Ohio Gov. John Kasich Sees Nothing Wrong With All-White Cabinet

John Kasich

Occasionally there are some news stories that just leave you open-mouthed with wonder. And that is how I felt when I heard the news that Ohio Gov. John Kasich recently named an all-white cabinet. This is the first time this has happened in more than 40 years.

It is not surprising that a Republican would be so blind about the issue of race, that he saw nothing wrong with an all-white cabinet in a state that has a 15 percent minority population.

When quizzed about his curious decision, Kasich fell back on a response often heard from white people when pressed about their monocultural office environments. He said that he wanted to get hire, “the best people.”

So is the governor saying that he couldn’t find any qualified Black, Latino or Asians candidates for these cabinet-level positions? Is he implying that people of color are not qualified?

Sadly Kasich doesn’t seem to understand how having an all-white executive team hurts his state. Apart offerning Ohioan minorities, he is also driving business away from his state. Can you imagine, how businessmen from ethnically-diverse states feel when they are courted by all-white Ohio delegations? I know that if I was a businessman who was considering moving to Ohio, I would be concerned about the lack of diversity at the top.

Kasich’s argument for the lack of diversity in his cabinet is full of holes and one of the glaring emissions is former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, a black Republican who has held a high-level position. Apart from the weak argument about hiring the most qualified person, Kasich’s decision also shows either glaring ignorance or stunning indifference. Governments are supposed to be representative of the people they serve, and that means hiring people who resemble the make up of your state.

I can just imagine the media outrage that would occur if a black politician named an all-black team of executives. Hate mongers like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck would be besides themselves, screaming that the blacks, were trying to take over the government, and turn marginalize white people. (Where is anti-racism activist Tim Wise when you need him?)

Sadly, Kasich’s actions mirrors Corporate America. Many blacks have run into the same glass ceiling and the same lame excuses. And like Kasich, many managers see nothing wrong with having all-white offices. In many cases, blacks only get hired when these companies are faced with legal action. I once worked for a state agency, that hired it’s first black employee in 1990, after they were threatened with legal action by the NAACP. Apparently for more than 30 years after the Civil Rights Act, they had operated without hiring any black employees and thought nothing of it.

And things are not better in supposedly liberal academia. CNN commentator Dr. Boyce Watkins has written about how Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management has never offered a black professor tenure in 100 years! I find it hard to believe that in all its years of its existence the Whitman School of Management has never came across one black candidate who they thought was worthy of tenure! Just as I find it hard to believe that Kasich couldn't find one person of color to appoint to his cabinet.

Kasich’s comments mirror the actions of Republicans who simply refuse to deal with issues of race and diversity. It seems that many Republicans consider race problems to be about as real as a unicorn. They seem happy to hide behind the “most qualified candidate” lie, even if it produces a lily-white environment. And that’s what it is -- a lie. I have worked in Corporate America long enough to realize that best candidate doesn’t always get hired.

I have seen many “qualified” candidates get hired and flame out three months later. I have also seen white men hired, who were later fired for sexual harassment (one guy I knew e-mailed photos of his nipple piercings and tattoos to female employees.) I have also heard of white men who were fired for downloading kiddie porn and many other acts of staggering incompetence. At the same time I have known many talented people of color who can never get their foot in the door. And when they are hired, they are expected to be near perfect and are crucified if they make one mistake.

So please Gov. Kasich, don’t give me that BS about hiring the most qualified candidates. There are thousands of qualified minority candidates, you just hired an all-white cabinet, because you like it that way. And that’s scary.

Latinos Have Become America's New Whipping Boy

In my almost 40 years as a black man, I have seen and experienced more than my fair share of racism. I have seen acts that would make most white people's hair stand on end, and some acts that many people simply would not believe.

I have always believed that of all the ethnic groups in America, black people have it worst. But I am beginning to have second thoughts. The level of racism and hatred directed at Latinos is beginning to dwarf the discrimination that African Americans face. A recent Associated Press poll stated that 61 percent of Latinos face significant discrimination, compared 52 percent of African Americans.

