Henry Payne for November 29, 2014

They’d all be unemployed if not for the Race Card.

Yes,don’t they know the way to defeat racism is to simply deny it exists? And yet they keep pointing out that it does. How can we halt racism that way?

What about the local government for entering a siege like state before the verdict was announced?

No space in cartoon for Gov. Nixon apparently.

Mr. Narrowminded, two questions:In this case, who are these rulemakers?What are these “rules blacks have to live under”?

What did Obama do to infalme? All he did was ask for calm.

Mr. narrowmined, would the “rules blacks have to live under" happen to be the law and civility?

Are you telling them that they aren’t oppressed? I guess you’re the one to make these judgments about other people. Anyone else you’d like to tell what they are and aren’t? Hey, there’s no more anti-Semitism, Harley says it’s over now, and he’s the one who knows.

That’s “lest”, not “least”.

Payne left out Holder…?The Media are #1 and 24/7 pouring of gas on agitator’s protests.-Obama and Holder have been pouring gas on Ferguson since Day One of the August shooting of a oversized aggressor trying to do harm to a single local cop.-Sharpton is a career liar and instigator to keep “Racism” alive, it is his source of income. He is kept on TV by a media outlet wanting gasoline poured on Liberal hoaxes. He is a close friend and “counselor” in the White House to Obama.Obama and Sharpton have many traits in common. Neither man cares about the truth and both depend on political agendas that go against the majority of public opinion on most issues, and both men work toward the same goals= a strong central federal government controlling all Americans.

From the networks to talk radio, to internet blogs, left, right, the gas was coming from all sides we call either “news” or “social” media outlets and forums. There is only the one fire spreading “chief”, and that is the “media”. Facts no longer matter.

I haven’t commented much, or at all, about the Michael Brown case, just as I didn’t comment on the Trayvon Martin case, because I didn’t feel that I had enough information to make a solid judgment on either situation. Other people seem to feel that they do have enough information. Well, that’s up to them.+But both of these cases belong to a larger story, a story about race relations in the US. I think it’s pretty clear that (a) things are better than they were when I was a kid in the South in the 1950s, and (b) nonetheless, race remains a divisive issue.+I’m not black, and I don’t feel that I’m in a position to tell black people what they experience. I’m very interested to hear what black people say about their lives and their experiences. And it seems pretty clear from what people say, and also from various statistical measures, that the experiences of blacks — in general — are not the same as the experiences of whites. It’s still easier to be white — in general — than it is to be black in the US. I don’t know if “oppression” is the right word, but there is a difference. Some of that difference can be seen in the way young black men are treated by the police. Some of that difference can also be seen in what is called “black on black” violence. I’m not blaming anyone here. I’m not blaming white society for being white, I’m not blaming black society for being black. I’m not calling anyone a racist. I’m saying that there’s a social problem here, not just a collection of individual problems, and I believe that social problems require social solutions.

And the Ly’in Queen sings, “Can’t You Feel the Love Tonight”?

Great post Harleyquinn! Wish more people felt that way about it and saw not racism but content of character. This video says it all! .http://viral.buzz/furious-jonathan-gentry-telling-you-what-you-need-to-hear-must-watch/

Would you have said the same in 1953, before the Brown v. Board of Education decision? Or before the Montgomery bus boycott? Or before Mississippi Summer? Would you agree that there was a time when blacks, in general, had a harder time than whites, in general? If you would agree, then when would you say it all became equal?

^Yes, education IS a key factor, and I’m sure you’re aware of how historically recent Brown vs Board of Education is, or that higher education is the answer, even if in trades and not university for those not so inclined.

BTW: assuming that blacks, browns, must all escape the ghetto of their birth is a bit of ignorance shared by many who don’t know even American cultural differences across geographic, or social regions. My univesity was pretty diverse, and that was in an area that was less so, being an agricultural community, basically.

And I must also note, it was good that not a single right wing commentator, or blogger, has stepped in to fan flames over the Ferguson incident…

My comments were directed to Harley. I find it annoying that he feels free to tell other people what their lives are like. I don’t think whites can tell blacks what it’s like to be black, I don’t think gentiles can tell Jews what it’s like to be Jewish, I don’t think men can tell women what it’s like to be a woman. Nor, on the other hand, would I accept uncritically what I’m told about being black, Jewish, or a woman. But first I would listen, and I would try to listen sympathetically.+I’m the last person to think that the total solution is big government. I am not a fan of big government. I can easily believe that big government has made some big mistakes. I also know that there were crucial moments when big government had to step in, because local government was in collusion with a racist society. As I have said many times, I think that a complete analysis of power in society suggests that there needs to be a balance of various levels and kinds of institutions, some of which are governmental, some of which are not. If the civil rights movement had waited for the federal government, they would have waited a very long time.+I shouldn’t have to say that I don’t condone the riots in any way.+Your comment on Affirmative Action programs does not match my experience at all. I was affirmative action officer in my department for a while. The policy covered lots of different “affirmative action categories”, not just blacks. It expressly stated that there would be no lowering of standards. The rule was that if two candidates for a job were judged to be of equal merit, then if one was a member of an affirmative action category, then that person got preference. The largest group affected by far has been women, who are not a minority, but who have not been equally represented in hiring. The program, however, also has a clause that writes itself out of operation — as soon as 40% of the faculty are women, then the program no longer applies, and there are similar clauses for other groups, though the numbers differ. In my view, this program has been very good.+I also note in closing that there is a lot of effort in the black community to improve education. You might check out the Algebra Project, for instance. It doesn’t get a lot of attention in the news, but it’s a good project.

Lonecat: I am 100% in favor of equal opportunity, but have lost out in over 30 jobs/transfer appointments because of the dicscrimination in the “affirmative action” area AS PRACTICED, in both government and industry. Affirmative action to bring a person’s skills up to speed before they apply for a position, is a good action. Giving the job to the person LEAST qualifed, is NOT the way for them, or your “industry”, to progress.

And to my “pet peeve”, the broadcast and print media show obvious signs of putting the least qualified in at every level.