saying and what he’s doing. He’s a vile little fascist.
Nice. Trading vows. I dig it when two-skirted lesbo brides share a deep, wet kiss at the close of a gay wedding ceremony.
You bitches are perfect for one another. Now you two can pussy fart one each others tongues with the blessing of the State.
one = on
“Comment by SmokeVanThorn on 4/23 @ 6:08 pm #
God, thor is a complete numbnuts.”
Then ignore him.
Thank you.
why?
You’d think with a name like Horowitz a higher plane of regard would be given to hard racism, as in the fuckin’ ovens of Auschwitz.
But Horowitz is entitled to his asshole opinion as well.
Actually he was a leftist moron like you are. Only one with more balls and courage since he worked with the Black Panthers rather than fellating himself and value investing with his parents’ money. You should try getting some actual life experiences. As it is you always sound like a virgin talking about sex.
You don’t have an MFA in English and that, Bmoe, is at the heart of your inability to define authorial intent.
No, BMoe, not having an MFA in English mostly means you’re not qualified to teach Creative Writing at a community college.
But that’s about it.
You don’t have an MFA in English and that, Bmoe, is at the heart of your inability to define authorial intent.
I know exactly what your intent was, that is why I pointed out your ridiculous word choice. The reverse of discrimination is to be indiscriminate, which is not what you meant at all, now is it?
And real redress is only achieved if the aggrieved parties are involved, what you are advocating is just more of the same, it solves nothing, penalizes the innocent and rewards the undeserving. That isn’t justice, it is the same old bullshit political snake oil fools like you have been falling for since forever.
So how about it, Mr thor? Are you interested? (see #63)
” NO way, man. I ain’t taking the fall for what Cro-Magnon did. I’m blaming them!”
Still laughing. Anthro-snitch!
Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen, ignore the nattering nabob.
Thank you.
Yeah, right, and I’m British. You’re probably the descendant of the penniless oafs that still owe my descendants money.
I’ll accept your family’s debt payments in cash, thank you. BTW, compound interest is a bitch.
Sorry, N. O’Brian, his Declarations from the “Mighty MFA Pulpit” have grown less tolerable as of late.
Oh great god of thunder, please hear our words: We beseech thee to cease the mixing of thine medications with the strong drink of the vine, for verily, it makest thou incoherent and maketh thine humble servants to tremble in fear that in thy stumbling rage thou might’st smite our humble village with a few stray thunderbolts.
Hear our prayer, oh great lord of lightning! Mix not the pills and the drink! For thy blind incoherent rage dost frighten us!
My Scottish ancestors emigrated to Bullitt County, KY, and were slave-owners (singular).
Is it wrong that I feel no white guilt?
classic demorat
I’m not advocating. I’m framing the debate in reality.
classic demorat
“Is it wrong that I feel no white guilt?”
Blame yourself for being white? RrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRACIST!
bBlame and renounce yourself at the same time!
Not really.
Poles, Scots, certain Romi, etc.., you’re not actually considered White-White. You’re simply pale.
Susan Boyle is a Scot I believe and she’s white enough I’d say. Sings like an angel what fell from heaven she does.
My hope is that when enough people cry discrimination, it’ll all become background noise.
We passed that point a couple decades back. The part about enough people crying discrimination. Instead of becoming background noise, it’s become the Dem’s theme song.
You know, I’ve always thought (selfishly, I know) that teachers should be tipped for particularly good lectures or class discussions.
Can I suggest that this post and the consequent thread are tip-worthy? I’ve kicked in some of my ill-gotten, tax-free gains–this time from raking and bagging stacks of wet oak leaves for eight hours–probably not much, but as much as possible right now.
Give until it hurts, ok?
Oh, and that first ancestor–from Orkney–landed in Maine in the 1600’s. He killed so many “Native Peoples” that they composed poetry about him.
Sorry Walthor
but first my family was sold out of debtors prison in England (so the debt was paid there), then as soon as they hit the New World 1697 they were sold again to work a plantation in Virginia
60 odd years later they PAID off their bond (my grand-uncle Dallas Click has the papers)
True to emancipation and entrepenuership, they moved into Kentucky, farmed, owned/ran a sawmill on Arkansas Creek and generally were/are independent folk.
You’ll just have to live off your parents’ money and when that runs out, actually venture out of their basement and get a job.
And she landed on her face.
My ancestors were not very nice to black people I don’t think. It’s cause they were racists is why.
Add advocating and reality to words you don’t know the meaning of.
You couldn’t pass English as a second language at a real college.