These news reports back up the AP poll's findings:

Much of the vitriol directed at Latinos, like the Arizona pass laws, is mixed up with xenophobia and the erroneous belief that all Latinos are illegal immigrants. Republican politicians are tapping into the rage of blue-collar and middle class Americans, who are still reeling from the economic recession. Politicians would rather have angry white people direct their rage at poor brown people, instead of the reckless Wall Street executives who got rich while they wrecked the economy.

And that might be why the instigators of these new laws think they can get away with this new form of racism. Since undocumented workers are not supposed to be here, no one cares about them or will fight for their rights.

It is the worst form of hatred, because it is targets the most helpless segment of society. Much like criminals who victimize undocumented workers, these bullies want to beat up on defenseless people. But this really should not be surprising. Illegal immigration is tolerated because American companies like having workers who will work for slave wages and are too scared to complain. If you can drive down workers' salaries, that means more money for the shareholders. And one of the constant complaints from arch capitalists is that American workers cost too much and demand too many benefits.

One can only hope that all this anti-Latino rhetoric will shake voters, black, white and Asian, out of their apathy. The other side has shown us what direction they want this country go, now it's up to us to stop them.

Need a Reliable Uncle Tom? Call Project 21

Jesse Lee Peterson

FOX News knows that its a right-leaning/white-leaning network, but they realize that these days neo fascists, like Sean Hannity, cannot just came out and call black people, lazy shiftless bums, even though that is what is going through their minds. To vocalize these ugly ideas, they turn to a small cadre of black conservatives. While there maybe some black conservatives, who believe in the principles of fiscal moderation and traditional values, there are also several black straw men.

People like the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, a notoriously self-loathing African American, who is happy to vocalize every racist and offensive comment white commentators are too scared to say. The good Rev. Peterson, showed true Christian spirit, when he blamed the Hurricane Katrina disaster on the poor moral values of the mainly black residents of New Orleans. Some of his other hits include:

• Calling civil rights leader W.E.B Dubois "a communist pig."
• And calling black men "weak and insecure."
• He also said Obama was elected by "black racism and white guilt"

Another Project 21 member Kevin Martin compared the NAACP to the Ku Klux Klan in an appearance on Hannity's show. Peterson is close friends Hannity, who was a major contributor to his Brother Organization of a New Destiny (BOND) foundation, a fact that Hannity failed to mentioned when he regulalry hosted Peterson on his show. So effectively Hannity was writing Peterson a check, and then asking him to appear as an "objective" guest. (But really, is any guest objective on FOX?.) Peterson has also associated with white sepratist and immigrant hating groups.

If you ever wondered where these professional Uncle Toms come from, you need to look to Project 21. Tomming has been a pretty good gig for Patterson, who has gotten a book, radio show and numerous television appearances out of it. According to left-wing journalist Max Blumenthal Project 21 was created by the National Council for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a right-wing think tank, who were looking for black faces to rebut the many charges of racism levied at the Los Angeles Police Department after the Rodney King riots in 1992. Project 21 provided black media pundits who could refute these charges, and in many cases vocalize the offensive comments that white pundits where too scared to say.

NCPRR Executive Director David Almasi, who is white, almost blew the lid of the Project 21 scam, when he stood in for one of his talking heads. Almasi also coordinates Project 21 media strategy and tells its pundits what to say.

poll by twiigs.com

West Bashes Obama, Says He Almost Went to Prison

Dr. Cornel West is one of the nation's preeminent Black intellectuals. In this article from Alternet.org, he discusses his recently published autobiography, "Brother West: Living Out Loud."

West, a self-avowed member of the far left, expresses disappointment that Obama has stocked his cabinet with left overs from the Clinton era. He also says that Obama ran as a liberal, but many of his cabinet picks are neo-liberals, who helped Bill Clinton push through some of his more controversial economic policies, such as loosening the reigns on Wall Street.

West says that he almost was imprisoned while he was a student at Harvard in the 1960s. Apparently a white female student was raped by a black man, and the local police were pressuring her to pin on it West, simply because he was the same color as her rapist. Fortunately the victim, stuck to her guns and refused to pin the crime on West. It is scary to think that one of the smartest men in America could have easily ended up wasting his talents in jail. This another damning indictment of the American legal system.

http://www.alternet.org/rights/144569/always_controversial_cornel_west_disses_obama,_survives_cancer_and_almost_spent_his_life_in_prison/

poll by twiigs.com