U.S. Civil Rights Commission to Citizens:
Equal Treatment without regard to Race or Color is WRONG!
Pro-Quota Commission Urges Legislatures to Ignore the Voters

So-Called U.S. Civil Rights Commission Attacks Jeb Bush, Insists on Keeping Racial Quotas!

April 12, 2000

          Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) introduced a "One Florida" plan in late 1999 which ended the use of discriminatory racial quotas in Florida government hiring, contracting and state educational admissions.  But the U.S. Civil Rights Commission (dominated by Democrats) this week declared war on race-blind policies and equal treatment under the law without regard to race!

          Granted, Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush's "One Florida" has major loopholes regarding race-blind policies.  Jeb's plan is NOT a total repudiation of racial quotas and preferences.  But it is a step in the right direction -- unless his "One Florida" initiative is a trojan horse designed to endear Jeb Bush to minority voters ("See, minority voters, I tried to end quotas!").

Motivations and Agenda of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission

The Civil Rights Commission issued a non-scientific, non-representative, politically-motivated 10 page report urging states to retain their racial quota programs even if the law has been changed via voter initiative ballots.  Thus, the Civil Rights Commission has directly urged the states of California (Proposion 209), Washington (Initiative 200), and Florida (FCRI) to completely disregard the vote of the citizens and the efforts of legislators to end racial quotas and preferences.

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          The so-called civil rights commission is dominated by Democrats (surprise!), and their chief advisor is none other than Harvard's racial-quota pusher Christopher Edley.  Edley's former job was serving as Bill (The First Black President) Clinton's advisor on pro-quota issues.  Edley is also currently an advisor to the presidential campaign of pro-racial-quota Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore.   Gee, do you think Edley could possibly be objective about racial quotas?  

          Christopher Edley uses the mantle of his Harvard professorship to add legitimacy to his one-sided proclamations favoring racial quotas and preferences.  Edley has also become infamous for writing threatening letters to educators who spoke out against "dumbing down" standardized educational tests in order to accommodate lower performing minority students.   Specifically, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Edley wrote a letter, addressed to Stanley O. Ikenberry of the American Council on Education, and to Nancy Cole, president of the Educational Testing Service, which said, in part:  "Let me be clear: Several key people in the civil rights community are deeply concerned about rumored activities and views of ACE (American Council on Education), ETS (Educational Testing Service) and some of your compatriots..." regarding race-blind testing policies.   [See also pay site:  http://www.chronicle.com/weekly/v45/i42/42a04201.htm ]

          Christopher Edley's campaign of intimidation and threats against college administrators who oppose "dumbing down" SAT and ACT scores in order to advance persons of the correct skin color is as shameless as it is reprehensible.  This type of activity is called "extortion" if you are Northern European or Italian, but if you are black it is called "civil rights advocacy".   Christopher Edley knows only one thing:  his charm with Democrats depends entirely upon his ability to help attract legions of minorities into a voting bloc for pro-quota Democrats.

          The chair-person of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, Ms. Mary Frances Berry, a liberal pro-racial-quota Democrat, denounced Florida Gov. Jeb Bush by calling him "Scrooge" (referring to Ebenezer Scrooge, the miserly character of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol") -- an apparent and obvious reference to the "end of Christmas" for non-white beneficiaries of discriminatory racial quota programs.  Ms. Berry told news media "His (Jeb Bush's) name could have been Oliver Twist, or Scrooge, and still the result would have been the same."  Which apparently (again) means that the end of "Christmas" for beneficiaries of racial quotas is automatically an evil thing.

          And you thought there was no Santa Claus!

Center for Equal Opportunity Condemns U.S. "Civil Rights" Commission's Pro-Quota Declaration!

(WASHINGTON)— Linda Chavez, director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights during the Reagan administration, condemned the Commission's recent statement criticizing the One Florida Initiative. The Initiative abolishes the use of racial and ethnic preference in the state's admission policies at public universities, replacing them with a guarantee that any student graduating in the top 20 percent of his or her high-school class will be admitted to a state university.

