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« Age With Rage | Main | Choice Matters »
November 1, 2007 |Permalink |Comments (1)
"They Die First..."
Last week I blogged about the incredibly stupid and racist comments of the Department of Justice's Voting rights section chief John Tanner. ("minorities don't become elderly the way white people do: They die first.") I thought at the time that this insult would be lost in the fog of information that surrounds us all.
I was wrong.
First off, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) publicly called for Tanner to be sacked based on those remarks.
Now comes the "please don't fire me!" Mea Sorta Culpa...
I want to apologize for the comments I made at the recent meeting of the National Latino Congreso about the impact of voter identification laws on elderly and minority voters. I understand that my explanation of the data came across in a hurtful way which I deeply regret. The reports of my comments do not in any way accurately reflect my career of devotion to enforcing federal laws designed to assure fair and equal access to the ballot. I am honored to have the opportunity to do this work, and I am honored to serve with the dedicated employees of the Voting Section who, day in and day out, work hard to protect the rights of all Americans under the Voting Rights Act.
It's worth noting that Tanner does not actually retract his conclusion that voter ID laws discriminate against whites, he just sort of wishes people had not gotten so worked up about it-- that's all.
Comments ( 1)
Well, it's hard to believe that a noted intellegent person with the years of public office, training and exposure can step on his tongue so eliquently.
This isn't a definition of the Voters' Right section of the Department of Justice but more an example of speaking factually to a group that will emotionally misinterpret the message. He may have statics supporting his thoughts, he may have the right intentions of giving this information. but considering his audience and the previous comments he has made you would think he would get some guidance on how to approach a subject of death and voting. The outrageous part for me wasn't the comment but the basis for it. If we are looking to change ideas, break down pre-conceptions of aging in any ethnic or "minority" class it has to be done at every public and private venue. If someone has the ears of the the public they should be looking forward on what can be the senerio versus backwards (historically) and mention what has happened as a precursor to what will happen.