British NeoCon Tries to Have it Both Ways: Racist and In Denial

The Raw Story » Financial Times columnist: Obama like Felix the Cat, ‘black and lucky

A Financial Times columnist who once angrily defended himself from charges of condoning racism within his own paper, is comparing President Obama to the cartoon character Felix the Cat, because both are "black" and "lucky."

In a column entitled A runaway deficit may soon test Obama’s luck, British historian Niall Ferguson writes, "President Barack Obama reminds me of Felix the Cat. One of the best-loved cartoon characters of the 1920s, Felix was not only black. He was also very, very lucky. And that pretty much sums up the 44th president of the US as he takes a well-earned summer break after just over six months in the world’s biggest and toughest job."

The Huffington Post notes, "Ferguson's column was accompanied by a cartoon and caption that read, 'Felix the Cat, the wonderful, wonderful cat! Whenever he gets in a fix, he reaches into his bag of tricks!'"

Three years ago, Ferguson wrote that he was "appalled by a recent article on these pages that strongly implied that I condone racism."

Technorati Tags: President Barak Obama, Niall Ferguson, Felix the Cat, racism

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Segregated Proms in Georgia

Leonard Doyle writes:

The election of Barack Obama did nothing to change attitudes that go back generations in the small rural towns of Montgomery county, Georgia; the surge of pride black people felt in the election of the first black President was met by frosty silence by whites. The county, which is two thirds white, voted overwhelmingly Republican last November and attitudes have hardened as the months have passed.

Barred from attending the white prom, Kera still stood outside to show moral support for her closest friends, cheering and taking photographs as they arrived and did the "senior walk" into the community hall with their boyfriends or their fathers. Then she left, with her black friends.

Next evening her own white friends encouraged her and took their own pictures as she and her friends dressed in lavishly coloured dresses and rented dress suits for their own event at the same venue.

She was close to tears. "Every (school) class we sat beside each other," she said, ticking off the names of her best white girlfirends, Harley Boone and Cierra Sharpe.

"We love each other. But there's a lot of hidden history here, and while everybody gets along there's always something... If your parents are a certain way nine times out of 10 you're going to think the same way."

link: Segregated high school proms divide Georgia's students - Telegraph

Better Late. . . and No Presents!

The Senate passed Thursday a resolution apologizing for slavery and segregation. It acknowledges "the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow laws." The resolution also makes clear it cannot be used to support reparations for slavery.

link: National Public Radio

Right Question, Wrong Answer

Thousands of people are being stopped and searched by the police under their counter- terrorism powers – simply to provide a racial balance in official statistics, the government's official anti-terror law watchdog has revealed.

Lord Carlile said in his annual report that he had "ample anecdotal evidence" of it happening, adding that such a practice was "totally wrong" and constituted an invasion of civil liberties.

"I can well understand the concerns of the police that they should be free from allegations of prejudice," he said. "But it is not a good use of precious resources if they waste them on self-evidently unmerited searches."

link: The Guardian