Comments on: Happy Independence Day: A Story About Becoming An American

By: Thursday trivia #65 | Paul's Down-Home Page

Thursday trivia #65 | Paul's Down-Home Page — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:19:30 +0000

[...] beautiful story of a wrong redressed, and of pride in one’s country. Share this:ShareEmailFacebookLinkedInTwitterLike this:LikeBe [...]

By: Robb

Robb — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:40:02 +0000

Schofield, Beattie, and George, way to miss the point. While it’s sad to reflect on the bigotry of previous generations, it’s completely irrelevant what political labels those people affixed to themselves. The democrat and republican parties were not homogeneous back then, and are not today. The fact that there were some racist democrats and racist republicans back then has no bearing on the racism of today’s democrats and republicans. To say that democrats can’t claim to be not-racist now because they had racist members 66 years ago is ridiculous. Those people are mostly dead. Racism is not inherited.

The article made careful note of the fact that the Filipino veterans receiving citizenship weren’t bitter, but grateful and joyous. Improving race relations in this country does not entail assigning blame and evening up the score. It’s about treating people fairly. It’s about the present and the future, not the past. The argument about who was more racist in the 1940′s is counter-productive to that end.

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:13:51 +0000

pfair143 @11,

The winners of the November 1946 election would not take their seats until January 1947. So anything that was done in the year 1946 would be the work of the folks elected in 1944.

By: gwadd

gwadd — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:13:33 +0000

C.S.P. must have been on another planet when the GOP began their “Southern Strategy” in the 1970s and which continues today…

By: Happy Fourth | bluejay's way

Happy Fourth | bluejay's way — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:40:51 +0000

[...] On a related note: Andrew Sullivan offers a meditation on America here, and points to another inspiring piece here. [...]

By: Hannah

Hannah — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 04:23:18 +0000

Schofield….a short true or false quiz:

And LBJ* was a…..Republican?
And Reagan was worried about….welfare queens driving Cadillacs?
And Goldwater fought tooth and nail against MLK holiday?
And Ron Paul wrote newsletters praising African-Americans?
And Santorum was worried about “blah” people?
And Voter ID for Florida will disenfranchise what racial group?

*Passed 1964 Civil Rights Bill, which is in great danger from Scalia, Alito, Thomas and Kennedy next Scotus term.

By: pfair143

pfair143 — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 03:25:23 +0000

C. S. P. Schofield, according to Wikipedia under History Of United States Congress, both houses of Congress were under Republican rule in 1946 which they lost in 1948.

“In the 1946 US Congressional election, the Republicans regained control of both the US Senate and US House of Representatives, as a result of President Truman failing to handle the vast post-war labor strikes. The Democrats were able to retake control of Congress in 1948.”

Not quite so mad now are you?

By: George

George — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 02:46:02 +0000

Beattie, you’ve bought into Dems’ rather successful attempt to hide their ongoing racism. The Southern Strategy split the Dems in the South over a handful of issues. Actually, the less-racist (who among us is without sin?) tended to go Rep, while the hardcore racist either stayed Dem (and if you’re honest you can recall names) or went indy. Schofield nailed this one.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 01:56:58 +0000

“While I am trying to step back from the team vs team model of politics . . .”

But you couldn’t help yourself could you, Schofield? Happy Independence Day anyway with a heavy emphasis on the Independence.

By: Link: Great 4th of July Story « Threads from Henry's Web

Link: Great 4th of July Story « Threads from Henry's Web — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 23:01:01 +0000

[...] the son of naturalized American citizens, I really appreciated this story from a guest blogger on The Agitator. My own citizenship is derived, as I was a minor when my parents were naturalized, but I distinctly [...]

By: John Beattie

John Beattie — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 18:59:27 +0000

Schofield, while it’s true that at one point, the Democrats were the party of racism, it switched around the late sixties, early seventies as the Republican party adopted the Southern Strategy under Nixon (working for closer ties with the more racist elements in the South who were alienated when the Democratic party started making racial tolerance part of their rhetoric). Not that all Republicans went along with it (I’m sure many of them recognized how short-sighted the strategy was, and how it would cost them down the line), but it did paint the Republican party as the Old White Guy party. Basically, the leadership of the Republican Party decided to lay down with pigs, and now the whole place kind of stinks. Now, the modern Republican Party is trying to distance itself from that debacle (and they’ve apologized for the Southern Strategy), but it may be some time before they regain the legitimacy they’ve lost in the eyes of some of the public.

It’s a good lesson about not sacrificing values and long-term goals for short-term political gains.

By: C. S. P. Schofield

C. S. P. Schofield — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 15:23:44 +0000

I note, with considerable rage, that the Congress of 1946 was firmly under the control of the Democrats (that year’s elections would change this). While I am trying to step back from the team vs team model of politics, this one issue – racism – really bugs me. The Democrats loudly trumpet their greater racial inclusion and tolerance, and so far as I can see that reputation is founded on mendacity and hot air. The Democrats are the party of Jim Crow and the Klan. More Republicans than Democrats voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1968. The idea that people should be divided by the color of their skins has been a Democrat constant since the Civil War, only the sales pitch has changed. The Democrats’ claim to be the defenders of racial minorities makes my gorge rise.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 14:51:02 +0000

Sad.

People who are already owed, are longing for permission to belong to a country, by a government which has already betrayed them.

Americanism is supposed to be the antidote to government worship.

By: Onlooker

Onlooker — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 14:15:01 +0000

That’s a great reminder that our nation is not the government in power (that can be corrupt, duplicitous, and power hungry), but the promise of liberty and opportunity. But if we continue to erode our constitution, that promise will die a slow death.

By: Maggie McNeill

Maggie McNeill — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 13:25:46 +0000

What a great experience, Ken! Thank you so much for sharing it.

By: Chris C.

Chris C. — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 11:03:49 +0000

I teared up while reading your story, both from the joy of an old wrong finally righted, and for the frustration I often feel for the reptiles that dominate the political class. Far too many Americans have no appreciation whatsoever for the dream we had: a shared sense of being an American, and the rule of law that made that dream possible. Nowadays we have let ourselves become myriad factions, all of which want to use the law to help themselves and/or hurt the others.

I have been reading your blog since it was linked in someone else’s earlier this year. Your attitude and integrity makes me feel better about the sorry state of the law in modern-day America. Thank you.

By: Zeph

Zeph — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 09:35:24 +0000

“Many came hear”… err. Dude. They came HERE.

Nice story, though.