66 Comments - Leroy - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 6:17 am: Has the Anti-Defamation League ever reported a *drop* in incidents? I always seem to hear about the *increases* only, which leads me to believe that incidents are ever increasing and, as always, “things are getting worse” (Copyright 2006, Sky Is Falling Industries, INC. All Rights Reserved.) Is this the case? Anyone know where these incidents are documented, so I can research them myself, instead of taking their word for it? - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 6:18 am: I just read this piece in our paper and it scares me.Who the hell is running this state?This isn’t the first time he has found something out after reading the papers.We need to elect someone who spends their day governoring instead of filling their pockets full of cash. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 6:35 am: The incident at Agus Achim temple was well covered by the press. The temple exterior was completely covered with swastika, “kill the jews” etc. It was chillling to see. It was approx. two weeks ago. They had a nice ceremony to paint over it with religious and civic groups. Catholics, muslims, city, county… The director of the Hate Crime Commission was invited, but did not attend. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 6:36 am: Rod has never felt that he is responsible to the state’s citizens. In fact, he feels everybody owes him. Thousands of dollars. If the press wants Rod’s attention, they should offer Rod one hundred dollar bills as he walks past. Rod could then have a new motto: “Pay to say.” - One Love - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 7:17 am: I am reminded of the time some idiot teens on a goof defaced Lincoln’s tomb, and Governor Thompson joined the team of people cleaning the paint off. Think Blago would ever have done that? - Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 7:24 am: They don’t know who did the Agadus Achim thing. I heard FBI is looking into, but that could be gossip. People wondered it if was just teens, but it was very neatly done, they used a rope to scale a wall and they had enough knowledge of judaism to know that the temple would be largely empty on Sunday (unlike a christian church). It made people wonder if it could have been a more sophisticated hate group - and not just bad kids. - Bill Baar - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 7:54 am: Have the Mayor and other officials spoken out? It’s pretty amazing Blagojevich can get away with this. - Backyard Conservative - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 8:40 am: As far as I know, no Democrat leadership figures have spoken out on this. And this not “not judge by association” claim by Blagojevich turns McCarthyism on its head. By that standard, not even a top official of an organization is responsible for the hateful ideas espoused by its leader. Would any reasonable person have excused Hitler’s top deputies of responsibility for his remarks, not to mention his later actions? This woman needs to resign, and the governor needs to ask for her resignation. - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 8:55 am: So, do you think Blagojevich is ever guilty of judging someone by their association? By his actions, by his words, by his administration, the answer to this is yes. It is time to ask Blagojevich what he is getting from the NOI for his continued support of this horrific appointee. Common sense dictates that he show this “lady” the door immediately. The fact that he does not, and uses unbelievable statements to continue his support should make the media look further into his dealings with this hate group. - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 9:25 am: Does anyone remember his speech to the GA when he kept busting on Bush.Blago acts just like him.He screws up and continues full steam ahead.The difference between him and Bush is he wants to get re-elected and Bush is done. - amos garcia - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 9:31 am: yet another example of rodney’s immaturity and ignorance. it is too late to dump this racist so the guv should dump this pointless commission. and save thousands of dollars. guilt by association?? how about bribery, extortion, incompetence??? - Bubs - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 9:41 am: Bleeding. Bleeding. Bleeding. - anon - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 9:56 am: I am shocked that Rick Garcia of Equality Illinois has not left this commission, He has been so outspoken on tolerence issues for others in the past, He even critized the Mayors similar commission. Even Lt. Governor Pat Quinn said this Woman from the Nation of Islam should go. Come on Rick, do the right thing. - Col. Klink - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 10:09 am: I know no-theen! - Walking Wounded - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 10:47 am: I presume GRod’s plan is to ignore all the conflict regarding the commission and eventually it will just go away. Leadership at its worst. - Camisha - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 10:58 am: Well, I guess those who did resign are not mature enough to deal with the issue face to face. It’s always easier to walk away and call someone names than to stay and face the issue. Who needs cowards anyway? The commission is supposed to be dealing with this very issue anyway. They have never been able to deal with Farrakhan other than to call him anti-semite. They have no intelligent argument. Hell, they were in Florida calling for his death, and now they are offended??? They just need to shut up and sit down somewhere. