Posted: 6/23/2009 5:30:55 PM EDT
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http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=314695&
Link better left cold... Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today after the Senate passed a resolution apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African Americans: “In the nearly 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, America has taken serious and sincere steps to heal the deep wounds of one of history’s greatest crimes against humanity. This resolution is another one of those steps. “And in just the last four years, the Senate has taken significant strides to bring to life the words of our nation’s most sacred documents that all men are created equal, and that all are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. “In 2005, we formally apologized for our past failure to pass anti-lynching legislation that could have prevented and more properly punished those responsible for the brutal killing of countless Americans." This is just part of the statement and I am mad as hell over this. Let me preface this (Mods, I'm looking in your direction) by saying that I don't think slavery was ever the right thing to do, but THERE IS NO ONE ALIVE TODAY IN THIS COUNTRY WHO WAS EVER A SLAVE IN THE OLD SOUTH. Like some smelly Hollywood hippie wouldn't lynch me if she got the chance... This is some bullshit! If they start paying out reparations, I'm going to invest in gold teeth, spinny hubcaps, and Cadillac, then I'll be rich bitches!! 
Off to listen to some David Allen Coe now...peace out. 
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If I'm going to be forced to apologize for slavery I better get a fucking slave out of the deal.
Otherwise I will not apologize for something I did not do to someone who was not harmed. ETA: I'll actually apologize if it means everyone with white guilt who voted for obama doesn't vote for him in 2012. EVERYONE. |
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Are we done apologizing for stuff nobody alive actually did yet? Or do we need to apologize to the Japanese for nuking them, or to the Nazis for knocking down their nice efficient death camps?
Let me know when we're supposed to be done with the self-loathing, okay? -Mark |
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Are we done apologizing for stuff nobody alive actually did yet? Or do we need to apologize to the Japanese for nuking them, or to the Nazis for knocking down their nice efficient death camps? Let me know when we're supposed to be done with the self-loathing, okay? -Mark We already apologized to the japanese for nuking them and the nazis for fire bombing their cities |
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“And in just the last four years, the Senate has taken significant strides to bring to life the words of our nation’s most sacred documents that all men are created equal, and that all are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Really? I haven't seen it. And, of course, IBTL |
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My grandparents came from Italy, so I doubt that they had slaves or anything to do with them. The only slaves my parents had were us kids...
Does this mean I get reparations?  Their Roman ancestors enslaved my Slavic/German/Britannian ancestors. For reparations I'll take 2,000 rounds of M855, 2,000 rounds of M193 and 2,000 of .45ACP and a tricked out AR with a vertical forward handgrip, nightvision scope, and beams yo. 
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heal the deep wounds of one of history's greatest crimes against humanity
Excuse me? Just how fucking deep a wound can you have when no one who is alive today, nor their parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents ever experienced or saw slavery in the US? Further, why is American slavery one of "history's greatest crimes against humanity"? What about British slavery? Spanish and Porteugese slavery? Italian slavery? Dutch? German? What about slavery in Africa? We bought our slaves from black slavers, we didn't go out with a fucking net and catch black people in the wild. What about slavery in the Middle East? Southeast Asia? What about slavery in ancient Greece, Egypt, the Roman Empire? What about slavery that still exists in Africa (huh. Imagine that.) and the Middle East and sex slavery which occurs all over the world (but mostly in Mexico, South America, Asia, and the aforementioned regions that have slave labor.)? Aren't those just as bad? Why is American slavery singled out as "one of history's greatest crimes against humanity"? Also, why are we apologizing for something that ended nearly 150 years ago? Should the Queen of England issue a formal apology to me for the family members that got killed in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 (including Nathan Hale, whose sister I'm a direct descendent of)? Shit, I don't even want an apology from Germany or Japan for killing members of my family, and that was 60 years ago, with family members still alive who were there at the time. Even more irritating (and, frankly, insulting) is the insistence by some that we should pay black people money because, 150 years ago, America enslaved black people. Excuse me? Why the fuck do we owe someone for something that they've never experienced and no one they know has ever experienced? Is Italy going to send me a check to make up for that ancestor that got killed by a Roman legionaire 2,000 years ago? Besides, we already paid reparations. Remember a little spat that lasted from 1861 to 1865? Called the American Civil War? 600,000 Americans died in that conflict, the south was economically and industrially devestated and had to be rebuilt, slavery was ended, and the former slaves were given the same rights and privileges as everyone else. 600,000 Americans shed their blood. And we shipped all the ones who wanted to go to Africa there and gave them a country of their own; they still have it. It's called Liberia. And we have a ton of blacks on welfare, free health care, and special privileges, including preferential hiring and free college money. 600,000 Americans died so they could have that. So forgive me if I think this whole slavery issue is a moot point and the reparations are fucking paid in full. 
The sooner people get over whatever the fuck shade of pinkish brown their skin happens to be due to genetics and stop caring about stupid shit like that, the sooner civilization can progress. Anybody who gives a shit about race is a dumbass and more than probably an asshole. |
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Anyone ever seen the numbers or percentages of people who actually owned slaves or could afford them. I understand they were expensive. Am I wrong? Less than 15% of southerners owned slaves, and of those, less than 15% owned more than one slave. Numbers are about the same for the seven slave states in the north. |
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Anyone ever seen the numbers or percentages of people who actually owned slaves or could afford them. I understand they were expensive. Am I wrong? Yea but worth it  Frankly, if it meant I'd never have to hear or see Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, etc. I'd have picked my own cotton. |
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I'm kinda curious as to how slaves got here in the first place. It's not like settlers had em in their sacks on the Mayflower. Was it the Dutch or the British invading Africa or what? I thought that I read in history class that Europeans made deals with prominent tribes to round up other tribes. In turn, eliminating social competition for land and resources back in Africa. If this were true,wouldn't the the blame fall more on Europe than America? Don't get me wrong ,sure we have a hand in it and certainly we took full advantage and prolonged it ,but how did it really start? ETA; seems like this is just a cheap suck up to the underprivilaged voters who didn't get their free flat sceen TV's yet––-dont worry hope and change––––its coming |
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Quoted: Anyone ever seen the numbers or percentages of people who actually owned slaves or could afford them. I understand they were expensive. Am I wrong? I think it was $5,000 in today's dollars. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_the_average_cost_of_a_slave_in_the_South_1860 http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ Nope, $10,000 |
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Each apology comes with a boat ticket. Want it or not? Yep, anybody who wishes to partake in reparations can go back to pickings bugs out of each others hair. Slavery may have been horrible, but the following generations have had a huge potential to a better life. Whether they chose to take that route or not, the potential was there. |