Lawmakers OK Confederate History Month; Draw Fire

[Jakesnake]

POSTED: 5:56 am EDT March 16, 2007
UPDATED: 6:17 am EDT March 16, 2007

ATLANTA -- The NAACP is bristling over efforts by lawmakers to create a Confederate history month in Georgia, while giving short shrift to a proposal that the state apologize for slavery and the Jim Crow laws of segregation.

After a Senate committee voted yesterday for the Confederate heritage bill, state NAACP leader Edward Dubose said it "reeks of hypocrisy" that legislators would feel responsible to honor past deeds of their ancestors while resisting an apology to the victims of slavery.

The Senate Rules committee approved the Confederate heritage measure yesterday by a unanimous vote, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. It would dub April as Confederate History and Heritage Month to honor the memory of the Confederacy and those who contributed to the cause of Southern independence.

The bill is sponsored by Senator Jeff Mullis, a Republican whose family owned land on which the Civil War's bloody Battle of Chickamauga was fought.

Mullis says the effort has been in the works for months and was not a response to the slavery apology movement. He says his ancestors never owned slaves, said he doesn't support the slavery apology. But he said he has signed off on efforts to create a Civil Rights History Month in Georgia.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



These stupid assholes must be stupid!!!!!

 

[QueEx]

<font size="4">
According to a survey completed by Black Policy.Org:</font size>


Recently the Virginia legislature passed a resolution "apologizing" for slavery, becoming the first state to do so. What do you think of the Resolution?

Meaningful and Important . . 50%
Useless and Tardy . . . . . . . . 33%
Unsure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17%


.

http://www.blackpolicy.org/

 

[Jakesnake]

I'm no big fan of the reparations movement, but for the Civil Rights organizations they need it for their support for reparations.

But my thing is that they waste my TAXPAYER DOLLARS on this SHIT!!!!!

Make a useful legislation not stupid ones!!!!

 

[QueEx]

<font size="5"><center>Key Georgia Republican
supports call for slavery apology</font size></center>

By JEREMY REDMON , SONJI JACOBS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/17/07

A powerful Republican leader has joined forces with African-American state lawmakers seeking an apology over Georgia's role in slavery, dramatically improving the possibility the Legislature will express some form of regret over the state's past.

Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) said Friday he plans to introduce a proposal that would acknowledge the state's role in slavery and encourage reconciliation among Georgians.

Johnson is working with state Rep. Al Williams (D-Midway), who last week announced he would file a resolution asking the state to apologize for slavery.

Johnson and Williams met to talk about the language of the proposals Friday with state Rep. Tyrone Brooks (D-Atlanta) and Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, the author of "Freedom: Georgia's Anti-slavery Heritage." Williams and Johnson said they hope to offer identical proposals in both the House and Senate.

Johnson told reporters at a news conference afterwards that "we are now moving forward with the agreement that Georgia will do something" regarding the slavery apology.

"It's not that we personally or our parents participated in slavery, but the state of Georgia did," Johnson said. "As a Georgian and as a Georgia legislator, acknowledging our role, expressing regret for it, and looking for resolution and reconciliation as we go forward, particularly with the sesquicentennial coming of the Civil War, is maybe appropriate for us to do."

Johnson would not reveal details on the proposal's language, saying he needed to review it with other Republican leaders, including Gov. Sonny Perdue.

"Atonement and apology are going to be an integral part of the finished document," Williams said. Asked if he was seeking reparations for slavery, he replied: "That is another day."

Williams, the chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, acknowledged that he and Johnson differ on some points, but he said he is encouraged they can reach an agreement.

"Our personalities dictate that there must be sticking points," Williams said. "But both of us, I think, respect each other to the point where we will listen to each other."

Johnson's involvement comes as the Senate is considering a bill that would declare April as Confederate History and Heritage Month. Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga), the bill's sponsor, introduced the legislation March 1, and it passed a key Senate committee this week — just days after Williams and the state NAACP called on the General Assembly and Perdue to apologize for Georgia's role in slavery.

Perdue has so far declined to comment on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's request, and many leading Republicans gave the slavery apology proposal a cool reception.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) said in an interview Wednesday — before Johnson's announcement — that Williams' resolution would have no chance of moving out of committee this year.

"The Democrats have been in control of the Georgia General Assembly from the time slavery ended up until about three or four years ago, and there was never a proposal to do that, that I am aware of, then," Richardson said.

By contrast, the Confederate History and Heritage Month bill cleared a Senate committee Thursday with no opposition — offending many civil rights leaders and lawmakers.

Johnson said Friday he understands there is a link between the state promoting the 150th anniversary of the Civil War for tourism — and possibly recognizing Confederate History and Heritage Month — and acknowledging its role in slavery.

Before Friday, Williams was circulating a four-page draft of a resolution that would acknowledge the history of slavery in America "with contrition" and call for "reconciliations" among all Georgians.

Williams said he modeled his resolution on one that passed the Virginia Legislature late last month. But Virginia's resolution expresses "profound regret" for slavery.

Williams' draft traces the history of slavery from ancient times to the arrival of slaves in Jamestown. It also refers to slavery's role in the Civil War, lynchings of African-Americans and the system of Jim Crow laws designed to enforce racial segregation.

"In Georgia," the resolution reads, "the vestiges of slavery are ever before African-American citizens, from the overt racism of hate groups to the subtle racism encountered when requesting health care, transacting business, buying a home, seeking quality public education and college admission, and enduring pretextual traffic stops and other indignities."

That sentence concerned Johnson.

"I don't like this 'The vestiges of slavery are still with us today,' " Johnson said. "I think both sides want to be as positive as you can be — positive with the wording and the actions that we take."

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/legis07/stories/2007/03/16/0317metlegslavery.html

 

[QueEx]

<font size="4">

Do we Black Americans really care about an apology ?


</font size>

 

[ronmch20]

<font size="4">

Do we Black Americans really care about an apology ?


</font size>

If the "apology" is backed by deeds, then yes!!! Otherwise they're just words.
There must be some tangible expression of regret. Reparations is certainly one way to right the wrongs done to so many of our ancestors. Opponents, of course, will argue currently living blacks weren't the ones to whom harm was done, and of course that argument is lame, but I suspect it'll prove to be effective in rallying support against reparations. But the truth is people denied an education, economic opportunity, and their rightful place in society for hundreds of years, the detrimental effect on their descendants is long lasting and severe even unto present day.

 

[QueEx]

I agree. I've said long ago that the reparations analysis should be looked at similarly to the analysis in civil tort actions where damages may be paid to the heirs of a deceased person wronged. If opponents find it reprehensible to just dole out money to those who were not DIRECTLY harmed (though its hard to argue that even us decendants have not been directly harmed) then the government should use the funds to create educational and economic opportunity to erase the years of disadvantage suffered present day by the descendants.

QueEx

 

[Makkonnen]

I agree. I've said long ago that the reparations analysis should be looked at similarly to the analysis in civil tort actions where damages may be paid to the heirs of a deceased person wronged. If opponents find it reprehensible to just dole out money to those who were not DIRECTLY harmed (though its hard to argue that even us decendants have not been directly harmed) then the government should use the funds to create educational and economic opportunity to erase the years of disadvantage suffered present day by the descendants.

QueEx

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[nittie]

We should be going after the insurance industry along with the govt for reparations. Most wealth in this country is inherited and since Blacks couldn't buy insurance until the 1960-70's we didn't have a chance to build wealth like everyone else. Even today if the average Black tried to buy a million dollar policy they would be denied.

The Confederate history month should be approved. Every minority group would boycott Georgia..Again...and those rednecks might finally get it thru their heads that those days are over.