Is The 'X Factor' Bloodbath Over?
BlackVoices History Quest: Augusta, Georgia
A former lawyer for the Justice Department claims that charges of voter intimidation against two New Black Panther Party members were dropped because the rights of white voters are often ignored and only minorities are protected by our nation's civil rights laws.
Former Justice Department attorney J. Christian Adams (pictured above) says the case, in which two New Black Panther Party members stood outside a polling place on election day in 2008 and hurled racial epitaphs, such as "white devil," proves an unwillingness to apply the laws equally.
The AP writes:
On Election Day 2008, King Samir Shabazz and Jerry Jackson dressed in black uniforms of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, whose website recently made such statements as, "the white man has kept us deaf, dumb and blind, and used every `dirty trick' in the book to stand in the way of our freedom and independence." The men stationed themselves near the entrance to a polling place in a largely black neighborhood. Shabazz carried a nightstick. Their actions quickly came to the attention of police, who told Shabazz to leave but allowed Jackson, a certified poll watcher, to remain.
Shortly before President George W. Bush left office, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit against the two men, the New Black Panther Party and its leader, Malik Zulu Shabazz. The defendants never responded to the government's lawsuit, which had the same effect as a guilty plea. Before any penalties could be handed down - and after Obama appointed Eric Holder to run the Justice Department - charges were dropped against everyone but Samir Shabazz. The court prohibited him from displaying a weapon within 100 feet of any Philadelphia polling place through 2012.
The Justice Department has explained this decision by saying that Jackson was a certified poll watcher who did not carry any weapons, that the New Black Panther website denounced the actions in Philadelphia and that the group had no national plan to intimidate voters.
"To some, the civil rights laws are not meant to protect all Americans, they are meant to protect certain Americans," said Adams, who helped prosecute the Black Panther case. He is a conservative.
"There is a pervasive hostility within the civil rights division at the Justice Department toward these sorts of cases" where blacks are accused of discrimination," Adams added on Fox News.
First of all, the civil rights laws should apply to everyone. However, it's clear that minorities -- by an overwhelming margin-- are the most frequent victims of civil rights discrimination. It's like being a doctor and having one patient with cancer and another with a cold. I think most everyone agrees that patient with cancer should get more urgent attention than the patient with the cold.
That said, the Justice Department should pursue all viable civil rights cases. It just seems the department determined this wasn't a viable case. The same thing happened with the New York City shooting of Sean Bell, an unarmed black men. More than 50 shots were fired at Bell and his friends the day before his wedding. I didn't feel this outrage when the Justice Department declined to pursue civil rights charges regarding Bell's death.
The Bush administration was right to investigate what they saw as a possible civil rights violation; however, it's a little backwards that the Bush administration, which filed so few civil rights cases during its tenure, would ironically choose a reverse discrimination sort of case to pursue.
Under Attorney General Eric Holder, the Justice Department explained its decision to drop the charges. One of the men was a certified poll watcher who did not have weapons and new Black Panther Party officials denounced the actions of its members.
The Justice Department also determined that, unlike a lot of civil rights cases involving minorities, there was no national plan to intimidate voters. The cases that the Justice Department recently brought against mortgage lenders is a good example of a nationwide, far-reaching effort to violate individuals' civil rights.
Bringing attention to this one case to prove that the rights of Caucasians are not protected in this country is a bit of a stretch.
Of course, each situation should be judged on a case-by-case basis and the civil rights of all Americans should be protected.
Comments: (98)
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By: John Lindsay on 7/05/2010 11:29AM
During Bush's presidency, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice...was virtually ignored for 8 years.
And during that 8 years, the administration sought to replace liberal lawyers/staff with CONservative lawyers/staff....to cut down on the number of cases accepted to investigate and thus....make the civil rights laws impotent via "lack of enforcement."
Just like when current Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was the Executive Director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). (the foxes were in charge of the hen house)
Two, it is absolutely ridiculous for this ONE case to be singled out.
You cannot take a single case...and then claim that "Whites' rights are being ignored."
J. Christian Adams' objective is to "make money by appearing on various talk/ TV shows...or being invited by CONservative organizations to come and deliver a speech."
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By: David on 7/06/2010 11:32AM
So this guy gives up his career in the justice department to go on talk shows, for what, his 15 minutes of fame? And, as far as going back eight years on nothing or little being done about civil rights, especially when it comes to whites, you say the presedent has been set and now nothing should be done about it. That's one of the big things wrong with this government - forget the Constitition, Bill of Rights, etc., and march on to the distruction of this once great nation. By the way, just returned from two weeks in Williamsburg, where foundation of this country began. Maybe you should give it a shot!
