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Title: Haley Barbour's silence speaks volumes
Source:
Washington post
URL Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy ... 1705445.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Published: Feb 18, 2011
Author: Eugene Robinson
Post Date: 2011-02-18 09:39:26 by go65
Keywords: None
Views: 26386
Comments: 32
Does Haley Barbour really have a warped and offensive view of America's racial history? Or is he just playing a dangerous game?
Perhaps both.
The Mississippi governor, considered a potential Republican candidate for president in 2012, keeps displaying what appears to be an astonishing level of ignorance about our nearly 400-year struggle with issues of race. At this point, it's more than a pattern. It's either a pathology or a plan.
The latest outrage - and I don't use that word lightly - came Tuesday, when Barbour was asked to comment on a proposal for a state license plate honoring one of the most notorious figures of the Civil War era, Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. I question whether any Confederate officer is worthy of such recognition, given that they were all committing treason. But even for the Sons of Confederate Veterans - the group proposing the license plate - Forrest should be an embarrassment.
For those who do not see the Civil War through a revisionist gauze of gallantry and Spanish moss, Forrest is an abomination. In 1864, his troops mowed down scores of black Union soldiers who were trying to surrender, in what became known as the Fort Pillow Massacre. After the war, Forrest became one of the founding fathers of the terrorist Ku Klux Klan - and was the group's first national leader, or "grand wizard."
Barbour was asked whether he would denounce the idea of honoring such a figure. "I don't go around denouncing people," he told reporters. "That's not going to happen."
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Does Haley Barbour really have a warped and offensive view of America's racial history? Or is he just playing a dangerous game?
Perhaps both.
I can tell you exactly who Haley is.
Grew up with his kin folks. 20 miles away.
My Dad loves him. That tells me exactly who he is. 8D
#2. To: mcgowanjm, go65 (#1)
The post Nixon era Republican party is made up of people who were not fans of the KKK - outright thought they were goons - but supported the Jim Crow era system - viewing it as a more gentile era. That is why they don't feel there views are racists (just natural order of things) because in their minds racist is the KKK type of extremism.
"Keep Your Goddamn Government Hands Off My Medicare!" - Various Tea Party signs.
#3. To: go65 (#0)
I question whether any Confederate officer is worthy of such recognition,
That's because you are a fool with a piss-poor PC education.
For one thing,it was NOT treason to exit a union you voluntarily joined with the understanding you were free to leave if they no longer followed the agreement that caused you to join.
Secondly,Forrest quit and denounced the KKK when it was taken over by racists. The KKK was formed to protect the common people from the abuses of the carpetbaggers,NOT because of any bullshit PC lies you were taught and still believe.
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
#4. To: sneakypete, go65 (#3) (Edited)
For one thing,it was NOT treason to exit a union you voluntarily joined with the understanding you were free to leave if they no longer followed the agreement that caused you to join.
Confederates like Lee swore an oath to rejoin the union so it was treason.
Also, the Confederacy killed more Americans than Tojo, King George, Stalin, Hitler, Osama bin Laden and the Vietnamese and Korean communists combined did.
Here are the Confederates singing against the Union using treasonous words:
Oh, I'm a good old rebel Now thats just what I am And for this yankee nation I do no give a damn.
I'm glad I fit (fought) against 'er (her) I only wish we'd won I ain't asked any pardon For anything I've done.
I hates the Yankee nation And eveything they do I hates the declaration Of independence too.
I hates the glorious union 'Tis dripping with our blood I hates the striped banner And fit (fought) it all I could.
I rode with Robert E. Lee For three years there about Got wounded in four places And I starved at Pint (Point) Lookout.
I coutch (caught) the roomatism (rheumatism) Campin' in the snow But I killed a chance of Yankees And I'd like to kill some mo'. (more.)
Three hundred thousand Yankees Is stiff in southern dust We got three hundred thousand Before they conquered us.
They died of southern fever And southern steel and shot I wish they was three million Instead of what we got.
