Tom Kean Jr.'s Problem with Civil Rights
It seems that Tom Kean Jr. has no problem with being surrounded by those with questionable backgrounds when it comes to racial slurs, and he has a spotty record in the state legislature when it comes to civil rights to boot.In this morning's 'Courier Post,' Gregory Volpe states that "U.S. Senate candidate Thomas H. Kean Jr. employed on the state's dime a former state Department of Labor employee who had used the racial slur "wetback" during a meeting in front of several state employees." The Kean Jr. employee, Harry Pappas, states that Kean Jr. knew that he was being sued for using a racial slur but that Kean Jr. kept him on the campaign anyway.
This is part of a larger problem, arguably, with Tom Kean Jr.: He has a record of going against basic human civil rights and legislation that would protect the disenfranchised. When Bob Menendez gained the endorsement of an influential group of black ministers in the state, an unsavory moment in Kean Jr's voting record came to light as part of the black ministers' oppostion to Kean Jr.'s candidacy. According to Tom Hester, writing in 'Newsday,' "As an assemblyman in 2002, Kean voted against an early version of a state bill to ban racial profiling." Racial profiling is a major problem in this state and our country, but Kean Jr. obviously doesn't share such concerns for African Americans targeted for no other reason than their skin color.
Combine these two revelations with recent remarks and legislation concerning equality for gay and lesbians -- Kean Jr. wants to write discrimination into the state constitution, and he voted against a bare minimum domestic parternship law in the state senate --, and we have a senate candidate with a problem: Judging from his record and hiring practices, Tom Kean Jr. doesn't support civil rights.
posted by Michael Martin @ 10:25 AM
6 Comments:
One of the most disingenuous aspects of "correctness" on civil rights (and for that matter, on environmental claims) in recent years, is that the endorsement by one or another self-proclaimed standard bearer group, somehow has risen in your minds to the level of a condition precedent to bearing the mantle of acceptability on the subject.
On several occasions, both here and on your posts of the Inside Edge, Martin, you have trumpeted the endorsement of Bob Menendez by the Black Ministers Council of NJ as some sort of proof of his purity on the subject of civil rights. And you have now raised the issue further by uncritically endorsing their recent misleading and dishonest recent attack on Tom Kean, Jr. as proof that Kean "doesn't support civil rights." Both ideas are ridiculous, and simply betray a complete lack of intellectual vigor on your part.
The Black Minister's Council of NJ, run by the Reverend Reginald Jackson, has been exposed as a thinly disguised Democrat front group, whose leader sadly long-since succumbed to the temptations of money and political influence, to the point that he and the group are literally in Governor Corzine's pocket. Over the years, Corzine's Foundation, has bought Jackson off, including substantially funding Jackson’s run for the political office of Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Yet you trumpet them as civil rights heros.
As reported here in an Associated Press article, printed early this September in The Christian Post, Corzine's latest personal gift to Jackson was to "forgive" a $50,000.00 loan he had made to him, and doing so on the 1st of January of 2005, so that it would not have to be recorded on the 2004 tax return, and thus arise during the Gubernatorial campaign in 2005. That is outright deceit.
As stated in the AP article:
The Star-Ledger of Newark reported in Thursday's newspapers that a foundation of Corzine's loaned the money to the Rev. Reginald Jackson's church in spring 2004 to help Jackson's unsuccessful campaign for bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
"He was very concerned for the office that I wanted to have," Jackson said. "He thought, if I was elected, I would do well in that office. In fact, I was going to repay it. He said, 'Don't worry about it.' I really wanted to repay it because you want to be a man of your word. He didn't have to do it. He was very kind."
Jackson said Corzine was the top donor to his $235,000 effort to win election as bishop in July 2004. Corzine was a U.S. senator then.
Jackson preaches at St. Matthew's AME Church in Orange and is executive director of the Black Ministers Council of New Jersey. Jackson and 15 council members endorsed Corzine's gubernatorial candidacy in September 2005.
Corzine forgave the loan on Jan. 1, 2005. If it had been forgiven any earlier, it would have had to appear on the foundation's 2004 income tax returns that were scrutinized during last year's campaign. The loan is reported on the foundation's 2005 tax return to be filed Thursday.
So, a quarter of a million dollars later, and Jackson will now apparently say anything the Governor asks him to say, including publicly attacking Tom Kean Jr. in a highly deceptive and thoroughly un-Christian way for a comment that was allegedly made in an insensitive manner by a former employee. The employee says that the comment was made in the context of his defending the right of illegal immigrants to the requirements of the prevailing wage laws. Kean says, nevertheless, that the comment was insensitive, and that when he found out about it he fired the man.
