In Historic Vote, House Holds Holder In Contempt

All but two Republicans in the House have voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. But more than 100 Democrats boycotted the vote, calling it a political stunt.

Atty. General Holder Wants New Hate Crimes Law

By: Devlin Barrett, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Citing recent killings in Arkansas, Kansas and the nation's capital, Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday said new hate crimes law were needed to stop what he called "violence masquerading as political activism."

The attorney general's call for Congress to act came as a civil rights coalition said there has been a surge in white supremacist activity since the election of the first African-American president and the economic downturn.

"Over the last several weeks, we have witnessed brazen acts of violence committed in places that many would have considered unthinkable," Holder told the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.

He cited separate attacks over a two-week period that killed a young soldier in Little Rock, an abortion provider in Wichita and a guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Federal agents and prosecutors already are involved in the local investigations of each attack.

Atty. General Holder Wants New Hate Crimes Law....

Defenders of Post Cartoon Prove That Eric Holder Was Right

By: Tonyaa Weathersbee

So now, it seems the defenders of the New York Post’s despicable chimpanzee cartoon have veered way off the path of common sense and context to find a scapegoat.

They did some reaching and came up with … Eric Holder.

The nation’s new attorney general recently shook the realm of right-wing punditry and denial-ridden citizens by saying, during a Black History Month speech to Justice Department employees, that Americans needed to have more honest dialogue with each other regarding race and to understand the history of black folks in the United States.

“Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial, we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," Holder said.

Holder should have known better.

He should have known that calling Americans cowards on the unfinished business of racial equality and on the frank discussion of racial matters, especially when so many of them voted for President Barack Obama and literally believe this county is the “home of the brave,” would set off a lot of folks.

For many people, historical truth is no match for patriotic hype.

But now, some pundits are using Holder’s bluntness to defend what amounted to a racial slur splashed on the New York Post’s editorial page. Cartoonist Sean Delonas recently drew a cartoon of two police officers who had filled a chimpanzee full of bullets – with a caption saying that “They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”

The Post initially issued a half-hearted apology, and defended the chimpanzee as symbolic of Congress, not Obama. The Post’s owner, News Corp magnate Rupert Murdoch, today issued a stronger apology.

But scores of black people, many of whom remember a time when some whites thought they had monkey tails and how even today, know that police use slurs such as “porch monkeys,” and “gorillas in the midst,” to denigrate them, aren’t buying the Post’s explanation.

And, for that matter, neither are a lot of whites.

So the Post has been inundated with complaints and picketers. The NAACP has demanded the firings of the editor and Delonas, and the Rev. Al Sharpton is calling for a boycott.

And the commotion over that, say the cartoon’s defenders, is precisely why the country will never be able to speak frankly about race. If white folks say the wrong thing, some pundits argue, they will be labeled as racists. The way they see it, if white folks are cowards, it’s only because black folks are bad sports.

What hooey.

Defenders of Post Cartoon Prove That Eric Holder Was Right....

Eric Holder: America ‘a Nation of Cowards’ on Racial Matters

By: Devlin Barrett

WASHINGTON - Eric Holder, the nation's first black attorney general, said Wednesday the United States was "a nation of cowards" on matters of race, with most Americans avoiding candid discussions of racial issues. In a speech to Justice Department employees marking Black History Month, Holder said the workplace is largely integrated but Americans still self-segregate on the weekends and in their private lives.

"Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," Holder said.

Race issues continue to be a topic of political discussion, but "we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race."

Holder's speech echoed President Barack Obama's landmark address last year on race relations during the hotly contested Democratic primaries, when the then-candidate urged the nation to break "a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years" and bemoaned the "chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races." Obama delivered the speech to try to distance himself from the angry rhetoric of his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Holder cited that speech by Obama as part of the motivation for his words Wednesday, saying Americans need to overcome an ingrained inhibition against talking about race.

"If we're going to ever make progress, we're going to have to have the guts, we have to have the determination, to be honest with each other. It also means we have to be able to accept criticism where that is justified," Holder told reporters after the speech.

In the speech, Holder urged people of all races to use Black History Month as a chance for honest discussion of racial matters, including issues of health care, education and economic disparities.

Race, Holder said, "is an issue we have never been at ease with and, given our nation's history, this is in some ways understandable... If we are to make progress in this area, we must feel comfortable enough with one another and tolerant enough of each other to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us."

Eric Holder: America ‘a Nation of Cowards’ on Racial Matters....

Equal Justice Comes Closer to Reality with Holder in AG Slot

By: Judge Greg Mathis

If his reported nomination is confirmed by the Senate, attorney Eric Holder will become this country’s first African-American attorney general. Nominated by president-elect Barack Obama, Holder is the most qualified person for the job. Though the appointment is not yet official, Holder’s background and commitment to fairness promise a march toward equality in this nation’s legal system.

Holder’s resume is impressive. He has served as both a judge and U.S. attorney in Washington D.C. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the position of deputy attorney general in 1997. During his career, Holder has worked to fight corruption in politics and prosecuted several high-profile political leaders. He has spoken out against the cruel treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and has criticized the Bush administration for the civil liberties policies it introduced after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Liked by both Democrats and Republicans, Holder has the relationships and reputation to work for positive legal change.

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