Friday, September 23, 2005

Conservative Black group calls for Congressional Black Caucus, Hillary, to denounce Charles Rangel's anti-Bush comments

An African-American conservative group, Project 21, is speaking out against outrageous comments made my New York City Congressman Charles Rangel.

From their press release:

Members of the black leadership network Project 21 are demanding that the
Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) join with them in condemning remarks made by CBC member Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) in which he called President George W. Bush '"our Bull Conner," referring to the 1960s segregationist icon.


"Charles Rangel's comments are morally vacant and beneath the pale, but obviously not out of character for him and his supporters," said Project 21 member Mychal Massie. "How many blacks today suffer from beatings, fire hoses or have dogs set on them for trying to seek a seat at a lunch counter or go to school? How many of us today are living under inflexible, legislated segregation?"

Massie adds: "Rangel's comments may play well with those who embrace ignorance, but it will not resonate with Americans who eschew racial demagoguery. We demand that the CBC and Senator Clinton join with this overwhelming majority of their fellow citizens in banishing hate speech such as this to the trash heap of history."

Rep. Rangel made his comparison of President Bush to the former Birmingham, Ala., police commissioner at the Congressional Black Caucus's 35th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 22. As reported by the New York Sun, Rangel also said, "If you're black in this country and you're poor in this country, it's not an inconvenience -- it's a death sentence." Sen. Clinton was also in attendance at the event, as were Sen. Barak Obama (D-Ill.), Reps. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and former entertainer Harry Belafonte.

I like that last bit....former entertainer Harry Belafonte. Calling it like it is!

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