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 11:02 am: Let’s all sit down together,watch “Crash” on pirate and all agree that Whitey is the devil. - Camisha - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 11:09 am: well, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 11:38 am: Cliff Kelley was on WTTW with a representative of the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL said that they will continue to refuse requests from Farrakhan to meet with him to discuss his remarks, and the ADL basically indicated that no representative from the Nation of Islam should serve on the Commission, unless they publicly reject the views of Farrakhan. I was waiting for Cliff Kelley to suggest that no representative from the ADL should serve on the Commission, unless they publicly condemn the occupation of Palestine. Instead, what Kelley said was that he attended the speech, and he thought that Farrakhan’s remarks were being misunderstood. He said that the press had focused on six minutes of excerpts which he says were taken out of context, because the other two hours of his speech were spent excoriating blacks. Basically, he said that Farrakhan is just a fire-and-brimstone preacher, and you couldn’t reasonably conclude he hates Jews unless you also conclude he hates blacks much, much more. Kelley urged calm and said what I’ve been saying all along: the purpose of the commission is to bring together people who don’t see eye-to-eye and to resolve conflicts. The ADL - or any other group - who insists that they should have veto authority over who serves on the commission runs counter to the Commission’s purpose. To see just how ridiculous this idea is, read the Illinois Family Institute’s release calling for Equality Illinois’ Rick Garcia to be booted from the Commission for his anti-Christian views. If someone knows where the entire speech is available for download, let us know. - Anon - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 11:42 am: From today’s Trib: “For those who try to condemn me because of the honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s remarks … which were perceived by some as anti-Semitic, it’s ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous,'’ “Please know I am not the victimizer here, OK, but instead I am the victim,'’ And finally, she is quoted: “He is my minister of whom I love and respect, and he will remain my minister until Allah decides differently,'’ HELLO!? Is Governor Blagojevich there? You have a certifiable nut-job appointee that needs to be shown the underbelly of that bus you keep throwing everyone under! So, how does one know if they made a bad appointment? Hmmm, perhaps if you have FOUR other appointees RESIGN that might tip you off? Blagojevich is at his worst with this situation! - Camisha - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 11:42 am: www.noi.org, for historical purposes or www.finalcall.com to order books, tapes, etc. I agree with the previous poster….every time the ADL says something about somebody, people lock step right behind them. Examine his words for yourself…. - Camisha - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 11:45 am: actually, Sister Claudette is very well educated. The other people have left because they don’t want to face the fight that they are supposedly on the committe to fight. The ADL has its own purposes for being in existence and they are not innocent of what they accuse others of being. Go study for yourself. - Pat Hickey - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 11:52 am: well, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…. . . . must be a racist duck: A false Mallard! - Camisha - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 11:54 am: Yes, look at the actions of the Jews and tell me you don’t see racism???? They are holding an entire population captive in the Middle East… that’s not racist to you??? - Pat Hickey - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 12:02 pm: Why do all of your interrogative sentences come out declarative? - Pat Hickey - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 12:09 pm: There it is again! - Walking Wounded - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 12:16 pm: Rich, isn’t this thread getting a little out of hand? Is everyone going to bring out the switchblades to settle the score? - Pat Hickey - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 12:19 pm: Contempt. Hate on your own time. