O Tempora, O Mores! (November, 2008)

For the Children

In 2006, before either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama began campaigning for the White House, researchers at the University of Texas interviewed 205 schoolchildren from “diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds” about their views of the presidency. The researchers wanted to know what the children thought about the fact that all US presidents have been white men. According to the study, one third of the children said it was because of “racial and gender bias.” Another third said no minority has become president because non-whites and women “lacked the skills to hold the position.” One in four children said they thought it was “illegal” for women or non-whites to be president.

“If Obama loses his bid for the presidency, there may be little change in children’s attitudes, but it could fuel their perception that American voters are racially prejudiced,” says study author Rebecca Bigler, a psychology professor at the University of Kansas. “In contrast, if Obama wins, children may believe that exclusionary laws and racial prejudice no longer shape the outcomes of the presidential elections.” [Children Aware of Voter Prejudice in the US, AFP, Oct. 5, 2008.]

Race Card

Latrice Bryant is a top aide to Philadelphia city councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr., son of the former Philadelphia mayor. She earns $90,000 a year, and the local Fox affiliate has been looking into her relationship with her boss. For 10 days during the summer, Fox reporters followed Miss Bryant around, and found that several times Miss Bryant arrived at her office around noon but claimed on her time sheets that she showed up at 9 a.m. They also filmed her leaving her office at 12:30 p.m. and going to Mr. Goode’s house, where she remained for three hours.

When reporter Jeff Cole tried to interview the councilman about Miss Bryant’s work habits, Mr. Goode warned him, “Don’t you ever disrespect a black woman again.” Miss Bryant protested Fox’s interest in her by holding up handwritten signs during a city council meeting on September 18 that read, “Fox 29 are racist” and “Jeff Cole KKK.” Mr. Cole is white; Miss Bryant and Mr. Goode are black.

This caused a stir, and on September 28, Miss Bryant sent a letter of apology — to her boss. “I apologize for my public, albeit silent, display of the handwritten signs,” she wrote. “What I did was inappropriate and inexcusable.” She also hinted at a possible libel suit against Fox for its “relentless paparazzi-like conduct.”

Fox may have the last laugh. On October 1, the station aired photographs of Mr. Goode and Miss Bryant on vacation together at the Grand Lido Negril Resort and Spa in Jamaica. Mr. Goode denies the two are romantically involved, but the photos show them looking very cozy. It isn’t a question of infidelity — both are single — but it does raise questions of propriety. The president of the city council — also black — says she may start an investigation. [Vernon Clark, Aide to Goode Issues an Apology, Philadelphia Inquirer, Sept. 29, 2008. Photos of Goode and Aide On Getaway, Fox 29, Philadelphia, Oct. 1, 2008.]

Savagely Obtuse

As part of our efforts to challenge racial orthodoxy, we occasionally send media pitches to TV and talk radio. Over the years, American Renaissance editor Jared Taylor has appeared on hundreds of TV and radio programs to discuss racial issues. This has been one of our most successful ways to reach new people, as many subscribers say they first heard of AR through such media appearances.

In September, we sent the following pitch to a number of radio hosts:

Race and the 2008 Election

As one of the most anticipated presidential races in US history heads to a tight finish, the issue of race has increasingly crept into both campaigns. An AP-Yahoo poll claims that Obama could lose up to 6 points for being black. But some conservative commentators point to the almost unanimous black support for Obama as evidence of black discrimination.

From CNN’s Jack Cafferty stating that a vote for McCain is a vote for racism to comic Sandra Bernhard’s joke about Sarah Palin being gang raped by blacks, this election is turning into a referendum on race.

Race relations expert Jared Taylor is the editor of American Renaissance magazine and the author of Paved With Good Intentions: The Failure of Race Relations in Contemporary America. He has a lot to say about race and the election and can address points such as these:

• Is the election becoming a racial head count?
• Will there be riots if Obama loses?
• Can the GOP attract Asian and Hispanic votes?
• Why do almost all blacks support Obama?
• Is McCain doing enough to win the white vote?
• Will McCain dare to bring up connection to Rev. Wright?
• Will affirmative action move to the forefront of the debate?
• How can both sides use race to their advantage?

