Republican senators refuse to back anti-lynching bill

[DaShiznit]

These senators are the ones who have refused to back a senate bill which will apologize for congess' refusal to pass anti-lynching legislation sooner. Note that only one of them is a Democrat, whilst fifteen of them are Republicans.

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael Crapo (R-ID)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)
George Voinovich (R-OH)

Shameful, absolutely shameful.

[Baneblade]

Why exactly do we need an 'anti-lynching' bill?

[DeepStrikeck]

No its a bill apologizing for not making an anti-lyncing bill law sooner than it was. Stupid in my opinion. You can't change what happened. Why apologize now, especially since none of the congressmen who delayed the bill are still in office. Why should modern ones apologize if they had nothing to do with it?

[DaShiznit]

No its a bill apologizing for not making an anti-lyncing bill law sooner than it was. Stupid in my opinion. You can't change what happened. Why apologize now, especially since none of the congressmen who delayed the bill are still in office. Why should modern ones apologize if they had nothing to do with it?
I don't know...because it's the right thing to do and the US Congress owes it to the families of those killed?

[Baneblade]

I don't know...because it's the right thing to do and the US Congress owes it to the families of those killed?

...

It's a waste of time, society has advanced beyond it for the most part...why dig it back up.

[DaShiznit]

My question is: what's the harm in passing it? What't the harm in saying to the families of those killed in lynchings that we're sorry we didn't. And what's more, the fact that almost one in four Republican Senators refused to sign this is proof that society hasn't advanced beyond this.

[Baneblade]

So 3 in 4 support it? I would call that advancement.

[Pilgrim]

I wish I could find the list of 40 some odd Democrats who voted no on the Civil Rights amendment.

Shameful

Absolutely Shameful

And here is a list of current senators who filibustered against the Civil Rights act:

Robert Byrd (D)

But back on topic. It may be a stupid and pointless gesture, but any republican who didn't vote for this is a dumb ass.

[DaShiznit]

I wish I could find the list of 40 some odd Democrats who voted no on the Civil Rights amendment.

Shameful

Absolutely Shameful

And here is a list of current senators who filibustered against the Civil Rights act:

Robert Byrd (D)

But back on topic. It may be a stupid and pointless gesture, but any republican who didn't vote for this is a dumb ass.
These "Democrats", AKA, the Dixiecrats, who filibustered the Civil Rights act were so enraged by the fact that most Democrats supported civil rights they led a walkout at the 1948 Democratic Convention. What's more, after the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, the Republicans nominated Barry Goldwater, who opposed the Civil Rights Act.

In addition, the man who holds the record for longest continuous filibuster, which he set when filibustering the Civil Rights Act remained an influential Republican senator for more than half a century after he lead the walkout at the 1948 Democratic Convention. What's worse is that his 100th birthday party, the man who was the most influential Republican senator at the time condoned his segregationist policies. Now, that's shameful.

So 3 in 4 support it? I would call that advancement.
True, it is, but compare that to 44 out of 45 Democrats who supported it.

[DaShiznit]

Just found this politcal cartoon which seems oddly appropriate:
http://cagle.slate.msn.com/working/050615/billday.jpg

[MrVicchio]

It's a goofy thing now, appologizing for something that most of the senators today didn't have a say in ANYWAY.

It's political grandstanding at it's worst. Anyonw that does go along with this, is doing so because they know if they don't they'll get demonized unfairly.

Makes me sick.

[DaShiznit]

It's political grandstanding at it's worst. Anyonw that does go along with this, is doing so because they know if they don't they'll get demonized unfairly. Or maybe, just maybe, they're doing it because it's :gasp: the right thing to do.

[Firefly]

I don't know about you, but I ain't apologizing for shit I didn't do.

It's like I and many other say. I"m not racist, I don't own slaves, I didn't own slaves back then, I wasn't alive back then, and neither were you. Don't expect me to feel White Guilt for being white and from the South.

