And yet he was right. I'll give him a pass... Screw decorum in that case. Besides... it was 40 years ago...

But think about it..... we white folks at the time were all happy when an American went over and showed all those nasty Nazis they were not as superior as they thought they were. When this American came back home, he wasn't good enough to eat in a resteraunt next to us, or drink from the same water fountain.

Change happens slowly in this country and it takes the likes of Tommy Smith, Harriet Tubman, MLK and many more to speak out and go against the accepted standards for America to do what is right.

Nazis? In the 60's? Really? Read the history books first. World War II was over in 1945 - just to skip to the end - we won!

Trying to keep radicalism out of anything that can offer it a platform is a effort in futility. To be honest, I would have a lot more respect for the guy if he just called it the way it is and said he was selling the medal because he needed/wanted the cash for himself or his Kids/Grand kids.

He is not the first, not will he be the last to sell a Olympic Medal or a Heisman Trophy. One of Muhammad Ali's closest corner guys sold his 1964 Heavyweight Title belt won by beating Sonny Liston for $500 to a Barber on Lenox Ave and bought $500 worth of Heroin... It is what it is. You do what you gotta do.

But spare me the Gloved Black fist in the air Rhetoric, Different day and different time. Today the NFL, NBA, MLB are more than 75% black. There are laws that mandate Jobs, Schooling and even what I watch on TV. There are more laws and more mandated guidelines than EVER concerning what amounts to just under 13% of the population. And its not about revolution, it is about Government telling the population what and who they can and cannot hire, fire and promote. The only "Revolution" alive today is the one that centers around the Radical Black Panther movement that never disappeared. Standing in front of a polling center with baseball bats, using profanity and daring anyone to step in they do not approve of.

Go ahead and wrap an Progressive/Liberal agenda in a Fake civil rights movement. It shames the true movement started in the early 60's. Using "Civil Rights" as the backbone of every Liberal/Progressive argument on the agenda today is the new Progressive trademark. Just like Pelosi and Co. Walking arm in arm through the middle of the Obama Socialist care protesters simulating the MLK march in 64... shameful...absolute arrogance wrapped in Liberal defiance of what is true and right.

I hope he gets a good price for his medal..... But spare me the drama... this about a guy who needs some cash.... I don't blame him... If I had some "Trophy" worth $250,000K I would sell it today. And guess what?...... It would not make the news.... Cause I ain't Black.

GRACE.... When did Jessie Owens Run in Berlin?

Have a good day.

It was an act of triumphant defiance which, right or wrong, turned into a powerful sysmbol of the civil rights movement. For that, it was a Good Thing.

By reading a number of posts here, it is obvious that racism is still very much alive an well in America today. Too much we-they, us-them.

We are in the 21st century.... I was hoping for better by now.

I can't remember if it was Jesse Owens(I think Jesse)but when he came back from the Olympics, they had him race dogs. In WW2 a black mans blood was kept seperate from white mans blood, so the solider wounded would get the right blood for the color of his skin. I thought the protest was fair. In Viet Nam, the black troops would be sent in first to catch most of the fire power.

Grace-509606 Grace maybe you should read your history books. Jesse Owen was one of the greatest black athletes of the 1936 games. Adolf Hitler made a very special point of telling the world that no, and he didn't use the word black, could beat the superior athletes of the Third Reich. When Jesse did, Hitler refused to allow him to receive his medals and they were not awarded until long after the War. Now that man had class, this man does not.

It is easy for us to look back 42 years and say "what a jerk" or "he shouldn't have done that" but we also have to consider the time. I agree Jesse Owens was a class act and there will never be another like him in the Olympics but I am gonna give this guy a pass. He was an extraordinary athlete in extraordinay times. Though in race relations we have yet to get to be where we should I am actually encouraged that in only 1 generation how things have changed for the better.

Of course racism is alive and well in America today!

However, the message isn't the same as it was in the 60's.

It's the backbone of the progressive party.

Keeping racism alive and well is their bread and butter.

Disgraceful.

FLYNAVY1 - I completely disagree...

IMO, to imply people who express a similar view as CRYSTAL-CLEAR are racist is frankly a racist comment...Being a White Heterosexual Man appears to me, especially when expressing a viewpoint on any controversial issue, to be an easy target for these type of presumptive statements...This all comes down to respecting other peoples views....Just because they do not follow the beat of your drum does not make them racist or other...

The Olympics is a nobel event where EVERY man and woman are on the same playing field, whether black, white, gray...there is no difference among them...While I respect his bravery to speak out, the Olympics is not the forum to express his action....Personally, I believe when individuals try to exhibit this type of political protest it illustrates a lack of respect for the event and frankly a level of selfishness to derail the essence of the Olympics to express their disdain...

You're talking out of both sides of your mouth. First you say'level playing field whether black, white, blah blah', then you say Smith's racist act was a "class act". His BLACK POWER salute wasn't a racist act in your eyes? Yeah, right.

CRYSTAL would like to think it's CLEAR. It's not.

While the Olympic ideal seeks to avoid political issues, it is interpreted as referring to disputes between nations participating at the events. In Tommy Smith's case, he was calling attention to a deplorable situation in his own country: RACISM.

Yes, black athletes were treated better than their less talented brothers and sisters, but segregation was far from a settled issue. An entire race was being exploited for what they could give, while getting only opprobrium in return.

Looking back on it today, he's reflecting on the impact the protest had on his life and is expressing regrets. It's pretty CLEAR to me he loves his country -- perhaps much more than those who would castigate him for pointing out that in 1968 the American ideal was far from living up to its promise of liberty and justice for ALL.

Of course, many of the same people who are criticizing him are now trying to tear down our President. I wonder what motivates them?

FLYNAVY1- By reading a number of posts here, it is obvious that racism is still very much alive an well in America today. Too much we-they, us-them.

Racism is still alive, only it's been officially institutionalized in the form of college admissions quotas, hiring quotas, and government contract set-asides intentionally to discriminate against whites.

We are in the 21st century.... I was hoping for better by now.

Fortunately, Arizona has proposition 107 on the November ballet which will STOP these discriminatory practices. FINALLY.

Disregard

Of course, many of the same people who are criticizing him are now trying to tear down our President. I wonder what motivates them?

I wonder what your motivation was for making such an asinine, off-topic statement?

I see where Rush Limbaugh and Barack Obama are related... what a hoot!

In a couple more generations, we all will be relatives of one another. I may not live to see it, but it will be a wonderful when the day arrives when we are all Americans in this country, or better yet... all considered human on this planet. It will only be when these thoughts become common place that we will be able to solve the real problems that plague our country and our world. Till then I will continue to try to make my part of the world a little better and a little less racist every day.

He's lucky. The price of precious metals is way up. Good time to sell.

In search of common sense...You need to read my entire point...

Basically, the Olympics was not the forum for this act....The Olympics are blind to race/creed/color..

My other point was to acknowledge that the intent, although it should not have been expressed at the Olympics, was admirable...

I'm not being hypocritical, just acknowledging his right to protest but his lack of judgement on where he expressed his view..

Smith is selling the medal for the money but also because he wants to share it with the public.

riiight, I'll go with the former.

Racism is still alive in this country..

as long as we have Hyphen Americans instead of just Americans we keep the cycle going..

Whites who are proud of their heritige = RACISTS!!!
Blacks who are proud of their heritige = Civil Rights Activists!
Whites who express pride in their ancestry = Racists!!!
Blacks who express pride in their ancestry = Civil Rights Activists!
Don't believe me - ask Jesse & Al........

OK Liberal racists, start sniveling and making excuses and telling me where I'm wrong. Call me racist, (but what you really mean is realist). BTW, there is no living person in America who was either a slave or a slave owner! It's over and done with, bury it!

"Of course, many of the same people who are criticizing him are now trying to tear down our President. I wonder what motivates them?"

Uh, leftcoastblue.........how bout bad policies???? How bout questionable mentors??? How bout lack of experience??? How bout.......................I could go on and on and on, and it would not have to be racism because he is just a poor excuse for a president even if he was white.

"JIMBO"

You are correct. . .Racism is alive! It is alive because the African-American population will not let it die! All I see is the minority groups demanding their RIGHTS and shunning their RESPONSIBILITIES. It is time to stand up and take RESPONSIBILITY for yourself and for your children!

Blacks like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, the NAACP, etc. will NEVER let racism die! They, of course, are racists themselves, but it is politically incorrect to say so publicly. However, what is more important, is that these people rely on the perpetuation of racism (or the belief that it still exists) for their livings. The moment the NAACP admits that racism has been eliminated to the extent that it possibly can be, that will be the moment that there is no more need for the NAACP. And then all of the people who run and work for the NAACP will be out of jobs. (They need to sing "We Shall Overcome" forever. If they ever admit that it has become "We Have Overcome", they will be admitting that they are no longer needed.) To preserve their jobs, these people will NEVER admit that racism is no longer a problem, never. And in order to preserve their own jobs, in the process they will train a new generation of blacks to take over when they retire, and the cycle will go on forever as this new generation now has to preserve their jobs.

Face it, nobody is going to pay Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton (Reverends? I don't revere them!) to give speeches about how racism is over. They make their living by constantly complaining, and accusing every white cop who arrests a black criminal of racism. It's never going to end.

@horace,

"Assinine"? Accurate is more like it. Click on the names of the people blasting Smith and Carlos and check their other posts. See if what I'm saying is true.

(I don't need to do it to prove it to myself because I am able to remember their drool from other threads -- just as I remember yours.)

Blackpower, is the same as white power, racist. The salute is no different from the nazi salute. Racism is racism no matter the color it comes from.

As long as people want to be different, it will remain. There should be no African Americans, unless it is a person with citizenship in both countries. Nor should there be White Americans, or Irish Americans. If you identify yourself by color, your a racist.

That raised fist was the perfect response to those uppity white Americans who muttered, "If they don't like it here, why don't they go back to Africa?"

Thank you, Mr. Smith! If we all had your courage, this country would be a better place. . .

You're a close-minded bigot, "lefty."

You're exactly why "racism" will never die.

To say racism doesn't exist would be silly, but it cuts both ways.

You seem to think you're immune to the bigotry you've labeled others with.

My last post made that point, rather succinctly I might add.

I would like to ask one question. How does anyone account for the problems between the blacks and hispanics when the white man is out of the picture? Just food for thought.

Despising someone for their beliefs -- especially when their beliefs allow them to hate others because of their skin color -- is the most benign form of bigotry.

Instead, as MLK adjured, I am judging people for the content of their character, not for the color of their skin.

I recognize evil when I see it, and I speak out against it. If more people were like me, racism would already be dead.

Hating someone for their beliefs -- especially when their beliefs allow them to hate others because of their skin color -- is not bigotry.

Do you think before you type?

I recognize evil when I see it. If more people were like me, racism would already be dead.

I actually feel sorry for you.

BTW, nice try, but too late. We all know how you really feel.

Which by the way proves my point even further.

IMO you still have to look at the time of this event. the races were as separate as they ever could be thats fact and as several other posters have noted during times of war blacks had to go in and do the dirty work so the whites would take less casualties. Again, note the year this happened 1968. Blacks were fighting in Wars for an America that treated them like second class citizens. I am black and I am just giving my perspective on this. We all know the symbolism behind the blackpower symbol but I also feel like the symbol was Solidarity for black America. For blacks coming home from war or coming home from the Olympics to a place that had separate bathrooms and drinking fountains, servant jobs, minimal voice in politics is degrading and is worth noting on a world class stage. America sits in judgement of the rest of the world but judge not! Least ye be judged! We would never have known about the injustices in South Africa until it became a world class issue. When the dirty laundry is aired that appears to be the only time anyone takes notice. It (black power symbol at the olympics) was peaceful but powerful. I am not living in the past because we have made great strides but...for its time, i believe it was appropriate. I mean no disrespect to anyone but it is difficult for a non black person to have the same perspective about our environment here in America. I also agree with the poster who said we would always be separate as long as we distinguish ourselves as separate from others instead of just being Americans but the fact is until our Drivers License and other identifcation cards just say American that will be difficult to do as well. Our schools still make us identify ourselves by race and frankly i am perplexed at times at the choices. I may be a bit old school but I consider myself to be black not African-American. I am stubborn and resist these labels because. the labels used to call a black person a Negro and a White person a Caucasian. If I am an African-American then likewise a White person is a European American?(asking,...i dont know.) What now constitutes a mixed race person? It used to be if you had any "black blood" you were black, no matter what you looked like. But today you really cant tell by looks anymore..anyway..talking too much..just trying to have a civil discussion w/o bringing politics into it.

leftcoastblue

I recognize evil when I see it, and I speak out against it. If more people were like me, racism would already be dead.

Instead, as MLK adjured, I am judging people for the content of their character, not for the color of their skin.

Despising someone for their beliefs -- especially when their beliefs allow them to hate others because of their skin color -- is the most benign form of bigotry.

But see, you do NOT see it correctly..

If a White guy disagrees with a Black guy, you see racism.

If a White guy disagrees with a Brown guy, you see racism. If a Black guy disagrees with a White guy, the black guy is right.. and the same for a black guy and a Brown guy..

You can see this in your though process when you brought up Obama. Obama is after all only 1/2 black. So can one be racist against 1/2 a man? it makes no sense to say that someone disagreeing with him, is because of his skin..

Are there people who don't like him because he is black. O yea there are, and they are not the people you think they are. Just because someone does not agree with Obama, it is not because he is black. I cannot stand Obamas policies, I could not vote for Obama because he is exactly like Palin but the other side of the coin.. 100 percent Unqualified for PotUS.

horace, instead of feeling sorry for me, you might at least try to quote me accurately.

And regarding your point, I think you should seek out a haberdasher. (Though he or she might need to go to Lady Gaga-esque extremes to cover it for you.)

I can't disagree with anythng you said Chris......and I'm white.

Does your drivers license really say African-American?

I guess I never really looked at mine.

Yeah, that would be a good place to start removing that prefix that creates so much divisiveness.

If more people thought like YOU, racism would be a whole heap less prevalent.

Hey lefty

I cut and pasted YOUR remarks.

Now you're trying to LIE your way back into plausibility.

Too late!

Regardless, your credibility was shot from your first post.

It was inappropriate, self serving and disrespectful for American athletes to impose their political beliefs upon the world while standing upon a podium at the Olympics.

Political correctness is breathing it's last breath, finally.

Jeremy, which "half" of Obama are people focused on with the signs at the TeaBagger rallies? Don't you know that mixed-race people faced exactly the same discrimination as pure-blooded blacks?

Your ignorance of racial issues is stunning.

I wonder how this man would have felt if he won the race at the Olympics, but the gold medal was instead given to another runner who was deemed to be from a poorer country.

"Clearly" clearly does not get it himself. The Olympics have always been a political showcase. Pick your Olympics ancient or modern, they both represented more than just sport. I'm sorry to break it to you, but the idealist version of the Olympics that you have does not truly exist, only in the media. Performance enhancing, fixed outcomes, even gender masking is pervasive. All unfortunate of course, but to say the Olympics and politics don't interact is simply denying the reality of what exists. Unfortunately some people tie their egos to tightly to sport that when sport is criticized they take it personally. Interesting.

I think you have to look at what the Black Panthers are about...Not equality but rather Black Dominence and violence....And that is why we or the Olympics cannot support anything related to that...Olympics are about the games if not then every black from Africa better start doing the same thing because blacks in American as much as they want to try and attach themselves to blacks in Africa cant quite do that. Blacks in Africa are still ensalved, in fear of genocide-from other black tribes and no where are you gonna find a JZ, Lebron, Tiger or multi-million dollar African like there are here...So the 60's are over..Well said Derek-V.

Why were Flynavy's posts (1.2 and 1.5) collapsed. I don't agree with him on most things, but I could see nothing out of line in those posts.

This is a story about the stupid of the stupid on the left. I. E. the radicals. They are the counterparts to the right wingers who have a problem with the right wing not being conservative 'enough.' Mark, above, is wrong and he'll never admit it, but I'll get into the gripe further.

The athlete...he did what he thought was correct, and paid the consequences for it, as he should have. My problem is with the foaming-at-the-mouth psychotic radicals who think every single rule should be broken if the message is for the correct cause. In other words, all the lefties who think the 'ends justify the means' and yet have problems when their right wing radical counterparts do the same things. In a war, these are the kinds of people who justify their own murderous actions, not unlike the mercenaries of Blackwater/Xe or the anti-whalers harassing Japanese vessels. They think they are doing justice, when all they are is acting like dangerous children.

