# Holder: US a nation of cowards on racial matters



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

Play Video ABC News - 
AG Makes Stinging Remarks on Race

 

Slideshow:

Attorney General Eric Holder

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Eric Holder described the United States Wednesday as a nation of cowards on matters of race, saying most Americans avoid discussing awkward racial issues. In a speech to Justice Department employees marking Black History Month, Holder said the workplace is largely integrated but Americans still self-segregate on the weekends and in their private lives.
"Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," said Holder, nation's first black attorney general.
Race issues continue to be a topic of political discussion, Holder said, but "we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race."
He urged people of all races to use Black History Month as a chance for honest discussion of racial matters, including issues of health care, education, and economic disparities.
Race "is an issue we have never been at ease with and, given our nation's history, this is in some ways understandable," Holder said. "If we are to make progress in this area, we must feel comfortable enough with one another and tolerant enough of each other to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us."
He told hundreds of Justice Department employees gathered for the event that they have a special responsibility to advance racial understanding.
Even when people mix at the workplace or afterwork social events, Holder argued, many Americans in their free time are still segregated inside what he called "race-protected cocoons."
"Saturdays and Sundays, America in the year 2009 does not in some ways differ significantly from the country that existed almost 50 years ago. This is truly sad," said Holder.
As a presidential candidate last year, Barack Obama gave a landmark speech on race relations during the hotly-contested Democratic primaries as he tried to separate himself from the angry rhetoric of his then-pastor. Holder cited that speech by Obama as part of the motivation for his words Wednesday, saying Americans need to overcome an ingrained inhibition against talking about race.
"If we're going to ever make progress, we're going to have to have the guts, we have to have the determination, to be honest with each other. It also means we have to be able to accept criticism where that is justified," Holder told reporters after the speech.
Holder is headed to Guantanamo Bay early next week to inspect the terrorist detention facility there. Obama has assigned Holder to lead a special task force aimed at closing the site within a year.
Holder's Justice Department will have to decide which suspects to bring to U.S. courts for trial, which to prosecute through the military justice system, and which to send back to their home countries.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090218/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/holder_race


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## justanotherparatrooper (Aug 27, 2006)

Ummm...
*FUCK YOU ASSWIPE.*
*just because youre racist against white people doesnt mean everyone is.*


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## 7costanza (Aug 29, 2006)

Just because I dont walk up to the first Black or Native American or Jewish guy and have them over for bbq and parcheese dont accuse me or my Countrymen of being racist. People of any race will usually bond and hang around with those they have things in common with. I will tell you this the United States has a black President..my State has a black Governor, the highest person in entertainment is a Black woman ( Oprah ) , the highest paid and most popular male actor is a black man ( Will Smith ) , the highest paid and most popular athlete is a black man ( Tiger Woods ) and the highest paid and most popular couple in music/entertainment are black ( Jayz / Beyonce ) I believe that the figures I saw were that blacks voted over 90 percent for Obama and 53 percent of whites voted for McCain..so if you feel like discussing racism feel free but start in the fuckin mirror ok.


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## Johnny Law (Aug 8, 2008)

Holder can lick the lint from the wrinkles on my coin purse.


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## dcs2244 (Jan 29, 2004)

The very f8cking minute that anyone opens their pie-hole about "race", who isn't a member of a federally recognized victim's group, is immediately labled and denounced as a "racist", "bigot", et cetera.

Reset is quickly approaching.


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## fra444 (Nov 23, 2008)

Coin purse..... Thats a new one for me!! I like!

Guessing you prefer to carry marbles there over coins though?!


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

This guy is such a boob. In addition to all the relevant points that 7Con brings up, one of the reasons that people don't talk much about race is fear of liberal attack for saying something considered "politically incorrect". With all the liberal attacks against real free speech, no one wants to be perceived as the guy who "crossed the line" in an attempt to get a frank conversation about race started. A true statement like "in general, more crimes are committed by African-Americans" would, at the very least, get you ostracized in some offices and actually fired from others. In a liberal-run America, saying what you actually mean can have serious repercussions on your career and livelihood.

