Civil Rights Activists Protest Sen. 'KKK' Byrd (Kevin Martin)

While the White House and Republican Party leaders have sat on their hands as former Ku Klux Klansman Robert Byrd continues to reign as a top Senate leader, a group of civil rights and conservative activists will launch a lunchtime protest on Monday against the West Virginia Democrat, demanding that he remove himself from the line of succession to the presidency and resign from his post as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

In a press release issued Sunday, Kevin Martin, Political and Government Affairs Director of African American Republican Leadership Council, invited those concerned about Byrd's atrocious record on race to join members of his and other civil rights groups like the Brotherhood Organization for a New Destiny (BOND) and Project 21, along with members of the Web site FreeRepublic.com, at the 12:00 noon protest at Byrd's Hart Building Senate office.

"Senator Byrd’s appearance as Georgia Confederate General Paul J. Semmer in the upcoming Civil War Epic 'Gods and Generals.' We firmly believe that Senator Byrd has no business playing this role given his past ties to the Ku Klux Klan and past support of segregationist principles

"We are demanding that Senator Byrd remove his name from consideration as the Democrat choice for Senate Pro-Tempore when the Senate returns to session on January 7th 2003. It is our belief that Senator Byrd does not represent the mainstream of Americans and has no place in the line of succession to the Presidency should the Democrats regain the majority.

"Senator Byrd’s opposition to both African-American Supreme Court nominees Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas gives us grave concern for any future nominees of color that may be sent forth by this President or any other. It is our belief that Senator Byrd's opposition has nothing to do with the beliefs of liberal or conservative, but is just racism in general.

"It is our belief that as a former Majority Leader, Ranking Chairman and Ranking Member again of the Senate Appropriations Committee, that Senator Byrd has used his influence to silence criticism by the Congressional Black Caucus and so-called civil rights groups. We demand that Senator Byrd gives up his seat on the Appropriations Committee and that Senate Democrat Leader Tom Daschle reassign him to another committee.

"We demand that Robert Byrd issue a public apology for his racist and bigoted statements made on 'Fox News Sunday' in 2001. Senator Byrd's comments have no place in the halls of our great Senate and should not be tolerated by his fellow Senators."

Byrd has never apologized for the his nationally televised racist outburst in person, where he used the epithet "n----rs" twice, but instead issued a written statement of apology immediately after the FNS broadcast.

"The coalition gathered here today believes that any debate on race put forth by the Democrat Party and its liberal operatives is nothing more than a scam as long as Robert Byrd's behavior and voting record on civil rights issues is not included in the debate," said Martin.

"Senator Byrd is not within the mainstream of 21st century politics and our coalition is gathered here today to finally make this known to the American people."

NATIONAL JUNETEENTH LEADER URGES AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERS TO ACCEPT LOTT APOLOGY

(Belzoni, Mississippi) - Citing the historic role Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) has played in the congressional recognition of Juneteenth Independence Day in America, Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Chairman of the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign, is urging African-American leaders to accept Lott's apology. In a recent letter to Senator Lott, Rev. Myers states, "America needs healing from the wounds of slavery, injustice and racial discrimination. Your apology has given America the opportunity to once again move toward forgiveness, racial reconciliation and healing."

Rev. Myers, Chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) and the National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC), also credits Lott for congresional recognition of Juneteenth Independence Day in 1997. "Your historic support for the observance of Juneteenth Independence Day in America, through the introduction and passage of Senate Joint Resolution 11 and hosting the first ever Juneteenth Independence Day Observance in the Mansfield Room at the U.S. Capitol, while senate majority leader of the 107th congress in 1997, demonstrated your commitment to all African-Americans to recognize our unique struggle for freedom in America." states Rev. Myers.

Juneteenth, or the "19th of June", recognizes the day, on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, TX, when Union Major General Gordon Granger announced freedom for all slaves in the Southwest, the last major vestige of slavery following the end of the Civil War, through the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation. This occurred more than two and a half years after the after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and enforced by President Abraham Lincoln. Upon the reading of General Order #3 by General Granger, the former slaves celebrated jubilantly, establishing America's second Independence Day Celebration.

Juneteenth is now recognized as a state holiday or state holiday observance in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Delaware, Alaska, Idaho, Iowa and California. Many more states including Mississippi, New York, Wyoming, Arkansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Oregon, Arizona, Washington, Maryland, Vermont, Georgia, New Jersey, Michigan and Louisiana recognize Juneteenth through state resolutions and are working toward the passage of legislation to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday or state holiday observance. This has mostly been accomplished through the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign.

Host of the National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Slavery and the National Juneteenth Black Holocaust "Maafa" Memorial Service during the annual WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance in Washington, DC, Rev. Myers urges Lott to allow his apology to be an example to the nation.

"America needs healing from the wounds of slavery, injustice and racial discrimination," states Rev. Myers. "Through our acceptance of your apology, I hope that you will work with us to gain greater recognition of Juneteenth Independence Day and the opportunity to bring all American together for the purpose of true racial healing. Your example as the leader of the United States Senate through seeking forgiveness from inappropriate comments, not intended to inflame racial wounds and a return to America's past legacy of racial injustice, could serve as a catalyst to bring all Americans together for true racial reconciliation and healing during the annual observance of Juneteenth Independence Day and the end of slavery in America."

In his acceptance of Lott's apology with a sense of sincere optimism toward the future, Rev. Myers encourages Senator Lott not to step down as Senate Majority Leader. "I will urge other African-American leaders to accept your apology as you demonstrate leadership by example through embracing the God given opportunity to promote true racial healing in America, states Rev. Myers.

For information on the 2nd Annual National Juneteenth Black Holocaust Memorial Service, the 4th Annual National Day of Reconciliation and Healing from the Legacy of Slavery, the 4th Annual WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH 2003 National Holiday Observance and the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign,

contact Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D. at 662-247-1471, 662-392-2016, 202-331-8864, or e-mail: MyersFound@aol.com or web sites: www.Juneteenth.us and www.19thofJune.com.

http://www.aarlc.org/news/juneteenth.shtml

Then again, there are many on our side of the fence that don't want our numbers to increase either...

I was going to start a thread on the following quote from this article by John Derbyshire:

It just makes me gag. All American politicians are liars and hypocrites about race, from Democrats like Hillary Clinton posing as champions of the downtrodden black masses while buying a house in the whitest town they can find, to Republicans pretending not to know that (a) many millions of nonblack Americans seriously dislike black people, (b) well-nigh every one of those people votes Republican, and (c) without those votes no Republican would ever win any election above the county level. (Am I being beeped out yet?)

The point of my thread would be to determine whether b), above, is actually true, ie that virtually all ("well-nigh every one") of non-black who "seriously dislike" blacks vote Republican, or whether The Derb has fallen for the Democrats propoganda. What do you think?

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