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By: ((( HiRoader ))) on 7/06/2010 5:55PM
****Ridiculous****Where was the "hissee-fit" from (Ex-white supremacist lawyer quiter)J. Christian Adams of the justice Dept when African Americans were filling up the newly built prisons for cooked cocaine vs powder... Prosecutors are more likely to seek the "death penalty" when the race of the victim is white and less likely when the race of the victim is African-American... Also African Americans in significant numbers have been released after wrongly being tried & convicted to prison sentences... KEEP IN MIND during the "Civil Rights Era"... The Justice Department played a vital part in bringing law in the collapse of segregation, once FOX NEWS, the GOP and lawyers like J. Christian Adams can peel this layer of justice away in actions like GOP redistricting plans in Mississippi and Texas which will be implemented, to the tremendous benefit of the GOP in the suppression of the African American voters.... In 2007 the Bush Administration has used the Justice Department, Civil Rights Division - the institutional guarantor of the Voting Rights Act - to legitimize a series of Republican power grabs in the South...
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By: johndeagun on 7/05/2010 1:11PM
When laws are disregarded because the color of skin we all lose. Eric Holder should be fired just like a white that got caught doing the same thing in reverse. Equality does not mean forgiveness for some kind of payback for something that happened 200 years ago.
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By: me on 7/05/2010 4:08PM
you hit the nail right on the head!!
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By: Rene on 7/06/2010 2:06PM
johndeagun>>>>>When laws are disregarded because the color of skin we all lose. Eric Holder should be fired just like a white that got caught doing the same thing in reverse. Equality does not mean forgiveness for some kind of payback for something that happened 200 years ago.>>>>>>So easy for you to say when Jim Crowe laws were in play they didn't benefit anybody but WHITES! Now white americans want to holler "reverse discrimination" what a joke! Now you want things to be equal when you know they never will be. Who created these discriminatory laws? WHITES! not BLACKS! and you wonder why they need need to be reversed, because of backward thinking whites like yourself who don't want that "white guilt" on you. Your fore fathers back over 200 years ago knew exactly what they were doing keeping a race of people down. And you are still trying to do it today by using a ridiculous tactic like "reverse descrimination"......
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By: Duane on 7/05/2010 1:54PM
OOOH Please cry me river FOX NEWS cable network, still reaching for straws of idiocy..they are the most idiotic network in motion..and if they have the hightest ratings in cable networks as claimed by THEM- speaks volumes in two ways..folks tune in for the looney-tune commentators..or folks who tune in are actually so ignorant to the notion of the obvious.
Anyway..
What did the Black Panther leader and poll watcher actually do that was against the LAW? What? Bringing a stick to a predominate minority voting precinct?
The only reason HOLDER responded because the case was filed by Bush's lawyers..otherwise the case WAS much a-do about NOTHING.
The first amendment protects the Black Panther website the same way the first amendment protects the STROMFRONT website..again much a-do about NOTHING..
When Bush planned the insideous stunt to CLAIM voter fraud in the state of Florida and Ohio at predominiate minority voter precincts..plays RIGHT back to when WHITE AMERICANS NEVER wanted to give african americans voting RIGHTS..and the lynching MOB was healthy in full form..to intimidate by any means necessary..
THIS NATION VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965.. and the clause of "preclearance" was admended to the ACT to stop discrimination to disinfranchsie african american voters, basically, IMPO, BUSH got around the "preclearance" clause..filing a voter fraud case against the minority populated counties in Florida and Ohio who voted against Bush.. its not unknown as fact to be elected President..the Electoral College vote count for the- states of Ohio or Florida are needed, if not both.. bush didn't carry OHIO in 2000 without BUYING it making deals and plea a fraud case to the Supreme Court..you know the rest of the story..connect the dots..
Minority voting precincts need minority poll watchers as RESULT of the stunt Bush pulled in 2000.. the minority poll watchers are to stop the intimidators who's pupose is to instill the disenfranchisement of the african american vote..if minorities don't protect the RIGHT to vote and every vote COUNTED - who will?
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By: john on 7/07/2010 9:21AM
actually duane, you ignorant ignorant man. ratings are done by independent companies. It has nothing to do with the networks. And prove Bush committed some sort of fraud. If he had, some liberal scumbag would have found it. Fact of the matter is, he didnt do anything wrong. The rules were followed. Boowho.. Oh, and if he was fraudulent in any way, what about the DNC folks outside of predominantly black voter sites handing out menthols and saying "vote for us". you are too stupid for words.
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By: tatummp1 on 7/06/2010 5:34PM
I am really amazed that no one is addressing the fact that the tea party fools are coming to rallies with guns sending threats an given air time to talk their mess. It is very real that the whites are brewing up a racial riot and they need to stop. We have changed and we will refused to go back to being beat on the back with whips.
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By: Duane on 7/06/2010 10:24PM
@taummp.. Its a double standard .. whites are threaten their supremacy being taken away...that is what they hate president Obama now..he's taking away their entitlement they never deserved..namely those who are tea party people..the hillbilllies..the timothy Mcveigh's.. militias ..actually going after american domestic terrorist .. alot of them(curb side trailor trash) as you can see post on this blog..or shelf minority haters..who hate their own race...these are the NEGROES and or colored folks..these are the black folks who think white is right no matter what they do..and that one NEGRO waiting to be told what to do by whites..
This is why its so important to NOT let the tea party politicians in come november.. they are ready for this race war..been ready the minute president obama was elected..and why their members come to the rallies with guns.. a vote is more powerful than any gun..
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