I can't take up my musket And fight 'em down no mo' (more) But I ain't a-goin' to love 'em (them) Now that is serten sho. (certain sure.)
And I don't want no pardon For what I was and am I won't be reconstructed And I do not give a damn.
Oh, I'm a good old rebel Now that's just what I am And for this Yankee nation I do no give a damn.
I'm glad I fought against 'er (her) I only wish we'd won I ain't asked any pardon For anything I've done.
I ain't asked any pardon For anything I've done...
"Keep Your Goddamn Government Hands Off My Medicare!" - Various Tea Party signs.
#5. To: sneakypete (#3) (Edited)
For one thing,it was NOT treason to exit a union you voluntarily joined with the understanding you were free to leave if they no longer followed the agreement that caused you to join.
U.S. Military Officer Oath: 1830-1862:
"I, _____, appointed a _____ in the Army of the United States, do solemnly swear, or affirm, that I will bear true allegiance to the United States of America, and that I will serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies or opposers whatsoever, and observe and obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the rules and articles for the government of the Armies of the United States."
Oath amended 2 July 1862:
"I, A.B., do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I have never borne arms against the United States since I have been a citizen thereof; that I have voluntarily given no aid, countenance, counsel, or encouragement to persons engaged in armed hostility thereto; that I have neither sought nor accepted nor attempted to exercise the functions of any office whatsoever under any authority or pretended authority in hostility to the United States; that I have not yielded voluntary support to any pretended government, authority, power, or constitution within the United States, hostile or inimical thereto. And I do further swear (or affirm) that, to the best of my knowledge and ability, I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God."
Any U.S. military officer who sided with the Confederacy violated their oath and was a traitor the United States of America.
That's because you are a fool with a piss-poor PC education.
I took an Officer's oath in 1992. How about you?
Since January 3, 2011, Republicans have controlled the power of the purse.
#6. To: sneakypete (#3)
Secondly,Forrest quit and denounced the KKK when it was taken over by racists. The KKK was formed to protect the common people from the abuses of the carpetbaggers,NOT because of any bullshit PC lies you were taught and still believe.
Forrest owned a slave mart in Memphis prior to the war. He was involved in the massacre of black soldiers trying to surrender, and as Grand Wizard of the KKK he helped design a program to intimidate blacks so they wouldn't vote.
yes, he had a late-in-life turnaround after working with blacks on a railroad project. Does that excuse his past actions? I think not.
Since January 3, 2011, Republicans have controlled the power of the purse.
#7. To: Godwinson (#4)
Confederates like Lee swore an oath to rejoin the union so it was treason.
You don't even know the meaning of the word "logic",do you?
I'm done responding to you.
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
#8. To: go65 (#5)
I took an Officer's oath in 1992. How about you?
I took the enlisted mans oath twice. The first time in 1964.
AND......,that oath only applies as long as the feral government remains faithful to the Constitution. Which the Lincoln government didn't. THEY were the ones that opened fire,and it was Lincoln himself that threatened to have US Marshals lock the Supreme Court in a military prison without a trial if they disagreed with him,which they had said they were going to do.
Any U.S. military officer who sided with the Confederacy violated their oath and was a traitor the United States of America.
Not only a lie,but a damn lie. The feral government ceased to be a legal government when they decided they had the power to violate the articles that established the union.
Or maybe you think today that military officers have a duty to bomb and shell US cities if the president orders them to do that?
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
#9. To: sneakypete (#8) (Edited)
THEY were the ones that opened fire
The first shot fired was by the Cadets from Citadel* on a Union ship...
And your conditions for invalidating an oath are tantamount to validating a temper tantrum as a response to anything you don't like.
