Democrats to Blacks: Stay Angry, Vote Democratic

Townhall.com ^ | July 5, 2012 | Larry Elder

[justiceseeker93]

...I and many others got safety and I don't recall any concomitant loss of civil liberty.

If you weren't involved in the "civil rights" protests, you probably weren't negatively impacted by "Bull" Connor.

But there is real ample evidence on film that peaceful protesters with some legitimate grievances were brutally assaulted and set upon by vicious dogs handled by the Birmingham police. Their civil liberties, specifically the right to peaceful assembly to ask for redress of grievances, were violated.

As I said, try walking in downtown Birmingham even just after nightfall today. The city is truly a City of Fear today.

Don't compare the "civil rights" protesters of yesteryear with today's (predominantly black, I presume) street criminals. Today's conditions are largely the sad result of L.B. Johnson's "Great Society," the negative impact it has had on black family structure for close to fifty years, and the consequent complete lack of civility among many of the residents of the inner city.

[OldPossum]

I think you can say with a great deal of confidence that I have not been involved with civil rights protests. Not my problem, you see.

Of course, being an Alabamian, I am aware of Brother Connor’s transgressions in 1963, and I suppose, other times. Again, not my problem.

I see that you, as so many other bleeding hearts, blame LBJ’s Great Society for the situation today. Sure is nice to be able to put the blame on others than those who are the problem.

Maybe one of these days you will be the recipient of the tenderness meted out by one of these feral black mobs or street criminals and you just might think that just maybe—I mean, maybe—the fault lies with them, not “society.”

But you’re so nice. And you’re morally superior to us Neanderthals. I can tell. I don’t know how you can stand walking among us.

[justiceseeker93]

I see that you, as so many other bleeding hearts, blame LBJ’s Great Society for the situation today.

You have the wrong idea there, I'm not a "bleeding heart." A "bleeding heart" would love LBJ's "Great Society" and say that it didn't go far enough. I'm for gutting it just about completely because it is fiscally irresponsible and has made us a worse society.

I agree with you that the street criminals are personally responsible for their criminal behavior and should be punished by the law accordingly. But at the same time, there are occasional instances of police overzealousness all over the country, where decent people are roughed up by police. Is it as big a problem in the overall scope of things as "feral mobs"? No. But if we are to maintain constitutional liberty, those problems have to be addressed as well. And the legacy of "Bull" Connor was that of a police chief who encouraged excessive force on the part of his officers in the street.

[OldPossum]

OK, I’ll take you for your word that you’re not a “bleeding heart” and are not a Democrat that loves the idea of the Great Society. However, you must admit that your screen name indicates as such.

And I’ll grant that the police are often nothing but aggressive b—tards with a gun and badge. I often comment along those lines, especially on threads involving dogs killed by these “things.” I have a visceral dislike of LEOs in general, not because of any series of encounters (couple traffic tickets), but because I think they are selected for their aggressive personalities.

The people of Birmingham were appreciative of Bull Connor for keeping the criminals (black and white) in check, though, and I endorse that because I lived there then. Today, it looks like we as citizens (and I’m thinking of homeowners and store owners here) will have to do the job because the police and political leaders will not do the job because of the ferals’ color, you understand. It’s come down to that in this country.