The Olympics is an international, non-politican event of good will. Therefore, sometimes Nazis promote their favorite boxer and Black Panthers run track. They are allowed to do this 'side by side' (if it could be done, a bit anachronistic, but you get the point) because of the rules of the Olympics. And, when they are allowed to, the best man wins. And then, as you can expect, some message is made of it. Sometimes the message is a good one, as with Jesse Owens. Sometimes the bad guy wins. That is why we call it a 'sporting' event and not 'a movie.' Because the outcome is unpredicatble. But beyond that, if it were a sporting event where someone was presorting all the participants based on political views, even if they are for the 'correct' reasons, we wouldn't have much of an international event, would we?

I mean, just get rid of China for forging documents so thirteen year old gymnasts can win a gold medal. Get rid of North Korea for running Gulags. Get rid of Iran for shooting its own population. Get rid of Israel and every Mid-Eastern country for their treatment of their own citizens. In fact, get rid of the USA for torture.

Dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb. And yet there are people here thinking this guy shouldn't have been punished. You know what? He made his protest, and suffered the consequences. Good for him. He did what he thought he should. Now he regrets it. I say, excellent. Go get some cash for the medal and sell it to someone who needs to be quickly removed of a lot of money. Financial Darwinism.

Would any buyer be proud to buy this Olympic Gold Medal.

There is nothing behind this awful showing of unpatriotism/appreciation of the US who "screwed himself up" taking for granted the meaning of this Medal.

This Gold Medal is a "dud". For those who think it is Gold it is not.

The Olympics are not to be used for politics? Then why did both the US and USSR boycott the olympics when they were held in the other's country?

Because they were being stupid. And both basically only served to rob themselves of Gold Medals. Neither 'protest' mattered to anyone except the competing atheletes, who were basically ripped off at a chance to do something they'd been training for all their lives.

He was already punished for being *Colored, Negro, Black, African American......IN America.

I personally was forced to go to integrated schools in the 1960's. We loved our Negro schools. My parents made us go a year earlier, because they thought it would improve our education.

I remember being upset because White people called me Black, back then it was considered insulting your skin color.

It took people like this great man to enchance Black Power and make us proud to be Black, and accept our "uniqueness", because believe me, White people were forced to give us any power.

I remember this exceptionalexpression of black power and yes, it did represent America. Who do you think this olympian won his medal for?

What he failed to realize is white people had no desire to share power with anyone, he obviously thought that would happen sooner.

For those who make light of this Black Power movement and truly will distort history to fit thier own agendas. Start reading and open your minds to the truth.

I remember the racism back then and am amazed to think anyone thinks it does not exist now.

I will stop my comments here....some people cease to amaze me. I cannot understand what the agenda is to deny racism, could it be the same as the past, the desire to keep the power and not share it with any brown people...forget that.

LOL. Okay, I'm a minority, albeit not black. But if the above isn't racist, I don't know what is. So, yes, you are right. Racism still exists to this day!

Would any buyer be proud to buy this Olympic Gold Medal.

There is nothing behind this awful showing of unpatriotism/appreciation of the US who "screwed himself up" taking for granted the meaning of this Medal.

This Gold Medal is a "dud". For those who think it is Gold it is not.

why should he have shown any appreciation to a country that oppressed him?? you guys aren't making any sense. And the Olympics HAS ALWAYS been about politics...at a global level

Just Judy = Racist

By the way Judy - you just said some people "cease to amaze me". Don't you mean some people NEVER cease to amaze?

Just Judy = Racist

By the way Judy - you just said some people "cease to amaze me". Don't you mean some people NEVER cease to amaze?

i certainly don't think you can call someone who was forced to go to n!553r schools and drink out of colored water fountains a racist.

Whites say racist things = Politically Incorrect
Nonwhites address racism = "Racist"

lol, never ceases to amaze me.

and Derek, you are NOT a minority...Person of color or nonwhite person would be more accurate. Nonwhite would be the most accurate.

Well, Tek, i think you got the point that getting hung up on most 'Politically Correct' words is just stupid. Do I think using the 'n' word is specifically hateful and racist? Yes. However, most words denied use in the pursuit of the Politically Correct are just ridiculous.

For example, I'm technically 'Hispanic.' Somewhere along the line, though, that wasn't good enough, so now I'm a 'Latino.' Oh, also, I am in fact, technically a 'minority.' However, we can narrow our definitions to make using the term 'minority' useless, as well. So, so stupid.

I think you have to look at what the Black Panthers are about...Not equality but rather Black Dominence and violence....And that is why we or the Olympics cannot support anything related to that...Olympics are about the games if not then every black from Africa better start doing the same thing because blacks in American as much as they want to try and attach themselves to blacks in Africa cant quite do that. Blacks in Africa are still ensalved, in fear of genocide-from other black tribes and no where are you gonna find a JZ, Lebron, Tiger or multi-million dollar African like there are here...So the 60's are over..Well said Derek-V.

The Black Panthers WERE about equality of ALL people. why do you think Blank Panther Factions were founded in other places in the world ( where dark, Non-African people were oppressed ). The tactics of the Black Panther Party may be contreversial (countering racial violence with direct aggression towards oppressors), but the black Panthers ALWAYS attacked logical targets and they left white citizens OUT OF IT. You can't make that statment about white supremacist organizations such as the Aryan nation and the Klan. Blacks in Africa were enslaved by the racist colonialists who landed on their shores and departed not even 50 years ago. All of that ethnic strife and civil war is the direct result of that colonialization and the conglomeration of enemy nations that already existed in Africa. These nations are only 50 years old...England had civil wars for 3 or 4 hundred years before emerging as a unified country...and here we go with the black people are lucky to be in america argument...I'm done with u man...

Oh, and hell yes you can call someone who went to those schools a racist. I'm certainly not going to deny those who segregated kids into those schools not racists. That would be dumb. But it is highly ignorant to say someone can't be racist because they were forced to go to a segregated school. Racist shows up in language as well as actions. Tragedy does not exempt you with not being racist. In fact, its probably an understandable reason why someone would be. But it doesn't mean they are not racist.

Israel is the shining example of a state of people who think that because of a past worldwide tragedy (obviously the Holocaust), they are exempt from being called racist.

What I mean by racism is a system of group privalege. Your Israel example is a great example of that. The Israelis (who call themselves "white" dominate the Palestinians who are dubbed "nonwhite").
This is the prevailing pattern worldwide, because of colonialism the there is an established racial heiarchy built on a color gradient worldwide. And if color isn't discernable, other physical features or cultural elements are used. This is the global system of racism (also known as white supremacy).

The difference between that Israeli and the black person in america is that black people in america are in no position to dominate or even influence white people in america. THERE IS NO SO CALLED RACIAL HEIARCHY IN THE WORLD THAT PUTS DARK PEOPLE ON THE TOP. There is tons of evidence of white supremacy being the only functional system of racism. There are tons of books and media that are very harsh on nonwhite culture, history, and intelligence. I can think of very few sources that do the same thing to so-called "white" people.Therefore, although one can harbor negative feelings towards whites ( can you blame them ), they cannot be racist, because they aren't the dominant group.

Israelis control every aspect of Arabs and Ethiopian life in Israel. Much like the established largely white power structure controls so-called blacks and hispanics here in the states based off of white supremacist idealism.

So can nonwhites be racist towards whites?? unlikely.
However they can hate whites, or harbor negative feelings towards them (which i think is unproductive).

However, it seems that most whites call nonwhite people "racist" when they try to SOLVE the problem of racism. Or simply bring the problem to the forefront.

Would u agree with this??

Racism has, and always will exist at some level because there will always be those that fear and loathe things that are different form themselves, and because you cannot legislate feelings or emotions. The question is, will racial equality ever exist? By racial equality I mean that all persons regardless of race, color or creed has the same basic opportunity to exist as any other. Not that does everyone of every race are equal. People are inherently not equal due to intelligence, personality, education, environment and physical attributes. I think that sociologically blacks and other minorities have been afforded a far greater amount of opportunities than in previous decades. I don't think that racism is a big factor any longer in determining someones ability to succeed, though it is still used as a crutch by some. What has to be understood is that it may take a few generations for poor, uneducated minorities to grasp the importance of striving to improve their lives and use resources available to them. I sometimes get the idea that some minorities think there is some sort of white express lane, and all white people have to do is get on it to get to the top of the hill so to speak. I can tell you, my parents worked and pushed very hard to make sure we all received a decent education and tried their best to help us make good choices. The ability to succeed today has far less to do with race as it does having a good support system and the knowledge to make the good life choices. That's not to say that Blacks and other minorities have not face severe obstacles in the past.

This guy may have lingering emotions about his actions, but I think he fails to understand that certain aspects of the Black Power movement were percieved as a direct threat to the safety of non-blacks in America. The problem with movements that rely on instilling some amount of fear in ordr to try to achieve a goal is that it alienates those that are not part of the movement. Organizations like the Black Panthers did more to promote fear and distrust towards many in the Black community than it accomplished. MLK understood this and advocated peaceful protest.

This guy...like Michelle...aren't quite sure if they are proud to be Americans.

"Of course racism is alive and well in America today!

However, the message isn't the same as it was in the 60's.

It's the backbone of the progressive party.

Keeping racism alive and well is their bread and butter."

Clint, you are absolutely correct!

Speaking for myself, I'm continually frustrated with the double standard that continues to exist in this country...This whole guilt complex that has always plagued the White population in this country...It does not seem follow Asians or Latinos however...

First of all, why are all minorities referenced differently..ie, Asian-American, Muslim-American, African-American, Mexican-American..etc and when simply refered to by the color of their skin are immediately insulted...That's ridiculous, I'm 1st generation Italian/French but am continually refered to as White, Whitey, or Cracker...but of course I have no right to bitch about that...When will people growup and realize the day people stop differentiating themselves out of the general public will be the first step in ending racism...The ugly truth is that it will never happen because people who are too lazy and incapable of making a better life for themelves will continue to use racism as a crutch..

Tek, I understand your definition, but I disagree with it. I'll explain:

Oh, and before I do, there are some exceptions to what you are talking about. For example, Zimbabwe.

Now, see, Zimbabwe would be a perfect example of what I would call racism. Racism, as far as I can tell, is taking action in a negative, prejudicial way against someone based on their race. I will give you absolutely that most racism worldwide is against those who are black. There is far too much evidence for that. And if someone denies that, they have their heads crammed far up their a-hole. However, not all racism, therefore, is by one group.

Personally, I think racism is buried deep within the mind in all people. Kids like 'more attractive' teachers. People marry those who look like them. Etc. Humans have the ability to overcome those prejudices. The new front is on racism that has an impact, but can be denied. For example, someone isn't hired because of their race, but you know, 'unqualified' is what gets written down as the reason why. And because of how expensive it is to sue somebody, even if the person finds out why they weren't hired, and expects it to be a racist reason, good luck in having the money to sue the company, especially when looking for a job.

Back to the Olympics. Really, I think there should be one (not all, and not even the majority) of events in the world where even the most horrible differences are put aside. The beginning of solutions is that the parties at least come together. Without that, there's a good chance the discussion will be with bullets. This is why it was dumb of Carter to protest the olypics in 1980, and equally as dumb for the once Soviet Union to return the favor. It is why it is dumb not to be engaged in talks with Iran, if at least to let them know, "Hey, what you are doing is intolerable to us and here is why.'

All this is in the past, though. My opinion, and to be relevant to the article, is that I have no problem with this guy selling his medal.

ctdad,

so nonwhite people are incapable of making good lives from themselves??
IQ too low??
Inherent lazy beasts??

Here we go...it is assumptions of people like YOU which is what keeps racism going.

Tekknowledge...Why is it you limit racist comments to only Whites...Here's the true definition of racism...It seems you are not understanding my point..

As defined. "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race"

Racism is a BELIEF and not exclusive to a particular demographic...You see my point...

Just Judy:

The comment provided by you, does not erase the fact that many, many, many previous Black Athletes have been honored for their great athletic ability without incident. They didn't pull this kind of "ruination" of a Global ceremony, dedicated to the finest athletes, receiving the highest "Medals" at the Olympics. If they were so upset about Racial Discrimination, it could have been done in another public or private way. They had no problem going to the Olympics and participating in them. .

It was a time (60's) of high anxiety, but it was still wrong.

Pitchfork, you hit the nail on the head. It's interesting that those who are the very first ones to always scream racism turn out to be the biggest racists of all, don't you think? And the programs designed to punish racism actually ends up promoting it and making the situation worse.

The solution is time, not government programs. We all know the difference between right and wrong. We are a Christian nation (despite what our fearless leader believes), but unlike Islam, in Christianity, slavery is very much taboo. For the most part, people had already quit the practice of slavery because they felt it was just wrong. For the remaining slave holders, open slavery would have died on its own just because of economics. The last few slaveholders would have been shunned and chastised until they too quit the practice. But there will always be an underground form of slavery and that is where we should focus our efforts today.

No one living today in the U.S. owned slaves or was a slave before the Civil War. It's time to get over it, because we're tired of being punished for something neither we nor most of our ancestors participated in. Racism will die also, unless we keep performing CPR on it. The more programs that are put on us to force us to make special accommodations for minorities, the more it will cost us, and the more we will resent the program and who it benefits. That's just human nature, and it doesn't matter how many marches or vigils you hold or laws you pass, human nature will not change.

So lets talk about somthing that matters. Right now, there are an estimated 50,000 slaves living in the U.S. today (according to the CIA). The breakdown is like this;

• prostitution and sex services - 46%;
• domestic service - 27%;
• agriculture - 10%;
• sweatshops or factories - 5%;
• restaurant and hotel work - 4%; with the remainder coming from:
• sexual exploitation of children, entertainment, and mail-order brides

It seems to me, that we need to forget about the past and see what we can do about what is going on right now.

ctdad, and what i am saying is there is TONS of scholarship that demonstrates a racial hiearchy with white on top and black on bottom. The Bell Curve is a VERY RECENT example of such "scholarship". It was a best seller.

Conversely, There is little to NO scholarship on Asian Supremacy, or African Supremacy, etc. My argument is that for something to be an established idea, there must be scholarship, propaganda, journalism, or media supporting it.

And the books that are considered "racist" are really books examining the psyche of white people and why they practice racism.

I am not saying all white people are racist.
I am not saying that nonwhite people cannot hate or have negative feelings towards white people ( OR OTHER GROUPS OF NONWHITE PEOPLE OR THEIR OWN PEOPLE GROUP ).
What i am saying is that all of this hate coming from nonwhites is a RESPONSE TO WHITE SUPREMACY or even INTERNALIZATION OF WHITE SUPREMACIST THOUGHT.

Are you aware?

(In Part) http://americancivilwar.com/authors/black_slaveowners.htm

The fact is large numbers of free Negroes owned black slaves; in fact, in numbers disproportionate to their representation in society at large. In 1860 only a small minority of whites owned slaves. According to the U.S. census report for that last year before the Civil War, there were nearly 27 million whites in the country. Some eight million of them lived in the slaveholding states.

The census also determined that there were fewer than 385,000 individuals who owned slaves (1). Even if all slaveholders had been white, that would amount to only 1.4 percent of whites in the country (or 4.8 percent of southern whites owning one or more slaves).

In the rare instances when the ownership of slaves by free Negroes is acknowledged in the history books, justification centers on the claim that black slave masters were simply individuals who purchased the freedom of a spouse or child from a white slaveholder and had been unable to legally manumit them. Although this did indeed happen at times, it is a misrepresentation of the majority of instances, one which is debunked by records of the period on blacks who owned slaves. These include individuals such as Justus Angel and Mistress L. Horry, of Colleton District, South Carolina, who each owned 84 slaves in 1830. In fact, in 1830 a fourth of the free Negro slave masters in South Carolina owned 10 or more slaves; eight owning 30 or more (2).

According to federal census reports, on June 1, 1860 there were nearly 4.5 million Negroes in the United States, with fewer than four million of them living in the southern slaveholding states. Of the blacks residing in the South, 261,988 were not slaves. Of this number, 10,689 lived in New Orleans. The country's leading African American historian, Duke University professor John Hope Franklin, records that in New Orleans over 3,000 free Negroes owned slaves, or 28 percent of the free Negroes in that city.

