June 14, 2005

We’re not sorry!

So, the Senate has given an official apology for not standing up to lynching. The main thrust of the bill is this:

Whereas an apology offered in the spirit of true repentance moves the United States toward reconciliation and may become central to a new understanding, on which improved racial relations can be forged: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) apologizes to the victims of lynching for the failure of the Senate to enact anti-lynching legislation;

(2) expresses the deepest sympathies and most solemn regrets of the Senate to the descendants of victims of lynching, the ancestors of whom were deprived of life, human dignity, and the constitutional protections accorded all citizens of the United States; and

(3) remembers the history of lynching, to ensure that these tragedies will be neither forgotten nor repeated

Pretty harmless, right? Yet, apparently, some senators have refused to sign onto the bill. Chris over at Law Dork does some snooping as to whom.

I’m not sure which is worst, refusing to sign on to a lynching apology bill which does nothing, for fear of political reprisal – or the fact that there are still enough people who will note vote for someone who apologized for not standing up to lynching.

Comments:
Posted by Henry at 08:00 AM || Link to me || Category:: Politics, Just Left on