Tuesday, May 06, 2003
Bill Pryor, and the footsoldiers of the Civil Rights movement.
In Birmingham a few days ago there was a major celebration of the 40th anniversary of central events in the Civil Rights Movement. In the course of the event, many heroes and footsoldiers of the Movement -- including Rev. Vivian, Rev. Shuttlesworth, and others -- signed a letter proclaiming their opposition to Bill Pryor's nomination to the 11th Circuit. See article here.
Let me be plain, because I know that some people will want to cry foul or pretend that I am saying something inflammatory and unwarranted: I am not accusing Bill Pryor of being a white supremacist. As far as I know, the signers of the letter are not, either. I do believe, though, that "states' rights" doctrine has been used throughout American history to justify positions that are to the advantage of white people and to the disadvantage of Black people (this is, I trust, completely undisputed by any reasonable person) -- and that, whether or not some intentional group-based hatred is involved on the part of any current individual so-called "federalist", the doctrine is used by Pryor and others at this point in American history to justify positions that are systematically to the disadvantage of Black people, women, disabled people, older people, gay people, poor people ...
posted by sam 9:51 AM
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