Topic: Reverse Discrimination

Empathy for justice

By Scott Beasley | June 1, 2009 |

President Obama used the word “empathy” to describe Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Its one thing to be empathetic towards people to grasp an understanding of their struggles, but its quite another for a judge to be empathetic. That is not a judge’s job. Their job is to apply the law. It is not to legislate from the bench, as even Sotomayor has openly stated, and openly said she should not say that. It is also not a judge’s responsibility to see that “justice” is done. It is their job to interpret and apply the law. Sotomayor seems to believe otherwise.

Many do not really see the big deal in replacing one liberal with another, but the effects of such a nomination will continue to affect this country long after Obama is gone (just like his huge debt).

Her ruling against the New Haven firefighters was, for lack of a better word, despicable. Firefighters who deserved a promotion based on performance, skills, evaluation, and experience were snubbed because of racial quotas. They call this “reverse discrimination”, but whenever one is judged solely on the color of skin, no matter the color, for any reason, its just good old fashioned discrimination to me. How have we gotten to the point where racial quotas, charity, subsidies and preferential treatment have surpassed traditionally historical methods of advancement such as self-reliance, education, business experience and work skills? Yes, that is old fashioned and mundane, but it has never been more true. You cannot instantaneously ingrain equality into society no matter how badly you want it. Equality is something that has to be attained, not handed out like coupons. Suppose you lived in New Haven and were trapped in a burning building. Would you rather have competent emergency response crews responding, or one which meets the specifications of racial quotas? Would it matter what color the person was pulling you from the fire? «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion | 11 Comments

Building a bridge over the “Gay Man Straight Haters Club”

By David W. Shelton | May 31, 2007 |

I know we have the capability and the calling to rise above the petty behavior of …the armchair activists… who would rather lock themselves into the fading obscurity of subculture…

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me that she put in an application to a GLBT publication in New Mexico. She told me what the job would entail, and how she’d really enjoy doing it, especially since a lot of it could be done remotely. After a few minutes of jovial conversation, she came to the rather grim reality that she would probably not even be asked to interview for the job.

After all, she is straight, married, and has two very active daughters. Now, to be fair, she is very GLBT-friendly and has long been an advocate and ally to those of us who are struggling for equality. When I came out to her, she voiced her strong support for gay rights. She’s lived next to gay neighbors, and has even enjoyed conversations about men with her gay friends. However, labels have a way of affecting us pretty heavily in the GLBT community, and I wonder if we’ve done exactly what those boys did way back in the days of the “Little Rascals.” «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Politics, Spirituality | No Comments

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