But somehow, you and the Corzine Ministers think this proves Kean doesn't believe in civil rights. You're all pathetic!
Perhaps, Martin, you missed something the first time. So I bolded the appropriate portion of the comment. It wasn't just the $50,000. loan I was referring. Corzine has been buying Jackson's allegiance for a while now.
Also, why won't you log on and permit the comment to post for others to read?
Was it not Emerson who said: "Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world." Are you defeated, Martin?
Here is the key portion of the prior post, with emphasis added:
As reported here in an Associated Press article, printed early this September in The Christian Post, Corzine's latest personal gift to Jackson was to "forgive" a $50,000.00 loan he had made to him, and doing so on the 1st of January of 2005, so that it would not have to be recorded on the 2004 tax return, and thus arise during the Gubernatorial campaign in 2005. That is outright deceit.
As stated in the AP article:
The Star-Ledger of Newark reported in Thursday's newspapers that a foundation of Corzine's loaned the money to the Rev. Reginald Jackson's church in spring 2004 to help Jackson's unsuccessful campaign for bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
"He was very concerned for the office that I wanted to have," Jackson said. "He thought, if I was elected, I would do well in that office. In fact, I was going to repay it. He said, 'Don't worry about it.' I really wanted to repay it because you want to be a man of your word. He didn't have to do it. He was very kind."
Jackson said Corzine was the top donor to his $235,000 effort to win election as bishop in July 2004. Corzine was a U.S. senator then.
Jackson preaches at St. Matthew's AME Church in Orange and is executive director of the Black Ministers Council of New Jersey. Jackson and 15 council members endorsed Corzine's gubernatorial candidacy in September 2005.
Corzine forgave the loan on Jan. 1, 2005. If it had been forgiven any earlier, it would have had to appear on the foundation's 2004 income tax returns that were scrutinized during last year's campaign. The loan is reported on the foundation's 2005 tax return to be filed Thursday. (Bold emphasis added)
So, a quarter of a million dollars later, and Jackson will now apparently say anything the Governor asks him to say, including publicly attacking Tom Kean Jr. in a highly deceptive and thoroughly un-Christian way for a comment that was allegedly made in an insensitive manner by a former employee. The employee says that the comment was made in the context of his defending the right of illegal immigrants to the requirements of the prevailing wage laws. Kean says, nevertheless, that the comment was insensitive, and that when he found out about it he fired the man.
Sadly, Trochilus, a conservative ideologue who thinks that the Iraq War was just and that Hussein and Al-Queda were in cohoots, is simply wrong once again and fails to address shortcomings in Kean Jr.'s record of civil rights.
The Corzine material is hardly incendiary. He gave a loan to a black minister and then forgave it. Menendez didn't give any loan to anyone, yet most minority rights groups support his campaign. But, when you're a conspiratorial Republican who only sees connections where there may be none, facts get in the way of a good theory, however false said theory may be.
Once again, Trochilus fails to address central problems with Kean Jr. That is, Kean Jr. voted against an anti-racial profiling bill, wants to write discrimination into the state constitution, has hired an advisor who is being sued for using the epithet "wetback," and voted against a basic domestic partnership law for gays and lesbians. These are bills that are on record, but Trochilus, who is too afraid to even use his name, fails to address these facts. But then again, we're talking about a political lightweight here.
There seems to be a pattern to the opinions you express, Martin. You do not hesitate to call me names, as though that somehow lends support to your opinions. Moreover, you seem to display a complete trust in your present thoughts and impressions, however twisted the logic you have employed in order to get there, such as attacking me on an issue I didn’t raise. And, you seem couple those with a complete and disdainful disregard for the considered and factually supported opinions of others.
If I may, let me gently suggest that in my experience these are the triadic traits of bigotry. You don’t want to go there!
Trochilus, you attack me personally (my job, where I live), accuse me of something I never did (censore your posts), then refuse to apologize, and write posts with personal venom towards me, yet you are feeling victimized?
I think my ideals are above yours and that my political thinking is more astute than yours, but I haven't reached your level of exchange in our political discourse, which has been rather incendiary.
Martin,
You say, "I think my ideals are above yours and that my political thinking is more astute than yours . . ."
Yes, I'm sure you do, Martin. You and the supercilious John Kerry. Just remember that it is a hard fall from the ether.
By the way, I have no idea what you are talking about when you say I made fun of your job and where you live. What I challenged was a perceived lack of openness from someone who teaches others. As to where you are from, one of my good friends lives in your area, over on Marne. I think it is a beautiful town.
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