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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Scots-Irish Senator Jim Webb playing tired old race card

Posted on Monday, July 26, 2010 at 02:02 PM

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Virginia Democratic Senator James Webb has been a long time defender of Scots Irish values, indeed, the most prominent advocate for their importance in American history.

His book "Born Fighting; How the Scot Irish has shaped America " was a cry from the heart to recognize what the mainly southern Americans of Irish heritage from Andrew Jackson and Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett on down have done to shape this great country.

I though Webb was on solid ground when discussing how the Scots Irish contribution had been effectively erased from most histories of the United States.

However, I find reason to strongly disagree with his latest tome, a lengthy op-ed article in the Wall Street Journal saying that those same Scots Irish, especially the poorer working class, were being discriminated against by affirmative action.

The piece was entitled, “Diversity and the Myth of White Privilege,” argued that affirmative action has resulted in favorable treatment for immigrants, Hispanic, Asians and Africans, who are not victims of discrimination.

The oppressed white male has become a clarion call for Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and other Fox News opinionators.

The story line is always to find some egregious violation of fair practice in the name of affirmative or gender action then blow it all incredibly out of proportion to make the entire concept seem like a terrible injustice.

I am surprised that Webb appears to be heading down the same route.

The New York Times added fuel to his argument when they showed recently that lower class students were far less likely to be admitted to Ivy League institutions than middle and upper classes.

The Times noted that an “upper-middle-class white applicant was three-times more likely to be admitted than a lower-class white with similar qualifications.”

That is a very valid rich white versus poor white issue, especially as the Times notes, many of the working class applicants were just as qualified.

But it is a long way from that assertion to saying that poor whites are discriminated against for the betterment of immigrants and others.

The facts don't lie.

As Charing Ball in the Atlanta Post newspaper noted, minority business owners in America represent less than eight per cent of the total businesses.

Whites represent 73 per cent of all college students far greater than their proportion of the population.

When it comes to poverty rolls 40 percent of American blacks, 31 percent of Hispanics and 13 percent of Asians, are living below the poverty line.

In hard times it is always a temptation to blame the other guy and believe he is getting a better deal.

The facts are different however. A leading senator like Jim Webb should know better than to throw fuel on the fire of the current hostility towards minorities and immigrants.

There is clearly a better way -- to work to raise all boats clear of this continuing economic storm.

Jim Webb is well capable of that better nature..

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IrishAndProud | Aug 04, 2010, 06:30 PM EDT

Niall, it does not depend on how many of one ethnic group or another is above or below the 'poverty line' or who is or is not attending college for there to be discrimination against whites. Racial discrimination is based on race, not income...and in fact discrimination against whites can virtually always be traced to (at best) misguided attempts at rectifying imbalances in those very issues. BTW Niall...you're doing it again, using the term 'immigrant' when you actually mean illegal aliens -- who are NOT immigrants. Caught ya again. And it doesn't work.

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RthrBHistCorr | Aug 04, 2010, 02:23 PM EDT

Why are you surprised Niall? the very origin of "Scots Irish" is based on racism. It originated so that earlier Irish Protestants could separate themselves from the Irish immigrants of the 1840s. We don't distinguish Germans as "Bavarian Germans" or "Danzig Germans". We don't talk about "Norman Irish" though anyone whose name start with Fitz has Norman blood. The ironic thing is that if many of the 'Scots Irish' would trace back their lineage they would find that more than a few are descendants of 'plain old Irish" sent here as slaves and indentured servants in the late 17th ans early 18th century. They only became "Scots Irish" in America

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seanomelbourne | Aug 02, 2010, 08:01 PM EDT

I have enough problems wrestling with Monsoonman.

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Monsoonman | Aug 01, 2010, 09:46 PM EDT

6' females go to the front of the line me lad. If you are strong enough topull an uncons\cious person out of a burning building and strong enough to wrestle a live firehose by yourself, you can get in line too.

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seanomelbourne | Aug 01, 2010, 07:34 PM EDT

Doe's Dennis have to choose between Arnie,Van Damme or maybe Mel Gibson all around 5ft seven inches or some 6ft very fit females?

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Monsoonman | Jul 30, 2010, 09:53 AM EDT

Oh Dennis? Come talk to my firefighting buddies and tell them what you are telling us here, that the fire departments make allowances for petite firefighters...yes they do, it takes 2 or 3 extra firefighters now to do the job that one able bodied man used to be able to do(Google Gloria allred and firefighters). Of course the firefighters unions are delighted about this with bloated fire department salaries filling the union dues coffers....As far as women cops go, they have the great equalizer, it is called the gun. But can they do a beat alone...I don't know, I don't know too many cops, except the chief of police of one of Americas major cities and I do know the incompetence and corruption. I also do know who sat on the board of ****** medical school and I do know the standards are lowered in order to get minorities into medicine...Sure hope you check on the bonafides of the next "surgeon" who does work on yourself or your loved ones....