To return to the census figures quoted above, this 28 percent is certainly impressive when compared to less than 1.4 percent of all American whites and less than 4.8 percent of southern whites. The statistics show that, when free, blacks disproportionately became slave masters.

The majority of slaveholders, white and black, owned only one to five slaves. More often than not, and contrary to a century and a half of bullwhips-on-tortured-backs propaganda, black and white masters worked and ate alongside their charges; be it in house, field or workshop. The few individuals who owned 50 or more slaves were confined to the top one percent, and have been defined as slave magnates.

In 1860 there were at least six Negroes in Louisiana who owned 65 or more slaves The largest number, 152 slaves, were owned by the widow C. Richards and her son P.C. Richards, who owned a large sugar cane plantation. Another Negro slave magnate in Louisiana, with over 100 slaves, was Antoine Dubuclet, a sugar planter whose estate was valued at (in 1860 dollars) $264,000 (3). That year, the mean wealth of southern white men was $3,978 (4).

In Charleston, South Carolina in 1860 125 free Negroes owned slaves; six of them owning 10 or more. Of the $1.5 million in taxable property owned by free Negroes in Charleston, more than $300,000 represented slave holdings (5). In North Carolina 69 free Negroes were slave owners (6).

In 1860 William Ellison was South Carolina's largest Negro slaveowner. In Black Masters. A Free Family of Color in the Old South, authors Michael P. Johnson and James L. Roak write a sympathetic account of Ellison's life. From Ellison's birth as a slave to his death at 71, the authors attempt to provide justification, based on their own speculation, as to why a former slave would become a magnate slave master.

Crystal Clear, we're not talking about today--we're talking about an event that took place more than 40 years ago. It was a different time and a tumultuous time. Remember, the voting rights act had only been signed four years before. Brown v. Board of Education was a scant 14 years old.

Putting this event into context is important to understand the meaning of the gesture. For those of you born in the 60s, please read up on this--the turbulence of the 60s, the social changes, changed the U.S. forever. There was no such thing as "politically correct." People voted, protested, got busy to make changes when they disagreed with policy. We ended the Viet Nam war that way. Instead of complaining, people got off their butts and became activists.

TekKnowlege...I think what you need to realize is that people are not as racist as you may presume....Speaking for myself, my comments reflect frustration and not a racist belief....Frankly, I don't have time in my life for it...I'm too concerned in making a life for my family and am pretty confident there are a lot of people like me out there...

I want to share a story with you...When I was in college, I did a summer project where I was teaching urban kids on how to video tape and edit footage of their community center's programs...I was driving a convertible then and use to take the kids out to the beach and elsewhere...they were great kids and by the way all Black...I remember vividly driving thru New Haven one day and they were all making fun of some White people walking along the way...the people they were laughing at never said anything back...Being White, I felt sort of uncomfortable and told them this...I'll never for get what they said to me "Your aren't White, you're Italian"...It was probably the nicest compliment every given to me to date...I also realized how these kids can have so much fun with a deeply engrained guilt complex that all Whites seem to possess...It's that deep seeded guilt, that appears to me, to be the cause of a lot of the frustration expressed by Whites...Personally, I treat everyone as an equal as that's the way I was raised...It's too bad some people find it acceptable to quickly judge my views, which are based on frustration and not hatred...

Betsy Ross,

what is your point...black people were also disproportionately slaves.

4.5 million blacks
4 million in slave states
250,000 NOT Slaves in slave states

750,000/4.5 million as 20%.

80% of black people were slaves.
0% of white people were slaves.

Your numbers, even if accurate, are no indication of racial equality

TekKnowledge -Above, Just Judy was attempting to applya thick layer of guilt on whites. My point being blacks also oppressed blacks, something I believe still takes place, i.e SHarpton, Jackson.

I have no guilt at all about black oppression because I've not ever oppressed a black and I don't feel responsible for other peoples actions.

Perhaps that's how I been in an inter-racial marriage for over 20 years. Hubby doesn't feel held back, therefore is successful in his business. Incidently, almost all of his clients are wealthy white men.

lol ctdad,

perhaps you should be more aware of what exactly you're saying. If you're not a racist, you're not a racist. But your frustration is very similar to the Reagan-like rhetoric. (I suspect Reagan was a white supremacist). People who hold these prejudices ( usually in a position to affect peoples lives ) must be less inclined to help nonwhite people in ANY WAY. So you can say "Why don't these people get a job"...But if an employer thinks black people are stupid and lazy, why would they hire a black person? It can be subconcious thought, it doesn't have to be active, assertive thought. Just like the rantings about "affirmative action" where white people always assert that the so-called "minority" always gets preference over the "more qualified" white person. How do you know this person is "more qualified"?? do you understand what i'm saying?

we've gotten waaayyyy off topic, btw...lol

Betsy Ross

What I wrote above has nothing to do with white guilt. I was making a statement of fact based on my experience. And history is what it is....

Just because you are married to someone of another race, makes you no authority on race relations. The fact that you have to mention it....speaks volumes.

I have white friends now and had white friends in the 60's. There was no denial of white priviledge then and there should be none now. If I need to list books you should read I will post them.

I think my expression is clear, I need no grammatical corrections. Thank you.

I would like to ask one question. How does anyone account for the problems between the blacks and hispanics when the white man is out of the picture? Just food for thought.

I would like to ask a second question. How does anyone account for the problems between the Irish and the Italians (1900-1940), when blacks and hispanics were out of the picture?

Just more food for thought in case you were the genius who devised #1.30. . .

Yeh, "and this one time, at band camp."

When Jesse did, Hitler refused to allow him to receive his medals and they were not awarded until long after the War.

Hitler did not control the medals.

Here you go Tek blaming whats wrong with Africa today and the.....Drum roll...The White Man..How pathetic.Just like here its all the White Mans fault..its his fault that Blacks have the highest percentage of fatherless children and welfare dependant and in prisons..All Whiteys fault..OK..The Black Panthers show their their colors when they come out and say..Kill Whitey and all their cracker babies..Yea they promote equality dont they..PLEASE!Where is the black voice condeming that?I was never a slave owner you have never been a slave..Do people treat other people based on their skin color?Yes all across the board so dont act like only whites can be racist.Give up the Im owed something attitude and promote family values in your community. We were in Rowdesia in the 70;s while it was going through a civil war which is now called Zimbabwe.It was Blacks Killing Blacks.How about the Congo or Uganda.Blacks here have no clue what it means to be African is my point.

Just Judy,

i have seen clear cases where white people can have sex with nonwhites, BE married to them, think they know race relations, and STILL PRACTICE RACISM. They can also have nonwhite children and still be white supremacists (google David Myers story). I suspect Betsy Ross may fit into this category. I think her correcting your grammar to try to discredit your argument was a form of practicing racism "how can this negro talk about racism when she can't even not make a typographical error". Funny. Anyway, white supremacy is still alive and strong in the US of A. i think that that term is much more accurate than "white privalege".

FeelnGoodwChrist,

ridiculous. OF COURSE "whitey" (your words, not mines i'd perfer europeans or colonialists or simply racists) ruined africa. They plundered all of its wealth (ever heard of diamond mines, why do white people own these mines in an area they are not indigenous to??), Created racial heiarchies (Hutus were considered more Caucasian than the Tutsis and afforded more privaleges, which was internalized when the Colonialists left, South Africa (White, Colored, Black), Afro-Arabs vs Nubians in Sudan (causing the Dafur conflict) ), Created nations that weren't really nations by drawing arbritrary boundaries and then installing their own leaders when granting "independence", and so on. So no, White people (including America) are responsible for the chaos in Africa, Asia, and South America. What else would you attribute it to, unless you're implying that these people are intellectually inferior to these white people??

I believe you are referring to the New Black Panther Party and not the original Black Panthers. There is a difference. So no, your assessment on the Black Panthers is not accurate either. And no, we shouldn't be killing white babies. there is your condemnation.

I am not owed anything by white people, because they aren't going to give full equality to us. That is up to us to realize that we are in a white supremacist system and replace that system with a system of justice.

The prison thing is brought upon by racism/white supremacy. Look at the case of the federal judge scumbag that got busted with coke and a gun...and probably sent thousands of black people away for the same reason. Why wasn't this person caught earlier?? Maybe because the "war on drugs" unfairly targets the black community?? That creates most of the fatherless home problem. I would also say, that white supremacist thought creates tension between black men and women...self loathing from a racist society.

If black people were aware of this i feel they would be ALOT more productive in society. I don't understand the argument that ignores racism being the main reason we are in the plight we are in. We are no more likely to do the things we get locked up for that white people don't get locked up for. I suspect that any white person who says that a black person shouldn't acknowledge racism to achieve self improvement doesn't want the black community to improve, especially because most successful black people (that i know) are EXTREMELY INFORMED about racism. The confused ones (that either don't acknowledge racism or don't understand racism and HATE white people) are typically the ones that struggle in life

www.tommiesmith.com/bio.html

Tommie Smith moved on to become a professor, coach, activist.etc. He played for the Bengals for 3 years. Published his autobiography in 2007, called "Silent Gesture".

For those of you that think he sufferred or will suffer...sorry to disappoint.

This man is a hero to many and makes me proud. I knew his symbolism had such power that it could not be ignored. His action inspired me and many others.

As a Black woman, a child at that time, I will never forget the gesture of these two men and what it meant for all of the people of my community(including whites).

Could he just be auctioning this trophy off because he is old...and maybe wants someone else to experience the joy of having it? That was my first impression.....I guess I am naive.

TekKnowledge....You have me laughing a bit at your correlation between my view and Reagan...Frankly, the only thing I remember about Ronald Reagan was Bonzo.

I think you might need to give people more credit in their ability to treat others of different or racial or ethnic origins with respect. And when I refer to respect, I mean mutual respect...

I agree. I was looking up some info on line to rebuttal a poster on another seed. Jesse Owens was one of the people I looked at for proof of my point of view. All these years I always thought that Jesse was his given name. It wasn't. His given name was James Cleveland Owens. When he enrolled in school and his Teacher asked what his name was, he said "JC Owens". He had a deep southern accent and she heard "Jesse" so wrote that down. The name stuck with him.

In 1936 we were just coming out of the Great Depression so were pretty beat up, battered and sore as a Nation. His ground breaking, in the Furher's face wins at the 1936 Summer Olympics was a great moral booster for our Nation. Despite his Olympic glory he was still treated very shabbily once he returned to the United States. He said FDR snub of him was worse the Hilter snubbing him. If he were alive today I wonder what he would think about our current POTUS.

Another thing about him - he was the first male African-American athlete to have a corporate sponsor: The owner and founder of the Adidas athletic shoe company persuaded Owens to use Adidas shoes.

I also think that Jessie Owens had a lot more to prove than to win the race. Esp at the time when Hitler was using the Arian Nation propaganda as being the superior race.

TekKnowledge

Thank you for speaking "truth to power" much better than I ever could on this board.

I think the words "Black Power" truly brought out the racist to post on here....and they post with no knowledge. The word "supremacy" defines most of the racist posts.

The history of America can be embellished by them, but the truth cannot be denied.

I cannot remember the number of times I threw my fist up in the air with pride..."Black Power!!!!!!

melrob9880

I agree, he had a lot more to prove than to win the race. Hilter was so offended by his sound trouncing of the German, Aryan "Master Race" athletes he wouldn't shake hands and wanted black athletes to be banned from further Olympics.

History is fascinating. It's filled with tasty tibits of events that still affects our very lives today.

ctdad,

of course i respect the white man, yellow man, brown man, black man, red man...

i just want the former of the 5 to stop practicing racism. Since white people are basically in charge worldwide, the historical and empirical evidence clearly shows that (collectively) they do LACK the ability to treat others (other than their own) justly. Since the poor and vicitimized of the world are mostly nonwhite, this would lead a reasonable person to two conclusions. And by brown i mean African, Asian, American, non-white Europeans, Middle Easterners, and South Pacific peoples

1) These brown people are defective, maybe even subhuman.
2) Something is holding them back.

seeing that i know tons of intelligent brown people, and tons of evidence of white over nonwhite domination, I have to rule option number one out...meaning that there is a system in place that promotes the destruction of brown people...especially when so called white people only account for 8-10% of the world's population.

racism, in my view, is when people (white people) attribute the lack of modern success of these people to option #1, when historical evidence PROVES that most of the great civilizations (besides Greco-Roman and the post medieval rises of the white nations) were in fact nonwhite.

Does this make any sense?

Uh, no. It doesn't. You seem to be very adept at placing blame for the world's problems on white people. It sounds like you may even believe white people have meetings to see how they can keep everyone else down. There are probably others who think the same way. Some of them might even be white. Well I've got news for you. You're welcome to lead if you are capable. Our present fearless isn't very white and he's doing such a good job, he may actually finish his first term of office before he sparks a revolt.

It sounds like you believe that Africa's problems are whitey's fault too. Show me a country that has a white president or leader. Zimbabwe? Nah, they got rid of most of the white people there. They are doing so well. South Africa? Whitey left town for the most part. Is Cape Town still the carjacking capital of the world? Africa will be a great place when the black man decides that corruption has to end, and puts his nation before his own individual interest. Until then. It will continue to decline, and those that have the means will move elsewhere.

BensOil -

Tek and Judy are not representative of all blacks (thank God). Most blacks, today, are not STILL blaming whites for their failures.

By all means, agree with all they say or YOU ARE A RACIST.

bensoil,

you just completely evaded my logical comment, and said it didn't make any sense and gave no explanation why it didn't make sense.

Worldwide, nonwhite people have only been liberated 20-60 years ago. South Africa has been an autonomous nation for 20 years. Black Americans have been free for 50 years. The South American, Asian, and African nations have existed for 60 years. So if they weren't in charge of their own destiny for all that time, who was?? Of course Europeans are to blame for the messes they created with all of these people...Europeans enslaved/colonized/dominated them...or do we want to deny that as well??
Let me dumb it down...

Everywhere in the world, dark people are at the bottom..white people are at the top. this happens on a global, local, and national level.

This leads you to one of 2 logical conclusions.

1) Darker people are defective inherently
2) Darker people are mistreated by people who call themselves white.

I don't see ANY other logical conclusions than that. And since white people control the world and its wealth (even in places they are not indigenous to), we can come to one of 2 conclusions.

1) white people are genetically superior to darker peoples
2) White people have exploited the labor, resources, time, and money of darker people to create a tremendous advantage over nonwhite people.

Personally, i don't think race exists. I think it is folly made up by people to practice racism. But sense the world is arranged in such a manner, I would say that people who classify themselves as white have a much easier time at things.

so here are the facts...

1) White people control the world (don't give me that obama crap, he can't even take a piss without the white media being on his jock)
2) Nonwhite people make up the poorest people of the world, and all of the so called 3rd world countries. There is not one third world country inhabited by white people.
3) White people are a small population of the world (less than 10%) and control i would guess 90% of the worlds wealth.

Try explaining it before calling me crazy. And if there are any other logical conclusions, pleeeeaaassse let me know.

Oh, and btw, you don't know what the white elite does...I don't think they have backdoor meetings, but they have media outlets and propaganda machines to perpetuate racism/white supremacy as much as they like.

Betsy Ross,

for my failures...

BSES, Computer Engineering...attending grad school next fall...2 jobs. where is your college degree?? or does your black man bring home all the dough?? Especially because it has been proven that white women pretty much exclusively will only marry black men if going UP in social or economic class.

like i said, educated nonwhites tend to be MUCH more informed about racism than nonwhites that aren't educated. We have had to go through hell to get things that we're not supposed to get or achieve. And for your husband, or any other nonwhite person to deny the existence of racism is either lying to themselves, or lying to you to prevent conflict.

Thats just the way it is...

You're not convincing me that racism does not exist. Get over it...you want to live in your fantasy world...fine. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem to me.

I didn't say racism doesn't exist. You are proof it does. Racist.

ROFL. oh wow...i'm a racist. what have i said that is racist?? Please delight me..oh and you didn't answer my questions..which leads me to suspect my suppositions are true. I think racist is a sociological concept. How can i be a racist? Please, "enlighten" me...

I love when people who i suspect are racist call me "racist".

Tek, you say that either;

1) white people are genetically superior to darker peoples or
2) White people have exploited the labor, resources, time, and money of darker people to create a tremendous advantage over nonwhite people.