One of the programs to which we sent the pitch was The Savage Nation, hosted by Michael Savage. Mr. Savage is perhaps the most outspoken conservative host on radio. His trademark line is “Liberalism is a mental disorder,” and he repeatedly touts the importance of “borders, language and culture” on his show and in his books. His website features articles such as “Obama’s pastor’s hate speech” and “Obama and Ayers pushed radicalism on schools.” Mr. Savage routinely dresses down black race activists such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and tried to countersue the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) after it sued him for supposedly denouncing Islam.

All of this would seem to make Mr. Savage at least open to a discussion of politically incorrect thoughts on the role of race in the 2008 election. Yet here is his emailed response to our pitch, exactly as he sent it, in all capital letters:

STOP YOUR LIES. OBAMA IS TOO GREEN NOT TOO BLACK. DROP MY NAME FROM YOUR EMAIL LIST OR I WILL TURN YOUR ORGANIZATION’S NAME OVER TO THE FBI FOR HARASSMENT.

Of course, there are no lies in the pitch we sent to Mr. Savage. And nowhere does the pitch say or even imply that Obama is “too black.” We sent the same pitch to left-wing broadcasters such as Air America, NPR, PBS and MSNBC. None reacted as angrily as Mr. Savage. In fact, many of these broadcasters have invited Mr. Taylor on their programs.

While we are happy to drop Mr. Savage’s email from out list, his point about turning us over to the FBI for harassment is nothing short of hysterical. Liberalism is, indeed, a mental disorder.

Shaping the Landscape

In the 2004 election, 67 percent of whites cast ballots, as did 60 percent of blacks, but just 47 percent of Hispanics. A coalition of Hispanic pressure groups, led by the National Council of La Raza, and Spanish language media wants one million more Hispanics to vote this year. The campaign, Ya es Hora, Ve y Vota!  — “It’s Time, Go Vote” — is aimed at newly-minted Hispanic citizens. Spanish language publisher impreMedia plans to insert nearly a million voter registration cards into its publications in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas. Univision and other Spanish-language broadcasters will air commercials urging viewers to vote. “This effort will not only put voter registration forms in the hands of Latinos, but also may help shape the political landscape,” says La Raza president Janet Murgia.

Hispanics are expected to heavily favor Democrats in November, but organizers say the registration drive is non-partisan. “This is neither a pro-Democratic or a pro-Republican effort,” says Mike Fernandez, vice president of public relations for State Farm Insurance, one of the companies bankrolling the effort. “It’s pro-voting, and pro-American.” [Massive Latino Voter Registration Drive Launched, AP, Sept. 25, 2008.]

Coincidence?

Washington Mutual (WaMu) was the largest savings and loan association in the United States — until it went belly-up in September and had to be seized by government regulators in the largest bank failure in US history. As it foundered, it was still trumpeting its commitment to “diversity.” This is from its last press release, filed the day before it declared bankruptcy:

Hispanic Business magazine recently ranked WaMu sixth in its annual Diversity Elite list, which names the top 60 companies for Hispanics. The company was honored specifically for its efforts to recruit Hispanic employees, reach out to Hispanic consumers and support Hispanic communities and organizations.

‘Diversity is an integral part of cultivating a welcoming, innovative and dynamic workplace here at WaMu. We are proud to be recognized for the opportunities and benefits we offer to all of our employees, including the specific efforts we have made to engage Hispanics and the GLBT community,’ said Steve Rotella, WaMu president and COO.

“Engaging” Hispanic customers through mortgages they couldn’t afford helped sink WaMu. [Kate Stouffer, WaMu Recognized as Top Diverse Employer — Again, Washington Mutual press release, Sept. 24, 2008.]

Slavery as Salvation

A Jamaican writes about slavery:

Have we ever stopped to consider where we black people, especially those of us in the West, would be right now if it weren’t for the Atlantic Slave Trade? . . . Do you think that we would have been better off without slavery? I don’t think so!

When the Europeans went to Africa to buy slaves, what did they find? They found a society and people vastly inferior to theirs. While the Europeans had emerged from their feudal practices, our ancestors in Africa, for the most part, had not developed for many centuries . . . Science and technology (and innovations in these areas) were non-existent in black Africa of the 15th and 16th centuries . . . In many respects, we were uncivilized . . .