A bill apologizing for something is a waste of taxpayer money. It's a waste of time, time that could be better spent planning a better budget or getting our troops out of Iraq.

[DaShiznit]

I don't know about you, but I ain't apologizing for shit I didn't do.

It's like I and many other say. I"m not racist, I don't own slaves, I didn't own slaves back then, I wasn't alive back then, and neither were you. Don't expect me to feel White Guilt for being white and from the South.

A bill apologizing for something is a waste of taxpayer money. It's a waste of time, time that could be better spent planning a better budget or getting our troops out of Iraq.
So...it's a better time to spend weeks bickering over something which will probably never be agreed upon anyway than to pass something which could comfort the families of victims of desgustingly brutal murders?

[Firefly]

So...it's a better time to spend weeks bickering over something which will probably never be agreed upon anyway than to pass something which could comfort the families of victims of desgustingly brutal murders?
When's the last time the Senate passed a bill apologizing for dropping the ball tor families of victims of the Oklahoma bombing? Or for dropping the ball on September the 11th?

When's the last time the Senate drafted a bill apologizing to each and every Indian (screw that PC bullshit) that they dicked over and/or tried to murder, or forced to live on a tiny-ass reservation in poverty and squalor? When's the last time they drafted a bill apologizing for allowing slavery in the first place?

When are they going to pass a bill that apologizes to Iraqi citizens who were beaten, humiliated and abused at Abu Ghraib? When are they going to pass a bill apologizing to Afghan and Iraqi citizens who were killed by US troops? Are we going to apologize to the families of victims who survived Hiroshima and Nagasakanookie? Are we going to apologize to the families of victims of the Holocaust (which we knew about but did nothing about until we arrived on-scene)? I think we should also apologize to the families of victims of the Dresden fire-bombing in WW2 too.

When is Congress going to draft a bill apologizing to the families of victims of mass murderers? What, because they weren't victims of a race crime they thus don't get an apology? When is Congress going to apologize to the families of people who were falsely imprisoned for being accused of being a Communist by one of the government's own senators? What about the people who were just falsely imprisoned?

Token gestures mean jack and shit when they are politically motivated. Have a nice day.

[DaShiznit]

When's the last time the Senate passed a bill apologizing for dropping the ball tor families of victims of the Oklahoma bombing? Or for dropping the ball on September the 11th?

When are they going to pass a bill that apologizes to Iraqi citizens who were beaten, humiliated and abused at Abu Ghraib? When are they going to pass a bill apologizing to Afghan and Iraqi citizens who were killed by US troops. When the Republicans are out of power or they realize that admitting you've made a mistake is not a sign of weakness.

Are we going to apologize to the families of victims who survived Hiroshima and Nagasakanookie? Are we going to apologize to the families of victims of the Holocaust (which we knew about but did nothing about until we arrived on-scene)? I think we should also apologize to the families of victims of the Dresden fire-bombing in WW2 too.Probably not. But would it kill us to do it anyway?

When is Congress going to draft a bill apologizing to the families of victims of mass murderers? What, because they weren't victims of a race crime they thus don't get an apology? When is Congress going to apologize to the families of people who were falsely imprisoned for being accused of being a Communist by one of the government's own senators? What about the people who were just falsely imprisoned?That's a great question, and the only answer that I can give is that it could happen when they finally realize that the United States is not an infallable, trancendently perfect beacon of freedom and start apoligizing for all the shit we've done.

[Firefly]

Right. In other words, it's a waste of time across the board. Point made, thank you.

[DaShiznit]

Right. In other words, it's a waste of time across the board. Point made, thank you.
Apologizing for refusing to take action against a horrific form of murder which claimed nearly 5,000 lives is now considered a waste of time? Sad.

[EarlyDawn]

It's a goofy thing now, appologizing for something that most of the senators today didn't have a say in ANYWAY.

It's political grandstanding at it's worst. Anyonw that does go along with this, is doing so because they know if they don't they'll get demonized unfairly.