You may believe that #2 is the answer, but let's look at Africa. For the most part, most countries in Africa that were colonized, there was an upper class of the indigenous population that has traditionally sold out the rest of their brethren to foreigners in exchange for power. They got to be in charge, in exchange for exploiting the land's natural resources. Europeans might have been guilty of half of this equation, but without the participation of the african elite, it would not have worked.

Europeans have done this in other places like Central and South America. However, it didn't work for nearly as long. Europeans mixed with the local populations, and turned on the colonial powers and kicked them out. Now those nations are using their own natural resources.

Fast forward to today and back to Africa. China is stepping in to get its hands on vast resources. They are not white. They are LOADED. They will compete with the west for resources, and they will do it the same way the Europeans did. They will buy the local governments all the guns they need to secure what they want until it is mined and gone. The next step is waste disposal. Africa has and will continue to become a massive dumping ground for hazardous materials that no one wants to spend the money to dispose of properly. Look at the spill in Hungary. They've got the plan back open so they can make more of the mess, but they have no idea how to clean it up. Anyone care to bet that some of it ends up in Africa in 55 gallon drums? Ever see a movie called Sahara? Over to China; if they continue their growth, they will become the world's number one polluter if they have not already, and they've already realized they don't want it in their yard. The ocean's cheaper, but it’s too messy when it washes up on the beach. Where do you think they're going to put it? UH OH, THEY'RE NOT WHITE.

So what is my point? There will always be someone taking advantage of others. The Europeans may have taken advantage of the African nations, but the African elite has in turn taken advantage of their lower classes and if you don’t believe me, look at their Swiss bank accounts. There were blacks who were also enriched, they just didn't invest it as well. So I don’t think either 1 or 2 are correct. The Asians and the Indians will be the next in line to compete with the Europeans and the US in taking advantage of the Africans.

In my opinion, Africans have failed miserably in their ability to put their country before themselves as the founders of this nation did. Until they do this, they will continue to be divided, conquered, stripped of their natural resources and now polluted by others.

So whitey might be partially to blame, but Africans have to accept their responsibility also. If they do not break this cycle, the continent will become the dumping ground for the planet.

TekKnowledge....I understand what you are saying, but remember, this is America and the date is October 2010...

I personally believe that the black community has more power than they wish to admit...As a White Heterosexual Catholic Male...I'm vulnerable to stereotypes...If I say something to an individual, depending on their race/religion/gender/sexual orientation..even political affiliation, I'm automatically presumed to be predjudice at an entire community when in reality, I'm just speaking my mind to a single person....

IMO, when people focus on the obvious, it's them who have the problem, however way it may have manifested. It's very easy to do and is a distraction, IMO.

If you want to change the world, we need to get beyond these presumptions and continued retrospection...2011 is approaching us and personally, I want to know what we can do, collectively, to stop the BS that continues to permeate in this country..

ctdad,

there needs 2 be an open candid civil discussion on race and racism. Until nonwhites and whites reach agreement, the madness will continue...

Frankly, As I am about to post, i see little evidence that the people in power are going to stop practicing white supremacy.

So a honest discussion on what racism is and how it works is needed to fix the problem, IMO.

Lets start by not even looking at today. Lets say historically, from 1400 AD to circa 1990 AD, whites have consistently show that they lack the ability, or the conscience to treat non-white people justly. Do you agree with this assessment?

Lets continue. I would argue that in none of these cases are the non-whites even partially at fault. Historical evidence shows that europeans were experts at practicing deception. The one most notable example is when the Spaniards invaded Mexico. They posed as dieties before killing their king and capturing Tenoctialan. In China, the Englis smuggled heroin (opium) into the country to dope the leaders up to gain access to resources. However, their usual game was "hey dark people, i just want to trade with you". The indigenous often obliged, which led to their demise (and hey, if they didn't oblige...the Euros had no problem using force).

Once firmly established in their newfound "colony", Euros used several tactics to ensure dominance. By practicing deception, these nonwhites played right into European hands.

the Europeans #1 weapon was miscegenation. Their #2 weapon was indoctorination. Both of these weapons cause divided loyalties of indigenous peoples. These hand picked nonwhite Euros were the people who "betrayed" their people. You allow a few niglets a comfortable lifestyle when everyone else is heavily oppressed and all of a sudden this person doesn't want to associate with the oppressed.

So again, all i see is people making excuses for European aggression, like it wasn't the cause of nonwhite betrayal by nonwhite people. Please stop blaming Victims. I'm sure the Overthrow of Hawaii, or American or South African apartheid was somehow the nonwhites fault too??

Must I remind you that whites have an established track record of mistreating nonwhite people. This isn't about slavery, or segregation. This is about the global system of white domination. Let's take a look at how Europeans have affected the world.

1500s
- destruction of Taino people.
- destruction of the Aztek empire.
- Enslavement of Central American Natives.

1600s
- kidnappings of North American Natives, taken to England.
- Plymouth Rock Founded: Ungrateful pilgrims began slaughter of the native americans who helped them not starve to death during the winter.
- African slave trade gains steam.
- Magellan sails around the world. Messes with the wrong people in the south pacific and gets what he deserved.

1700s
- New World African trade at its peak.
- Genocide of N American natives gains steam.
- Miscegenation of Africans, Whites, and Indians in Central and South America. Racial hiearchies formed.
- American War for independence. Indians caught in crossfire.

1800s
- Slave trade outlawed -- Africans continue to be stolen despite international mandate.
- War of 1812 -- Indians still caught in crossfire.
- "Independence" of Haiti -- made to pay mass reparations for "loss of property". Payments for 140 years.
- Latin Americans overthrow European rule. America steps in to fill the void.
- Indian Removal Acts, Manifest Destiny.
- Mexican American War. First Imperial war on non-Indigenous sovereign nation.
- Africa colonized. Racial Heiarchy created.
- China colonized through use of narcotics.
- India colonized. Caste system exploited to create racial hiearchy.
- Australia and Oceania colonized. Black Australians exterminated.
- Birth of Scientific Racism and social Darwinism; Official Racial Hiearchy Created...

- Whites
- Asians
- Middle Easterners
- Americans
- Blacks

- More than 170 "subraces" discovered.
- Mistreatement of Irish and Italian Americans because they weren't "white" enough.
- Mistreatment of Blacks By Irish and Italian americans to prove their whiteness.
- Lynching of Chinese in America.
- Civil War in America; Slavery Abolished. "freedmen" left to fend for themselves.
- Lynching of black americans widespread.
- American Apartheid begins, along with voter disenfranchisement a DIRECT ASSAULT on the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. The Government does nothing.
- Russo-Japenese war. Nonwhite nation proves it can kick whites butts if they get angry enough.

1900s
- Racially based eugenics movement founded from scientific racism.
- Roosevelt Corollary: Spanish American war. PR, Cuba, Phillipines under US control.
- Hawaiian Kingdom overthrown. American colony set up.
- Pogroms of European semites common.
- Genocide by Germans of indigenous Namibians.
- Lynching of American Blacks at its peak.
- Mass Exodus of Black Americans to the north. Racially motivated aggression from European immigrants towards blacks. Anglo-Americans sit and enjoy the show.
- Organized massacres of Black Americans at its peak. Rosewood, fL Oklahoma City, OK
- Height of KKK Membership. 4 presidents. Wilson, Coolidge, Harding, Truman.
- Ethnic Cleansings in many American counties (Forsythe County, GA one such example)
- Woodrow wilson expands Jim Crow to the federal government.
- Planned Parenthood and the "Negro Project", a program to limit black population growth founded.
- Great Depression sets in. Affects blacks profoundly more than whites ( it was bad on everyone ). Social Security set up...looks to exclude sharecroppers in benefits, a largely black profession.
- The Holocaust, perhaps the most efficient genocide campaign ever devised.
- South African Aparthied firmly in place.
- WW II. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- WW II ends. The Jews become white and set up the police state of Israel.
- Korean War of imperialism.
- "Civil Rights Movement" where black people protested to be treated like human beings...and were greeted with mass violence and terrorism.
- castro overthrows American backed Cuban regime.
- COINTELPRO and other spy programs on the black american community rampant. FBI dismantled the majority of civil rights organizations.
- Martin Luther King assassinated. Race riots break out (initiated by infuriated nonwhite people).
- The Vietmenese war of imperialism. Heinous crimes (Rapes, torture, murder) imposed on nonwhite people.
- Dozens of new nations are formed as white people grant the darkies "independence". Neo-Colonialism begins.
- USA tries to sabotage Iranian removal of a corrupt Western-backed monarch. Iranian hostage crisis ensues. US and Iran cut off diplomatic relations.
- USA inteferes with other nations sovereignty, becomes most hated nation on earth.
- The Reagan Era -- massive scapegoating of black people for america's problems, the "war on drugs" i.e black people, crack introduced by CIA influence to American communities.
- Racial profiling and police beatings on the increase.
- Jeffery Dharmer cannibalizes nonwhite people.
- Genocide by Croatians on Bosniaks and Serbs (the Muslim ones).
- Increase in organized white supremacist activity ( the Waco, TX incident...Ok City Bombing)

2000s
- 9/11. Islamaphobia sets in.
- Unwarranted invasion of Iraq.
- Disparities in wealth and educational attainment increase between whites and nowhites.
- the Katrina fiasco. Racially motivated shootings in New Orleans region still remain unsolved.
- Significant increase in membership in white supremacist groups.
- Latin american Xenophobia sets in. Resolutions similar to the black codes passed in Arizona.
- Barack Obama elected. Several Assassination plots foiled. Plot to kill african americans foiled. Black Church firebombed in CT immediate after election results. Several plots to overthrow US Government foiled. "Tea Parties" formed to whine about "government spending". 400% increase in presidential death threats. Obama compared to a monkey several times. Called a "Muslim" and a "Foreigner". White America loses its mind. US Congressman called a n**** by tea-partiers. glen beck comapres america to planet of the apes.
- Girl in Seattle throws acid on face, blames it on black person. Whites overreact and lose their minds. Turns out to be a hoax.

This isn't the blame game. But it is absurdly naive to say that nonwhite people are insane not to be completely on board with Europeans, especially when the evidence shows that they have wholesale practiced racism in EVERY CENTURY for the last 500 years. The healing process needs to start...But racism is NOT going to die...i'm pretty sure that any reasonable person can attribute everything that is on this list to racism. Until we can all sit down and come up to a solution to this insidious problem, there will continue to be tension between white and nonwhite.

We can go back and forth all day. We're obviously not going to agree. I could once again pick apart every part of your letter, but I don't have the time. Throughout history, there have been atrocities. Everybody does it. Everybody. But you lump everyone together like they are all the same, and that isn't true. In fact, if we changed out the words white and black, you would be considered racist.

As I am reading this, the only part of your letter that is visible is the last part, and I've got to comment on what I can see. The woman in Seattle who poured acid on her face; you say that "whites overreacted and lost their minds". That's just BS. Where did that happen? No one overreacted. We all, black, white, hispanic, waited to see what really happened? Did a black man get lynched somewhere? Uh, no. It was a hoax, and so was Tarwana Brawley. It happens. It's stupid, but it does happen. They exposed the lie before it went too far, and the woman will have to live with it for the rest of her life, just like Tarwana Brawley.

And any reasonable person can see that 95% of the things you named are not motivated by racism. It's money and power. And 99.9999% of the white people living at the time of each atrocity had nothing to do with it. The decisions are made by people in power. That makes a black man responsible for any atrocity committed by the U.S. for the last two years, and the next two years. So by your own logic, blacks are responsible for missile strikes in Pakistan that kill innocent civilians.

My "I'm Better Educated then You" Troll Alarm is ringing like mad!

Lol, i know of no other group of people that have exterminated other people off of the face of the planet...Just facts. So yes, it would be racist, because most of the bull that whites say about nonwhites (especially blacks) is simply untrue. I hardly think that pointing out systematic exterminations of people by white people is being "racist". Again, I'm calling out racism/white supremacy, and being labeled a "racist" for doing so. Its laughable. I never said that whites were subhuman beast incapable of civilization like many of your white "scholars" have said. Nor do I act like I am owed something by the noble white men who saved the monkeys by civilizing them in America. THATS RACISM.

LOL, for Tawana Brawley, i can give you 30 incidents of where white people have blamed a negro for something that they didn't do. Most lead to deaths of innocent people.

And any reasonable person can see that 95% of the things you named are not motivated by racism. It's money and power. And 99.9999% of the white people living at the time of each atrocity had nothing to do with it. The decisions are made by people in power. That makes a black man responsible for any atrocity committed by the U.S. for the last two years, and the next two years. So by your own logic, blacks are responsible for missile strikes in Pakistan that kill innocent civilians.

What a crock of ish....if it was all about money why didn't whites mass enslave their Caucasoid neighbors??? And why did they write volumes of "scholarship" classifying different people groups, and explaining how these redskins and negroes were inferior to whites and deserved to be mistreated. And you call Obama's joke of a "presidency" black people in "power"?? 250% the unemployment of white people...lol that's really power. Obama's hands are so tied with the white supremacists, he can't even call out the tragedy that is going on in his own country.

When i see scholarship and journalism that is unbiased, much less directed AGAINST white folks is when i will cease to say that we are in a white supremacist system. Oh, and several established White Scholars agree with me...

Martin Kevorkian
Robert Jensen
Paul Kivel
Jane Eliot
Noel Ignatiev
Michael Bradley
Joe Feagin
Kenneth O'reilly

where are the established scholars that aren't racist pieces of garbage saying that there is a system of black supremacy, or even a system geared towards nonwhites??

Rush?? Glen Beck?? Bill O'Reily??

a pill addict, a delusional idiot who used to pal around with Hal Turner (or was that Hannity), or a pompous blowhard??

David Duke (he's brilliant IMO) is actually the best thing you got...and you already know his agenda...

You also said regular white people don't have anything to do with it. They benefit from wholesale domination of nonwhite people. Complicity is enough, its like you seeing a woman get raped and taken to the rapists house to get killed and you picking up the $100 bill that fell out of her pocket. LOL, if i'm not mistaken, regular white people joined the KKK and the racists that didn't would picnic when attending lynchings.

turn a blind eye if you want...i'm calling the ish. But again, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

Tek, the only one you are a victim of is yourself.

BOOHOOOOOHOOOO (your favorite sing)

Betsy - LOL

Tek,

Well let’s see. The Israelis got rid of the Philistines way back when. Seen any Philistines lately? The Hutus got rid of a bunch of the Tutsis not too long ago. The Romans removed the Spartans from the map long ago. The North Vietnamese with after the Hmong people after the Vietnam War. The rest moved to Detroit. The Chinese are in the process of eradicating the Tibetans. These are just a few, and guess what, they're not white. So you don’t know much, do you? I’m sure you will explain to us all how each of these things was whitey’s fault, however.

I never said that whites were subhuman beast incapable of civilization like many of your white "scholars" have said. Nor do I act like I am owed something by the noble white men who saved the monkeys by civilizing them in America

Where do you get this stuff?

LOL, for Tawana Brawley, i can give you 30 incidents of where white people have blamed a negro for something that they didn't do. Most lead to deaths of innocent people.

Boo Hoo. So all white people are to be blamed for everything a white person ever did in history? Whites did this and blacks did that. Is it whitey's fault that so many black men are in prison, or is it because they were caught? I'm sure they're all innocent.

What a crock of ish....if it was all about money why didn't whites mass enslave their Caucasoid neighbors??? And why did they write volumes of "scholarship" classifying different people groups, and explaining how these redskins and negroes were inferior to whites and deserved to be mistreated. And you call Obama's joke of a "presidency" black people in "power"?? 250% the unemployment of white people...lol that's really power. Obama's hands are so tied with the white supremacists, he can't even call out the tragedy that is going on in his own country.

Ever heard of indentured servants? I have no idea about the classifying thing. I didn’t read it, but I’m sure according to you I’m responsible for it. After all, I’m partially white. 250% unemployment? Is that possible? Are you saying that Obama is somehow mentally inferior to his advisors because they are white? Isn’t that racist?

I notice you like to call people names. That's too bad.

David Duke is surprisingly very intelligent. That was unexpected.

You also said regular white people don't have anything to do with it. They benefit from wholesale domination of nonwhite people. Complicity is enough, its like you seeing a woman get raped and taken to the rapists house to get killed and you picking up the $100 bill that fell out of her pocket. LOL, if i'm not mistaken, regular white people joined the KKK and the racists that didn't would picnic when attending lynchings.

