Holder Gets Testy About Black Panthers Case

[lostinblue 1,989]

New Black Panther Seen At Polling Place

Slideshow: New Black Panther Back At…

Holder Gets Testy About Black Panthers Case

Updated: Tuesday, 01 Mar 2011, 3:46 PM EST

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder got into a confrontation with a GOP House rep on Tuesday about the Philadelphia New Black Panther case, after the GOP rep said Holder used race as a barometer to prosecute cases.

Slideshow: Man With Panther Badge At The Polls

The Republicans now run the committees in the U.S. House, and Holder is expected to come under extended fire for the Justice Department's decision to not enter into a full investigation of the polling place incident in 2008, when two New Black Panther members were caught on camera by Fox News.

The Web site Politico was at a House hearing on Tuesday when Holder took offense to remarks made by Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas). (Fox News later aired video of the incident.)

Culberson raised Holder's ire when he had comments read into the record that alleged Holder put the Black Panthers case of the back burner.

"There’s clearly overwhelming evidence that your Department of Justice refuses to protect the rights of anybody other than African-Americans to vote," Culberson said. "There's a double standard here."

Holder was not happy.

"When you compare what people endured in the South in the 60s to try to get the right to vote for African Americans, to compare what people subjected to that with what happened in Philadelphia, which was inappropriate....to describe it in those terms I think does a great disservice to people who put their lives on the line for my people," said Holder, who is African-American.

Philadelphia Rep. Chaka Fattah, also jumped into the fray.

"The most unethical thing a person can do is make allegations based on absolutely nothing," Fattah said. "The only issue of race is singling out this particular decision...That this rises to national significance is bogus on its face."

Holder has been under fire by the right for more than a year after the Black Panther case was dismissed by the DOJ.

The 144-page report published in December by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said the Justice Department stonewalled the investigation into the New Black Panthes' alleged intimidation of voters in Philadelphia on the day of the general election in 2008.

The report was approved over the objections of commission member Michael Yaki, who is a long-time associate of Nancy Pelosi.

Two Republican leaders openly critical of Holder now have subpoena power as the heads of two powerful House committees.

Lamar Smith of Texas oversees the House judiciary committee and Darrel Issa of California chairs the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Both men have been critical of the Justice Department’s handling of the New Black Panthers voter intimidation case in Philadelphia.

And now both men will have the power to compel people to testify before Congress.

Smith, in particular, was a driving force in getting the Justice Department to investigate the New Black Panther incident that happened in Philadelphia in 2008.

The appearance of a New Black Panther member appearing at the same polling location in 2010 as the alleged violation in 2008 could open the door for another investigation.

That incident was first reported by Fox 29 in November.

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/politics/03011-holder-gets-testy-about-black-panthers-case

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

"When you compare what people endured in the South in the 60s to try to get the right to vote for African Americans, to compare what people subjected to that with what happened in Philadelphia, which was inappropriate....to describe it in those terms I think does a great disservice to people who put their lives on the line for my people," said Holder, who is African-American.

huh. I wonder if I'm one of his 'people'?

racists suck

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Congress should remove Holder from his position. Immediately.

[Danno 1,228]

Why does he come out at this point to respond?

Some pretty damning charges were laid at his agency by long time members and he waits like a year to respond?

There is something strange about this guy.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Why does he come out at this point to respond?

Some pretty damning charges were laid at his agency by long time members and he waits like a year to respond?

And then actually admits the charges as worded (Freudian admission)--since the charges were that he avoided moving against BP's (when there were stacks of evidence) based on race

There is something strange about this guy.

"curiouser and curiouser"!

Congress should remove Holder from his position. Immediately.

agree 1,000%

[SMR 368]

huh. I wonder if I'm one of his 'people'?

racists suck

My thoughts exactly. Unless he was referring to the American people when he uses the phrase (which flies in the face of context) this comment is clearly out of line. He has a responsibility to insure justice for all American people. If he feels differently, he is in the wrong line of work.

[Dakine10 5,452]

My thoughts exactly. Unless he was referring to the American people when he uses the phrase (which flies in the face of context) this comment is clearly out of line. He has a responsibility to insure justice for all American people. If he feels differently, he is in the wrong line of work.

Curious, how do you feel the statement "my people" is racist?

When chief Joseph told General Howard my people have no food, no blankets..., was that racist? When God told Moses to tell the Pharoah to let my people go, was that racist?

I agree Holder has an obligation to the American people, so I'm not defending his actions, and I do think he was wrong. To see racism though, just seems fallacious to me, and I'd like to know how someone would arive at that conclusion.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Curious, how do you feel the statement "my people" is racist?

When chief Joseph told General Howard my people have no food, no blankets..., was that racist? When God told Moses to tell the Pharoah to let my people go, was that racist?

I agree Holder has an obligation to the American people, so I'm not defending his actions, and I do think he was wrong. To see racism though, just seems fallacious to me, and I'd like to know how someone would arive at that conclusion.

my people is generally a cult/race related term.

Using it in the way that he did was racial for that context. He put 'African-Americans' into a seperate group than all other Americans with that statement, therefore potraying them as not the same/not equal to.

So in a sense it was racist.

[Zero Sum 305]

Curious, how do you feel the statement "my people" is racist?

When chief Joseph told General Howard my people have no food, no blankets..., was that racist? When God told Moses to tell the Pharoah to let my people go, was that racist?

I agree Holder has an obligation to the American people, so I'm not defending his actions, and I do think he was wrong. To see racism though, just seems fallacious to me, and I'd like to know how someone would arive at that conclusion.

Some people confuse the 'you people' remark that obviously polarizes with the 'my people' concept that self-identifies. One is intended to be racist and the other is intended to be descriptive.

[Dakine10 5,452]

my people is generally a cult/race related term.

Using it in the way that he did was racial for that context. He put 'African-Americans' into a seperate group than all other Americans with that statement, therefore potraying them as not the same/not equal to.

So in a sense it was racist.

It could be racial - not the same or a different group. That is not racist.

Anything beyond that involves a degree of assumption.

[Dakine10 5,452]

Some people confuse the 'you people' remark that obviously polarizes with the 'my people' concept that self-identifies. One is intended to be racist and the other is intended to be descriptive.

Even "you people", I wouldn't just assume it to be racist or derogatory. I've had teachers as far back as elementary school use that term to collectively address students. I felt it identified us as a group, without implying we were inferior. I suppose they could have meant it that way as adults sometimes do with children.

I agree "you people" has to be used more carefully than "my people". Either phrase could be used in a racist manner, but neither phrase strikes me as inherently racist.

[Zero Sum 305]

Even "you people", I wouldn't just assume it to be racist or derogatory. I've had teachers as far back as elementary school use that term to collectively address students. I felt it identified us as a group, without implying we were inferior. I suppose they could have meant it that way as adults sometimes do with children.

I agree "you people" has to be used more carefully than "my people". Either phrase could be used in a racist manner, but neither phrase strikes me as inherently racist.

Exactly. I guess sometimes we assume too much. I think the word we're looking for is context, which is something sadly missing from most analysis anyways.

Some people like to warp words to masquerade their own feelings behind them. That implies intent, good or bad, although the bad (we would assume) would most likely be in a constant state of denial and believe their bias is a good one.