You’re we’re-heroes-we’re-broke stories always change, Duuh-Dar.
But some things never change, as in my family and I have money while you and yours don’t.
Darleen:
Another branch of my family lived as sharecroppers in Southern Indiana and Northern Kentucky. After three generations, they finally broke the cycle by sending one of the youngest brothers north to work in a Chevrolet plant in Muncie, IN. He then brought the family up “north,” one by one.
I’m sure that there are some descendants of that landowner who owes me BIG.
My hope is that some day people will understand what discrimination means. I want to scream every time I hear some pinhead bitch about a test being discriminatory.
What other kind of test is there?
“The topic is whether the redress that’s been ordered by and approved by our Suspreme Court has been fulfilled”
So when SCOTUS rules that it has been fulfilled, we can spit on the race whores like Jackson, Sharpton, and thor.
Coming to a culture near you…the definition of racist: those who obsess about all things racial.
what about mulattos they are in the mix too
You know another thing that never changes? Money can’t buy talent.
thor your plantation need workers for little money?
*owe*
this is a ballad for thor what is for him
thor, you couldn’t frame a debate if I miter-cut the slats and predrilled the holes for you. Your sole purpose in life is to loudly break wind in everybody’s lunch, and then to blame society and the VRWC for it. You truly are a parody of intelligent and thoughtful life, just articulate enough to get most of the words and punctuation correct but not quite enough to actually make a patriotic or reasonable case. And if you weren’t so amusing, I’d switch to my other browser and Trollhammer you. You are endless entertainment, in a perverse and wasteful sort of way.
Actually I’ve got to drive up to Clay County and check on a small 400-acre tract up there, one of many parcels we own. Gotta make sure my dopey hick cousins aren’t farming it and make sure nobody is squatting on it. It’s sits on a lovely shale formation. Wink-wink. Dwill-baby-dwill!
feets–that’s a good song, but it’s not gonna make my IPod like your “Whatever Bubbles, Bubbles Up” did.
“The definition of a Racist is anybody winning an argument with a liberal.”
-Bill Whittle
Mr. thor:
I take it by your silence that you have rejected my offer to be a contributor to Modern Douchebag.
You make me sad, but so be it as it must.
Perhaps I could interest one Ms. meya to take your place, yes?
This would be a for real example of redress.
And this is a for real example of Obama style reality.
You are being played for a fool, boy.
Comment by Patrick, Mayor of Scotumwah Iowa on 4/23 @ 7:01 pm #
Mr. Mayor, please ignore the walking mental disorder.
Thank you.
“Dwill-baby-dwill”–thus spake the MFA.
1. Alcohol
2. Sun
3. Coffee
4. Cigarettes
5. Spicy food
6. Receiving a good morning hummer
do you own the mineral rights?
It can buy you a degree but you still can’t write.
Really chaps your fucking ass, don’t it?
B Moe:
The MFA is a quasi-terminal degree. But it’s only the terminal degree for people who will teach Creative Writing to undergraduates, and probably Composition I to the same population.
b/c you don’t want to teach this shit to high school students b/c you wouldn’t need f**kin mfas. nice
b/c wasting time on putting a condom on a cucumber is so important
“b/c wasting time on putting a condom on a cucumber is so important”
Could you demonstrate that using a thor, seeing as how he’s such a dick?
b/c in the 1st grade there is a direr need to teach about gayblades
b/c it takes a village progressive like the secretary of state to run everything
no save us from the harvard educated peter principle mulatto
“Not if you want the Big Dog to bite.”
the bd already sucks
with the negro thing english first – BLACK
Meanwhile, wondering what is happening to Gitmo…
A River Runs Through It.
What, no room in the Florence SuperMax?
All the efforts to chip away at the approval ratings are coming to naught, but I understand the desperation.
If Obama somehow succeeds, all of those Tea Party astroturfers are pretty much fucked forever.
Impressive economy of words. So many talking points, so little bandwidth.
Well, given that I introduced the topic and know what the topic is, you’ll forgive me for retaining ownership by telling you no, it isn’t as you say.
Yes, I know. We’re all totally obsessed with Obama’s color. Whereas he and his Trinity crew aren’t interested in race at all.
Tell me: precisely whom does that kind of schtick work on? Besides risk-averse businesses and cowardly politicians, I mean?
All the efforts to chip away at the approval ratings are coming to naught
Liar.
Now who’s sounding scared and distancing themselves a bit?
No, that was an Obama campaign slogan. It worked, too.
