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WASHINGTON
President Barack Obama says Virginia's governor made "an unacceptable omission" when he proclaimed April Confederate History Month without mentioning slavery.
Obama, the nation's first black president, says Americans can't understand the Civil War without understanding slavery. First lady Michelle Obama is descended from a South Carolina slave.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell came under harsh criticism for issuing April's history month proclamation without any reference to slavery. The Republican governor at first defended his decree, saying it was intended to honor the Confederate sacrifice on Virginia soil and promote tourism. On Wednesday he apologized and added a paragraph condemning slavery, saying that leaving it out had been a "major omission."
Interviewed by ABC News on Thursday in Prague, Obama said the controversy was a reminder to be thoughtful when speaking about "issues like slavery that are so fraught with pain and emotion."
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Enough with all of this!
When will we all just stop with the bickering back and forth on the races? I am tired of the subject. I am half Irish and part Jewish. I could whine about injustices all day but these things are in the PAST. Lets move forward and try to treat each other with respect. Bickering about the past is like continuing to pick at a scab. It will never heal correctly and the scar will be far worse than it could have been. Come on folks! Its a new day. Get over it!
Let it go
Obama didn't need to stir the pot. He could have proved he was better than that by rising above the discussion and refusing to comment. He needs to focus on what's really important in today's world -- getting our people back to work.
Sensitivity in Politics
Regarding “sensitivity”. Anyone who reads the history of our country (I’m reading “America, the Last Best Hope”) can only conclude that our founding fathers and American politics conducted hugely insulting campaigns and public battles. The men (and they were mostly white men) attacked daily, the character and motives of their ideological opponents (other white men). John Quincy Adams about Andrew Jackson: “ my darling Harvard disgraced herself by conferring a Doctor’s degree upon a barbarian and savage (SAVAGE) who could scarcely spell his own name. “p 252.
Adams had moral rectitude not sensitivity
The same Adams, in 1839-1841 brilliant defended 53 Africans led by the powerful leadership of Cinque, when they rebelled and killed the captain and the crew of the slave ship Amistad. Recalling that America had for 3 decades already banned the transatlantic slave trade, Adams argued the Africans were free men, not property.
The Africans were all set free.
Ironically, when Cinque returned to his African home, he immediately became a slave trader. p253 "American the Last Best Hope" vol 1.
Get educated--read ALL of history. Thinking and voting people need to recognize who is helping them and who is hurting them—today--and not assume white men are doing the hurting.
McDonnell Is Not Even A Southerner
I am a southerner who is tired of seeing racist, yankee carpetbaggers causing grief with my state and other southern states. McDonnell's father is from PA and he spent a good portion of his life outside of VA. I was very proud of Virginia's relinquishing of this Civil War thing and our apology for slavery which to my knowledge we are the only political body to have ever done so. Now this Yankee has gone and made us look like we are back in the 1860's again.
He is also anti- gay, anti women's rights and probably anti semetic.... and a YANKEE!!!!!
Many people died to end slavery and while I am proud of the military pluck of my southern ancestors I am not proud of slavery and am sick of hearing about it. The South was totally destroyed, in particular Virginia, by that war and its offensive that a group of people have insisted on dredging up the past at a time like this when we finally all seemed to become Americans for once not Afro, Asian or Euro Americans but Americans.
Perhaps that is why McDonnell did not mention it
Perhaps "Yankee" Bob actually understands the true southerner ( southerner with historic roots that go back to the civil war) and THAT is EXACTLY why he didn't mention slavery in the first speech--we are all sick of dredging it up. I"m a Yankee too, born and raised in Chicago with ancestors that go back to the Chicago Fire and we are sick of hearing about historic "wrongs". Obama is so busy committing current day wrongs, I can't imagine how he has time to dredge up incendiary topics and feelings from past wrongs. More than likely, Bob being Irish Catholic could have an ax to grind with the British who controlled Ireland, the land of Bob's ancestors, allowing millions of Irish Catholics to starve to death during the potato famine. Yes, millions of Irish perished while the British exported food for profit. The British turned their backs on the poor Irish. It was the discrimination and poverty of British controlled Ireland that brought the majority of Irish Catholics to the United States. Most of the Irish, far from owning slaves--were themselves treated like slaves.
Sad to See
So much racism and racially tainted hate on these boards and so much of it not-so-coincidentally anti-Obama and all the more uncivil when posters can hide behind pseudonyms. Rational criticism on any leader's policies are important but race-baiting and hate reflect poorly on those who spew it.
Interesting observation
because all one has to do is read down this list of posts and it is clear that liberal people on here are the ones race/hate baiting including this slick posting. Actually, just about all conservative postings do not attack Obama but his policies and philosophy. People that cannot remotely defend his disasterous policies always fall back on racism and Bush did it. Have you noticed that the democratic rats are abandoning the ship?
Interesting
You chide the Conservatives when the ALL the race-baiting, racist namecalling and innuendo come from Liberals. You are out of touch with reality. Get a grip please.
Focus on JOBS
Obama should focus more on the nation's JOB PROBLEM and WASTEFUL SPENDING of the stimulus money rather than involved himself on petty issues. He already WASTED a whole year on health care w/ no immediate benefits.