House To Apologize For Slavery
By Wyatt Earp | July 29, 2008
Ugh. Here we go. And it’s a good thing, too, since most people in the House are slave owners, right?
With this resolution, reparations are only a hop, skip, and a jump away.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The House of Representatives was poised Tuesday to pass a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for slavery and the era of Jim Crow.
The non-binding resolution, which is expected to pass, was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen, a white lawmaker who represents a majority black district in Memphis, Tennessee.
And it will pass a mere three months before the general election. Wow, what a coincidence!
While many states have apologized for slavery, it will be first time a branch of the federal government will apologize for slavery if the resolution passes, an aide to Cohen said.
By passing the resolution, the House would also acknowledge the “injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow.”
The resolution states that “the vestiges of Jim Crow continue to this day.” (H/T – CNN)
Really? Blacks cannot vote today? I guess that is bad news for the Democrats.
Blacks are legally segregated from whites today? Well, I guess that is bad news for schools like Grambling, Howard, Southern Universities. Oh, wait a minute, those institutions are known as “historically black,” so I guess the segregation claim doesn’t float there.
Stories like this angry up the blood for a number of reasons:
1. There is no one in America, or the world, still alive that owned slaves, but far too many people make a living off that erroneous assumption.
2. No one gives credit to the thousands of white men who fought and died for the abolition of slavery.
3. No one gives credit to the white men in government – except maybe Lincoln – who abolished slavery and made it illegal.
Look, if the government wants to apologize for slavery, that’s up to them, but I will personally apologize for nothing. I do not and did not own slaves. My family did not own slaves, and my ancestors came here from Ireland, England, and Czechoslovakia. I’m pretty certain they didn’t own slaves, either, so stop with the White Guilt. It’s wasted on me.
Topics: Politics | 15 Comments »
July 29th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I am burned up big about this. I have no ancestors – zip, zilch, NONE who owned slaves (they were too poor to own slaves). There were free Black men who owned slaves, there were Indians who owned slaves. Arabs owned slaves and still do. I suspect that some of my ancestors probably were slaves back in the Middle Ages. Hell, slavery has existed all over the world!
But only in America was slavery so evil that it requires large doses of cash and guilt so as to blot out the evil.
GRRRR!!!
July 29th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Careful. US Slavery was different from slavery in other regions and other times. When the Romans made slaves out of you, it was because they bested you on the battlefield, and you could usually work your way out of it. More a form of indentured servitude. Racism wasn’t part of the equation.
That said, “Money for nothing, and chicks for free.” Just part of the everyone’s-a-helpless-victim culture.
July 29th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
I would think the lives of Union solders who, as the Battle Hymn of the Republic states “died to make men free”, and whose operations were financed by authorization of the U.S. House of Representatives should constitute a sufficient apology for slavery by the U.S. Government.
July 29th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Money, money, money. With every apology comes the potential for money for the “victims” or the great grandchildren.
Follow the money!
It will be leaving your pocket and heading for the ghetto and beyond….oh, and into Oprah’s, and Michelle Obama’s, and Jesse’s, and Sharpton’s, and Sharpe James’, and on and on and on.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
When they apologize for OJ I’ll apologize for slavery.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Another thing they fail to mention- the African tribal leaders sold their *own* people into slavery to start with. After they’d sold so many of their own, the few left couldn’t defend against the returning slave “buyers” and were loaded up on ships themselves.
I cannot be convinced had they not been greedy and willing to sell their own folks to start with, a few boatloads of white boys (even having guns) could have overcome entire African tribes.
Maybe it’s time they start looking at the descendants of the great African kings for their apologies?
July 29th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
I’m sorry their ancestors were slaves. Since there is nothing that can erase the stain of slavery and therefore make it acceptable for decendants of slaves to be comfortable living here, as reparation, I suggest a one way ticket to the African Nation of the injured party’s choice and a revocation of that distasteful American citizenship.
And once again, please accept the sincerest apologies of a contrite nation.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I propose a new rule- a govt can’t apologize for something that occurred more than one generation ago. Otherwise it is truly dumb & meaningless.
Unless you are Bill Clinton – he has perfected the fake but sincere-sounding apology for stuff that happened 100 years ago.
BTW – I believe Rep. Cohen is a Repblican! Randal will be happy to hear that.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
AJ,
Actually, I couldn’t care less if he’s a Republican. There are some Republicans just as stupid as some Democrats. Contrary to many other who post here, I’m not a “My party is always better than yours” type of person. But Cohen is a typical jerkoff politician who just gives a shit about his chances in the next election. How else better to do that than appease his voting base?
What I find interesting is the few racist replies to this post (and I’m not referring to you AJ)
July 29th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Ky person – And, if and when reparations come, we will all have to pay, whether we owned slaves or not. That’s politics for ya.
Robert – I wonder what will happen if reparations are paid? Will the slavery issue go away forever? Somehow, I doubt it.
Melvin – It should, but obviously, it is not.
Maggie – Because I know Oprah could use the money.
DL474 – We only need an apology from Judge Ito and twelve jurors who don’t know California law.
Snigs – But that’s not where the money is.
Trixie – For all of the complaining about America, it is funny how no one wants to leave. I see Alec Baldwin still lives here after threatening to leave the country if Bush won the election. Interesting.
AJ – So, they only have a few years left to apologize for the League of Nations? Sweet!
Randal – I’m surprised, too. It’s like someone wrote, “Ni-, ni-, oh I just can’t say it.”
July 30th, 2008 at 12:42 am
I want to correct AJ. Cohen is a Democrat!
The were white slaves. But they were given a fancy
name indentured servants. But they were slaves.
Also the Irish suffered discrimination. All up and down the East Coast had signs saying “No irish Need Apply!”
July 30th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Yoiu want to know what I think about this whole thing? I wonder how many of those pols are only supporting this because they believe this will help them to get re-elected? Hey, Washington, quit with the garbage already and just do our business.
July 30th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Robert, learn your history better before saying “careful”. History has had slavery of every type, creed, race etc. And slavery was always for the same reasons like wars, for economic, political, race and religion hatred etc. Americans need to study deep into history more before they make comments. And yes i want reperations for all my white ancesters held in bondage from black Egypt to Roman’s enslavement and death of the christians. Amen!
July 31st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I am so happy that the house decided to apologize for this… it is so overdue. You know, cause it’s not like they don’t have better things to do… like figure out gas prices, foreign dependency on oil, extremist terrorist groups, and the banking crisis that we are faced with today. It’s better that they accomadate to a minority to ensure votes back into house. I like nothing more then seeing them have their thumbs up their big butts and make an ass out of the white people present and alive today, who didn’t own slaves nor apart of the “Jim Crow” era (not to mention, most of us don’t even know what that is). I love our government wasting their time talking about such an important issue. Thanks House of Rep., now we all know that you are there in our best interest. Just fyi, if the African American people don’t like it here so much, why stay? Go back to Africa, see how long you last there… oh, I guess America isn’t that bad after all, is it?
July 31st, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I’m just waiting for the Egyptians (African’s) to apologize for enslaving the Jew’s. Then we can all move forward together. I’m just saying…