Our relatively stable societies today, especially in the West, are testaments to the benefits of slavery. While it is true that black Africa has, for the most part, squandered the opportunities that slavery offered in the past, the positive influence of European civilization cannot be denied. The black nation states of Africa and the Caribbean have given black people a sense of nation, a sense of identity, a sense of order and a sense of purpose — things we never had before . . .

We blacks were changed, for the better, I might add, on account of slavery. We are a better race today because our ancestors went through slavery. The millions of lives lost were not lost in vain. The Europeans proclaimed the need for us to be civilized through slavery and though this may be hard to understand, they were right. Indeed, based on what is happening in black Africa today — slavery for us in the West was, in many respects, our salvation.

[Michael Dingwall, Slavery Was Good for the Black Man, Jamaica Observer, Aug. 9, 2008.]

Hijab and Sash?

There are about 2.6 million girl scouts in the US, about one out of every ten girls. The number of girl scouts may have remained steady, but not the composition. Troop 12119 in Minneapolis is increasingly typical. As enrollment declined, it filled its ranks with the children of immigrants, and is now one of 10 majority-Muslim troops in the Minneapolis area. Muslim scouts are just like regular girls scouts — except they eat halal hot dogs and pledge on their honor to “try to serve Allah and my country.”

Historian Susan Miller says scouting has always been a way for immigrants to assimilate. “These girls can wear the Girl Scout sash and they can wear the hijab at the same time. This is not a contradiction.” [Diversity in the Girl Scouts, Fox 12 (Mankato, Minnesota), Sept. 21, 2008.]

Bad Aussies

According to a new study, 40 percent of Australians believe certain types of people — mainly Middle Easterners and Muslims — do not belong in the country. The study also claims that up to ten percent of Australians are “outwardly racist.” Study author Kevin Dunn, a professor of human geography and urban studies at the University of Western Sydney, says Australian racial attitudes have improved over the years but that the overall level of “racism” is still something to worry about. “It’s only about one in 10 people now in Australia across the different states that would have that sort of view — the racial supremacists for instance. That’s still quite high I suppose — there’s a lot of concern that comes out of that.”

New South Wales (NSW), Australia’s most populous state, is also its most “racist.” The study, Challenging Racism: The Anti-Racism Research Project, found 46 percent of NSW residents harboring retrograde attitudes toward immigrants, primarily Muslims. Prof. Dunn believes this is because NSW is home to Sydney, where most immigrants to Australia settle. “There’s just more cultural diversity here — there’s more opportunity for cross-cultural contact and that means some of them will not be positive ones,” he explains. [Study Reveals Australian Racist Views, National Nine News (Sydney), Sept. 29, 2008.]

Bad Brits

The British Council, an education charity in the UK, conducted a survey of 2,000 young Britons, aged 18 to 35, to learn what they thought about immigration and national identity. It found that nearly 60 percent believe the presence of large numbers of foreigners is diluting the British national identity, 25 percent say immigrants are a threat to the jobs of British workers, and 12 percent think mass immigration poses a threat to national security and public order. The Council says its findings are “worrying.” [Young People ‘Think Immigrants are a Threat to National Identity and Jobs, Daily Mail (London), Sept. 27, 2008.]

Austrian Right Gains

Austria shook the European Union back in 1999, when the nationalist Freedom Party, led by Jörg Haider, won 27 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections. The press labeled Mr. Haider an anti-Semite and Nazi-sympathizer, and the EU actually imposed short-lived economic sanctions on Austria for letting the party serve in a coalition government. This was a breach of the so-called cordon sanitaire, under which European parties refuse to work with anyone the press calls a “right-wing extremist.” (The cordon sanitaire keeps the Vlaams Belang out of the government in Belgium.) The Freedom Party peaked under Mr. Haider in the 1999 election, and while he has achieved personal success as the long-serving governor of the Austrian state of Carinthia, the Freedom Party was nearly wiped out in the 2004 elections for the European Parliament. Mr. Haider left the Freedom Party shortly thereafter due to infighting and formed a new party, the Alliance for the Future of Austria.

