mjk@tty3b.UUCP (Mike Kelly) (06/30/84)
Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: JESSE/FARRAKHAN References: <165@sb6.UUCP> The Senate voted 95-0 to repudiate Farrakhan. I wonder if the Senate ever "repudiated" any of the Southern segregationists (some of whom are now members of that hallowed body.) Then Reagan gets on TV to say that there is no room in the Republican Party for bigots -- implying, of course, that there IS room in the Democratic Party for bigots, such as Farrakhan. While I certainly won't argue that the Democratic Party has made plenty of room for bigots (mostly of the more right-wing variety, though), it stretches the imagination to claim that the Republican Party hasn't its share. Consider the Nixon Administration, for example, starting at the top. Consider Nixon's appointments to the Supreme Court (or attempted appointments -- those were too much even for the Senate to swallow.) Consider Nancy Reagan's remark about how nice it was to see "all these white faces" at a fundraiser during the last campaign. Racial bigotry runs very deep in America, and it certainly isn't found only in one of the parties. It shows Reagan's massive misunderstanding of the problem that he thinks the Republican Party is somehow 'clean'. Mike Kelly
kel@ea.UUCP (07/16/84)
#R:tty3b:-41300:ea:10100059:000:1386 ea!kel Jul 16 12:14:00 1984 I must question whether even uncle Ron is stupid enough to believe that the Republican party is clean of bigotry. Reagan's remarks have historically been opportunistic media posturing, and his condemnation of Farrakhan appears to be more of the same. As a digression, it strikes me that Farrakhan's stand on the creation of a black Muslim state is hardly any more radical, in racial terms, than the existence of Israel, so repudiation of Farrakhan while running for leadership in the major international political/economic/military supporter of Israel constitutes a symbolic slap in the face to Jackson's most staunch supporters. (Ye gods, what a sentence! ...sorry.) Hence, it would as asinine for Jackson to step on Farrakhan as it would be for Ron to condemn Jerry Falwell as a bigot, though on a smaller scale, since Falwell controls vast sums of money. I have always maintained that Reagan is really much less of a statesman than a highly strategic pawn. Whose pawn is a key question to which I don't have a supportable reply. I can only point out that when a pawn is placed in a position of such political power as the US presidency, that pawn's master's may be expected to do very well. The only factions that have done at all well in the economy of the past four years are the military producers and the bankers. I desperately hope this comment annoys SOMEBODY. Ken
simard@loral.UUCP (Ray Simard) (07/26/84)
[Do not write in this space]
Comparing the Reagan/Falwell relationship to Jackson/Farrakhan???
Come on!
I don't often agree with Falwell on many items, but compared to
this:
Louis Farrakhan is the self-proclaimed successor to Elijah Muhammad (sp)
who advocated black supremacy (read: racism), achieved if necessary
through violent means. Mr. F's threat to physically harm the reporter
who revealed Jackson's 'hymie' gaffe indicates clearly that he has
not changed much from his mentor's philosophy.
Essentially, Farrakhan is leading a sector that is the black equivalent
of the KKK. Jerry Falwell may be many things, but hardly an advocate
of violently (or otherwise)
achieved supremacy of the people he represents, wheher
by race or religion.
Can you imagine the uproar if Reagan had conferred with and accepted
support from the Imperial Wizard (or whatever they call him) of the
KKK, and had him at his side at public presentations?
Why don't the news media refer to "Louis Farrakhan, who threatened
the life of a reporter" the way they used to refer to "James Watt, who
made a comment about '..." or "Roberto D'Aubuisson, who has been linked
with right-wing death squads". (Ooops; getting into another topic; see
'selective reporting' on most of these same newsgroups!)
--
Ray Simard
Loral Instrumentation, San Diego
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