Unlike you, if I saw a woman (of any color) being raped by anyone (of any color) I’d stop it. I might have to use deadly force, but I’d put a very quick end to the situation. I think most of my friends, black or white, would also.

I’ve got a newsflash for you. I wasn’t sure, but Betsy Ross is right, you are a racist. It’s people like you that keep this crap alive.

Guys, this isn't sex. Longer isn't always better.

Sorry bout that. I figured by now only two of us were left.

I've been studying racism white supremacy for quite a while. Its a shame you don't know much about your own history to know the extensive ways in which it was and currently still is practiced. David Duke, Kevin MacDonald, quite a few anthropologists, William Shockley...this is all modern "scholarship" on the genetic inferiority of blacks.

I didn't say that "whitey" was to blame for black people during incorrect things. I said that white supremacy is the reason black people are disproportionally targeted to be caught doing incorrect things.

Indentured servents isn't MASS enslavement, and their families werent split apart, NOR were they raped and brutalized. Invalid argument.
17% black unemployment to 8% white unemployment...sounds suspect to me...And i didn't say Obama was inferior, i said Obama cannot speak out against obvious white supremacy because he doesn't want to hear white people call him "racist". I mean Glen Beck already called Obama a "racist". This girl i used to date had some crazy suggestion that Obama was a Arab who wanted to exterminate white people. And i'm crazy?? Needless to say, i stopped dating her. I mean the majority of whites call Al Sharpton and Jeriamiah Wright "racist", two of the most just people that still are living today.

The rape thing was just an example on what ignoring white supremacy is...i don't think you got that. And why would you assume that i wouldn't stop someone from getting raped?? Heck, i brought it up.

How am i a racist for pointing out the obvious?? Where did i say that I mistreat white people, believe that I am better than white people, or advocate the mistreatment of whites??

I don't. I want everyone to be treated justly.

But its nuts to assume that after 500 years of white racism, that its just going to end.

This is what I want you to answer:

If my view is white people are disinterested in discontinuing the practice of racism, why do you care?? If it is going to produce a black community that stops killing each other, having illegitimate babies, getting incarcerated at record levels, and becomes educated and well off, then why do you care if we blame "whitey"?? If your precious tax dollars you cry about stop going to anything "black" (as if whites are the only ones that pay taxes and nonwhites are exclusively on welfare), then what is the problem with my philosophy?? If you don't think we're in a system of white racism fine, but if this produces constructive results among nonwhite people, you should not care, as long as nobody is being mistreated.
It is exactly this reason why i think that the vast majority of whites are disinterested in seeing the quality of life of nonwhites improved. This is what I would like you to respond to.

Oh, and that isn't an indictment on All White people.
my white friends know my views on racism, and some at least to a degree agree with me. And they're not all liberal socialist wackos either.
I've never had a nonwhite or a white person that I have completely agreed with about racism. I will say though, i don't believe i have accused you of being a racist (although I have accused Betsy Ross), so although you disagree with me...that is a rather harsh accusation to make when i've said nothing that suggests that I even dislike white people.

I don't even think "race" exists. How can i be a "racist"??

Why aren't you getting ready for school, you're gonna miss the bus.

This was the only forum (the sports areana) that many blacks really had to speak to masses about the oppression they bore. It is easy for someone who never experienced that racism to not want to hear about it.

I think he already missed the bus.......

Why, because Smith is a racist?

As the Rev Marty Luther king used to say...."Let me dumb this down so that all the people can understand what be said"

A black man doing this is called an "Activist", a doer of good deeds, a "Civil Leader", and even a "Hero". When the tables are turned and it is a white devil doing these things, He is labled a "Racist" a "Segregationist" and a "Supremacist"

WHY IS THAT?

Why do you thinkn YELDARB27???? Do you people calling Smith racist think this happened in a vacuum??? Maybe he and others did it because they were ACTUALLY trying to bring attention to segregation and civil rights issues in the states. WHITE PEOPLE ALREADY ENJOYED THESE PRIVILEDGES!!! How hard is that to grasp? A white person, as part a priviledged member of society, would rightly be labelled a racist if they went around celebrating their superior position in society. It's an annoying strawman argument when people try to compare minority groups pushing for equal rights and treatment to white supremacist groups. It's ridiculous.

perfect response

Not even close IvanHO. There is no difference between a white person celebrating their heritage/standing/history and a black man doing his. There is no difference between a white man pointing out his advantages/privileges than a black man doing his. There is no difference between a white man wanting to promote his race than black man doing his.

If you choose to live in the past that is where your mind and spirit are doomed to remain. Good luck to where ever in time you are and say "hi" to President Lincoln for me.

PS he was/is a REPUBLICAN.

What do you suppose would happen if a white athlete stood on the Olympic podium and raised his fist in WHITE POWER?

Lot's of soiled undies in the black community and ACLU.

"The Thinker" Lighten-up maybe he can can find a black glove for you.

These days some folks cheat and commit serious acts..not just gestures and

the masses forget and they have big careers still.. He paid a big price..

He said it has been destructive to his life in so many ways. So even he feels that the gesture was not right, for that their is "Atonement". He has not reached that point yet, or does not really want to go there.

Cheif ... or perhaps he was simply castigated for expressing his anguish over oppression against himself and others of his race.

Everyone should learn, even today, you can't blame everything that goes wrong in your life on someone or something else. The united States (should) owes you NOTHING except a chance to work, succeed, and improve your life and your family's life without govt interference. That was a founding principle of the country.

Well, darrell, that was the whole point of his protest. Despite its founding principles, in 1968 America was not providing an equal chance for people of color.

I know of at least one "lost puppy" in the Wyoming area!

Wyoming Catt Dictionary

Cat; Orange juice.

Dog; Orange juice substitute.

Thing; Glass of water.

darrell,

So the U.S. owes everybody a chance to work, succeed, and improve your life, right? THAT'S why Tommie Smith did what he did!
And somebody said, "If a white guy got up on the podium and screamed white power....."
He did not scream anything, he bowed his head and raised his fist.

Somebody else said, the olympics is no place for politics. I don't think it was politics, it was basic human rights, and there is NO WRONG PLACE to speak out about that. Stop acting like Tommie Smith had a big platform at home to speak out from.

Need I remind everyone how the sixties were? Do you need photos of the four little girls charred remains after the church bombing in Alabama? And countless other atrocities? If that was you, and yours, Tommie Smith would be a hero.
Sounds to me like a lot of you feel like the black man should just run the race, shut up and act like a good negro; never mind the fact that when he gets back home, any manner of misfortunes might happen to him because of his color. But don't be airin' America's dirty laundry in public!

THAT'S what the bowed head meant. The fist in the air meant to stand strong.

My dad is the same age as Tommie Smith. While Tommie was competing in the games, my dad and his buddies were tying themselves to trees to sleep, because in the valleys of Vietnam, during monsoon season, the water can get waist high. You pick the leeches off your balls when you get to high ground. He still has the flier he found in the jungle, that said, "Negro go home...this is not your fight." That was one thing the VC were right about. But he fought anyway, thinking he would gain respect. And when he came home he couldn't get a job shining shoes. And after all that, in my family, if you don't serve in the military, your name is mud. After all that. So why don't think about that, and quit thinking you know everything about everyone. How's that for government dependence?

Let's put it this way Sid, the more you try to distance yourself from the rest, the further away you're gonna get.

In Tommy's era, it was a call to equality.

These days, it would be yet another call for SEPERATION.

So we can look back on that gesture and realize, today, it wasn't such a good idea.

I hope the guy gets a nice chunk-o'-money for his medal, if that's all it's worth to him.

And if I were a black man during those days, I have a feeling I may have done the same thing.

I'm proud of ANY American -medalist. But I don't envy his position, NOW.

Centuries from now - assuming there is still a USofA - this man and that photograph will be seen and reflected upon. Tommy Smith was a man and a warrior. If he were a Viking, he'd have a place in Valhalla - if he were from Sparta, he'd be alongside Achilles and Odysseus. . .

That was NOT what he was doing, Sid, and that was my point. he was blaming things on other people. It should be up to the individual to work hard to improve his life WITHOUT the govt mandating affirmative action and filing lawsuits everytime a minority is not hired or is fired for poor performance.

True story. I was born in 50's and grew up on farm. in 60's we were farming cotton and it was still picked by hand. I remember my grandfather going into town with his old truck and bringing home some 6-8 blacks to help pick cotton. It looked like a scene from the Sally Field/Danny glover movie, Places in the Heart.

Everyone was paid by the number of pounds of cotton picked. The harder you worked, the more you got paid. (what a unique concept, huh?). some of the workers made pretty good money for those days, while others just went through the motions. I remember one of the workers one day complaining because he didn't get paid as much as the others (simply because he didn't pick as much cotton). Another worker, who was kind of the leader told my grandfather he would make sure he got a better worker the next day.

I doubt you would find many, if any blacks OR whites to pick cotton by hand these days. fast forward to a few years ago to prove my point. I was clearing out some brush along a fenceline of that same land that cotton used to grow on. I headed to town during week to go by spot where day laborers hung out looking for work (I have no idea if they are in U.S. legally or illegally). But, anyway, while driving there, I saw two 20 something blacks on corner and since it was about 9 in morning of weekday, I thought they might be wanting some work. I stopped and asked, and they actually LAUGHED at me for even thinking they'd want to go out and cut brush for me. I then proceeded to get a couple of the day laborers to help me and they worked hard the entire day. BTW, I didn't even waste my time trying to find some whites to help me with the brush clearing.

Seems like almost everyone in the country feels they are entitled to something. My point is simply, you aren't entitled to anything. You still (should) have to work for it.

My brother, 52, who six months ago was making $30 an hour doing CAD for a large surveying firm, is now wheelborrowing mulch for $8 an hour, and is just glad to be working.

Granted, it's just something to hold him over til he can find something else, but show me a young'n, black or white, who's willing to do that these days.

In most instances, especially these days, "prosperity" (another relative term) has to do with individual integrity and ethics, not the color of your skin.

If "it" is the medal and shoes, he could donate them to the school

Politics aside, the school would appreciate that donation, especially since San Jose State ended up doing away with its track and field program shortly after that b/c of all of the uproar. (SJSU Journalism - Class of '86)

A man raises his fist and bows his head in silent protest and HE'S BLAMING THINGS ON OTHER PEOPLE??!!

IT WAS 1968!

The bombings, the lynchings, the false imprisonments, the economic inequality? IT WAS SOMEBODY ELSE'S FAULT!

DARRELL, I told you before. If you can't stand people different than you, if you can't see the plight of others, if you have no empathy.......I RESPECT THAT. A lot of people of died so you could feel however you want to feel, but don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.

As for me, I'm glad I was born in the SEVENTIES!

Is the Black Power movement a response to racism, or is it racism? Black nationalism, black separatism, and black supremacy are not about embracing diversity.

Sid there were 2 movements in the 60's...The Rev Martin L King Jr and the Black Panthers...The two had the same color of skin in them however one was for violence and black dominence and the other was for equality for all. So when you show support for the one who supoorts violence then you should be asked to leave any event.In today's society there are no seats for the whites and seats for the blacks. There are black only radio, TV, orginizations(NAACP-Mrs Black America,Black only Colleges)the list goes on and on.Lets get equal by getting rid of all that stuff?There are more black millionaires in this country alone than the rest of the world combined so lets get rid of the "You dont know what its like being black man in America"Please.

@FeelnGood - please name one "Black only College." I've heard of colleges where the makeup was a majority of African heritage students, but never one that was restricted to just them. Howard University here in DC is one of the oldest "traditionally black campuses" but the only thing that will keep you from attending is not having a high enough grade point average to qualify; they also have one of the best Emergency Medicine departments in the area (which I can give personal testament to).

I think you missed the point of Feeln's post, Lmlml.

Surely you see the deliberate division by the blacks, latinos and every other minority from the whites.

How are we ever supposed to achieve "equality", if minorities constantly try to distance themselves from "whitey"?

I get the impression that the only way SOME minorities will be happy is if they have their own white slave.

And that ain't NEVER gonna happen!

I didn't "miss the point."

Okay.

Sure seemed that way.

Oh, I see. "We" = "white people"? "You" = "black people"? "Our country" = "white America"? Wake up! Please wake up!

We must not forget the state of race relations at that time. Not all were guilty of the atrocities of the 60's but many were and it was just a form of expression.

Jay-ell............. You are the one who reads racism in the post. Why are you so ashamed of your heritage?

Things haven't changed as much as we might think judging from some of the comments from above. Strange it's ok for the affluent Tea Tea Partiers to protest their grievances but the oppressed blacks of the sixties are still judged for calling out the inequities of that time. As Condoleezza Rice recently said that race is still a factor in all of our lives.

I don't see what the problem is. It's HIS medal, given to HIM, and he can do anything he wants with it. Furthermore, he is a free citizen and it is his right to state his feelings about how he feels. How come people are censuring him? I simply don't get it.

@Vulcan One-Condi is right! Race is still a factor in all our lives. Because many, not all, black leaders only want equality if they get something out of it. Jackson, Sharpton and the entire NAACP are the most racist people around. It's ok for them to have the NAACP but let somebody start the NAAWP and there would be h##l to pay. It's ok to have B.E.T. but let there be a W.E.T. and there be such an uproar you'd never hear the end of. It's ok for black comedians to poke fun at white people, but if a white comedian does it it's racism. We have a Black History Month, Hispanic History Month when is there a White History Month? When do you see white people on tv in a psa extolling the exploits of this first white_____, to ever be/do _____! Of course not that would be racist, but every race other than white people can do it and that's ok. Where is the equality in any of that?

Another no-longer free citizen

Are you on crack??! Disloyalty to his country? Disloyal to the country that he trained for years to win a gold medal for? Or disloyal to the country that is/was disloyal to him? He could have sabotaged the whole thing for the US, but he was loyal enough to the country that would not let him use a bathroom, eat at a counter, enter in the front door, sit at the front of a bus, hold a decent job, vote, live where he wanted or would hang him in a tree on display if he tried to do any of those. It would have been a step up for him to be considered a second class citizen.

He was making a silent statement of his own oppression in the country he lived in yet supported. He did not make a speech of how horrible the US was at that time to him. That right was reserved for whites only.

Another: "...Jane Fonda and her youthful escapades in North Vietnam. We never forget when you disrespect our country."

JayEll: "Oh, I see. "We" = "white people"? "You" = "black people"? "Our country" = "white America"? Wake up! Please wake up!"

Last time I checked JayEll, Jane Fonda is white. So your statement is illogical. As is your blatant racism, as bloomer pointed out.

Hay JayEll your statement is making look like a really big FOOL. Also I think your a Dumass. So saying that have a nice day. Dumass!

Alex you're the fool. Why can't you dumbass people learn the difference between YOU ARE = you're and YOUR. contractions are hard...

from Rick " Are you on crack??! Disloyalty to his country? Disloyal to the country that he trained for years to win a gold medal for? Or disloyal to the country that is/was disloyal to him? He could have sabotaged the whole thing for the US, but he was loyal enough to the country that would not let him use a bathroom, eat at a counter, enter in the front door, sit at the front of a bus, hold a decent job, vote, live where he wanted or would hang him in a tree on display if he tried to do any of those. It would have been a step up for him to be considered a second class citizen.

He was making a silent statement of his own oppression in the country he lived in yet supported. He did not make a speech of how horrible the US was at that time to him. That right was reserved for whites only."

A TOTALLY ridiculous comment, Rick. Smith had been a college STUDENT. he wasn't looking for a job at the time. He went to San Jose State on a track SCHOLARSHIP, so his education was paid for. His housing and meals were taken care of. If that's a definition of oppression, I wish I had been oppressed when I was that age.

It's ok for them to have the NAACP but let somebody start the NAAWP and there would be h##l to pay.

@bobthe builder

You are aware that there are WHITE members of the NAACP? As long as a person is a true champion of EQUALITY regardless of race, creed, or gender, anyone can join. Now, the question is how likely would the reverse be for a NAAWP?

It's ok for black comedians to poke fun at white people, but if a white comedian does it it's racism.

Ever heard of Sara Silverman? Not my favorite comedienne, but more because of what she said about Asians than Blacks.

