Some of us old coots left that country to head west. We'd killed off enough Indians, won that fight, and still wanted more.

We were the first trappers into the Northwest. In the early days we made friends with the Indians, often marrying into a tribe. Then we lead wagon trains to the west, and fought in wars to obliterate Native American people and their cultures. We did that pretty damn well.

Robert Redford got to play me before he realized that scalping
Indians wasn't going to help him at Sundance.

But some us were interesting people --killers, but interesting.

Posted at May 13, 2008 1:15 PM in response to A look at the historical roots of racism in WV, from a depressed mountaineer

Or if it an KKK asshole in the woods with a gun looking to hurt someone, put a fucking bullet in his head first.

Posted at May 12, 2008 10:43 PM in response to Obama and racism. READ.

No question that anti-semitism is in full swing in Germany and other EU countries. Add Muslims into the mix and its quite scary.
Look at the riots in Paris. There have also been violent attacks in Argentina. I think it's on the rise, but not here.

Posted at May 12, 2008 10:02 PM in response to Obama and racism. READ.

In some cases yes. The generation that is now coming up and speaks English seem more normal in that sense. One sees inter-racial marriages.

On the other hand there is a huge number of Nazi youth, especially coming out of the former East Germany. The same goes for Russia.

I find it quite scary. These numbers are far greater than the wackos in America.

Posted at May 12, 2008 9:58 PM in response to Obama and racism. READ.

Sorry again. I got tired writing that. Read the end as:

But as you have underestimated the role of individuals in the fight against racism in America, you have overestimated the role of a single person to end it.

I need a beer. And not a Coors.

Posted at May 12, 2008 4:34 PM in response to Obama and racism. READ.

ami--see comment below.

Posted at May 12, 2008 4:28 PM in response to Obama and racism. READ.

That was meant to post under ami upthread but it ended up down here.

Posted at May 12, 2008 4:27 PM in response to Obama and racism. READ.

ami,

A few comments on the big swaths of history here. The discussion about racial advancement in the time frame you reference is grossly over-simplified. To discuss just a few things.

First you would have to separate any economic advancements in the north from a lack of them in the south. The brutal conditions for blacks in the deep south before World War II remained the same after the war. There was an ongoing migration of blacks to the north which can be seen as economic advancement for those who left the south.

Segregation and lynching were common practice in the deep south well at the beginning of the 60's without a fucking peep from Washington until two white boys were lynched with a black civil rights worker in 1964. This was the first real turn in getting any relief from Washington in defense against such brutality.

Putting Dr. King aside for a moment, local black farmers in some places began to arm themselves against direct attacks upon them by KKK and their allies among state and local peace forces.
It was that threat of real armed conflict, the response to the killing of whites in the civil rights movement, and the coverage of by the major networks of it all that began, rather suddenly to create a very rapid shift.

Many details show how rapidly that shift took place. One that comes to mind is the role of the FBI. Their common practice in that time was to interview civil rights workers about their ties to the communist party, or the ties of their parents. Under pressure from the Justice department, they had to do some swift
work in a few murders but remained dedicated to chasing down King's possible ties to communists.

Within these very profound upheavals in Mississippi and Alabama, in a very short time, the voting rights bill was passed.
The year before (1964) the first elected black delegates sent to a democratic convention by the Mississippi Freedom Party were denied entry by the ever-brave Sen. Hubert Humphrey.

I'll abandon detail at this point to state the obvious. You can talk about economic advancement all you want, but its mush without the mention of the prime movers --young "activists" (read revolutionaries) acting against voting rights and lynchings, acting for rights. Economic advancement could not proceed in the south without the right to vote.

You have hugely underestimated the role of individuals making a life and death stand for their rights.

There have been great advancements obviously. And Obama's possible presidency is symbolic and important in exactly the way you describe.

Spending some considerable time in Germany myself, and getting involved against Nazi flare-ups in the early 90's--grave desecrations, as an example-- I was surprised by the deep anti-semitism among ordinary Germans, especially some of my friends.

I cite this example. I went looking for a Jewish cemetery to take photos of desecrated graves. The desecration had been front page news. The cemetery, however, could not be found on the city map--no directions. I asked a friend. At the point when a long time friend changed du to Sie the message was clear. As was the comment, delivered in Swabish rather than Hoch Deutsch--"you have to two legs, you find it." More shocking as well were the non-efforts of the local police to track down the neos.

Racism is doing especially well now in many places in the old century landscape. Russia, Bosinia......too depressing.

It will be important to have Obama as a president. Progress yes. But as you have underestimated the role of individuals in the fight against racism in America, you have underestimated the impact of a single to end it.

That said, send me some decent bread and a beer. I'm dying over here.

Posted at May 12, 2008 4:23 PM in response to Obama and racism. READ.

You can close that Wikipedia window now. They're gone.

Posted at May 11, 2008 5:57 PM in response to a call-to-arms for Michelle

levi

I respect your tribe. But this old guy feels little action, now that polls and trolls control the world.

Bored.

Thanks for the song. Tell you and your friends that I watch from the hills.

Posted at May 11, 2008 1:07 PM in response to Poltical Correctness