Makes me sick.As a fairly democratically-sided person, I tend to agree with Vic. There's a logic gap..

[Firefly]

Apologizing for refusing to take action against a horrific form of murder which claimed nearly 5,000 lives is now considered a waste of time? Sad.
No, that isn't what I said. I said it's ALL a waste of time. Don't do one thing just to make peace with one so-called minority (who has a large influence on the voter population, in other words) and yet ignore it in many other more serious applications - such as two counts of genocide, war crimes, etc - just because those groups aren't big voting bastions or because they're not a powerful enough "interest group".

I can't stand hypocracy, especially in our over-inflated overdrawn oversized government. A government that is of the people, for the people and supposedly by the people needs to ensure it treats everyone equally. If you owe everyone an apology then apologize across the board. Don't just offer a token apology to one group and ignore the rest.

THAT is what's a waste of time.

[DaShiznit]

No, that isn't what I said. I said it's ALL a waste of time. Don't do one thing just to make peace with one so-called minority (who has a large influence on the voter population, in other words) and yet ignore it in many other more serious applications - such as two counts of genocide, war crimes, etc - just because those groups aren't big voting bastions or because they're not a powerful enough "interest group".

I can't stand hypocracy, especially in our over-inflated overdrawn oversized government. A government that is of the people, for the people and supposedly by the people needs to ensure it treats everyone equally. If you owe everyone an apology then apologize across the board. Don't just offer a token apology to one group and ignore the rest.

THAT is what's a waste of time.
Political motives? This piece of legislation was submitted by Democrat Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. Why would Democrats need to court African-Americans for political gain when they already recieve more than 90% of the black vote?

[MrVicchio]

Probably because the last 3 election cycels saw more Blacks voteing GOP then at anytime in history.

[DaShiznit]

Like I said, more than 90% still vote Democratic. We don't need to court it, we've already got it.

[MrVicchio]

No actually, the DNC old on the Black Vote is tenous and losing strength in the Middle Class that have come to realize, they don't NEED you to succeed, they need only to believe in themselves. Which is what the GOP offers.

The Jewish Vote, the Latino Vote... all swinging to the right.

Why?

Blacks, ****, and Latino's are all historically religious people, and they are getting sick of the DNC taking religion as if it were a bad thing and demonizing those of faith.

Blacks and Latinos are Christians by a huge majority, and I KNOW many that take umbrage witht he DNC slamming christians daily.

[DaShiznit]

Wow. Calling Republicans "white Christians" now constitutes "slamming Christians" and criticising hate groups masquerading as religious now constitutes "demonizing those of faith"? Wow. News to me. And need I remind you again that the Democrats have 90% of the black vote? And you expect me to believe that African Americans are moving to the right? Assuming that's true, I guess that means that the Republican hold on the black vote has moved from "laughably pathetic" to "scoffingly pathetic". Congratulations, I'll send Ken Mehlman a fruit basket.

[MrVicchio]

Blacks are smart enough to see the truth.

More minorities are in positions of power in the Bush Administration then at ANY TIME in this Countries history.

The "White Christians" slam ain't flying.

[DaShiznit]

Blacks are smart enough to see the truth.

More minorities are in positions of power in the Bush Administration then at ANY TIME in this Countries history.

The "White Christians" slam ain't flying.Really? Say, how are all those black congressmen and senators that the Republicans have doing? Oh, wait...

[Baneblade]

When is the Senate going to apologize to me for having a shitty mother?

If we should apologize to anyone, it's Sudan, for not invading yet.

[DaShiznit]

When is the Senate going to apologize to me for having a shitty mother?

If we should apologize to anyone, it's Sudan, for not invading yet.
Right, because invading solves all problems.

[Baneblade]

Right, because invading solves all problems.

Of course it doesn't.

[DaShiznit]

That was my point.

[Baneblade]

Right, because apologizing solves all problems. <-- That is my point.