We have a Black History Month, Hispanic History Month when is there a White History Month? When do you see white people on tv in a psa extolling the exploits of this first white_____, to ever be/do _____! Of course not that would be racist, but every race other than white people can do it and that's ok. Where is the equality in any of that?

Well, I don't think there is no White History Month because minorities would be offended, because it wouldn't bother me, but it's more that there really is no need for it. If you sit in high school History classes, every month is WHITE History month, of course with the exception of the ONE WEEK spent on 300+ years of slavery and then the LAST WEEK of February each year to cover the whole scope of the Civil Rights Movement... you're lucky if you get much more than a lesson on Harriet Tubman or Martin Luther King, Jr. The other reason why there is no White History Month is because most Whites would see no value in it either. Unlike Blacks in this country, most White Americans actually know their lineage, and thus celebrate that heritage, whether it be Italian, Polish, Irish, Greek, German, etc. Nothing wrong with that if you ask me.

But hey, if you feel that your whiteness needs to be celebrated just as much as your actual European heritage, go ahead and knock yourself out. Unfortunately for Black Americans, we have no way of knowing whether our cultural lines trace back to Nigeria or Ghana, Sierra Leone or Congo, and therefore, the only cultural tie we have is being Black, so we celebrate that.

bobthebuilder,

check out Ray Lipowski, White comedian from Chicago. Lights up everybody, including Blacks, usually in FRONT OF BLACKS, right in our faces! And it's hilarious!! Plenty of comedians, white ones, don't give a damn about offending anybody, so stop your crying.

Maybe you should take a cue from Ray, bobthebuilder, and grow a pair. As soon as you hear a white guy saying, "oh, if a white person said this, or, or, if a white person did that..." SPARE ME. What that means is, "i want to say racist stuff all the time, but if I do, people will jump all over me!"
That's the problem, you're scared. Say what you gotta say, and if somebody doesn't like it, then deal with it. Or stop crying.

One of my best buddies happens to be a white guy. And neither of us are stupid, so if he has a question about black people he just asks. For instance, he asked me once, "why do young black dudes wear their pants so low like that?" And I told him, "BECAUSE THEY'RE STUPID!"

Who is this dumass guy? I thought he was a famous painter.

@Vulcan_One:

"Things haven't changed as much as we might think judging from some of the comments from above. Strange it's ok for the affluent Tea Tea Partiers to protest their grievances but the oppressed blacks of the sixties are still judged for calling out the inequities of that time."

Just look at the moron's username, "Another no-longer free citizen." Laughable.

YELDBARZ27 - It's Alexander Dumas, the french writer, who definitely would have been on the side of Tommy Smith.

Darrell -

So because Tommy Smith went to college segregation and racism didn't apply to him?? Just because he was equal in one instance (being able to receive scholarships) he was equal in all?

That's called inductive reasoning (arguing from a particular to a generality) and yours is a particularly weak form of inductive reasoning in this instance. You are making the particularly obnoxious and offensive argument that because he was able to have a scholarship he suffered no discrimination, nor could he protest discrimination against other black people. That argument = FAIL.

I'm not afraid to say anything. Like you, I have many friends of other races, creeds and faiths. I have listened to many of the comedians listed above, and by some, not all, they are classified as racists or biggots.

As for you following your heritage, I have not a problem with that. I don't know what school you went to ar what they taught there, but we talked about Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, George Washington Carver, Ida Wells and many others, and we didn't need a specific month to do it. But, hey if you feel the only way you can celebrate your blackness is to have a specific month for it, go ahead and knock yourself out.

Bob the builder -

WET--->Faux News

NAAWP ----> KKK, Tea Party, US Chamber of Commerce....etc.

Not to Bob:

Believing that racism ended with the 1964 Civil rights act is simply willful ignorance. True there is still racism today on both sides of the line, but the simple fact we have to have the "First Black President" and not just "The President" is evidence racism exists. Unfortunately it will probably require the next few generations to die off before this country will be able to free itself from racism.

True- you make a very good point and I think somebody else made a very similar point earlier. If you truly want racism to end, the first step is to stop identifying everything by race. When, minorities have to hear "white this" and "white that", they get aggravated. When white people have to hear"the black this", "the first hispanic that" it gets old. BTW, I know many minorities who feel the same way.

Stop labeling people as _____-Americans, can't we all just be "Americans"? It doesn't mean you don't care where you're family originated, it means you DO care where you are.

Should we study and learn from influential blacks through history---yes!

Should we study and learn from influential hispanics through history---yes!

Should we study and learn from influential whites through history---yes!

As for you following your heritage, I have not a problem with that. I don't know what school you went to ar what they taught there, but we talked about Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, George Washington Carver, Ida Wells and many others, and we didn't need a specific month to do it. But, hey if you feel the only way you can celebrate your blackness is to have a specific month for it, go ahead and knock yourself out.

Quite an exhaustive list of historical Black figures... NOT. And I don't celebrate my blackness for a specific month, I celebrate my blackness all year, thank you very much.

Yes, IvanHO...The Count of Monte Cristo also referenced in the Shawshank Redemption. Just didn't find it as funny.

Don't take everything people write in here as something personal as these people have no idea/clue about what you really stand for nor do they really know anyone on here.

I normally don't spout name calling but you are a loser. He is a racist for doing that. If a white person stood on a podium shouting white power everyone including myself would be appauled.

I am glad he must sell for money. What goes around comes around. For basically trashing America, the Flag, our anthem and what it represents.

du-You choose your actions and suffer the consequences-Seems that you are the racistsince you are playing the race card here- These guys were idiots for and should have use what brains God gave them and realized that winning the medals were good things and could lead to a life of many benefits. they screwed themselves- can't feel sorry for them.

As for his medal- Everyone is selling their gold these days- The article leaves out much so no one can comment on why he has no money and is selling his stuff

and by the way- Bush is no longer president if you haven't heard, Obama is. It is his leadership (or lack there off) that has brought the economy to the place in now stands at. Obama is to blame for the condition we are in. No one else.

I disagree, Jeremy. People forget that in the 1960s, there were still segregated public facilities in the United States. Separate drinking fountains, separate restrooms, restaurants that black people couldn't eat in. And I'm not talking the deep South, this was Washington D.C. Also, 1968 was the year that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. At that time in this country (and yes, I was around then) you got called "un-American" or had worse things done to you if you opposed war and racism. I am not black, but I think theirs was a courageous gesture, and they paid deeply for it.

It's Bush's fault he has to sell his medal? Now I have heard everything.

George Bush, he has nothing to do with this, I am very tired of this lame excuse.

This man won this gold medal in 1968,that was 42 years ago. If he is selling this because he needs the money then what has he done with the last 42 years to get to this point has nothing to do with politics or George Bush. It has more to do with this individuals fiscal indiscretions. There has always been ample opportunities to succed and prosper in this country whether your black or white. If he is selling this to preserve history then fine, 1968, was an extremely volitile time in our recent history and this man actions at the Olympics is understandable although even by his own admission somewhat regretable.

Wow...there are some really angry racist white folk on this post. JayEll's right, and so is dud. If whites were being treated like blacks were in the 60s, as minorities, they would also feel the need to point out to the world those injustices. That picture from the olympics has helped unify and strengthen the black community. Don't forget, this country was founded on the ideals of standing up for what's right and throwing off our oppressors. As an athlete on a huge international stage, Tommie made a gesture that properly embarassed the whites in this country. Good for him. (p.s. this may come as a shock to some of you, but I'm about as white as they come.)

Dudogger.....allow me to hit you with a little thing we like to call facts:

The day the democrats took over was not January 22nd 2009 it was
actually January 3rd 2007 the day the Democrats took over the House of
Representatives and the Senate, the start of the 110th Congress. The
Democrat Party controlled a majority in both chambers for the first time
since the end of the 103rd Congress in 1995. For those who are
listening to the liberals propagate the fallacy that everything is "Bush's Fault", think about this:

January 3rd, 2007 was the day the Democrats took over the Senate and the
Congress:

At the time:

1. The DOW Jones closed at 12,621.77

2. The GDP for the previous quarter was 3.5%

3. The Unemployment rate was 4.6%

4. George Bush's Economic policies SET A RECORD of 52 STRAIGHT MONTHS of JOB CREATION!

Remember the day...

1. January 3rd, 2007 was the day that Barney Frank took over the House
Financial Services Committee and Chris Dodd took over the Senate Banking
Committee.

2. The economic meltdown that happened 15 months later was in what part of the economy? BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES!

3. Thank Congress for taking us from 13,000 DOW, 3.5 GDP and 4.6%
Unemployment to this CRISIS by dumping 5-6 TRILLION Dollars of
toxic loans on the economy from YOUR Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fiasco's!
(BTW: Bush asked Congress 17 TIMES to stop Fannie & Freddie -
starting in 2001, because it was financially risky for the U.S. economy,
but no one was listening).

And who took the THIRD highest pay-off from Fannie Mae AND Freddie Mac?
OBAMA.

And who fought against reform of Fannie and Freddie??? OBAMA and the
Democrat Congress.

So when someone tries to blame Bush...

REMEMBER JANUARY 3rd, 2007.... THE DAY THE DEMOCRATS TOOK OVER!" Bush
may have been in the car, but the Democrats were in charge of the gas
pedal and steering wheel they were driving. Set the record straight on
Bush!

Man you watch a lot of FOX News huh!

no shock to me brian...no shock at all

Thank you for the above comment. I was around then myself, although be it fairly young. It was a horrible, ugly time then. And as I can see it still is. How easy it must be for a lot of you who cannot even sprint to your own mailbox's. Let alone break a world record and come back to a country that won't even let you drink from the same water fountain. To a country where you have to ride in the back of the bus and your children get bombed to death for being black and going to church. Do any of you remember the three murdered activist's? Or did you just think that was a movie?I wish I could say that I am shocked at the stupidity and racism on this page...but I am not. I'm very proud to be an American...but I am not proud of a lot of American's...To call this man a loser...at that period of time. Take a damned good look in the mirror. You will see the definition of a loser.

Also. 1968 was a long way from 1960. Segregation was a thing of the past, Martin Luther King had been assassinated that year, and racial riots were still occurring in places like New Jersey and Illinois where segregation was more apparent. In the South, schools had been integrated, restaurants and public bathrooms were no longer separate, and anybody could ride anywhere on the buses. Admittedly this all came about a bit reluctantly but the deed had been done.

The protest at the time, or so many of us felt at the time, was not as much about integration but the inordinate number of blacks serving on the ground in Viet Nam compared to whites. Many, both black and white, thought it unfair as do many today.

So thats the extent of your rebuttal. No Facts? At least Rob1171393 points out facts. why do the leftwing nut jobs never point out FACTS!!!!!!

tlawst, truth hurts, doesn't it. But rob is confusing liberals with something they have trouble with; facts.

Jeremy! Were you or your people ever used as slaves for a hundred years. Were you or your people ever forced to sit at the back of the bus or be relegated to the whites only section of public places like restaraunts or movie theaters? Were you or your people ever forced to go to Whites only schools. Were you or your people ever denied the right to vote because you were white. Now the Blacks in America have been oppressed severely by priviledged WHITE MEN, since they were kidnapped from the homeland and forcibbly brought to your priveledged white country. But you cannot say the same about blacks on whites now can you! So when you try and equate what would happen to priviledged white men yelling white power and blacks who were doing the same thing during a period of segregation and black exclusionism your are showing serious racist views.

You need to crawl back in your sorry hole. Ever hear of the KU KLUX KLAN. A bunch of priviledged white guys yelling white power all over the US. I bet they feel just like the blacks they threaten, harrass and sometimes used to kill.

I don't usually stoop to name calling either but you are an IDIOT RACIST!

Even though I don't know why this became a right vs. left issue...here's the facts:

The repeal of the Glass-Stengel act by the GOP in the late 90s is what lead to the artificially inflated economy that Bush lovers quote all the time as an example of all the good that jack monkey did to our country, along with his jack monkey friends in Congress. The GOP repealed the act that was enacted after the Great Depression in order to keep investment banks from being able to destroy our country if they fail...and look what happened...history repeated itself.

...and the Obama economy is SO much better, right? Want to talk "failed economy", try looking at a deficit our kid's kids will NEVER pay off. And I'm guessing you'll really like that new tax within ObamaCare that'll be charged to you if you sell your HOUSE after 2012.

Typical, ignorant Democrat. YOUR president is the one sucking this economy, and country, dry. Remember November's right around the corner. Time to take out the trash.

Excellent post Rob, and it's worth repeating.

The day the democrats took over was not January 22nd 2009 it was
actually January 3rd 2007 the day the Democrats took over the House of
Representatives and the Senate, the start of the 110th Congress. The
Democrat Party controlled a majority in both chambers for the first time
since the end of the 103rd Congress in 1995. For those who are
listening to the liberals propagate the fallacy that everything is "Bush's Fault", think about this:

REMEMBER JANUARY 3rd, 2007.... THE DAY THE DEMOCRATS TOOK OVER!" Bush
may have been in the car, but the Democrats were in charge of the gas
pedal and steering wheel they were driving. Set the record straight on
Bush!

Chilly, my people were Irish in New York! And, as a matter of historical fact, were used as slaves and denied the rights of the elite. Many of them had to fight or buy their way free from their servitude, just like the African slaves. I am not these people, they are long dead. Question is: How old are you that you personally have suffered the degradations you claim?

Ever heard of the Black Panthers? A bunch of priviledged black guys yelling black power all over the US. I bet they feel just like the whites they threaten, harrass and sometimes used to kill. (An exact quote of your's, except I substituted a little bit. Call it paraphrased.)

Hey dudogger get off the Bush thing you sound like a little cry baby. Also if you had a clue you will know that the economy been screwed up for over 40 years . But you don't have a clue so I had to tell you. You a clueless fool.

HEY CHILL WILLY it sounds like your the one who is a racist. Oh by the way I'm part Spanish so say something to me. You racist jerk

Chilly- first off stop being a loser and calling people racists. You have no clue who I am or what I have done for the BLACK community. I worked with them for years and years trying to help better their lives. I can't believe you are that upset that someone doesn't want our country trashed like he did.

To answer you, where were you when slavery was around? Noticed how all of your posts were past tense? Oppression is over so move on. My grandfather came over on a boat, yes willingly, with his parents as a kid. They were poor as can be and lived in slums. They were Polish so they were at the bottom of the barrell. They WORKED long days trying to build a better life. They did not get handouts, they did not complain, just worked hard to get where they got.

For some reason people like you think my hardworking great grandparents and grandparents owe you something. They don't and I don't.

Stop the race crap and stop the blame. Understand that MLK was a GREAT man and is rolling over in his grave right now on how is message has been changed.

So Chilly I have no problem using name calling and saying you are nothing but a no good punk!

You are all racists!

I supported Tommy Smith 100% at the time. The state of Civil Rights for blacks in this country in 1968 was HORRIBLE--- despite the passage of the Civil & Voting rights act! In those days, black people had EVERY right --- AND duty--- to protest wherever they could! Remember, the 1968 Olympics were held RIGHT AFTER MLK and RFK were assassinated! So, I think MLK would have supported this 100% and his message has NOT been changed!!

Obama is to blame for the condition we are in. No one else.

After destroying this country the GOP still has knuckle heads like you???

These guys were idiots for and should have use what brains God gave them and realized that winning the medals were good things and could lead to a life of many benefits. they screwed themselves- can't feel sorry for them.

He had the stones to do it and took his lumps in life for it. More than you can say for a

lot of people today,who would cop-out to a rehab or some other excuse for their behavior.

Joe Louis & Jackie Robinson were Black Sport Hero's and did all the right things.

What happened to Joe Louis the IRS taxed him on a million$$ gift he gave for the war!!!

He work as a greeter in a casino to pay off his IRS debt.. The German fighter he beat paid for his funeral. Our National Hero!!!

The sheep today with political correctness don't have the gonads that were present in the 60s.. If they did there would be thousands potesting down at Wall-Street until something was done..

Rob/mark--- you message is absolutely HYSTERICAL? Are you seriously trying to blame this near total collapse of the US economy and financial system on the DEMs??? LOLOLOL

Please tell what they passed from 2007-2009 that crashed the economy!! Please be specific!!! Dont forget the 112 gop filibusters during that period! Im wondering if you know that over 80% of the current national debt was run up under JUST the past 3 gop presidents?? http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt.htm

That is was all DELIBERATE in order to cause a budget crisis then eliminate/privatize SS,Medicare etc??? http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10054/1037783-109.stm

So, just WHO has put this country's financial stability and national security in danger just to accomplish a political goal that the country does NOT WANT???

