<p>I’m white but my block was bused out of my black neighborhood in Princeton to one of the white elementary schools in the early 70’s. I have vivid memories of the hateful comments made at the time. Looking back, I’m rather bemused by it, for we really weren’t poor at all, but everything is relative. I don’t doubt that things haven’t changed much since then.</p>
<p>Marite,</p>
<p>Metco kids are enrolled exactly like their town-resident classmates. In the main, they are not separated into different classes. Aside from the relative wealth of the towns they are invited to (and more than a few of Boston’s suburbs are quite wealthy), Metco kids from Boston are educated just like their “townie” classmates.</p>
<p>He says he didn’t mean this and I believe him, but here is a quote from one former, Republican Secretary of Education, demonstrating that not all Republicans are opposed to abortion. Still it is interesting.</p>
<p>“I do know that it’s true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down,” Mr. Bennettsaid in the broadcast. “That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky.”</p>
<p>Read Juan Williams’ comments at the Fox News Sunday website regarding Bill Bennett. They are quite evocative and rational.</p>
<p>Since in absolute numbers, I believe more crime is committed by whites than blacks, why didn’t he say “…if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every WHITE baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down,” an equally “true” statement. The direct connect between black & crime shows how his thinking is channeled, and the racism that exists even if the person thinking (or others) doesn’t consider himself a racist.</p>
<p>LakeWashington:</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification!</p>
<p>Yes, as a debating point, you’re absolutely right, idad. Bennett was stupid to get himself into a hypothetical brought on by a caller referring to a book he didn’t agree with, reducto ad absurdum, whatever you want to call it. But it’s not right to try and turn him into a racist who wants to abort black babies. But such are the times in which we live. No wonder so many of us don’t take each other seriously any more. It’s all a Punch and Judy show.</p>
<p>The book “Freakenomics” makes a good data based point about abortion availability bringing down crime rates, but Bennett’s agreement or not with the book or abortion is not the real issue. No one can seriously believe he would advocate that as a solution to anything (nor do the authors of the book). The issue is that in a conversational context he automatically linked black & crime. Until these type of reactions cease, claims by minorities that they live in daily oppressive conditions will be difficult to refute, and speaks to why we need more, not fewer outreach, AA, and other programs.</p>
<p>“The issue is that in a conversational context he automatically linked black & crime.” If he did, he certainly wouldn’t be the first of any race to do so. Jesse Jackson, in one his more candid moments said, “I hate to admit it, but I have reached a stage in my life that if I am walking down a dark street late at night and I see that the person behind me is white, I subconsciously feel relieved.”</p>
<p>What if he had said, if we want to reduce greed and corruption all we have to do is abort rich folks children…</p>
<p>A poor teenager steals a television and gets worse jail time than Martha Stuart whose crime was worth millions or gets busted with drugs and doesn’t get the same treatment as Rush “the druglord” Limbaugh.</p>
<p>Of course that would be wrong…but lets talk about it anyway…</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Nope. I’m not defending Martha, but it wasn’t millions. Her crime was worth only about $50K - the money she didn’t lose by selling before the stock dropped. Which is why some people criticized her high-profile prosecution as DA grand-standing, since much bigger insider trading fish were allowed to swim free.</p>
<p>Check out this St. Petersburg Times Story published today:</p>
<p>"Critic: District ‘dumbs down’
By DONNA WINCHESTER, Times Staff Writer</p>
<p>ST. PETERSBURG - The plaintiff in a lawsuit that alleges African-American children in Pinellas County are not being properly educated charged Monday that the school district has one primary goal: to “dumb down” education, especially for black students.</p>
<p>William Crowley, the lead plaintiff in the class-action case against the district, said that despite the African-American community’s best efforts, the district “is not taking any approach” in closing the achievement gap between black and white students…</p>
<p>His remarks came six days after a three-judge appeals panel ruled that more than 20,000 Pinellas black students can stand together against the school system in a lawsuit that alleges they are not being properly educated.</p>
<p>Crowley’s lawyers say statistics that outline the “achievement gap” between black and white students show a systemwide failure to “meet the needs and requirements of students of African descent.”</p>
<p>Such a failure is a violation of the Florida Constitution and state law, the suit alleges."</p>
<p>
Actually Martha was convicted of Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice and False Statements to investigators. Link <a href=“http://money.cnn.com/2004/03/05/news/companies/martha_verdict/[/url]”>http://money.cnn.com/2004/03/05/news/companies/martha_verdict/</a></p>
<p>If she had just told the truth, that her broker had tipped her to sales by insiders and as a result she sold her stock, she would not have commited any crime. (It was illegal for Bacanovic to tell her about what insiders were doing, but not for her to act on it. At worst she might have had the trade reversed.)</p>
<p>I think it was Martha’s loyalty to her broker, Bacanovic, that got her in trouble.
Lying to protect him and conceal the true nature of the trade, caused all her problems.</p>
<p>
If she had held on she would have made a lot of money in the stock.</p>
<p>
Martha chose to serve her prison term, even as she appeals the conviction, so she could put this behind her and rebuild her company. Now she has two TV shows and a new softer persona.
When she appeared recently on David Letterman, Martha refered to her time in Prison as being in “YALE”.</p>
<p>Yeah, if only poor children could learn to get the same justice as O.J. and Martha white Lady</p>