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DennisQ | Jul 30, 2010, 01:08 AM EDT

You always argue by extreme examples, Monsoonman - it seems to be a reflex with you. First it was brain surgery; now it's firefighters dragging an unconscious victim down three flights of stairs. The law does make allowances for Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications (BFOQ's). You and I may argue about the nature of various BFOQ's. A police sergeant once told me women don't make good street cops because they have breasts. A hundred years ago, women couldn't be lawyers because they were subject to "the vapors." You may even be right that upper body strength is a BFOQ for fighting fires; but it's not correct for you to limit that job to men only. In general, Monsoonman, I don't think you are honest about stating your positions. I'd have more respect for you if you came right out and said you don't think the government has a legitimate role in promoting fairness in the workplace. Go for it! This forum is anonymous. Say what you really mean.

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Monsoonman | Jul 29, 2010, 08:50 PM EDT

correction: Or a representative of the community?

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Monsoonman | Jul 29, 2010, 08:37 PM EDT

Unfortunately for you again Dennis, I speak with authority on the subject. Please tell me if you want the fireperson entering your home to rescue your unconscious body from your home to be the strapping 6' 200 lb. strapping male firefighter who actually physically qualified for the position, or the 90 lb. gay asian woman who had the job because she was an affirmative action hire? Where does it stop Dennis? Like I said to the most qualified regardless of any other means testing...Are you the most qualified for the job? represented the community?

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DennisQ | Jul 29, 2010, 07:37 PM EDT

Monsoonman, you're wrong when you say equal opportunity does not mean quotas and set-asides. It means exactly that. The law requires a company's workforce to resemble the community from which it draws applicants. Other things being equal, if the population base is 12% minority, the company's workforce should be 12% minority. However, as a practical matter, when companies can't always find qualified people to fill certain positions, the law allows exceptions. This isn't about choosing a brain surgeon; it's about hiring office staff or warehouse workers. The fact that you choose to jump to extreme cases suggests that you're more interest in preserving privilege than in promoting workplace fairness. Fortunately, the law does not agree with you.

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Monsoonman | Jul 29, 2010, 07:04 PM EDT

Yes Dennis civil rights, equal opportunity for all US Citizens regardless of race color creed or gender. That means wearing blinders when you hire someone, the best qualified applicant for the job gets the job. It does not mean quotas and set asides. Martin Luther King said it best: Judge a man by the contents of his character rather than the color of his skin. When you get your crainial operation are you going to want the affirmative action surgeon or the best surgeon?

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DennisQ | Jul 29, 2010, 04:38 PM EDT

Equal Employment reporting requirements vary by category. Federal contractors with 50 employees or $50,000 revenue have to file an EEO-1; for private employees, the number is 100 employees. For city and state governments, the number is 15, and they file an EEO-4. If there's a lower number anywhere, it's probably a state requirement. Underlying these regulations is the recognition that companies do not operate in a social vacuum. Because what they do affects the entire community, the community as a whole has a legitimate interest in regulating companies. This is the same thinking behind laws that regulate the environment; for example, companies like BP don't have the right to pollute America's wetlands. There's nothing new about any of this. The Civil Rights Act has been the law of the land for 46 years. Right wingers apparently have notions of repealing it. Good luck with that, guys.

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DennisQ | Jul 29, 2010, 03:52 PM EDT

I wish that all the people who don't believe in civil rights should come right out and say so. Instead, they hide behind various subterfuges, like their claim that enforcement of civil rights is burdensome, that it's counterproductive, that it causes resentments, etc. . . . If you actually believe in a "Devil take the hindmost" philosophy of government, come right out and admit it. Don't waste everybody's time by claiming your objections to civil rights laws are based on concerns about implementation. Come right out and say, for example, that government has no role in protecting minorities from employment discrimination. The 1964 Civil Rights Act is one of the landmarks of the last century. It's the law that changed the Democratic Solid South into the Republican Solid South. It ended segregation and it ended employment discrimination based not only on race but also on gender. If you have a problem with women and minorities competing with white men for good jobs, you're likely to oppose the 1964 Civil Rights Act. You really should come right out and say so. Don't waste everyone's time hiding what you really believe.

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irishwxman | Jul 29, 2010, 10:03 AM EDT

Sean...you obviously...again...have no clue whatsoever what you are talking about.

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killowen | Jul 29, 2010, 09:39 AM EDT

Have a great idea. Those Planted souls who in mid 1760s having sought refuge from tyrannical England, Oups! who later realizing their common hatred of Rome "what were they thinking," would again cleave mightily to her - now another opportunity presents itself. Why not a visit to see their Queen in Killarney next year. A statement like this will do wonders to proclaim the superiority of her Planted Restored Ones.

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