Sunday, January 9, 2011

Republicans Read Constitution, Try to Pretend Slavery Never Happened

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse UniversityScholarship in Action 

With the new Republican-led Congress comes the excited arrival of Birthers, Tea Partiers and other strange characters who are seeking to undermine the political stability of our great nation. The week ended with the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, with the sheriff of the town implying that racial animosity and divisive rhetoric of the Right Wing played a role in creating the atmosphere where a political leader was shot in the face and a little girl was killed.
The language of the Tea Party has consisted mostly of thinly-veiled animosity thrust toward the black man in the Oval Office who doesn't seem to know his place. The idea of "taking back America" and "returning America to its roots," can be translated to saying that America isn't a country that's supposed to be run by that " hoity-toity, high fallutin, black guy with the Muslim name."
So, what better way to celebrate new-found Republican power than to read the United States Constitution out loud in the chambers of Congress? Sure, we might bore the heck out of a few lawmakers and waste a day that could be spent doing something productive, but why aim for substance when symbolism is a far better marketing tool?

Click to read.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Slavery existed prior to the creation of the U.S. Constitution guys. Under English Common Law, you had indentured servants and slaves of African Descent.

What most of you (who act illiterate) don't understand is that the 13th Amendment of the Constitution (done by the Republicans - not Democrats) ended Slavery. The whole Constitution, especially with its Amendment ability in Article V, is the true context of what we follow as the rule of law.

The U.S. Constitution actually reverses English Common Law which permits slavery and indentured servitude by color. You guys need help and need to read versus show a progressive agenda. But, I guess reading is not fundamental to you guys.