I normally don't spout name calling but you are a loser. He is a racist for doing that. If a white person stood on a podium shouting white power everyone including myself would be appauled.

@Jeremy

Do you even know what 'racist' or 'racism' means? Do you know the condition of race relations back in 1968?

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Definition of RACISM

1
: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race

2
: racial prejudice or discrimination

— rac·ist\-sist also -shist\ noun or adjective

Examples of RACISM

the racism that was the basis of apartheid

<Hitler's declaration of his belief in a “master race” was an indication of the inherent racism of the Nazi movement.>

So based off of that definition, if his gesture was in protest of inhumane treatment of blacks and other minorities, then how was the gesture 'RACIST'? I'll sit and wait for your response...

In the meantime, I think people need to take the time to really understand the origins and meaning of racism/racist before they throw the terms around casually.

Wisemocha- thank God I don't call myself Wisevanilla.

Anyway, you put in bold the exact part you should have, superiority of a particular race. Saying black power is no different than shouting white power. If you read anything I said, racism is used all to often. If you don't agree with Obama, you are deemed racists by MSNBC, other media outlets, Jesse, Al and the rest.

So I guess saying all the Tea Party members is racist is okay as well?

I'll be waiting for your answer.

Jeremy -

To equate civil rights activist shouting "black power" during the 60's, (which was obviously not about black people being superior to other races) with the slogan "white power," which is obviously used as a racist slogan, is not only ignorant of the abuse black Americans have suffered through the WHOLE of the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, but also just plan sad. I hope you or anyone you care about is never treated in the manner this country condoned as appropriate for black Americans.

"January 3rd 2007 the day the Democrats took over the House of
Representatives and the Senate, the start of the 110th Congress. The
Democrat Party controlled a majority in both chambers for the first time
since the end of the 103rd Congress in 1995."

Rob, are you implying that in less than 2 years the Democrats destroyed all the positive financial decisions of the Republican controlled (1995 -2007) House & Senate? What bills did the Dems pass that started the collapse of the Banking & Finance incdustries?

Yeah I forgot that a congress' policies are all rendered null and void the very instant they lose power. I guess that means, if the Repubs take the House back they will be on the hook .01 seconds after they take office. Can't wait to turn this around on the right!

@Jeremy

That's the point you're missing. If you had done your homework, you would know that 'Black Power' wasn't about being SUPERIOR, it was about being EQUAL, and although radical, fighting to be treated in that manner. See, because of your lack of knowledge, you assumed that 'Black Power' meant the same thing as 'White Power', not at all. If you read up on the KKK and the Aryan Nation, you would find their stance is based of a belief of superiority, i.e. - 'master race' , but that's not what you would find from the 60's and 70's Black Power Movement.

Think about it... how can a group of people who have been OPPRESSED for centuries start a movement off the belief that they are superior to their oppressors? As a matter of fact, it was a White college professor of a race relations course that lectured on how an oppressed group can't be racist... I was one of the only people to challenge that statement, but most of the other students in the mostly white class looked at me like I was crazy, lol. After the professor broke it down, it made perfect sense... a group has to already be in a position of power to exercise racism. Now prejudice and bigotry, that's another story, but a group has to actually be in a 'superior' position in order to demonstrate 'superiority'.

So that basically leaves the Black Power Movement as a vehicle for empowerment, equality, and self identity, just in a manner more radical that the Civil Rights Movement, and you should read up on it before you immediately disagree. I will admit that some segments of the movement did promote separatism, but the unfortunately troubled state of the Black Community you mentioned in some of your other posts perhaps wouldn't have been so if Black Americans had pushed to me more economically independent in this country.

Now, concerning the rest of your post, of course merely disagreeing with Obama is not racist, but comparing him, his wife, or his children to primates... I don't know. By definition, it actually could be more bigotry than racism, but distasteful nonetheless. Tea Party members? No, I would not say the entire group is racist, but those walking around with signs saying the N-word or send Obama back to Kenya.... I'll let you answer that one.

truetz- I am not saying what happened was right. In fact it was horrible and should have never been done. Black people were treated horribly. But to put your head down, not saluting the flag, and putting your hand in the air for black power is wrong no matter how you look at it.

You are correct saying there is a difference from then until now but the New Black Panther party still runs around doing the same motion and saying black power. So that is racism and I was using that thought process with my statement for saying white power. For that I was wrong when looking at the context of the 60's.

mocha- so you are telling me that black people can not be racist. So the New Plack Panther Party and their hatred to described as what? Normal. Or Al Sharpton and his comments. Or Rev. Wright and his comments.

Come on and realize that other people can be racist and bad not just white people.

In regards to your college, many are liberal colleges now. Look at Bill Ayers, he is a professor and many other radicals from the 60's. In case you have not noticed their is always a victim with liberalism....just not a white person. I don't say that rudely but its true. I used to call myself a Democrat and even voted for Obama because I listened to MSNBC and the others. One day I woke up and realized, I had done nothing wrong and do not owe anyone anything.

Jeremy

You're right, the NBPP is fueled by hatred, and is definitely an organization I want no dealings with, but at the end of the day, they still have no social power to affect the livelihood of those they hate. However, as you mention them, you also have to be aware that former Black Panther Party members see them as an illegitimate entity, and scoff at the thought of them claiming to be a 'rebirth' of the original group, as the orignal party was for empowerment and equality by extreme means, but not hatred. IMO, the NBPP is a group of dilusional radicals, because with the current structure of our nation, they'll be rendered into complete nonexistence if they as much as sneeze on a white person.

Claiming that the oppressed cannot be racist may be a liberal concept, but it's one of the few liberal concepts that is correct. If I decided I hated you because you're white, even if I were in the positon to deny you a job, more than likely there would be a (white) person above me that I would have to answer to if you were the most qualified candidate, especially if a less qualified Black person ended up with the position... eyebrows would be raised immediately. But if you decided you didn't like me because I am Black, and you decided to mask that hatred with a lame reason not to hire me, I could have all my i's dotted and my t's crossed, still the likelihood someone would question your decision is slim to none. Why? Well, assuming your boss was also white, whether he/she was a racist or not, your boss is not likely going to be concerned enough to become an advocate for a qualified Black candidate, so I would just have to accept whatever reason you gave me, and move on. When someone's hatred literally affects where another person works, lives, or goes to school, that's racism. I could hate you to the core of my soul, but outside of doing bodily harm to you, my hatred would not affect your everyday life. Unfortunately, when Black people run into a racist person, we can't say the same.

Jeremy

One last thing... you said you don't owe anyone, but my question is who said you that did in the first place? And how does a person taking a stance of protest against racial discrimination in 1968 tie into the fact that you feel you don't owe anyone. And even though we talked about the NBPP and liberal colleges, you still didn't answer how the sprinters gesture was 'racist'?

Oh, I think they do, Jeremy. Think again.

Jay- who and why?

The idea that "trashy" white men and women don't blame anyone else is completely bogus. What is this, the noble white race? Give me a break.

'Crystal clear' , 'Yeldarb27', 'the thinker'; Three stupid cowardly posters who fear and at the same time envy blacks. It shouldn't surprise anyone. This the classic definition of the average working or middleclass white man. Your collective stupidity and venial cowardice is obvious and needs no comment.

And yet you commented Sly. You reveal your own fear and bigotry.

Envy blacks? No, you don't have a clue. To you a black man can do no wrong, no matter what. MLK said not to judge a person by the color of his skin but by the content of his character. Maybe one day when/if you realize this you will understand a man is responsible for his actions no matter what color he is, and this man was wrong to politicze the Olympics. We are one nation under God. Get past the race bating.

Oh people give me a break...The same old tired stereotypes are being brought out here and its sickening. 'Blacks' whom I suppose in some people's eyes still are not considered people, are in bad shape but it is 'their own fault' because of course, black men, just as men all over the world and of all racial and ethnic origins, sometimes neglect their children. But it's really bad when a black man does it. I remember when Tommie Smith raised his fist in the 1968 Olympics and the outrage then is about the same as it is now. He's a 'black racist'. Brent Musberger the sadly mediocre sportscaster for so many years, compared Smith and Carlos to Nazi Brown shirts. I remember so many white people being horrified, really scare of black people. I remember going to angry school board meetings that had lengthy discussions about whether or not to integrate the schools. Martin Luther King had been murdered just a few months before after a decade of drastically chaning our society. It is remarkable now that forty years later an African-American was elected President of the United States! I can't help but think that Tommie 'Jet' Smith had a lot to do with it. At any rate, this silly idea that he politicized the Olympics is simply outrageous. Every newspaper, even today, publishes the standings by country on who is winning the medals. Not by individual but by country. United States 45 gold, 37 silver, 42 Bronze, The USSR 43 gold, 35 silver, 29 bronze, etc...Just like baseball or football standings. They play the national anthem of the winner's nation. Never is it mentioned that one who wins an Olympic medal is the winner, it is not the property of the country, but every nation uses the Olympics to show off what a great country they are. I wish Smith would not sell his medal but it is his and he can do with it what he wills.

Hey Jeremy, You are missing your Clan rally! If you hurry you may just make the cross burning!!

Amen! It is people like Jeremy that set race relations back 100 years. Jeremy, will you please step down off your Bigoted soap box. Not all blacks are unwed mothers on welfare and deadbeat dads. There are many successful blacks not just in sports and movies but they are a part of mainstream soceity. How many of your favorite movie stars or favorite athletes are black. Judge people on individual merit not on the actions of others, enough said.

Martin Luther King. How stupid was he to think that there would be a day when we would judge people by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.

No tlawst, it is not people like Jeremy but people like Charles Rangel and Jessie Jackson and, recently, Barrack Obama who are setting race relations back. It is truly amazing how much this country had digressed in the past two years. What was once a bitter memory is now coming back to life like zombies in "The Night of the Living Dead."

Daryl- the farthest thing from the Clan. I worked with black at risk youths for 7 years. After years of my SERVICE to the black community I noticed issues that can't be changed by programs but only can be changed in the black community itself.

No matter what the whole black power thing is no different that what you speak of the Clan and white power. It is all pointless and stupid.

JayEll are you still talking

If you really want equal rights, you will write your respective congressman/woman to eliminate welfare, as well as affirmative action.

from tlaw: "Not all blacks are unwed mothers on welfare and deadbeat dads."

I agree, but the following from published data. "Large racial/ethnic differences exist in the percentage of births to unmarried women. In 2005, 69.5 percent of all births to non-Hispanic black women and 47.9 percent of births to Hispanic women occurred outside of marriage, compared with 25.4 percent for non-Hispanic white women and 16.2 percent for Asian or Pacific Islander women.

The number of babies born to unmarried women in 2007 climbed to 1,715,047, 4 percent more than in 2006, and the highest number ever recorded in the United States......The proportions of nonmarital births varied considerably in 2007 among population subgroups: 16.6 percent for Asian or Pacific Islander; 27.8 percent for non-Hispanic white, 51.3 percent for Hispanic, 65.3 percent for American Indian or Alaska Native, and 71.6 percent for non-Hispanic black births."

the report about 2005 went on to say that a contributing factor to the high non marital birth rate for poorer black and hispanic women was the ready availability of government aid. 70% of births to black women out of wedlock is a ridiculous figure and can't be blamed on "racist white people".

Wake up,

If welfare got eliminated, do you know how many white folks would STARVE??!?!
Because White people collect Government Dollars, wait for it.....
SEVEN TO ONE compared to EVERYBODY ELSE! GOT IT?

Einstein.

Sid- I believe your numbers are wrong, but then they should starve. It is supposed to be there to help a crutch at your lowest point, not to live off of. The majority live off the system that are on it. Not just welfare but free housing, free daycare and so on.

Kinda like 99 weeks of unemployment. Lower your standards and get a job.

No matter what the whole black power thing is no different that what you speak of the Clan and white power. It is all pointless and stupid.

Well, before you jump to that conclusion, why don't do some homework from UNBIASED sources on how and why the Black Power movement originated. Yes, the movement was radical, but it wasn't out of hatred, it was out of the desire for fairness.

Daryl- the farthest thing from the Clan. I worked with black at risk youths for 7 years. After years of my SERVICE to the black community I noticed issues that can't be changed by programs but only can be changed in the black community itself.

No matter what the whole black power thing is no different that what you speak of the Clan and white power. It is all pointless and stupid.

Read what i posted below, It can explain my point for more than i could here!!!

i said equal rights. don't bring race into this. equal rights for all americans. did i say black or white in my comment? please show me where i said black or white? come on sid! jackass.
sid-reading is fundamental.
einstein.

The Sheeple commenting that the Olympics are not politcial forget the US and USSR both boycotted Olympics for POLITICAL REASONS. And let's not forget the Israelis who were slaughtered during the 1972 Olympics. Or how about the protest of Russia during the 2008 Olympics when they invaded Georgia. Bigots have such short, abridged memories don't they?

How about lets go radically right and do away with all welfare, governmental help, and handouts. How about we see what happens when society is forced to work and hold themselves responsible for their well-being and not living a life with their hand out screaming, "give me give me give me." Sink or swim is very true to survive. I'm sorry, i worked since i was 10, I'm sorry I myself, a white male (the only ethnicity and gender that is not provided any scholastic financial assistance) has worked and paid my way through school so I can have some higher learning and provide my family and I a better life. I support limited government and the idea of either working and providing or failing and decaying. Evolution has done a great job, so lets help speed up the process and allow the irresponsible and lazy to be a "thing of the past."

It is supposed to be there to help a crutch at your lowest point, not to live off of.

Jeremy,

I must like messing with you for some reason, but seriously, you're 100% right, welfare should be TEMPORARY help. However, you're wrong to bring race into it, because, though by a slim margin, Whites outnumber Blacks on welfare. However, if you are taking about proportions, there is a larger proportion of Blacks on welfare compared to those who are not than the proportion of Whites on welfare compared to those who are not, but whether white or black, people shouldn't be living off of working people's tax dollars long term.

(the only ethnicity and gender that is not provided any scholastic financial assistance)

See the Truth,

You must come to see that is not true... if you know your ethnic heritage, there are scholarships specifically for people of Irish, Polish, Italian, or German decent, and I am sure the list goes on. I know from back when I was looking for scholarships to go to college. And of course, scholarships for exceptional academic performance are open to EVERYONE. The problem tends to be that men like yourself take that attitude and assume there are no scholarships for which they are eligible.

Dragonwagon5 your a idiot. Thats right i said it plus your a raceist jerk too.

Oh, what's racist about that statement?

And his grill are not bad either

true that

Is the complaing ever going to end. Move on and realize that there are many programs that ALL taxpayers have to pay for to try and make things even or to give years worth of help for people that feel entitled.

Your the only one who feels entitled. Get off my black ....!

He is blaming his actions on the turmoil it caused him. Racist white America affect the media's poor portrayal of african americans to the rest of the world. But does it affect the community that it prevents african americans from going to work everyday? No. Certainly not. There people who still fight for equality with an America who still alters it's history books to reflect it's heroic whites who owned and killed slaves. It's the " Why don't they get over it" when there is police brutality against "innocent" blacks and excessive force for a few of the guilty. When white men stand where President Obama may be speaking hanging around with Guns "Talking about watering the tree of liberty" as if the person prior to him didn't exsist. But you wonder why people point racism where it continues to rear it's ugly head. Parents continue to teach their children it's ok to be racist. That applies to all races of people. I applaud the white america and others who don't accept this brand of foolishness. The America that doesn't drink the juice that some Americans choose to drink with no regard or since.

When- the media except for Fox is pro Obama and Progressives, get a new talking point. I guess its okay for black men to stand and intimidate voters as well.

It is all ridiculous and there are morons on both sides. Realize that with hardwork you can become anything you want.

Based on your grammar and belief that "hardwork" is one word, I'll presume you have a fairly narrow view of life.

I will give you enough credit to agree that hard work is essential to meaningful success. But the issue raised by Blacks and other minorities is that the road to success is different, and arguably more arduous, for non-Whites. I'm inclined to agree with this proposition. America is fairly overtly less friendly to minorities than to Whites.

Thanks for the grammar lesson. I was typing pretty fast and not paying attention. I did not know that means I have a narrow view of life, please make sense.

