From: Stebbins, Donald M. (MC1961)
Date: Sun, Dec 18, 2011 at 7:57 PM
Subject: Judge Napolitano
Dear Jasper John
With your tendency to blame the “gooferment” for virtually all our problems no matter what, there appears to be very little chance of changing your mind significantly or maybe not at all. But I will give myself one more try by commenting on an argument I found in Judge Andrew Napolitano’s latest book “It Is Dangerous To Be Right When The Government Is Wrong”
Like you have in the past the judge lays the blame for Jim Crow Laws in the south on the government and writes that ” Furthermore, it wasn’t businesses that chose to discriminate in the Jim Crow south; rather Napolitano reminds readers that “Jim Crow laws were written, implemented, and enforced by the government.” He adds that “Jim Crow is a clear demonstration that we simply cannot trust the government to decide what discrimination is acceptable and what discrimination is deplorable.”
Frankly I think the judge is either very naive or disingenuous when he writes material like this. It seems to me that anyone with even rudimentary knowledge of southern history knows that the government was not an independent entity when it came to the enactment and enforce of theses terrible laws, which kept African Americans virtual slaves for a century In truth Jim Crow laws were enforced by vigilante groups like the KKK using techniques that could include threats, job loss, beatings, and even murder. Unfortunately most white southerners gave approval to those methods- which were quite popular in churches, citizen’s councils and other civic organizations. The government had no choice but to enact and enforce those horrible laws or face the wrath of the KKK itself.
The government of the United States was indeed failing to meet its Constitutional requirements during that time. The Constitution demands that each and every state has a “Republican Form of Government.” The states of the former confederacy clearly did not meet that requirement and should have been forced to give black Americans full rights or face loss of autonomy
The civil rights movement of the 1950′s and 1960′s finally brought about a great increase in the rights of black Americans via action by the federal government. Without government action we would still have virtual slavery in this country. I say “Thank God for the “gooferment” when it works to help us all.
Sincerely yours,
Donald M Stebbins
BS 1961
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JR responds:
Once again, you give credit to the Gooferment for everything good and nothing bad.
The Civil War was fought over the dying institution of slavery. Most modern countries outlawed it without killing a lot of people and creating a permanent scar across the land. Lincoln rejected a proposal to buy out all the slaves. He rejected peace proposals with the Confederacy. He was in the pocket of the Northeastern wealthy. (You can read my blog about why I deem him the worst President. Bill O’Reilly is wrong about him.)
Racists, took over and used State Gooferment, to exert control over the citizens. Bus owners never had segregation until the State Gooferments mandated it. Same with Woolworth’s lunch counters.
(A big point of the gun control laws was to keep firearms OUT of the hands of minorities. Hard for the KKK to intimidate someone who can shoot back.)
“The Gooferment had no choice but to submit to the KKK?” You can’t be serious.
The Civil Rights Movement wasn’t the Federal Gooferment giving minorities their rights back; it was the Occupy Wall Street of its day. More articulate; more focused. The entire weight of the country was coming down on the racists.
And, THEN, when the handwriting was on the wall, the “Federal Gooferment” runs around to get at the head of the parade.
Jaspers, in my cousin’s class, went South to march. I wanted to go, but my Mom wouldn’t let me.
Seriously, did we go to the same school?
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