Democracy Has Prevailed.

June 14, 2005

Lynching: Silence Is Not Golden

According to Daily KOS, here's the list of 16 20 Senators who 1) still refuse refused to cosponsor the anti-lynching resolution passed yesterday, and 2) refused a roll-call vote so they'd have to put their name on the resolution.

The resolution, adopted yesterday in the Senate, apologized to the victims of lynching and their descendants for the Senate's failure to pass anti-lynching bills that could have been approved anytime during the past 65 years. Apparently some felt that this just wouldn't fly with their constituents; or perhaps they had some loftier reason to not sign the resolution (States Rights??); or maybe they are just complete assholes. We report, you decide:

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Jim Bunning (R-KY)
Conrad Burns (R-MT)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael Crapo (R-ID)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)
George Voinovich (R-OH)

Tim of the Pennacchio campaign supplies contact info for them here.

Lynching worked because it was public and quietly -- and often not so quietly -- sanctioned by local authorities. It's only fitting that we publicize the names of those in authority now who cannot be bothered to apologize for the past inaction of their brethren in the Senate who assisted with this practice in their own quiet way.




UPDATE: See updates to list above. A senator is able even after the resolution passes to sign-on as a co-signer. Read HERE as to the excuses and lies given as to why some of the Dirty 16 have yet to sign on.

UPDATE II: The lone Democrat among the bunch has now signed as a cosponsor.

4 comments:

Dayvoe said...

Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

--Words by Lewis Allen (Sung by Billie Holiday)

Tim said...

Sorry Maria.

I don't work for Chuck any longer. I just moved to Ohio a few days ago. I want to make that clear upfront so they are not responsible or held accountable for anything I might be writing in the near future about Bob Casey Jr.

Tim

Anonymous said...

Ummm...the vote was unanimous. It's been passed; the Senate has apologized for the actions of southern Democrats. It's time to move on.

Maria said...

They specifically held a voice vote so that certain senators did not have to go on record: the Red States which correspond very nicely with the slave-owner states. And just a reminder to you: many of those Southern Democrats became Southern Republicans once the Democrats became the party of civil rights. But, I bet you already knew that. It's just something that the Republicans never fail to fail to mention.