U.S. Commission On Civil Rights To Debate Its Own Existence After Promoting Conservative

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U.S. Commission On Civil Rights To Debate Its Own Existence After Promoting Conservative Values
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/civil_rights_commission_to_debate_its_existence.php?ref=fpi

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is hosting its national conference tomorrow in D.C., but don't expect a big turnout of civil rights organizations.

"I'm not attending the conference. I think it's a sham," Wade Henderson, president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, told TPM.

The USCCR, established in 1957 as a bulwark against racial discrimination against African-Americans, has historically been associated with a pro civil rights agenda. But under the presidency of George W. Bush, conservatives who had long opposed the commission's work were able to stack the commission with like-minded commissioners, who took the agency in a different direction -- including focusing much of its work on instances of reverse racism.

One look at the agenda for the national conference tells you why Henderson is so put off. Among the speakers are Republicans with deep ties to movement conservatism, including Roger Clegg, a former Justice Department official who opposes affirmative action and defends racial profiling.

Panels will focus on the role of family structure in perpetuating racial and ethnic disparities, how education reform can address the problems in communities and whether the legal tactics for combating discrimination should be augmented with other tactics.

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1. I hope that they look at how the white working class and lower class family structure

is falling apart. They tested out the tactics on minorities and now are applying them to whites. Education reform is needed in white communities as well.

The Commission is just trying to egg on the resentment between lower class whites and minorities. Don't blame real Civil Rights leaders for not showing up. Just a pity its happening under our first African American President.

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2. When are commission members appointed and for how long do they serve?