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 12:22 pm: Camisha, people from Tampa, Florida should probably stay out of this argument. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 12:25 pm: Anon 11:42- Nice selective editing. You left this key excerpt from the Tribune out: “Muhammad, who previously said in a written statement she supported the commission’s goals to eradicate hate and discrimination against any group or person, said Tuesday she and her family have been victims of hate crimes and discrimination. She also said she has Jewish family members, has traveled to Israel and has worshipped in Jewish synagogues.” Boy, now I can understand why the ADL wants her of the Commission. The last thing we need on the Commission is somebody who supports its goals, has been a victim of hate crimes herself, and has a broad cultural background and experience. - Backyard Conservative - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 12:45 pm: Oh, wow, Muhammad can say some of my best friends are Jews and she still is an enabler of filthy, demonizing language from Farrakhan, while claiming to be a victim herself. How morally repugnant.Here is what the Sun Times reported from the original speech: “On Sunday, before about 15,000 followers at the Nation of Islam’s Saviours’ Day speech at the United Center, Farrakhan hit “Hollywood Jews” for “promoting lesbianism, homosexuality” and other “filth” and said conservatives and Zionists manipulated President Bush into war.” Farrakhan said this when he knew members of the Hate Crime commission had been invited. How in your face is that? This needs to be repudiated. Again, she needs to resign either from the commission or the Nation of Islam. The ADL is not crying wolf here. This is not happening in a vacuum. - grand old partisan - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 1:04 pm: Oh, come on Yellow Dog, “Hey, some of my best friends (and cabinet secretaries) are black” doesn’t seem to help President Bush deflect accusations of racism. And many of my relatives are in Unions, but I still shop at Wal-Mart and vote Republican. Get my point? Talk is cheap when it comes to press statements, but expressions of strongly held religious beliefs are golden. So, thanks Camisha. I really enjoyed exploring your site and learning about how the NOI believes that “intermarriage or race mixing should be prohibited.” Or how the NOI want “our people in America whose parents or grandparents were descendants from slaves, to be allowed to establish a separate state or territory of their own–either on this continent or elsewhere” Weren’t Democrats and African Americans screaming for Trent Lott’s head a few years ago because of his alleged longing for Strom Thurmond’s America? Sounds to me like the NOI and the Dixiecrats had quite a bit in common! And I’m sorry, but I think any religion that preaches such tenants should have any place on a Comission dedicated to eradicating Discrimination and Hate. But, hey, what do I know, I’m just a “potential human” who hasn’t “fully evolved” yet, also known as a white man. - Pat Hickey - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 1:06 pm: Backyard Conservative, Well said and stated; don’t hold your breath. Until the political chips have been lost or G-Rod breaks even, this idiocy remains un reconciled. After which there will be lamentations and rending of garments like you never saw before. - grand old partisan - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 1:07 pm: oops, that should obviously say: “any religion that preaches such tenants should NOT have any place on a Comission dedicated to eradicating Discrimination and Hate.” - Walking Wounded - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 1:11 pm: Thanks for the entry, Grand OP. If my memory serves me right, Matt Hale had the exact same feelings on intermarriage and race mixing. He wasn’t too fond of the Hebrew race, either. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 1:35 pm: OK, OK, let’s try to tone down the dilatory comments. YDD, that last one of yours was deleted for that reason. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 1:50 pm: And GOP — I’m not suggesting that Ms. Johnson’s statement is an ironclad defense, just that she is not the Muslim stereotype that some, including the ADL, would like to portray her as. I think that Anon was deceptive in her quote, because she ommitted this pertinent statement which was antecedent to her post. In short, I think that Ms. Johnson has been prejudged, and she has been placed in the impossible position of trying to prove that she is innocent. Try proving you’re not a racist sometime and you’ll see its not easy. What irks me is that nothing short of a public attack on Farrakhan by Johnson will appease the ADL. And, of course, if she does that she’ll no longer be of much use on the Commission. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 1:56 pm: Rich - All I did was highlight what Don said: “Islam, which is a racist, imperialist, misogynist, supremacist political ideology, masquerading as a religion” It’s clear that some people believe that Muslims have no place on the Hate Crimes Commission. Here’s a solution for you: Ask Jewish leaders to come up with three Muslim nominees to serve on the Commission and ask Muslim leaders to come up with three Jewish nominees. Hold the seats vacant until both sides present their list of nominees. - grand old partisan - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 2:01 pm: YDD – You are right that perhaps Anon’s quote should not have been edicted the way it was. Point taken. But (there’s always a but, isn’t there?), I don’t think she’s been portrayed as anything other than what she is: a high ranking official in a religion who’s proudly professed tenants include radical segregation, and a belief that whites are sub-human. You can’t spin that away – it’s just a reality. Trust me; I certainly know how hard it is to prove that you are not racist when people are accusing you of being one. But, again, this isn’t simply a matter of a politically incorrect slip of the tongue, or an inferred motive for policy positions. This is a high ranking official in a religion who’s proudly professed tenants include radical segregation, and a belief that whites are sub-human. You can’t spin that away – it’s just a reality (sorry for the repetition, but I can’t help but feel that this fundamental truth cannot be stated enough). - grand old partisan - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 2:03 pm: YDD, I agree that quote from Don is reprehensible as well. It is important to remember that there is a BIG difference between “Islam” and the Nation of Islam. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 2:33 pm: GOP - You obviously know more about the Nation of Islam than I do, but I did not hear anything in the media reports from Sunday that portrayed whites as sub-human or that called for radical segregation. Are we now asking Johnson to disavow everything Farrakhan’s every said that we disagree with? We should be careful about establishing that kind of standard and ensuring it is applied equally. Trust me, plenty of Jewish leaders have said plenty of nasty things about Muslims, and of course radical segregation is the longstanding Jewish policy, both in marriage and the wall they are constructing in Israel. So tell me, how is the NOI prescription that blacks should marry blacks different from the Jewish prescription that Jews should marry Jews? And, given Cliff Kelley’s report that Farrakhan spent 90% of his speech criticizing black Americans, it seems like a gross oversimplification to paint him as targeting one group. There’s more going on here, and my guess is that if the ADL sat down and talked with Farrakhan, they’d realize he’s not the demon they think. To quote the band Live, “This is not a black-and-white world.” Our President forgets that from time-to-time, except of course when the Arab company that gets the port deal is financially connected to his father. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sure I agree with Congressional Democrats and Republicans on this one, but I definitely want more information. But we run into dangerous water when we forget that people are more complicated that the groups they belong to or the labels we place on them. Just as you are more than just a Republican, and I am more than just a Democrat, Claudette Johnson is more than just an appointee of the Nation of Islam. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 2:43 pm: And thanks Rich for posting the Kadner link. Lots of good stuff in there, especially about the real hate crimes that are going on in Illinois and kind of put this into perspective. Regarding the Commission, Kadner underscores what I’ve been saying: Richard Hirschhaut, director of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, was one of three Jewish hate crimes commission members to resign last week. He told me one of the goals of the reconstituted commission, which has been together for only about four months, was to explain to school children how to deal with comments that are hateful and hurtful. Based on his own experience, I guess he would advise them to quit school. - grand old partisan - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 3:08 pm: YDD – This isn’t just about last Sunday’s speech, and it never has been (for me, at least). And I’m certainly no expert on the NOI, but I know how to read and I know how to look stuff up online, just as Camisha suggested we all do. What do YOU call it when the leader of a religion says that all people of a certain race are not yet fully evolved as humans? More importantly, what does Ms. Johnson call it? I don’t think it’s out of line to ask her, and I can’t understand why you do. As for your question: “how is the NOI prescription that blacks should marry blacks different from the Jewish prescription that Jews should marry Jews?” – Easy, I can convert