*edited
#10. To: go65 (#6)
Forrest owned a slave mart in Memphis prior to the war. He was involved in the massacre of black soldiers trying to surrender,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Pillow
Lieutenant Daniel Van Horn of the 6th U. S. Heavy Artillery (Colored) stated in his official report "There never was a surrender of the fort, both officers and men declaring they never would surrender or ask for quarter."[9] However, a Confederate sergeant, in a letter written home shortly after the battle said that "the poor, deluded negroes would run up to our men, fall upon their knees, and with uplifted hand scream for mercy, but were ordered to their feet and then shot down."[10]
Forrest's men insisted that the Federals, although fleeing, kept their weapons and frequently turned to shoot, forcing the Confederates to keep firing in self defense.[7] Their claim is consistent with the discovery of numerous Federal rifles on the bluffs near the river (see Jordan, THQ). The Union flag was still flying over the fort, which indicated that the force had not formally surrendered. A contemporary newspaper account from Jackson, Tennessee, states that "General Forrest begged them to surrender," but "not the first sign of surrender was ever given." Similar accounts were reported in both Southern and Northern newspapers at the time.[11]
Historian Allan Nevins wrote that although the interpretation of the facts had "provoked some disputation":
Northerners, however, saw only one side. They read headlines announcing "Attack on Fort Pillow -- Indiscriminate Slaughter of the Prisoners -- Shocking Scenes of Savagery; dispatches from Sherman's army declaring "there is a general gritting of teeth here"; reports from the Missouri Democrat detailing the "fiendishness" of rebel behavior; and editorials like that in the Chicago Tribune condemning the "murder" and "butchery".[12]
Gee,I guess there is no possibility that the norther newspapers were spreading anti-southern propaganda,is there?
"The first casualty of war is truth" U.S. Senator Hiram Johnson (1866-1945)
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
#11. To: war (#9)
The first shot fired was by the Cadets at VMI on a Union ship...
According to who?
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
#12. To: sneakypete (#11) (Edited)
According to who [sic]?
Besides every Civil War historian?
Google "Star of the West"...
#13. To: sneakypete (#7)
You don't even know the meaning of the word "logic",do you?I'm done responding to you.
That was a response? LOL!
"Keep Your Goddamn Government Hands Off My Medicare!" - Various Tea Party signs.
#14. To: go65 (#0)
I question whether any Confederate officer is worthy of such recognition, given that they were all committing treason.
Total nonsense. How were they committing treason? Name one civil war person that was charged with treason.
#15. To: sneakypete (#8)
AND......,that oath only applies as long as the feral government remains faithful to the Constitution.
That sums it up.
#16. To: A K A Stone (#14) (Edited)
Total nonsense. How were they committing treason? Name one civil war person that was charged with treason.
I assume you've heard of Jefferson Davis? He was arrested after the war for treason, but Johnson decided to pardon all confederates for treason on December 25, 1868.
Since January 3, 2011, Republicans have controlled the power of the purse.
#17. To: sneakypete (#8)
THEY were the ones that opened fire
Pete, you need to read up on your civil war history. Plan a trip to Charleston when you have some time. The Union didn't fire the first shot.
Since January 3, 2011, Republicans have controlled the power of the purse.
#18. To: go65 (#16)
I do believe William Quantrill and his Jayhawks got in serious trouble for the burning of Laurence, Kansas and the murder in cold blood of 183 men and boys (age range 14-90).
He was a murderous and thieving bastard and a Confederate Captain to boot. I would call his sort of terrorism beyond the scope of acceptable warfare and was certainly traitorous.
#19. To: go65 (#17)
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the start of the War between the States, and the Confederacy fired first.
#20. To: Ferret Mike (#19)
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the start of the War between the States, and the Confederacy fired first.
Yep, we visited Sumter and Moultrie last spring, fantastic trip though you only get an hour once you land at Sumter. I absolutely loved Charleston, we also saw the HL Hundley which is currently being restored after spending over a 100 years underneath the sea.
Since January 3, 2011, Republicans have controlled the power of the purse.