Need a tissue, move on.

JEREMY,

Stop talking about the "New Black Panthers"! It was two guys, and it was a BLACK district! They weren't intimidating anybody! Is that the best example you got, of "Black Racism"? Gimme a break!

It was also Bush's Attorney General that decided it wasn't worth pursuing, not Obama's!

twosides 9.5

Based on your grammar and belief that "hardwork" is one word, I'll presume you have a fairly narrow view of life.

What an unbelievably "narrow view of life" comment! Astonishing. Twosides must be two people. That much ego couldn't possibly fit in one human being (by the way twosides is two words—should be "two sides"). Look at all the posts—left and right, liberal or conservative, dumb and wise. Everyone has misspellings, typos, and grammar errors. Get off your high horse and join the human race.

I revel in good writing. I've published two novels (working on my third). I love the written word, even if it is butchered. BUT I love even more people who try to express their ideas, even if the grammar or spelling or sentence structure isn't perfect.

Mmmmmm! Thanksgiving.

Wow, you equate a simple fist pump to murder? Wow.

I find it funny that people of this generation can look backwards in time. to a different environment in our nation and think they can comment on it! Simple truth people, You have no idea what went on during that time in history! You can read about it but you did not experience any of what these men may have went through! Now don't get me wrong i am not saying that they were right or wrong. What i am saying is that i don't know because i was not there! I will leave it at that!!!

Excuse me Darryl, but I did live through it and experienced it as well. I witnessed the rioting and the burning and the looting. Amazingly it was not all blacks or all whites rioting. As a matter of fact, much of it had nothing to do with race relations. Quite a few of the rioters, of both skin shades, were just out to get that new TV or stereo that they could not afford.

Much of it has been romanticized. A culture fighting for recognition another trying to maintain their heritage. It all sounds good but the simple truth, and this goes for Tommy Smith, it was done more for publicity and greed than progress.

I was there too. In 1968, I started high school in New Jersey. Schools were not segregated as one poster stated. Busing hadn't started yet, but my town's high school was 20 percent black. There were no whites only water fountains, no blacks sitting on the back of the bus. I was in advanced classes, and believe me, they were certainly not all white. The vice-principal was a black man. There were also black families in my suburban neighborhood and no cross burnings or klan members.

My first year of HS was in a private school in the city of Camden. This private school also had blacks and hispanics. I could not finish at that school because the city became too dangerous for whites. I was attacked by blacks for just being white.

Of course, you will not find any of this in those history books your generation is reading. It's a much more interesting story to say that all blacks were oppressed by all whites. If you want a true picture of what that time was like, ask your parents or grandparents.

You both miss the point, your experience is not the only experience. Many people i am sure did use this event as i am sure people are using event's that are taking place now! My point is you don't know what these men went through...

I don't know what these men went through, and neither do you. If he was treated like most athletes, he was given more breaks and opportunities than others. If he had used his experience as a positive, instead of using a world stage to insult his country, his situation today might be different.

Again you are commenting on thingsyou know nothing about. We may never truly know why they did what they did! Let it go!!!!

The country did not give him ANYTHING!!! Don't you get it? It was his talent and speed that got him where he was then. He was right to protest.

I was a kid and involved in track in school. I remember seeing this as a kid and being very disappointed, as I wanted to see him, and the other American competitors, as American heroes.

There is a time and place for everything. I assume he had no wise mentor to advice him at the time. Had he saluted the flag and returned a hero, his message would have been much more powerful with main stream America. But his actions on the podium ruined his standing, thus minimizing his message.

Rock is not entirely wrong. Had he been born in some African countries, regardless of his talents, he would have never made it to the Olympics.

If he had just saluted the flag no one would remember him or his message. And as far as not making it to the Olympics if he was born in Africa...don't African nations compete in the Olympics as well? I didn't realize they were banned from international sporting events. What he did was very brave.

And this part of my response is to everyone that says he won't get anything for that medal: You are all idiots!!! Even with the economy in shambles there are plenty of people that would fork over some major coin for that medal...myself included if I had any money. That is a major symbol of America, athleticism, and yes...the civil rights movement.

Should he be proud to be an American hero in spite of being Black? That's what the protest was about. There is something seriously wrong with having to win an Olympic medal to receive some semblance of respect from society in the country you are from and represent.

hs321,

EASY for you to say! Obviously, his struggle was not yours!

They have medications that can help you with that, fyrboss.

I guess it is just my deep rooted love of this country that drives me to drives me to respect it the way I do. Some things you don't forget. Medication might cause you to forgive and forget, but to be given the opportunity to perform at that level on a world stage and then pull a stunt like that, unforgivable. One chance to be a stand up person and he turned his back on his country...........it still causes a bad taste in my mouth that time, nor medication can't wash away. I still have my high school trophies and ribbons to remember the people that helped me, coached me, supported me and made me a better person for it. I would die penniless and on the street before I would give them up and disrespect those people. Sorry, you take the meds, I am just fine.

Were you even born, then? Do you know what was happening? If you did not live in the time, or have knowledge of this part of YOUR American history, then STFU!!

I guess you could say I "was born then". Having already completed a tour in Viet Nam, you could say I was BORN THEN. I remember the radicals, unhappy black panther hoodlums, burning building...some in their own "neighborhoods", boy did that impress the rest of the country. Robbing banks in the name of rebellion.....another accomplished act of patriotism....yes the country was different then, but the parasites were the same then as today. To bad you are either not old enough or refuse to acknowledge the difference between right and wrong then.....or now. Sorry, I didn't think the actions were right, much less warranted. To train, win the right to represent your country on a world stage such as the Olympics.......and then crap on the moment....just begs to be remembered as an act of a spoiled, yea me..screw you and the country P.O.S.!

Let me guess. Your white. I doubt you had to sit at the back of a bus or was refused service at a lunch counter. The America you loved so much was the America BLACKS WEREN'T ALLOWED TO EXPERIENCE. But folks like you feel blacks should have been happy that they were being allowed to be treated like second class citizens. They should be happy that they weren't being allowed to have certain jobs. They should be proud of the country that allowed them to be lynched or sprayed with water hoses or attacked with dogs. Yeah, your right, how dare those blacks want to protest the wonderful treatment they were getting here in America.

It certainly doesn't make me proud to call you an American.

Jeremy, you're a fool and a bigot!!!

Ditto, Terry D.

Jeremy you suck as a person and probably at life. The fact that you have time to comment on each individuals post to spew hate tells me that you probably sit at home and think that "black people are the reason for all your problems...da&* affirmative action" lol. I hate when white people say "their using the race card" you know what your right we own the race card or ancestors paid a heavy price for that card and we are still paying today. CNN just did a special on how the two people committed for the same crime a sentenced differently based on race. You are sad and pathetic and pitiful and whole bunch of other things that I don't have time to say, but just so you know I'm one of the black people that you look at and hate. I am very well educated got a couple degrees, make great money and never played in one movie or played a sport. And if it came cause of affirmative action...I don't care I'm living good my kids are living good go to a great private school. (and not on scholarhsip) I have 4 cars all paid for,I own my own home in a very affluent neighborhood cause I got it like that. And if you’re nice I might can get you a job lol cause I'm sure you need one. LOL you are just stupid. Gotta go to work now to make more money. I promise to show up promptly to star in your next nightmare. lol get a life.

I was responding to what someone else said and just exactly how does that make me a bigot? You liberals like to call people bigots and racists. So PLEASE tell me how my comment makes me a bigot. Or are you just spouting off with no basis. If talking about how someone said she is finally proud of her country makes me a bigot, go talk to her about her comments.

He said that Michelle would be proud due of him.

This would make Obama proud. She was only proud when her Socialist husband got into office. You know this ranked right up there for her.

This entire sentence makes you a bigot! But i guess you just can't see that can you????

Darryl- how does that make me a bigot. Please explain. She made the statement not me. Do you need me to send you a link of the statement?

Must feel good to know what "they" ought to do.

he is selling the piece, but I do think you mean peace

he is selling the piece, but I do think you mean peace

No, I think John wants to get laid...

much to your dismay there are sucessful black men and women at every level of coporate america and in politics. You cannot judge a group of people by the actions of a few. Would it be fair to say that because you have white supremacist that all white people are bigots.

Kosco, learn how to spell, the word is PEACE, DH!!

Not to mention their KKK Rally's, but hey I guess only blacks and other minorities are hateful....

Well said, Tony, though I disagree.

ernie....You call them malcontents, I call them victims of the tyranny of people who think like you. Abundant opportunities?? Get real. The raised fist represented the violent way of the Black Panthers and other radical/seperatist groups at the time for many whites. It was the time of Dr King and "uppity" Casius Clay changing his name to Muhammed Ali and becomming "The Greatest". It was all very confusing for a young white boy growing up in the South considering what I was being taught. My father had been in the National Guard during the Birmingham riots in this time of unrest. I can recall the KKK taking up donations at country intersections and once saw a house burned because the whites invited blacks into their home for Sunday dinner. "Wallace Country" car tags. Death by a thousand cuts. Seperate and unequal, which is still the phony Democrat way in practice. It is understandable now that Mr Smith would use the opportunity to passionately highlight the plight of blacks in the richest country in the world. Despite Mr Smith's world victory, he was still a 2nd class citizen in his home country.

A person lives with the choices he makes. Tommie Smith made the choice to protest the American government and the American people his way. He waved a black-gloved fist. He didn't lynch anyone, he did not rob banks to further his cause. He did not murder anyone. He received a college education. Why are people vilifying a man for trying to right some of the many wrongs of this country?

I hope he does get good money for the Medal.... I'm sure he had a choice in being born black....

I remember The Tuskegee Syphilis Project, I can recall vividly the "Nig.gers and dogs" out back, Whites Only.... I remember being called Nig.ger even back in the mid-80's (and I'm not even black)....

Glad protesting AMERICA is a good thing. You and Bill Ayers must have been standing side by side.

The greatest Americans, Jeremy were and are, the protesters. Our nation began with men protesting the British Empire, leading to a violent revolution. The protests continued throughout our history. The anti-slavery movement, with such radicals as Nat Turner, Frederick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison led to the election of the avowed leftist, and Karl Marx supporter Abraham Lincoln. The labor leaders who brought working men and women a much better life were also accused of being anti-American, Gene Debs, Samuel Gompers, Big Bill Haywood, Walter Ruether, Cesar Chavez, John L. Lewis all come to mind. We actually have a holiday for a man who 'protested' America, Martin Luther King. Without these men and woman, such as Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, our nation would be a hateful backwards nation where social justice and common human decency and dignity would be foreign ideas.

I'm a Black man and I was 18 in 1968. I agree with you 100% and have been a student, a witness, and a victim of the racist policies of the PEOPLE of this country.

Deb W - I'm sure glad you never taught any of my children. The man and his actions were a disgrace to his race and to America.

Hey Deb W...that was mighty white of you!!! Do your children wear white sheets and little cones on their heads???

Thank you Deb for being a teacher and showing this a something which it was a silent protest against a society that was going through a difficult period. I was around back then also and could not understand why this created so much hatred. Ironic, today we name political movements after events of an unruly mob destroying private property. Yet, John and Tommie did what they did without hurting anyone or involving anyone else.

Terry D.

"18 in 1968, a victim"..........and you're still here 40+ years later. News flash......you're still a victim in your mind and that will never change (although I might be tempted to change "victim" over to LOSER). Get a passport.

fsw- Martin Luther King, a great man, did not protest America. Are you crazy. Also, Lincoln was not a Marxist and Fredrick Douglas was very far away from a radical.

Looks like you have your liberal text book out.

Excuse me! Martin Luther King did not protest America! WHAT! The Civil Rights Movement, 'I Have a Dream' 'America must live it up to its creed' you mean that was not protesting America? Abraham Lincoln was far to the left and some of his statements would shock the right wing American patriot of today. He did read Karl Marx. Karl Marx knew about him and expressed admiration for him. AND that is not just from so called 'liberal history books.' There is a reason that Communist leaders whenever they came to the nation's capital always insisted upon laying a wreath at the Lincoln Memorial. Frederick Douglas, because he protested slavery and racism in a most fundamental and crucial manner was quite radical 'When is it your(Black People), Fourth of July?'

Communist leaders.....so you think communism is good don't you. Ask Castro how that Communism worked for him. America is not a Communist nation.

Yes, you do real liberal books. Kinda like how Washinton did not believe in God right.

Uh, Jeremy.
When America was like it was in '68, YES, you protest.

WOW do you know anything? We are supposed to do that, didn't you take history class?

Jeremy, in the 1860s the Communist ideas of Karl Marx were new and they had not been tried anywhere. Conditions for working people in the pre-union, pre-National Labor Relations Board days, were abominable, horrific, in a way that no sane or decent person could approve. That's what inspired Karl Marx to write the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. What became of those ideas is another matter. Nonetheless, Abraham Lincoln was quite far left in his views. He did admire, at least the writings of Karl Marx and Karl Marx admired and supported Abraham Lincoln. Whether you like it or not, those are the facts.

Has alot of strength now.

strength can not make up for ignorance and a failure to life. Im glad he is selling his precious winnings for money.

Jeremy - Just another clueless history-challenged rightie eh? Frederick Douglas was not a radical? And Tommy Smith was "protesting America" and "a racist" back in '68? Are you aware of the massacre in Mexico City that was the cause of his protest? Probably not...

You and all your small-brain buddies should just spend more time talking to each other, becuz you're a waste of time for the rest of us.

I don't know where all you folks shouting about the segregation in the late '60's lived. I grew up in west central Indiana and was in my early teens when this Olympic furor happened. At that time we were fully integrated. I had several dark brown friends, no one thought anything of it. I think you folks are a decade or two off in your reminiscing.

You were either insulated from the reality of life or blinded by your 4NIK8ing...

On the button. Actually a pretty clever advertising gimmick. You should have gone up the road a bit to Chicago, 4nik8tor, you could have witnessed it. I was in my mid 20s and saw it from Georgia to Chicago and the worst racial hatred was in Clhicago.

4nik8tor - I was 6 in 1968 and also went to an integrated school but that doesn't mean there still wasn't plenty of prejudice and discrimination. I bet if you talked to the black people you went to school with, every one of them could tell you stories of prejudice they experienced.

Well, where I grew up there were no blacks in my town, population was only 700, but the neighboring towns had blacks and when we went to the swimming pool in the next town over, the blacks were not allowed to swim with the whites, they had one day a week that they had access to the pool. Those towns also had areas where whites lived and where blacks lived, plus they had their own school. I know that it is hard to believe this but, that is the way it was around here. I saw my first race riot in Lawrence, Ks. right after the assasination of Martin Luther King. The draft boards were also prejucdiced. There were those who sat on the boards, that if they did not like you, your number was going to come up. I know a guy who was qualified 4F, which means not fit for duty and because they did not like him, they tried to get him 4 times, before someone at the induction station told him he would take care of it and he never got called again. I also know a lot of blacks in the neighboring town that were drafted before the whites. The sixties was not all love and peace as some of the folks out in California wanted us to think.

Looking to profit from something he has or something he's done...hmmm, sounds pretty American to me!

Yes, I agree, What he is seeking and possibly needs is the money he will garner from the sale of his medal. However, I also believe that in his own way he is attempting to show a small amount of regret and contrition for his inappropriate action during the 1968 Olympic Games.

i.e. His jester of a raised arm with a clinched fist, the insignia of the "Black Power" movement. A somewhat political statement which he defiantly displayed upon being presented the Gold Medal. His doing so, while the National Anthem was being played and the AmericanFlag was being raised in his and his country's honor only brought shame upon him and loss of dignity for his country.

Which is not to say that what he did was some sort of evil act, but that the act its self really served no good for him, his struggling race, nor his country. Unfortunately, it had the apposite effect of casting a dark shadow over his achievement of winning the gold medal as well as putting all other black contestants in a very awkward position for the remainder of the games.

The really unfortunate ending to this 40 year drama is that the one good thing, that being the Gold Medal its self, will now be reduced to its worth in money, thereby, loosing all its original meaning.

Once again, Tommie Smith has chosen the wrong path and will only bring more dishonor to both, the Medal he won and for himself as a person, with this final action.

The article SAYS he is selling it for money!!! Wow, you guys saw that "Black Power blah blah blah" and went straight to posting, huh?

Reading is FUNDAMENTAL!!!!!