Mr. Haider’s successor as Freedom Party chairman is Heinz-Christian Strache, a one-time Haider protégé. Mr. Strache describes Muslim immigrant women who wear Islamic dress as “female ninjas” and says “the minaret has no place in Austria.” The Freedom Party wants to keep Turkey out of the European Union, and to take Austria out of the EU. During the campaign for September’s parliamentary election, a senior party member complained that immigration had brought an end to the good old days when Austrians ate Wiener schnitzel and sausages instead of “kebabs, falafel and couscous, or whatever that stuff is called.” Mr. Strache pledged to set up a government ministry with the sole task of deporting unwanted foreigners.

On Sept. 28, Austrian voters turned out strongly for both the Freedom Party and Mr. Haider’s Alliance for the Future of Austria, with the former receiving 18 percent of the vote, and the latter, 11 percent. The combined 29 percent for the nationalist right was just short of the 30 percent won by the leading party, the Social Democrats. Once again, the European mainstream press was stunned by what it described as a “bombshell.”

Austrian president Heinz Fischer asked the Social Democrats to form the new government, but leader Werner Faymann may have trouble forming a coalition. His party previously was in coalition with the center-right People’s Party, but squabbles led to its collapse after 18 months. Many observers think it will be difficult for Mr. Haider and Mr. Strache to cooperate politically — the two men reportedly don’t like each other — but after meeting on October 8 both say they will cooperate in order to have a chance at entering the government. “If you’re in politics and also have responsibility, then it’s not about personal sensitivities,” Mr. Strache said after the meeting. “It was a get-together of winners,” said Mr. Haider. “We’re not adversarial brothers who march against each other in strife, we are two self-confident parties.” If the Social Democrats cannot form a coalition, Pres. Fischer is likely to ask the People’s Party to form a government, which would almost certainly have to include the nationalist right. [Tony Paterson, Far Right Leader Claims He is ‘Real Victor’ in Austria, Independent (London), Sept. 30, 2008. Veronika Oleksyn, Austrian Social Democrats Asked to Form Government, AP, Oct. 8, 2008.]

Silver Lining

Thanks to the economic downturn and stepped up enforcement, the number of illegal aliens coming to the US has slowed. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that from 2000 to 2005, the illegal population grew by more than 525,000 each year, but since 2005 has grown only by 275,000 annually. Demographer Jeffrey S. Passel says there are now more legal than illegal immigrants. Overall, illegals make up 30 percent of the nation’s 39 million foreign-born residents. Eighty percent of illegal aliens are Latin American, with Mexico accounting for 58 percent, or seven of the current estimated 12 million. [Flow of Illegal Immigrants Slows, Pew Center Finds, CNN, Oct. 2, 2008.]

The slowing US economy is slowing Mexico’s. The Bank of Mexico says remittances in the second quarter were $6.28 billion, down 1.1 percent from the second quarter of 2007, while in the first six months of the year, remittances were $11.6 billion, a 2.2 percent decline from the first half of 2007. Remittances were a record $24 billion in 2007, and the decline is one reason the Bank of Mexico is lowering its forecast for Mexican economic growth. [US Slowdown Hits Mexico as Remittances Drop, Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2008.]

One to Watch

This November, voters in most of Westchester and parts of Rockland County, New York, will be able to vote for a congressional candidate who wants to abolish affirmative action and control immigration. Jim Russell, a 54-year-old computer consultant, who has the backing of both the Republican and Conservative Parties, is running against Nita Lowey, a 71-year-old, ten-term liberal Democrat who votes against immigration control and in favor of affirmative action. She has a grade of D- from Americans for Better Immigration.

Mr. Russell is the founder of Westchester-Rockland Citizens for Immigration Control and the author of Breach of Faith: American Churches and the Immigration Crisis. He opposes hiring centers for “day laborers,” would enforce current immigration law, and would deport illegal alien criminals immediately after their sentences are served. He even says he will “work to reform our system of legal immigration to better accommodate those residents of European nations who wish to emigrate legally to America, but, because of existing rules, are often unable to do so.” On racial preferences, he writes: “Affirmative action plans in businesses and colleges which provide unfair advantages for some, while penalizing others, must be abolished.  When hiring and promotions in police and fire departments are not based solely on merit, our public safety is placed in jeopardy.”