Why is that leftists are so eager to say “negro”? Over and over, that’s the first thing out of their mouths when they toss off the racism charge.
It reminds me of a college roommate I once had. Kid was progressive and oh so painfully enlightened. Yet, whenever our (well, let’s be honest, my) black friends were over for to hang out and have some beers, he couldn’t seem to relax. Odd.
I’ll venture a guess at something like 18% of the voting population.
British Whigs = classical liberals.
For those playing the home game.
losing, rig the game
?
fight fight fight
Bruce Springsteen – Badlands (East Berlin)
There’s another: Yi Jianlian of the Nets.
SPB – Rasmussen is the FOX News of pollsters.
Liar.
So, which old troll under a new name are you, coward?
Or, shut up! Thought criminal!
affirmative action is demeaning to all involved and they should cut it out I think
Perhaps you noticed, when you showed up, that this post is about a race based case that SCOTUS heard today. Not just anybody can summarize the news. Besides, you brought the scary negro to the party, didn’t you?
Why is that leftists are so eager to say “negro�
Because they think that having the “correct” politics frees them up to be raging bigots.
It’s like a “get out of jail free” card for being as racist, sexist, and every other *ist as you want.
You can’t call Obama a house n****er, but you can call Clarence Thomas one.
You can’t call Hillary Clinton a c**t, but you can call Sarah Palin one.
You can’t call Andrea Dworkin or Michael Moore stupid fat idiots, but you can call Rush Limbaugh one.
See how that works? It’s very liberating!
Indeed. Shut up!
You first.
In the collective sense, of course.
#161: Then that makes two. To show how out of it I am, I had pulled “12” as the roster size because that’s the IOC rule, but apparently NBA teams have 14-man rosters (possibly including some inactive slots), so with 30 teams it’s what, 420 players, making less than half a percent. Still seems awfully discriminatory to me.
Yeah, SBP, I suppose so.
That same roommate also ragged on me for being a sexist. Because I had a habit of walking girls home at night and treated them like women. You know, respectfully.
Not kidding. He called a girl a bitch once at a party and I took him aside and gave him some shit over it. That’s also sexist. Not kidding.
That’s got to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.
Tell me, are you double-daring me?
Scratch a leftist, find a child.
I can see why the Obama administration doesn’t want this case to be decided: it would, with any sane and proper judgement by the SCOTUS, blow a ten foot hole through affirmative action and demolish a lot of long standing anti-white discrimination (the only codified and institutional discrimination left in America).
affirmative to whom? action in what way? nixon’s the O!
Schwa is just another mendoucheous twatwaffle astrotrufer, puking out the same talking points after getting its marching orders. It is no different than the ones that came before it, and there will be more. I love how it basically wants people that disagree with it to STFU. Standard Leftist tactic.
Scratch a leftist, find a child.
I thought it was “Scratch a leftist, punch a hippie.”
And Q.E.D., JD. Funny, in’t it?
Losing an election isn’t necessarily tyranny, Schwa. Government intrusion into areas where it has no mandate to go is.
Oh, this one’s almost funny.
Schwa,
I explained this earlier, but that was to a completely different brain-addled progressive than the one you’re pretending to be today.
I do not call losing an election tyranny. Tyranny is a government that triples its size in 90 days. Tyranny is a government that justifies its policies with such sterling arguments as “We won,” and “Spending is spending.” Tyranny is a government that sends notices to law enforcement telling them to keep an eye on veterans and libertarians because they’re just moments away from performing terrorist acts.
It’s not about elections. It’s about the liberties (see what I did there?) being taken by the elected, in complete contradiction of the limits placed on the government by custom and by the Constitution.
You may call me a wingnut for the rest of the night, but it won’t change the fact that “your team” is trampling all over the concept of individual rights, individual responsibility, and individual liberty, all in the service of increasing their own power. It’s sad that you feel compelled to defend that sort of behavior. One can only assume that you’ve been promised a “special place” in the new order. Hope that works out for you.
Mark Steyn republished a 2001 column about the UN’s Durban I conference today, and it has this relevant passage:
So, that means you are pro-choice and at least agnostic on gay marriage then?
Sure as hell wouldn’t want any government intrusion.
I love it when my first impressions of the troll du jour turn out to be exactly right.
agnostic on gay marriage?
Does anybody speak fucking English anymore?
Does anyone know what it would cost to buy this place a decent troll?
Si, amigo.
So, that means you are pro-choice and at least agnostic on gay marriage then?
Sure wouldn’t want any government intrusion.