In a sense, I understand what Holder is saying about the lack social contact between races in our down time, but what exactly would you propose to fix it? Is it possible that some black people aren't comfortable hanging out with white people because of differences in likes as far as music, movies, TV or hobbies? People naturally tend to congregate with others who share their likes and dislikes. I hate most hip-hop/rap music, so hanging out with people who enjoy listening to that kind of music would have zero interest for me. If somebody didn't enjoy classic rock, blues, 80's music or the history channel, they probably wouldn't like hanging out with me much. I don't take this as "racist" I just take this as people with different interests than mine. The funny thing is that when people discover a common interest, all thoughts of race go out the window. People who enjoy golf, fishing, softball etc., co-mingle without any regard to race and simply just enjoy hanging out with each other.

Being a minority, I find liberal attitudes on race so stupid as to defy logic. "Treat races exactly the same, except if an 'exploited' race feels its being picked on." "Treat everyone the same except if you're taking a standardized test, then the 'exploited' race gets extra points". To me, real racial equality is having _the same rules for everyone_, not special rules for certain people. I'm not stupid enough to think that there's no bigotry or prejudice left in this world, as one who's personally experienced it many times, there's *plenty* of it. But one doesn't win true acceptance unless you can say that I achieved my standing with only the tools that God gave me, no "special favors", "extra points" or nepotism. No one can claim inherited superiority if they beat you at your own game, fair and square.

True racial equality will never be a reality as long as people attempt to restrict the truth.


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## Johnny Law (Aug 8, 2008)

fra444 said:


> Coin purse..... Thats a new one for me!! I like!
> 
> Guessing you prefer to carry marbles there over coins though?!


You know it bro!


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## HuskyH-2 (Nov 16, 2008)

A true statement like "in general, more crimes are committed by African-Americans"

I wouldn't say it like that purely because its open to misinterpretation. I assume you mean percentage of crime compared to percentage of population.


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## HousingCop (May 14, 2004)

*People, like the animals we are, tend to congregate with others who share our core beliefs, values, tastes, etc.... You don't see Mr. Bunny Rabbit hanging out with Mr. Fox down by the Hollow very much, do you? The lions on the plain don't pal around much with their neighbors the hyenas. I'd let Koz and 7 hang at my crib but I got alot of good silverware here I'd like to pass to the next generation.*


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

> I wouldn't say it like that purely because its open to misinterpretation. I assume you mean percentage of crime compared to percentage of population.


Truly spoken like someone afraid to give to give their honest opinion.

My point proven.


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## HuskyH-2 (Nov 16, 2008)

Killjoy said:


> Truly spoken like someone afraid to give to give their honest opinion.
> 
> My point proven.


Negative, I just want to say what I mean and not leave it open to interpretation.


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## Guest (Feb 19, 2009)

kwflatbed said:


> Attorney General Eric Holder described the United States Wednesday as a nation of cowards on matters of race, saying most Americans avoid discussing awkward racial issues.


Probably because we're terrified that people like AG Holder will prosecute us for hate crimes if we say the wrong thing.


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## 8MORE (Nov 25, 2008)

It is the race baiters such as Obama's Rev(sic) Wright, Al Sharpton ect.ect. who Divide this country and the buffoons in the media who never fail to print ( Race group-American) who encourage it. When everyone insists in this country they are an AMERICAN and say so proudly,(Not just finally proud to be an American Mrs. Obama) will ths nations divides finaly start to fade away. ( Sorry for the rant, I am just sick of the people who are attempting to destroy us from within.)


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## SgtAndySipowicz (Mar 17, 2008)

OK, lets get this straight. The USA just elected an "african-American" President. Last time I checked he (Obama) needed the white vote to get elected right? We have a black AG. We have already had a black (female) Sec of State. We have a black Governor in Mass. Many corporations are now run by black CEOs. We have many black Chiefs of Police throughout our great country. A black 18 year old has an automatic advantage over a white kid with the same grades in getting into our prestigious universities (descrimination in my book) due to consent decrees. Many police departments will hire a black candidate who is less qualified than a white candidate to meet a quota. I can go on and on.......

