[Vision2020] Reverse Racism?

Sun May 31 13:06:12 PDT 2009

Evidence of intellectual deficit re: Justice Thomas?  If I'm not mistaken, he has yet to offer an independent dissent or defense of a ruling, relying instead, it seems, on the work of Scalia and now Roberts and Alito.  His background was less stellar than Sotomayor's, and yes, if he used his experiences as a man of color born in relative poverty to hone his judicial wisdom, he likely would render a richer, more wise decision.  Unfortunately, he spends much of his public presence in decrying the same programs that benefited him.  I also think that knocking his sister as a "welfare queen" is not only cruel, but also plays distressingly into the far-right playbook that derides poor women of color in the same way.  

I find it interesting that white men who howl about affirmative action and entitlement are evidently unable to see that very many of their compatriots in the halls of power in this country were the recipients of "special consideration," like "legacy admissions" to Yale for George W. Bush, that elevated them not because of their ability and experience, but because of who they were apart from ability and experience.  "Who they were" was defined by their being white men.  For generations, white men have been boosted onto pedestals of power by other white men, richer, more powerful, older, and more seasoned, who knew their fathers, worked with their grandfathers, were beholden to their uncles, or golfed with their brothers.  Patronage, legacy admissions, nepotism, and political pay-back are forms of affirmative action that have benefited the majority but are now forgotten in the debate over legitimate social policy and "reverse racism."

Disclaimers:  I'm married to and in love with a white man, I've raised two young white men to adulthood, and my beloved dad was a white man.  What's wonderful about all of them is that they recognize that their skin color and gender will generally favor them in this world, and they recognize that as true injustice, seek to reduce how much they benefit from it, and work for justice across gender, race, class and social lines.  Further disclaimer:  My 20-year-old son is a UI student, as were both of his grandfathers and five previous generations of Mixes.  He is on a Presidential Scholarship, which he was awarded on the basis of his GPA and leadership activities in high school, from which he graduated summa cum laude.  He has continued with a 3.8 GPA while working through his first two years of school.  He is a classic prototype of "legacy admission," but the UI isn't the Ivy League, and Anthony Mix isn't George W. Bush.  And if his Mom weren't so well-known, and so likely to attract criticism for her views, none of this would have to be brought up.

But it is what it is, isn't it?

Keely
http://keely-prevailingwinds.blogspot.com/

From: jampot at roadrunner.com
To: kjajmix1 at msn.com; thansen at moscow.com; godshatter at yahoo.com
CC: ttrail at house.state.id.us; vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Reverse Racism?
Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 12:24:05 -0700

No. But then again I wasn't asked. Do I believe that 
Justice Thomas was the finest legal mind available in all the land in 1991? No. 
He too was a prime example of affirmative action. I do not think he is "a dim 
bulb" however and I suspect your opinion is based on emotion and political 
leaning rather than any actual evidence of intellectual deficit. Plus if back 
story is the be all and end all of a supreme court nominee qualification, as so 
many are making it out to be, then he has Sotomeyor beat six ways to 
Sunday. After all, I would hope that a wise black man with the richness of 
his experiences, would more often then not reach a better conclusion than a 
latina woman who hasn't lived that life. Surely you agree.

g

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: 
  keely emerinemix 

  To: jampot at roadrunner.com ; Tom Hansen ; godshatter at yahoo.com 
  Cc: ttrail at house.state.id.us ; vision2020 at moscow.com 
  Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:58 AM
  Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Reverse 
  Racism?

I disagree with you completely.  But what I'm really 
  interested in is this:  Did you make the same argument when Clarence 
  Thomas was nominated?  Because if you really want to showcase an 
  intellectual dim bulb on the Supreme Court, that might be a good place to 
  look.

Keely
http://keely-prevailingwinds.blogspot.com/

  From: jampot at roadrunner.com
To: 
  thansen at moscow.com; godshatter at yahoo.com
Date: Sun, 31 
  May 2009 09:42:55 -0700
CC: ttrail at house.state.id.us; vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: 
  [Vision2020] Reverse Racism?

  I'm very sorry to be the one to burst your little 
  bubble but, while the nomination of your 55 year old latina 
  is unquestionably politically savvy, she is far from the legal 
  communities most prominent shining light. Her nomination will, no doubt, score 
  OBL a few short term brownie points with a certain segment of the electorate 
  but will leave scant impression on American jurisprudence. While her story is 
  touching and all, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who honestly 
  believes that she has the intellectual firepower to make any 
  headway with legal minds the likes of  Breyer or Ginsberg much less 
  Alito, Roberts, or Scalia. She is pretty much destined to be little more than 
  a liberal "me too." In other words, affirmative action as it's most 
  commonly practiced.

  g
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
  To: "Paul Rumelhart" <godshatter at yahoo.com>
  Cc: <ttrail at house.state.id.us>; 
  <vision2020 at moscow.com>
  Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 6:13 AM
  Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Reverse 
  Racism?

> Paul Rumelhart stated:
> 
> "This is how it is 
  supposed to work, as far as I understand it.  All 
> other things 
  being equal, choose the minority so that the staff becomes
> more 
  diverse.  If the clear winner is a member of the majority or a
> 
  minority, it doesn't matter, hire him or her."
> 
> I agree with 
  you partially, Paul.  A job should go to the best qualified,
> 
  regardless of race/gender, even if the best qualified for the job 
  happens
> to be a 55-year-old Latina raised by a single parent in the 
  projects of
> the South Bronx.
> 
> Right, g?
> 

> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
> 
> "The Pessimist 
  complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
> and the 
  Realist adjusts his sails."
> 
> - Unknown
> 
> 

> 
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