I’m pro-life, but anti-federal intrusion into the practice. It is, and always should have been, an issue left to the states.
I ran for state rep with one of my platform planks being legalization of gay marriage. And that was 1995, before it was politically fashionable.
Go here, Schwaa, and enjoy the echo chamber.
So, that means you are pro-choice and at least agnostic on gay marriage then?
Where do we get these morons?
Does that mean you are umbilical on reinforced retirement, Abe?
I’m guessing Thor and Schwa think Diana Moon Gompers is the hostess with the mostess.
Does that mean you are umbilical on reinforced retirement, Abe?
Not sure. But I’m definitely a deist on Patagonian donkey porn.
Schwa
It might be nice if you were familiar with the Constitution. Obama, too, but we may have to put it on the teleprompter to get him to read it.
Funny how thor disappeared and Schwa showed up…
É™, meh.
Scratch a wingnut, find a whining little bitch that lost an election and calls it tyranny.
Ha! No, that IS funny. Has any troll NOT brought up some variation of the “sore loser” argument. No, we don’t have a thing to complain about. We’re just sore losers.
SO upset that our main man John McCain isn’t in the White House. Meghan would have made the awesomest first child. Can you imagine? Would prolly invite Perez Hilton to an official dinner or something.
“Scratch a leftist, find a child.”
“At its most basic level, liberalism is nothing more than childlike emotionalism applied to adult issues.”
-John Hawkins, RWN
“One can only assume that you’ve been promised a “special place†in the new order. Hope that works out for you.”
Don’t forget the crisp new brown shirt, that’s always a big attraction to leftists.
This touches a little too close to home for me. I applied twice to two different fire departments and both written tests had questions on “diversity”. At one I ended up joking and smoking with a couple of the volunteer guys taking the test afterwards. I pretty much was told because of my skin color I would probably be SOL since the department was on a big hiring push for “diversity”.
I remember one of the questions at the test was: “If your friend came home from taking ______ County FireDepartment Exam and was disheartened because he scored higher than other minority applicants but they were hired and he was not would you :
A) Tell him that the ____ County FireDepartment only hires qualified applicants and should apply again after studying more
B)Tell him that is unfair and help him study to take the test again
C)Tell him that he can judge the FireDepartment and he should not be discouraged.
My husband employs two (white) fellows who were both unable to find employment as firefighters. They searched far and wide, but to no avail. They are both volunteer fighfighters now – it is clearly what they wish to do.
C) should be can’t judge.
Carin the guys I was talking to had been volunteering for 3 or 4 years and had taken the test pretty much every time it was available. They saw guys walk in from the street with no experience get hired over them repeatedly. The test booklet was only 40 pages and the material was basically testing to see if you could add, subtract, and answer basic moral questions. The written test weeded me out both times and a retarded 3 year old could have passed the thing. The test did have some value though because it had helpful boxes so I could check caucasian and then check for my Vet status right on the first two pages. I learned later that my Vet status is trumped simply by the color of someones skin when considering preferences for Federal jobs.
It made me feel good hearing that. /
The guys who work for us also told us they can’t get hired ’cause they’re white. Besides their claim, I don’t have any other proof. But, it is interesting that I have the example … two MORE white guys who can’t get hired.
Well, one haystack in the wind is that government contracting has seen large numbers of “8A minority set-aside” companies ever since Clinton. Dig a little deeper, and it’s an office full of pale people doing the work and pocketing the cash while one or two front-office minorities / females (both is especially good) with impressive job titles are the ones going out to schmooze the clients and meet the procurement officers.
This nonsense reached a crescendo in AL in 1998 when our own Al Sharpton, Rep. Alvin Holmes, informed a major tech player that they couldn’t count Indians (from India) as minorities for purposes of being non-discriminatory and getting state business.
Oh, and I’d love Massa Thor to explain how we’re going to determine who’s got enough “slave cred” to get reparations. Maybe we can bring back that old Copperhead standby, the “one drop” rule.
SDN I am a government contractor right now and our CEO admitted at a company meeting that she put the company in her husband’s name to get the 8A status. She is white and obviously he is not.
Nothing to see there move along, oh except for you whitey stop right there. You should be ashamed of your skin and seek not to put it down on contract bids because we won’t pick you.
Legalized racism.
Maybe we can bring back that old Copperhead standby, the “one drop†rule.
Woohoo! Gravy train, here I come!
For a while there I thought I might wind up having to pay reparations to myself.
In a free market type job market this is a signal to the employer that either they need to raise the job requirements or lower the pay.