to Judism if I really felt the urge…..I can’t convert to being black. There is a difference between condemning interfaith marriage and interracial marriage, isn’t there? And while it is certainly noble sentiment to remind us that we are all more than simply a reflection of our various affiliations, in this case, for the purposes of this commission, Claudette Johnson IS just an appointee of the Nation of Islam. - Common Sense in Illinois - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 3:15 pm: YDD and Kadner finally say it. It’s not Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad and her alliegence to Minister Farrakhan that’s the problem, it’s the intolerance of everyone else…The administration’s modus operandi appears at last! - grand old partisan - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 3:20 pm: Yellow Dog, nice selective quoting. Perhaps you could have extended your excerpt from Kadner to include his saying, in regards to Hirschhaut’s response, “I don’t blame him.” Or, to where he says: “All of this makes the state look foolish and may even do some permanent harm. Shouldn’t the governor have taken a leadership role?” - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 3:40 pm: I’ll say one thing good or bad this headline has saved Blago about 2 million in campaign money.I only have one question.Why is it that if a Democrat does something that seems to have a racial overtone it is buried with excuses and forgiveness,if it is a Republican that would commit the same mistake it is lost of job and a total crucification by both the press and the black community. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 3:56 pm: Common Sense - The goal of the Commission is to find solutions, not try to assign blame, and I don’t understand how these resignations solve anything. BTW, I don’t work for the administration and never have. GOP - I’m sorry, everybody else seems to be talking about last Sunday’s speech, I didn’t realize we were expanding the scope of debate. I have to admit I haven’t been to the NOI’s website, because it didn’t seem the point to me at the time. Since I haven’t read those comments in context, I’m not going to try to explain them. But my explanation doesn’t really matter. What does matter is whether Claudette Johnson brings those views with her to the Commission, and she says she doesn’t and she supports the Commission’s goals. GOP — Your response to my question is fine, except it doesn’t get around the fact that the Jewish view is segregationist, nor that their view is a question of faith just as Farrakhan’s is a question of faith. Just as the Catholics can teach their parishioners that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. If either group proposed that those views should become law, then I’ve got a problem. But religious affiliation is a protected freedom in this country, and people are also smart enough to pick and choose views from their faith. By the way, I belong to a faith that condemns neither interracial marriage nor interfaith marriage, so no, I really don’t see a difference. To me, people should marry the person they love and want to spend the rest of their life with, end of story. And finally, GOP, I think there might be a difference of opinion about Johnson’s role on the Commission. Certainly, I don’t think she would have been appointed if she were not a black Muslim, but I don’t think that she is there as an official representative of the Nation of Islam. I’ll bet dollars-to-donuts there’s no mention in statute of a “Nation of Islam” seat on the Commission. And I think the Commission is best served if Claudette Johnson brings not only her experiences as a Muslim, but an African-American and a woman to the table, instead of being pigeon-holed by the Governor’s adversaries. Even Commission members who have resigned have made it clear that they were not there as official representatives of any particular organization per se. If you find anything official to the contrary, please let me know. - grand old partisan - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 4:33 pm: YDD – I’m on my way out the door soon, so I’ll have to be selective in my response and brief: There is nothing “segregationist” about condemning inter-faith marriage, or interracial for that matter. Segregation and the marriage/race mixing issue are two different things. The NOI, in addition to the condemning inter-anything marriage, preaches that whites and blacks should be physically segregated as a people…..as a whole society. That is not exactly a view compatible with understanding and racial harmony. Their official view is that racial harmony is impossible, and thus we should just leave each other alone and not try. And, btw, don’t take my word for it. Go ahead, find the time and look at their site. Look at the views of this church in which Ms. Johnson is a high ranking official. (And don’t imply that my references are out of context or subject to my spin until you do). And you are right, there is no “NOI” seat on the commission