New Jersey may become the first Northern state to apologize for slavery

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) … State lawmakers on Monday will weigh whether New Jersey should become the first Northern state to apologize for slavery.

The Assembly was scheduled to vote on a resolution that would express ""profound regret'' for New Jersey's role in slavery. And the Senate also may act on the measure.

Supporters argue the move would help New Jersey profess remorse for its slave trade involvement.

...

Legislators in Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia have issued formal apologies for slavery. The New Jersey measure is proposed as a resolution used to express the Legislature's opinion without requiring action by the governor.

The proposal expresses ""profound regret for the state's role in slavery and apologizes for the wrongs inflicted by slavery and its aftereffects in the United States of America.''

It states that in New Jersey, ""the vestiges of slavery are ever before African-American citizens, from the overt racism of hate groups to the subtle racism encountered when requesting health care, transacting business, buying a home, seeking quality public education and college admission, and enduring pretextual traffic stops and other indignities.''

According to the proposal, New Jersey had one of the largest slave populations in the Northern colonies and was the last state in the Northeast to formally abolish slavery, not doing so until 1846.

The state didn't ratify the constitutional amendment prohibiting slavery until January 1866, a month after it had already become federal law.

Payne said an apology would comfort black residents, who make up 14.5 percent of New Jersey's 8.7 million residents.

http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?...7/NEWS/80107003

[Ban Hammer 13,360]

i think new jersey should apologize - for being new jersey.

[mawilson 2,133]

What does it mean when a "state" apologizes for something? I understand it's purely symbolic,

but really, who's apologizing?

[peejay 327]

i think new jersey should apologize - for being new jersey.

I think New Jersey should apologize for wasting the taxpayers money issuing useless proclamations that have zero to do with what they really should be doing in the 21st Century.

[eric&gen 0]

Who do they to apologize for the abuse of illegal aliens lol.

Edited January 7, 2008 by evdogg412

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

What does it mean when a "state" apologizes for something? I understand it's purely symbolic,

but really, who's apologizing?

As I understand it - the apology would come from the institution of government, regardless of whether any of the people currently serving have anything to personally apologise for (after all its the same institution that participated in the wrong-doing).

As I recall the company that manufactured the poison gas used in WW2 camps apologised and is still in business paying its "debt" regardless of the fact that the people who worked there at the time are dead or retired.

Whether its a good thing, bad thing or totally irrelevant is open to question. Its a question of collective conscience - in theory of course. Just as likely that its cynically motivated.

[Jenn! 918]

Whether its a good thing, bad thing or totally irrelevant is open to question. Its a question of collective conscience - in theory of course. Just as likely that its cynically motivated.

What do you mean?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

My opinion - Governor Corzine is throwing the liberal base a lot of "feel good" items* right before it hits them with the big whammy - privatization of our toll highways and huge tax abatements for corporations willing to relocate around transit centers.

* the banning of the death penalty a few weeks ago, and now this.

Edited January 7, 2008 by VJ Troll

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Whether its a good thing, bad thing or totally irrelevant is open to question. Its a question of collective conscience - in theory of course. Just as likely that its cynically motivated.

What do you mean?

Whether or not its an "honest" apology.

Edited to add - the operative phrase should be "honestly motivated".

Edited January 7, 2008 by Number 6

[almaty 19]

My opinion - Governor Corzine is throwing the liberal base a lot of "feel good" items* right before it hits them with the big whammy - privatization of our toll highways and huge tax abatements for corporations willing to relocate around transit centers.

* the banning of the death penalty a few weeks ago, and now this.

yes, always good to have some feel good issues for the public..prior to screwing them

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Wouldn't be the first time.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

My opinion - Governor Corzine is throwing the liberal base a lot of "feel good" items* right before it hits them with the big whammy - privatization of our toll highways and huge tax abatements for corporations willing to relocate around transit centers.

* the banning of the death penalty a few weeks ago, and now this.

yes, always good to have some feel good issues for the public..prior to screwing them

Except I don't think the measures he's proposing are all that bad. The hardcore libs in the state don't like 'em because they're allergic to anything that even appears to benefit big business, but they're wrong on this. Paying large employers to cluster around transit villages is a great idea.

[Don_Joy's Prince 0]

i think new jersey should apologize - for being new jersey.

I think New Jersey should apologize for wasting the taxpayers money issuing useless proclamations that have zero to do with what they really should be doing in the 21st Century.

I agree, quit wasting money on ####### like this. These legislators are so full of themselves. Like they even have the right to apologize for slavery that New Jersey was not involved in!

[HAL 9000 96]

This is where history makes mockery of the blind: Slavery officially ended in 1846 in the Garden State, even though personal property was protected- in other words, the state continued allowing the practice by virtue of property "rights".

New Jersey had slavery at the end of the War of Independence, passed laws to gradually abolish the practice by age of slave children, and then moved on to create a legally disenfranchising process where freed slaves could not participate in the electoral process akin to Jim Crow laws of the 20th century.

That does not seem to be such a waste of time to me when legislators spend more public funds throwing parties and making trips on "behalf" of their contituencies that add up quite a lot faster than making an official apology for something that kickstarted an economic downward spiral for those descendants of the enslaved.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I agree, quit wasting money on ####### like this. These legislators are so full of themselves.

I guess you'd rather they spend time on things like this?

This is insane, IMO.

New Jersey's highway tolls would increase at least 50 percent every four years starting in 2010 under a plan to be unveiled Tuesday by Gov. Jon S. Corzine...

...

... the increases would also include adjustments to reflect inflation in the years tolls weren't hiked, said the officials who requested anonymity in order not to upstage the governor's Tuesday speech.

http://www.nj.com/newsflash/jersey/index.s...torylist=jersey

So he's asking for real increases of 50% every 4 years, which will translate to nominal increases of over 50% every 4 years.

I'd much he rather he just apologize for slavery and stop.