MotherJones.com | MoJoBlog - Social Issues and Political Commentary: We're Sorry, But Not THAT Sorry

« The Company We Keep | Blog Index | Meet David Hicks and his Beleaguered Counsel »


recent entries The Palin Factor What The Palin Pick Says About John McCain and the GOP KBR Sued For Human Trafficking Will Palin Bring A Breast Pump On The Campaign Trail? The First Time Hillary Clinton is Mentioned at the Vice Presidential Debate... Obama's Grand Speech: Reason for Hope Fox. Is. Amazing. Gore's Speech: A Reminder of What's Missing Hezbollah Operating From Venezuela?

We're Sorry, But Not THAT Sorry

Suddenly, Sen. Sam Brownback wants to apologize to African Americans and Native Americans for generations of suffering. Such attempts have been made by Congress before, but the twist here is that Brownback, who is an extreme right-wing politician, is running for president in 2008.

The resolution, authored by Brownback and Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen, "acknowledges that the U.S. government 'violated many of the treaties ratified by Congress and other diplomatic agreements with Indian tribes' while taking actions that caused 'immense harm' to native peoples, including forced removal, relocation and extermination."

Brownback has a 20% rating (lower than Harry Reid's!) from the ACLU, which means that he has gone out of his way to deny civil liberties to citizens, many of whom, of course, are minorities. He voted to end special funding to minority-owned businesses and against setting aside highway funds for minorities.

Brownback voted against maintaining the right of habeus corpus in death penalty appeals, has consistently voted against public education, and--despite his talk about Native Americans' stewardship of the land--has consistently voted against conserving the environment (he has a 0% rating from the League of Conservation Voters).

And while it's nice that hypocrites in Congress are falling all over themselves to apologize to African Americans and Native Americans, when is Congress going to consider apologizing to women? We were burned as witches, denied birth control, denied the vote, forbidden to take most jobs, forbidden to enroll in many schools (until the 1970s), had genital mutilation performed on us (until the late 1970s), denied credit, given no protection against spousal abuse, denied the right to divorce, placed in psychiatric hospitals for asking questions or speaking our minds, sexually abused and assaulted in the workplace, denied the right to participate in most sports...the list goes on and on.

The truth, of course, is that "apologies" like Brownback's are shallow and offensive, but at least Congress considers African Americans and Native Americans politically important enough to pander to.

Comments

Let us get over the past and face the problem today. I think that a Tom Lycus 101 student would not agree that today's modern women are disadvantaged. Affirmative Action put women in the front of the line for hiring and promotions. The Divorce courts are notorious for giving women alimony and financially raping the man. If anything, today's society owes an apology to men and fathers. Women make up 60% of college students. Women have more than half of the wealth of this country as well. Look at the military, the casualties are mostly men. Men demand true equality today.

Posted by: Lawrence F. on 03/06/07 at 6:37 PM

Lawrence,

Obviously, you have not tried being a woman "today." You have little idea what kind of challenges women face. Nor the insidious kinds of discrimination that still--quite commonly--go on.

When one does not know whence he speaks, one's mouth is best used for chewing. I hear beef jerky is long lasting. Try some.

Posted by: dejah on 03/09/07 at 3:20 PM

American women have nothing to complain about compared to Persian women. Thursday was International Women's day. Stop being so self involved and help us.

Posted by: Moini on 03/09/07 at 4:29 PM

...had genital mutilation performed on us (until the late 1970s)...
Dianne, do you mean in America? I wasn't aware of this. I knew about the fgm in other parts of the world but had not heard about it in America. Not arguing, just would like a little elaboration.
And another thought: Why ISN'T circumcision male genital mutilation? They've disproved that it makes male genitals more hygenic and it still does to men what it does to women, which is diminish the natural level of pleasure sensation. I will grant that the level of damage in fgm is more brutal than circumcison, but I'd like to see all people's genitals left as made, and it surprises me that the outrage doesn't include male babies.

Posted by: Paul Miller on 03/10/07 at 5:13 AM

Male babies when they are circumcised feel pain and it can cause mental problems later in life from this early trauma.
Mothers, please don't let your babies be circumcised.

Posted by: Dr. Gussin on 03/11/07 at 7:55 AM

Voting against affirmative action and set-asides doesn't make one insensitive to the plight of others, irrespective of what some might think. We could all do ourselves a favour by heeding a profound musing penned by G.B. Shaw: 'People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them'. Sounds like sage advice to me...

Posted by: Matthew Christian Wayne on 03/11/07 at 9:12 PM

Voting against affirmative action is a vote against racial profiling. Affirmative action is institutionalized racism which progressives should be against.

Posted by: Steven Cook on 03/12/07 at 10:30 AM

"I don't believe in circumstances."? Matthew, that doesn't sound like sage advice. That sounds insane.
Blaming one's circumstances for one's faults is a bad thing, I agree. But denying their existence? It's completely mad. It's usually done by people who don't want to admit that they've had any advantages in life, who want to take all the credit for anything that goes right.

Posted by: Carolina on 03/31/07 at 5:29 AM