#21. To: go65 (#20)
H. L. Hunley was a submarine of the Confederate States Navy that demonstrated both the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare. The Hunley was the first submarine to sink a warship, though the sub was also lost following the engagement. Though some know the submarine by the name CSS H. L. Hunley, she was not commissioned and therefore does not warrant the "CSS" prefix. The H. L. Hunley, almost 40-feet (12-m) long, was built at Mobile, Alabama, launched in July 1863, and shipped by rail to Charleston, SC on August 12, 1863. On February 17, 1864, Hunley attacked and sank the 1800-ton, steam-powered sloop-of-war USS Housatonic in Charleston harbor, but soon after, the Hunley also sank, drowning all 8 crewmen.
http://kasmith4.stu.cofc.edu/civilwar.html
That is very fasinating. I had no idea they had brought her up from Davy Jone's locker.
#22. To: Ferret Mike (#21) (Edited)
yes, several years ago, it's in a water bath for the next 15 years or so while they work to remove the scale. It is one of the more amazing stories of bravery (and maybe stupidity), I can't imagine what it must have been like to have been stuffed inside knowing you probably weren't going to come back alive.
check out: http://www.hunley.org/
Since January 3, 2011, Republicans have controlled the power of the purse.
#23. To: go65 (#22)
Great link, thanks.
#24. To: Ferret Mike (#19)
Who knows who really fired first none of us were there and people lie. Regardless the confederates were surrounded and attempted to be starved. The North started the war.
Slavery would have died out without the war.
#25. To: go65 (#6)
yes, he had a late-in-life turnaround after working with blacks on a railroad project. Does that excuse his past actions? I think not.
Why not - it wouldn't have stopped him from becoming senate majority leader for the Democrat party. Unless, of course, you are advocating that West Virginia remove everything named after the former Ku Klux Klan recriter, Democrat Senator Robert Byrd. "BUT THAT'S DIFFERENT", right? You see what kind of trouble you get into with political correctness?
#26. To: Ferret Mike (#19)
and the Confederacy fired first.
#27. To: A K A Stone (#24)
Slavery would have died out without the war.
Your evidence for this is what? All available evidence shows that a) the Southern States seceded over Slavery and b) that once they seceded they made it 1) a protected constitutional right to own slaves and 2) forbade their manumission.
So "die" how?
#28. To: A K A Stone (#24)
Who knows who really fired first none of us were there and people lie. Regardless the confederates were surrounded and attempted to be starved. The North started the war.
You've got that backwards, the first shots of the Civil War were fired by Cadets from The Citadel when the Union tried to resupply starving troops at Fort Sumter.
Slavery would have died out without the war.
Maybe eventually, but given so many Southern states based their secession declarations on the desire to protect slavery, it wouldn't have ended for many more years.
Since January 3, 2011, Republicans have controlled the power of the purse.
#29. To: A K A Stone (#24)
Regardless the confederates were surrounded and attempted to be starved.
Wha...chuckle...huh? How in the hell could they be "surrounded"? "Starvation", if there was any, it was isolated until a couple of months before Gettysburg when you had the Richmond food riots. But, even then, it was fairly isolated to Tidewater Virginia and other coastal areas affected by the blockade.
You really shouldn't spout off on stuff in a manner that underscores the fact of your ignorance.
#30. To: Godwinson (#2)
The post Nixon era Republican party is made up of people who were not fans of the KKK - outright thought they were goons - but supported the Jim Crow era system - viewing it as a more gentile era. That is why they don't feel there views are racists (just natural order of things) because in their minds racist is the KKK type of extremism.
You can think that way if you like,
but I see white flight towns all around me.
And segregation everywhere.
The Only place where Blacks are represented per their %age in society is in the prisons and sports.
And the CodeWords used liberally here at LF just prove my point. ;}
#31. To: A K A Stone (#24)
I told you where it started. And the war was not started on the issue of slavery.
#32. To: A K A Stone (#26)
You are not arguing with me, you are arguing with history.
Clara Peller has nothing to do with this. ;-)
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