per statute, but that betrays the politically reality of this situation. Did you read all of the Kadner column from which you quoted? I think the commission is best served if Claudette Johnson first stands up to the despicable statements of her church’s leader, and answers some direct questions about the some of the more peculiar racial aspects of NOI’s central beliefs. If she can’t stand up to the intolerance and hatred preached right down the hall from her own office, what business does she have being on a commission dedicated to doing it on a state-wide level? - Cassandra - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 4:51 pm: I think I see where this is going. Blago keeps to his no tax pledge, the Rev Meeks notwithstanding, but allows Ms. Johnson to stay on the fluffball committee. The Rev. Meeks yells a bit but he doesn’t run. Everybody forgets about Ms. Johnson and the committee returns to obscurity. The black community votes for Blago en masse. - Papa Legba - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 4:58 pm: YDD- In order to save myself the time and effort of responding to and asking for clarification of some of your absurd comments, I will ask just one question. Can, could you, or will you ever admit that there may be something that Governor Blogojevich has done, as governor, that has been or is just plain wrong? - inish - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 6:09 pm: At the end of the day- this is a minor commission that was in place for four months. 4 months in which no one resigned- the TV is using sound bites that make the resignation seem petty. And I can not imagine this will be something remembered in November. Blago is looking more teflon every day- and Illinois is looking more ridiculous everyday. - grand old partisan - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 6:26 pm: If this were a commission on homosexual rights, would it not be relevant and appropriate to ask any prominent conservative evangelical ministers or catholic bishops about their beliefs regarding gays and lesbians before appointing them? If this were a commission on women’s rights, would it not be relevant and appropriate to ask any orthodox Muslim clerics their feelings about Sharia? I encourage everyone to take a few moments and go to http://www.noi.org/muslim_program.htm and read. Then ask yourself, is it not relevant and appropriate to ask some serious questions about Ms. Johnson’s views on race relations before appointing her to a commission on hate and discrimination? On another note - to the idea of this being a pointless commission not worth fighting over – I have to ask, if it is not worth fighting over, why is it worth having? - Anon 1 Million - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 6:38 pm: http://www.sj-r.com/extras/breaking/index.asp#1069 What about these choice words from the NOI’s Chief of Staff and Ms. Johnson today…How do you spin this YDD. By the way, this is not a partisan issue. Anyone who attempts to spin this in favor of the Gov has real serious issues. - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 6:39 pm: Just read it and I have seen trnscripts of the neo-nazis saying the same thing but in reverse.How many of those neo-nazis will be appointed to the board.This is some more of Blago’s sewing up the black vote and it is all the races in Illinois that has to suffer. - Papa Legba - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 7:24 pm: In the above referenced SJ-R article the NOI says that the jews who resigned should come back or “shut up.” Why are they saying this since is it stated in “The Muslim Program”, on the NOI site, that so-called whites and so-called negros should be seperate and have seperate lands for living? It is obvious from the “Program” the NOI doesn’t want so-called whites around, so why do they want the jews who resigned back. Aren’t they part of the so-called white group that should be seperate? Are speaking in double talk? - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 7:40 pm: Papa Legba - It’s no secret that I supported Paul Vallas in 2002 and have been a frequent critic of the Governor, most recently for his “no new taxes” pledge. But on this issue, I see atleast two sides to the debate. GOP - Thanks for your thoughtful comments, I will go to the NOI site when I have time. But the political reality you want to impose on Ms. Johnson is your own, not a universal truth. It is no more her responsiblity to publicly defend or denounce the statements of Farrakhan than it is the responsiblity of the Jewish members of the Commission to defend or denounce Israel’s settlement policy. As for your later post, I think you miss the point. This is a Commission on Hate Crimes, and as repugnant as I find Farrakhan’s remarks, they are not a crime. Just as it is not a crime for Catholic priests to say homosexuality is a sin or women should be stripped of their reproductive rights. Heck, the Governor of South Dakota and several posters to this blog believe that a rape victim who