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          Chavez said that the Commission's statement is "wrong procedurally and wrong substantively." "By polling individual members instead of having a regular meeting, the Commission squelched discussion, debate, and dissent," she said, adding: "Although the Commission describes its document as a 'statement,' it is in fact a shoddy attempt to throw together something that will be cited as an analysis. But it is a one-sided and misleading document."

          Finally, Chavez questioned the Commission's motives: "The Commission was not really interested in an objective analysis. Instead, it wanted something it could use to insert itself into a political debate, and is doing so for political reasons."

          The Center for Equal Opportunity is a nonprofit research and educational organization based in Washington, D.C. It focuses on civil rights issues nationwide.

U.S. "Civil Rights" Commission Shirking Duty & Procedure
According to Civil Rights Leader Ward Connerly

April 12, 2000

(SACRAMENTO) – The United States Commission on Civil Rights today officially unleashed an attack on color-blind policies in California, Texas and Florida, singling out in particular Governor Jeb Bush (R-Florida) and his policies on school choice and affirmative action. Responding to the Commission’s unusually rushed vote, American Civil Rights Institute Chairman Ward Connerly released the following statement:

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          "The Civil Rights Commission circumvented its normal procedure in order to launch an attack on Governor Jeb Bush and his attempt to increase educational opportunity without race preferences. Whatever the merits of its position, the Commission should have had the confidence to conduct a thorough and open discussion and give the customary 30-day notice in the Federal Register."

          "Furthermore, the Commission failed to adhere to its mission to investigate, hear and report on civil rights violations. Offering our neediest students greater school choice is not an abridgment of their civil rights. Ending admissions policies that discriminate or give preference based on race is not a violation of civil rights. To the contrary, these initiatives are supposed to ensure that civil rights belong to everyone – not to a select group – and that equal treatment under the law trumps equal or proportional results."

          "This ill-advised political action by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission underscores the growing realization by many Americans that the time may have come for the Congress to terminate its funding. The Commission reminds us once again how far off-track the civil rights movement has become. What was once a body entrusted to act as the proverbial canary in the mine shaft is now a squawking parrot that cries, ‘Preferences today, preferences tomorrow, preferences forever!’"

          The American Civil Rights Institute is a national, nonprofit organization established to educate Americans on issues relating to race, and racial preferences and classification. Mr. Connerly is President and CEO of the consulting firm, Connerly & Associates, Inc., and serves as a Regent of the University of California.

'One Florida' program a racial-preference policy in disguise

Nationally syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin writes in part:  "... I was very disappointed to read Mr. Bolick's column in The Washington Times on Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's "skillful" redefinition of affirmative action through his "One Florida" program ("Skillfully redefining affirmative action," Commentary, March 24).

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          "Mr. Bolick says Mr. Bush's plan offers "a conceptual framework to move forward from one of the most painful and divisive conflicts wracking America." But while One Florida takes one step forward (to pacify supporters of equal opportunity who want to eliminate race and gender preferences by popular vote), it moves two steps back (in a crass attempt to appease left-wing guardians of the affirmative-action apparatus).

          "Mr. Bush has stated: "I oppose rigid quotas and set asides designed to guarantee outcomes for one class of citizens over another." Yet his "Talented 20" program would guarantee state university admission to the top 20 percent of students in every Florida high school senior class. That percentage - that quota - was engineered to ensure no net loss in minority enrollment in the state university system.

          "Instead of encouraging minority businesses to compete on their merits, Mr. Bush pledges to "reduce the red tape in the minority certification process to encourage more minority businesses to become certified." Why should they certify by racial status in the first place?" 

          (Excerpted from Michelle Malkin's critique in the Washington Times.  No link available.)

End of U.S. Civil Rights Commission attacks equality page.