I know the following will probably brand me a racist, but here goes (those who know who I am, know that I am not a racist). How about we come to realize that we, as Americans, are all equal now. This is 2009, not 1861. There are no longer barriers for blacks in getting the top jobs, getting into the best schools and so on and so forth. With this said, in my opinion, blacks need to start doing a lot more in cleaning up their own image.

I ask that black people speak out against RAP MUSIC, as the majority of that crap promotes killing Cops and treating women like sh&%. It's not art, it's filth.....

I ask that black people STOP KILLING EACH OTHER in mostly black neighborhoods. Let's finally realize that killing someone because they grew up on steet A, while you grew up on street B, is not logical in any way whatsoever. There has never been, and never will be, any justification for the repeated senseless killings in these neighborhoods. As it stands now (I am white), I cannot walk through Mattapan or Roxbury and feel safe, unless I have my friend SIG 40 with me.

Finally, I ask that BLACK FATHERS STICK AROUND AND RAISE THEIR KIDS. You (black men) have the highest rate of abandoning your babies. Has anyone ever thought that the reason your neighorhoods are such war zones is the lack of father figures? Take responsibility if you knock a lady up. It's not the kid's fault! Stop this endless cycle in your communities please......

Just a few thoughts from me. Are these not facts? Am I a racist for saying these things? Is Bill Cosby (who is black) a racist too, as he stated the same things?

Sgt Andy Sipowicz


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## 7costanza (Aug 29, 2006)

> *I'd let Koz and 7 hang at my crib but I got alot of good silverware here I'd like to pass to the next generation.*


Koz..did you read this...HC is accusing us of wanting to steal his silverware.


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

"OK, lets get this straight. The USA just elected an "african-American" President. Last time I checked he (Obama) needed the white vote to get elected right? We have a black AG. We have already had a black (female) Sec of State. We have a black Governor in Mass. Many corporations are now run by black CEOs. We have many black Chiefs of Police throughout our great country. A black 18 year old has an automatic advantage over a white kid with the same grades in getting into our prestigious universities (descrimination in my book) due to consent decrees. Many police departments will hire a black candidate who is less qualified than a white candidate to meet a quota. I can go on and on......."

In my opinion the only qualified one that is or was in a cabinet position
is Rice,and maybe Powell before he jumped on the Obama bandwagon.


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## OfficerObie59 (Sep 14, 2007)

I posted this in the chimp thread, but it relates to Sgt Andy's post @ 5:43. Score one for freewill and common sense. Pat Buchanan's exchange on "Hardball":


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## KozmoKramer (Apr 25, 2004)

HC said:


> I'd let Koz and 7 hang at my crib but I got alot of good silverware here I'd like to pass to the next generation.





7costanza said:


> Koz..did you read this...HC is accusing us of wanting to steal his silverware.


I did 7, and HC, I wouldn't so much worry about your Easterling as I would the contents of your liquor cabinet...


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*'Nation of cowards?'*










BOSTON -- Gov. Deval Patrick is defending Attorney General Eric Holder's comments that the failure to address race in everyday life has made the United States' a "nation of cowards." 
Patrick, speaking on CNN Sunday morning, said that although the country has made remarkable progress in race relations over the past 40 or 50 years, there is still a lot of work to be done to fully address lingering racial divides. 
Patrick -- Massachusetts' first black governor -- said that while not every judgment people make about each other is based on race, race continues to be a factor in many personal decisions, from where a person lives to which church they attend. 
He said that's the message he thought Holder was trying to make in his comments.

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO105397/


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

Who cares what this clown thinks....DeValue, go back to cooking up schemes to tax the working class some more.


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## fra444 (Nov 23, 2008)

kwflatbed said:


> *'Nation of cowards?'*
> 
> Patrick, speaking on CNN Sunday morning, said that although the country has made remarkable progress in race relations over the past 40 or 50 years, there is still a lot of work to be done to fully address lingering racial divides.


And statements like these from MORONIC ASS HOLES like him make the racial tensions worse and the racial divide larger!!!


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## Duff112 (Apr 14, 2006)

kwflatbed said:


> *'Nation of cowards?'*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Well, it appears that either our Governor is a mind reader and is able to tap into evryone's thoughts or he's letting his own prejudices come out.

Maybe it's the Governor who needs some soul searching to be more honest and forthright with his matters on race.