becomes pregnant doesn’t have a right to an abortion — if that isn’t hateful, I don’t know what is. But again, what Farrakhan believes is not the point, since he isn’t on the Commission. Claudette Johnson is a grown woman, and she says she supports the Commission’s goals. End of story. Moving forward, perhaps a more public system for screening committee members like Senate confirmation is in order. But we should take care that whatever process we set up is fair and balanced and doesn’t single out one particular group. I used to facilitate workshops on racism and discrimination, and I can tell you that everybody — everybody — has prejudiced views rattling around in their brain about women, men, blacks, whites, Asians, Latinos, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Southerners, people in wheelchairs, you name it. What we choose to do with these tapes that other folks have inserted in our brains is another matter. We should not pre-judge people based on their membership, even their leadership, in some group, especially one as autocratic as NOI. Give the Commission the opportunity to do its work, give Claudette Johnson the opportunity to prove her commitment to the Commission’s goals through her actions, not words, and then judge her accordingly. Anon 1 Million - I don’t think ‘come back to the committee or “shut up”‘ was a good choice of words. Clearly emotions are running very high, and if I were them, I would want to take back the words “shut up”. But I think it is good that the Nation of Islam is saying that they would like to have a dialogue. And I can understand where Claudette Johnson is coming from — she didn’t volunteer for this Commission so that she could be attacked for words that are not her own in newspapers across the state. How would you feel if people who’d never said two words to you were calling you a racist? The SJR piece also puts the WVON interview into different context. There’s a rumor going around that Johnson called the notion that Farrakhan’s speech was anti-Semitic “ridiculous”. It seems from the SJ-R piece that what she was calling “ridiculous” was attempts to hold her accountable for someone else’s actions. Yet another example of what can happen when emotions are running high. - These are our choices? - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 7:54 pm: Bradley/Cheryle/Doug, you still haven’t come up with any way to deal with this yet? “For the second straight day, the Democratic governor refused to answer reporters’ questions about the commission. He discussed other topics during an appearance in Effingham but shut the door of his SUV and drove off when asked about Muhammad’s statement that Farrakhan’s remarks were merely “perceived” as anti-Semitic.” - grand old partisan - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 9:21 pm: “It is no more her responsiblity to publicly defend or denounce the statements of Farrakhan than it is the responsiblity of the Jewish members of the Commission to defend or denounce Israel’s settlement policy.” - yes, it is. She is not simply a person of the same faith as Farrakhan, she is a high ranking official in the Church. If any of the Jewish members of the commission were in the Israeli cabinet, you might have a point. But they aren’t, and you don’t. If anyone is missing the point, it is you, YDD. She can issue all the statements in support of the commission’s goals she wants, but the teachings of the church in which she is a high ranking official are clearly and directly contrary to those goals of racial understanding, tolerance, and harmony. Please, please go and read the NOI site before you comment further. No offense, but I don’t see the point of debating with you further on this issue until you do. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 9:25 pm: GOP makes a very good point YDD. If you have enough time to post, you have a couple of minutes to read the link. - Roy Slade - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 9:51 pm: You all keep harping on the old yellow dog. Heck- if he actually reads something before commenting, if he thinks about things before writing his (ill-informed) opinions- he wouldn’t be an old yellow dog democrat! Everyone knows where the concept of “Yellow dog democrat” stems from- the propensity to vote for anything that isn’t a republican. Heck- facts just get in the way for guys like him! - steve schnorf - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 11:14 pm: Roy Slade: he may be a partisan, but day in and day out the Dog’s comments are certainly among the most thoughtful that appear here. - If you talk the talk - Tuesday, Mar 7, 06 @ 11:34 pm: Governor Rod had so much bravado when he slapped around his wife’s relative in the press less than a year ago: “This is the kind of thing that I think, frankly, separates the men from the boys in leadership. Do you have to have testicular virility to make a decision like that knowing what’s coming your way, knowing what’s coming your way? I say I do,” Where’s that bravado now? Honestly, I don’t know too many people who admire a braggert, but at least I could give grudging respect if he truly had exhibited some leadership qualities in the face of real adversity. The absence of leadship in this whole affair, from appointments to resignations, has been amazingly pathetic. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Mar 8, 06 @ 7:32 am: Rich - I didn’t read the Nation of Islam site because I’m not defending the Nation of Islam. But if you want me to read it and start a separate thread on “A critical analysis of the philosophy of the Nation of Islam”, I’ll be happy to comment. However, I just don’t have time to read every link to everything that’s on the internet. The topic of this thread is the Governor’s appointee, and unless she drafted the website, I really don’t see the relevance to whether or not she should be on the Commission. But if we’re going to examine websites and past statements, I’d suggest GOP and Slade go read the ADL’s past comments and their website while I’m over at NOI, and you’ll see that they are constant defenders of Israeli foreign policy and the occupation of Palestine. I’d say that makes the ADL at least as culpable for Israeli policy as Johnson is for Farrakhan’s. But let’s not forget these two important differences: Johnson isn’t defending Farrakhan’s remarks, she’s just refusing to criticize him publicly, and Israel has the power to unilaterally implement it’s policy, while Farrakhan is only as powerful as you make him with this constant barrage of attacks. When you attack anybody as insignificant in the grand scheme of things as Farrakhan, you only elevate him, expand his congregation and increase their loyalty, and increase his reach and grasp. What did the Nation of Islam have before this whole conflagration? At most, one appointee on one Commission so powerless that nobody noticed it wasn’t meeting for 3 and a half years. Thanks to you, Farrakhan is in the national news, daily across Illinois, and he’ll probably double his fundraising this year. Good job. Slade — I keep wanting to vote for a Republican, but then you guys keep rearing your anti-middle class heads. Topinka’s defense of Kjellander, ties to Rove, opposition to the assualt weapons ban, opposition to health care and education for the middle class, half-hearted support for abortion rights. I was ready to forgive Gidwitz for his slumlording, which Rich so constantly reminds us of, because I wanted to believe that as an outsider he could help curtail corruption, but then yesterday he announced his opposition to equal pay for equal work for women. You guys make it pretty tough for a Democrat to cross over and vote for your candidate. You see Slade, I do read, I just don’t like what I read about your team. Now, if Schnorf was running for Governor, that would be a different story. But then again, I was for Vallas, so maybe I just like policy wonks. - grand old partisan - Wednesday, Mar 8, 06 @ 9:00 am: Steve, I agreed with that comment up until about 3 days ago. But I’m sorry, YDD doesn’t have a leg to stand on. I don’t see how you can say that people should not be held accountable for the official positions of organizations in which they are high ranking officials. I don’t see how someone who is a high ranking official in a church that explicitly teaches that peace and equality among the races is impossible, and that now is the time for seperation of whites and blacks in this nation, can turn around and claim to support the goals of racial tolerance and understanding, and then act puzzled and insulted when people call ask her to explain the contradiction. - grand old partisan - Wednesday, Mar 8, 06 @ 9:50 am: Garcia says he has never “heard her say or seen her do anything that is antithetical to the mission of this commission.” Perhaps Mr. Garcia should explain how being a high ranking official in a church that explicitly teaches that peace and equality among the races is impossible, and that now is the time for separation of whites and blacks in this nation is not antithetical of the commission’s mission. If there is an explanation, I’d like to hear it. But no one can tell me it’s not a valid question. And Ms. Johnson & her backers have yet to offer a direct answer. Can anyone here offer one? YDD? I think there is much more to this issue than just the anti-Semitism that Farrakhan regularly espouses in his sermons. This is about the very tenants of the NOI itself, which is very relevant to Johnson’s suitability for this commission because of her day job there. The NOI is about as racially tolerant as Bob Jones University. I am ashamed every time I see the pictures of Mr. Bush campaigning there. I don’t understand why YDD and his fellow partisans aren’t equally ashamed of the Governor’s defense of Ms. Johnson. Someone help me out here. - grand old partisan - Wednesday, Mar 8, 06 @ 9:52 am: oops, that last comment was meant for today’s post by Rich on the matter. Sorry for the confusion and multiple postings. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.