Irish anti-defamation league attacks New Jersey choice of Thomas Nast for Hall of Fame

When will Irish Americans have a checkbox on all State and Federal forms? I’m not White or Caucasian and I don’t celebrate White History Month or Caucasian day in my Family. Let’s start a movement to Stop the discrimination against Irish Americans. We should have the same checkbox and respect that African Americans, Latino Americans and Asian Americans get.

was he not German? the master race

Sorry,I mean "the USA, not "then USA" and "National", not "nation".

Irish Defamation League? What are they going to do about the more pressing problem of those Irish-born people who vilify people of Irish descent who are born in the UK and then USA as "plastic paddies" or "wannabee Irish", meaning if you are born outside Ireland, there is no way you can claim any connection with Irish culture or people? IMO, if you share a common ancestry, then you are of the same nation family,no matter where you are born. If my parents migrated from Mayo to China, and I was born there, would I be Chinese? Of course not. Then why the distinction for those born in English-speaking countries. Ironically, when these Irish born people migrate to the USA or UK, and their children are born there, then by their definition the children become "plastic paddies". I wonder if they have thought about that.

This is great. Nast is dead and let him be dead. We don't need this kind of hatred against our people. We should be way past this.

jrose6500 said it well. If Nast had been portraying blacks or Muslims as apes, his name wouldn't dare be mentioned for this honor. I know non-Irish Protestants who are extremely disgusted that Nast is under consideration. I agree with the posters below. Murph46 - you're right, Nasty is probably going to be rewarded for his bigotry. The excuse being that he drew Santa Claus.

There is NO WAY that Nash can win the number of votes needed to include him in the NJ Hall of Fame! Take a look at the list of his competitors for the category he's in. Opposing his nomination just makes Irish Americans look narrow-minded and petty. If you are incensed that he is even on the list of nominees, VOTE at the web site for someone else in that category. The best response to Nast's nomination is for him to have the smallest number of votes of all. The nominees in his category include another cartoonist: "Charles Addams, Westfield (1912-1988), Particularly known for his black humor, he was a cartoonist whose characters became known as The Addams Family and inspired two television shows, three movies and a Broadway musical." Other nominees in the same category are Alexander Calder, Alfred Stieglitz, Doris Duke, Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Porter Wesley, Joyce Carol Oates, Milton Friedman, Thomas Nast (Bio: Morristown {1840 – 1902}; German-born caricaturist who is considered the father of political cartoons. He is credited with creating the iconic drawings of Santa Claus, Uncle Sam, the Republican Party elephant, the Democratic Party donkey and Columbia, the image of America as a woman), and Governor/educator Tom Kean. This "General" category is for "educators, military leaders, writers, poets, scholars, religious leaders, civil servants, politicians and others not specifically falling into the other categories." I'd guess that one of the civil rights advocates or a creative artist will win. Seriously, Nast has no chance of winning anything except the bigots' votes!

The American-Irish Catholics are always portrayed as morons by Nash and his ilk, probably why the KKK grew so rapidly. Because of NINA we saw the huge number of the Irish who joined the Army on the frontier. Hope and money in their pockets. jrose6500 is correct in his/her observation.

How dare Nast to portray us as violent drunks and apes. I don't consider we Irish as Apes...............lighten up!

If this concerned non-whites or muslims, you can be sure they would not induct him and probably be tarred and feathered for even suggesting it

Good work, Wilson, and two good posts below make anything I could add superfluous.

Anyone want to bet me which way this goes.New Jersey is as liberal a state as can be.It's previous governor who took it to the edge of bankruptcy is now pleading total ignorance to a missing $1.2 BILLION that he was in charge of at a company that made his buddies all rich.These people plainly do as they please and I suspect,that Nasty will receive his reward regardless of his bigotry.

We all know if Thomas Nast had been a notorious anti-semitic artist who drew bigoted caricatures of Jews as violent, money-grubbing apes, there is no way he'd be considered as an "honoree" for the NJ "hall of fame". Respect and courtesy for the power and influence of the Jewish-merican community would see to that. Will the Irish-American community receive the same respect and courtesy in New Jersey? We'll soon find out.