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## jettsixx (Dec 10, 2005)

I hate everyone I dont care what color you are (Mass Cops members exluded of course)


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## StbbrnMedic (Nov 28, 2008)

jettsixx said:


> I hate everyone I dont care what color you are (Mass Cops members exluded of course)


:dito:


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## 94c (Oct 21, 2005)

kwflatbed said:


> Play Video ABC News -
> AG Makes Stinging Remarks on Race
> 
> 
> ...


So now there is a consent decree on my family, weekend cookouts?

Does this mean everything 4th person invited has to be a minority?

Who I spend my weekends with, from inflatable dolls to minorities, is nobody's business.


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## Hawk19 (Jan 9, 2009)

kwflatbed said:


> Attorney General Eric Holder described the United States Wednesday as a nation of cowards on matters of race, saying most Americans avoid discussing awkward racial issues...
> 
> ..."Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," said Holder, nation's first black attorney general... ..."we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race."
> 
> ...


I'd love it if a new "honesty" towards race relations included people admitting that policing an area predominantly populated by minorities means the criminals arrested are going to be mostly minorities... Nothing smacks of hypocrisy more than when some political group, advocating for better police service in low-income areas, is the first to complain when the PD's start hauling in minority suspects.


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

Attorney general chided for language on race

*By Helene Cooper* 
Published: March 8, 2009

*WASHINGTON:* President Barack Obama has chided his attorney general, Eric Holder Jr., for describing America as a "nation of cowards" when discussing race, wading into a tumult that flared over Holder's indictment of the way this country talks about ethnicity.
"I think it's fair to say that if I had been advising my attorney general, we would have used different language," Obama said in a mild rebuke from America's first black president to its first black attorney general.
In an interview with The New York Times on Friday, the president said that despite Holder's choice of words, he had a point.
"We're oftentimes uncomfortable with talking about race until there's some sort of racial flare-up or conflict," he said, adding, "We could probably be more constructive in facing up to sort of the painful legacy of slavery and Jim Crow and discrimination."
Holder made his comments last month during an address to employees at the Justice Department, saying that "though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial, we have always been and we, I believe, continue to be in too many ways essentially a nation of cowards."
His remarks ignited protest, particularly from conservatives. One post, by Stephan Tawney on the American Pundit blog, said that "our attorney general is black, both major parties are led by black men, the president is black."
"And yet," Tawney wrote, "we're apparently a 'nation of cowards' on race."
Obama was asked whether he agreed with Holder. He hesitated for five seconds before responding.
"I'm not somebody who believes that constantly talking about race somehow solves racial tensions," Obama said. "I think what solves racial tensions is fixing the economy, putting people to work, making sure that people have health care, ensuring that every kid is learning out there. I think if we do that, then we'll probably have more fruitful conversations."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/08/america/08race.php


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## justanotherparatrooper (Aug 27, 2006)

Odrama is just such a moroon,He can put his fruit right up his ass.


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## TRPDiesel (Nov 28, 2008)

The race issue is like fighting with my girlfriend. She is going to bring up something that I did to piss her off years ago and never let me forget it.


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## Guest (Mar 9, 2009)

You want to know what will solve racial tensions? Stop marginalizing minorities who don't agree with racial quotas and watered-down standards. Hold people (ALL PEOPLE) to the highest standards, and maybe... just maybe.... they will strive to achieve them. Allow people (ALL PEOPLE) to fail occasionally, and they will learn from their mistakes. Stop the downhill slide of insulating people from their behavior and shortcomings. Understand that human beings operate in their own frameworks, and if you constantly identify with the mistakes and sins of the past, you are only limiting YOURSELF.

I worked in human services for 5 years with alot of great kids (60% minority) and alot of VICTIMS. You know how most racial debates went? I would get shit on about how white society doesn't do enough for them (bear in mind, they were in a Federally funded employment training center with food, shelter, school, and job placement), and when it was my turn to point out their personal responsibility...? Negative Ghostrider.

Fix that Eric.... and I am sure conversations can actually happen.

edit: 
Also, bring back trophies for winners, spelling Bees, dodgeball, and move cartoons back to Saturday morning. That will fix the rest of society's problems.


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