(Major hat tip to Pensito Review and Pam’s House Blend for covering this issue. From Pensito:)
Last night, the U.S. Senate offered a resolution formally apologizing for its failure to outlaw lynching during the Jim Crow era. It is telling that the (mostly Southern) GOP leadership in the Senate scheduled the formal ceremonies late at night, rather than earlier in the day when the story would have been covered by the news media.
They also set up the resolution so that there was no formal voice vote, so no senator would be on record as opposing the nearly 5,000 lynchings that occured in those dark days.
With no roll call to form a record, senators had to express their support for the resolution by signing on as co-sponsors with Sen. Mary Landrieu, the Louisiana Democrat who was the primary sponsor. The resolution was proposed in February so there was plenty of time to take a stand. At the end of the day yesterday, 78 senators had signed on as co-sponsors.
The fact that there weren’t 99 co-sponsors is shameful enough. How could any human being, much less a so-called “Compassionate Christian Conservative”, not sign on to an apology for this retch-inducing stain on American history?
The two senators pictured, Mike Crapo (R) from my home state of Idaho and Gordon Smith (R) from my adopted state of Oregon, make up the Pacific Northwest Pro-Lynching Lobby, since they were apparently too afraid to stand up and denounce the racism, murder, and terrorism of Southern lynching during the Jim Crow era. What’s up guys, courting that White Aryan Homeland / Christian Identity / Redneck Rancher vote? Afraid that signing on would mean you’re “blaming America first?”
UPDATE Jun 16: Apparently supporting lynching isn’t popular! Crapo has joined a list of Johnny-come-lately’s who’ve now decided to co-sponsor Landrieu’s Lynching Apology Resolution. Strikethru’s below indicate the other new co-sponsors. Also notable: ALL the Senate Democrats are now signed on as co-sponsors.
UPDATE Jun 21: Senator Smith finally signs on as a co-sponsor.
To be fair, 21 14 13 11 senators — three of them Democrats! — didn’t sign on to the resolution, including westerners:
- Utah’s
Orrin Hatch (R)and Robert Bennett (R) [must be that whole “mark of Cain” thing, eh, Latter-Day Saints? - Wyoming’s Michael Enzi (R) and Craig Thomas (R) [lynching’s not that far in the past in Laramie, is it?]
Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski (R)- Arizona’s Jon Kyl (R)
North Dakota’s Kent Conrad (D)New Mexico’s Jeff Bingaman (D)
Truly despicable. Click the senator’s names to send them an email, or go visit Pensito for the full list and complete contact information.