Back in the 60’s/70’s a large employer near me, fully unionized, used the LGF registration method to hire new employees. Anyone at anytime could fill out an application. However they would only take them at certain, very limited, unannounced, times.
Three ways to get hired. Be at the office every day from 8am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday, for weeks or months waiting to hand in your application. Hard to do and support yourself and your family too. Get very lucky when you happened to have come in. And the usual method, have a relative working there tip you as to the time they were taking applications.
Affirmative action seems to be used to address the, too many applicants, too few job openings, situation caused by the private sector and the civil service unions to begin with.
Since before Clinton, IIRC. What did Clinton do to increase 8A set-asides?
Women owners are eligible for 8(a) status. This kind of puzzles me.
It’s right there in the Constitution folks. Yep, the 14th Amendment. Diversity, Abortin and Gay Marriage shall be the law of the land. Suckers…….
It puzzled me too, I just thought they counted race over gender.
Oh. 8a status continues for 8 years, and then lapses. I think the only way to get 8a back is to sell the company to a close relative who happens to be a woman/minority.
Ok cool thanks for clearing that up. It was kinda wierd to hear but I just figured it was like Veterans preferences. You know where they might be good and all but just not as much as being born one of the better races. God damn my white skin.
Jeremiah Wright could not have said it better, white devil.
I’m not perfectly certain Mr. Pink, but I believe that under Dr. Professor Reverend Cone’s theology, that is already taken care of. Or, no further action is required, so to speak.
On Drudge this morning there was an ad what had Robert Downey Jr. in it and Jamie Foxx. In the ad Jamie Foxx has like a I dunno maybe a cello or whatever and really odd special kid hair and Mr. Downey Jr. is gazing upon Mr. Foxx and his eyes are filled with such kindness and the whole scene is backlit with a glorious Manhattan sunrise. It makes me want to go to New York and find a black man what has a cello and odd hair and gaze upon him with eyes filled with kindness.
…and buy him a cello and try to rescue him from madness. Yes. I have that dream, too.
oh. A glorious smoggy Los Angeles sunrise I meant. I knew it! From the kindness in Mr. Downey’s eyes he had to be a journalist and he is. You can tell just from the way he looks at the cello man that he would never ever hurt him.
This is the kind of affirmative action we can all get behind I think and everyone all of us you and me both can star in our own condescending movie where we are heroes and exemplars of the very best of what humanity can be.
I noticed that when Jamie’s character plays the cello, he scrunches up his brow so that it looks like musical notation. It kinda freaked me out, especially when it looked like he was going for a clef.
And we’ll all have happy endings, in a way that’s completely respectful of women as human beings.
Just so, Slart
Seems like some denunciation is in order.
me first!
No ME!
What my town needs is more magic Negroes with cellos.
And some journalists with wonder-filled eyes–we don’t have any of those.
We do have a statue of an Indian playing some kind of Native American pan-flutish type thing. He has two raccoons at his feet, looking up at him, but the sculptor, though quite handy at rendering pan-flute things, did not capture the raccoons who look much more like short, fat mask-wearing beagles.
Happyfeet – Consider yourself denounced. Denounced and condemned. First.
BJ has a standing denunciation on file.
Mrs Little I can’t get the fire brigade Mervyn.
Mervyn Here, let me try, dear. You go and play the cello.
Mrs Little Oh it doesn’t do any good, dear.
Mervyn Look. Do you want the little hamster to live or not?
Mrs Little Yes I do, Mervyn.
Mervyn Well go and play the cello!
Cowboy – Is that Zanfir playing the Skin Flute?
FLUTIST!!
YOU, SIR, ARE DENOUNCED!!!eleventy1
“Comment by SBP on 4/24 @ 8:55 am #
Maybe we can bring back that old Copperhead standby, the “one drop†rule.”
Yet another racist Democrat idea.
Besides school segregation, poll taxes and literacy tests to keep non-whites from voting.
Hey! Where do I apply for a standing denunciation? Sure would save a lot of time..
They’re affirmative action hires, silly!
Which leads me to wonder what it must be like to be a minority in an affirmative action world. Must steal a lot of the pride from one’s accomplishments when you’re not even sure yourself whether you got the job, the raise, the promotion, etc. because you were the most deserving or because some bean counter needed to fill a quota.
I wonder if a certain troll who is in favor of discrimination to redress certain ancient wrongs has ever been denied admission to college, a scholarship, a job or been chosen for firing or being laid off on the basis of it’s skin color? Seems to me someone has some catching up to do.
FOR TEH JUSTICE!
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