I can’t speak for anyone else on this blog, but I believe most people here don’t think Dukes should resign from his rep. seat.

Being a Democrat (although one who voted against him at the DPG elections), I believe he should resign from his seat at the Democratic Party of Georgia. Being a Vice-Chair for the Party means you don’t make stupid gaffes like that one. Being a Vice-Chair for the Party means you don’t piss off constituency groups. Being a Vice-Chair for the Party means you’re smart enough to know that a statement such as this

Your friend or not, Jmac is a big boy. People like Jmac who think people should always RESIGN for using ill-fitting words are the same people dying to have a “Thought Police Department” set-up in this world to monitor and slap the cuffs on people who dare to use words they deem “wrong.”

Reminds me of several Kurt Vonnegut books. Though, when we were taught how to interpret the stories, the class pretty much agreed it was not some sort of world we wanted to live in. Jmac probably read Vonnegut and said “Yeah! Yeah! Torture those people for using words wrong or having bad thoughts!”

I notice Jmac has a law-related blog on his site. Is he studying to be a lawyer? Does he know what the freedom of speech means, Holly?

Jonathan, the reason I asked the earlier question is this: I think of you’re going to say one needs to be done, then both do to enforce an equal standard. I’ve seen in previous posts that you have suggested that whites be held to a higher standard. I respectfully disagree.

In order to accomplish any real unity, we’re going to have to have real equality, where everyone is treated the same and everyone is held to the same standard. When we make statements like Whoopi Goldberg’s, for example, that say Michael Vick didn’t know any better with the dog fighting because it was “his culture”, that’s no more than implying that he was incapable of determining right from wrong because he wasn’t. . . what? Northern? White? Rich? Fill in the blank any way you’d like, but none of the answers are pretty.

Yet this is the mindset so many hold nowadays: “Others” (i.e., non-whites) must not be held to the standards of whites because of any list of reasons, all of which boil down to the implication that whites must either have a better perception of right and wrong, must be smarter, or must be better off. All three of those suggestions are abhorrent to me.

It’s high time we start calling it what it is and start believing that everyone has the common sense to live by the same set of rules. I certainly believe it’s possible.

I’ll leave you all with an editorial that appears in the Augusta Chronicle today, written by Grady Abrams, a former black commissioner. It’s definitely worth a read:

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/090907/let_142883.shtml

I’ve just figured out that you are one of the key contributors to why Georgia is at the lowest of all academic measures in this country: Because you think people need to resign for using “words” wrong.

Maybe you think I should resign from the Pundit after I tell you to go f*ck your stupid-ass, moronic self and the donkey you rode in on.

Is the use of the word “blacks” to describe Negroes racism?

Is the use of the word “whites” racist to Caucasians?

Is the Miss Black America Contestracist?

Is the organization National Association for the Advancement of Colored People racsit?

Jmac, just what are “colored people?” Do enlighten us.

Barbee deserves no apologies. And he should resign.

Here’s the full story as I know it, from talking with people on both sides of the issue:

Robert Cooks, the African-American president of ANIC, talked about his concerns regarding the politics of removing Gilbert Manor Public Housing residents in order to expand MCG in a housing authority meeting. He called on Lynn Bailey from the Richmond County Board of Elections to report what would happen to district lines if the residents were dispersed among mixed-income housing at Sibley Mill and elsewhere throughout the city. He then told everyone he thought it was a bad idea to remove the residents because he had a bad feeling about changing the makeup of the commission and state house and senate districts.

I should add that Gilbert Manor is 60 years old and doesn’t have central air conditioning, just to give y’all a sense of the place.

Dave, who was at the meeting, emailed Clay and Braye Boardman, who are the ones developing Sibley Mill, to let them know what was coming. As you can tell from the articles, Dave did a horrible job explaining the issue, but he was trying to let the Boardmans know there was going to be backlash coming on their project, and he was urging them to move forward with it anyway because he thought mixed income housing was the way to go. His word choice was awful, and he never explained that he was quoting Robert Cooks, which is what caused the misunderstanding initially.

For some inexplicable reason, the Boardmans forwarded the email to the members of the state delegation (sans Barbara Sims) instead of talking to Dave. It was like they were trying to hang him out to dry, which. . . well, I have my suspicions as to why, but they don’t paint the Boardman brothers in the best light, so let’s move on.

The state delegation (minus the excluded Barbara Sims) then forwarded the email to some of the commissioners (guess which ones were left out? anyone?), who then called Mayor Deke Copenhaver into a meeting regarding the issue. Deke then publicly called for Dave to resign without speaking with him first.

It’s been a mess, but from what I understand, Dave’s gotten a few apologies. . . of course, it’s been quieter, because Lord knows those with hubris can’t admit wrongdoing well, even when it totally trashes someone else’s reputation.

And Dave hadn’t resigned as of yesterday. It may have happened since then, but the initial AP report was wrong.

Unless forcibly removing blacks from downtown Augusta in an attempt to make it whiter and attract high-rent development is advocating for poor African-Americans … then I must stand corrected.

But, you have to be able to read the INTENT of the writer, not just read the actual words.

Dave Barbee though … not hearing much about that.

You’re trying to reach out to the wrong base.

Thank God he’s only the Vice Chair of the DPG for Candidate Recruitment.