Tuesday, December 10, 2002

Lotts of Trouble How attrocious was Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott's post-facto endorsement of Strom Thurmond's 1948 presidential bid? Much worse than he's being given credit for. Lott wasn't simply harking back to the good old days of segregation. None of the major parties in 1948 dared stand against the Apartheid system that ruled the South in those days. No, the issue that caused Strom's Dixiecrats to bolt from the Democratic Party was President Truman's support for a federal anti-lynching bill. That's right - the people who voted for Strom were bravely standing up for the rights of angry mobs to terrorize and murder black citizens without interference from the bad ol' federal gov'ment. And the reason that Mississippi gave its electoral votes to the Dixiecrats is because the majority of the theoretical electorate - e.g., the 60-odd% of Mississippi's population that wasn't pure as the driven snow - were systemtatically excluded from the polls by means so crude and brutal that few bothered to even attempt to exercise their rights. Having nostalgia for the good old days of sweet magnolia is one thing, but by dragging up the ghosts of '48, Lott knowingly and deliberately advocated for a return of racial fascism and terror. Shame on anyone who doesn't turn their back on this evil troll. 1:22:54 PM    Emphasize This! [] Oliver, Oliver! Lately I've been enjoying the blogging of Oliver Willis, who seems on the verge of parlaying his skills into a wider career in journalism and punditry. If you like the perspective and variety offered here at Emphasis Added, you'll probably like Oliver as well. And Another Tip of the Blogroll Cap... ...to Paul Andrews, the preternaturally insightful Seattle Times tech columnist, lovely and talented husband of voluntarily-simple Cecile,  and all-around wise fellow, who just added EA to his blogroll of honor. Yay Paul! 8:56:15 AM    Emphasize This! [] Crisis of Faith I'm not Catholic myself and don't feel entirely comfortable writing about the mounting problems facing the Church here in America, but I can't help being sickened by the attitude of the Boston archdiosece towards the victims of predatory priests. Not only is the Church doing everything in its considerable power to protect the alleged perpetrators, it is now considering the extraordinary step of declaring bankruptcy to avoid financial liability and to prevent further investigation into the charges. For any institution to so blatatnly seek to deny justice and evade responsibility is obscene, but it is especially grotesque considering that the whole business of the Church is to tell other people how to live their lives. The institutional problems of the Catholic Church have been with Western civilization for so long that they've become part of the historical wallpaper. It's hard to believe that, at this late date, the Church could furnish such potent new fuel for outrage, or be so inept in its handling of what must be a familiar situation. Catholicism practically invented the concept of shame and distributes it generously to the faithful. It's amazing that they can't seem to find any to spare on themselves in a situation where it's so richly needed. Check out the Boston Globe for outstanding coverage of the situation. 8:39:44 AM    Emphasize This! []

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