rosa parks (1903-2005)

rosa parks has died. "while the bus boycott succeeded, Parks in 1957 was forced to leave Montgomery because of persistent death threats." indeed. nothing pretty about racism.

an editiorial at the nation from 1955,:

In Montgomery, Alabama, recently an impressive demonstration of this latest strength occurred when the Negro community--some 40,000 strong--declared a boycott against the city bus lines. The incident provoking the ban was the arrest of a seamstress who refused to give up her seat at the order of a driver. The driver testified that he had twenty-two Negro passengers and fourteen whites in his thirty-six-seat bus, and he ordered the woman and others to move back to "equalize" the seating.

Such incidents have been all too frequent in "the Cradle of the Confederacy": last summer a fourteen-year-old Negro girl was dragged off a bus by three policemen and taken in handcuffs to jail because of a refusal to relinquish her place to a white man. A bus driver left his vehicle to beat up a mentally deficient Negro who had "bothered" him from the sidewalk. Drivers have been said to carry guns in their cash boxes to "settle" disputes about transfers and change-making. Because of the stored-up resentment these caused, no organization or leader can be said to have inspired the boycott. ''The leaders were led," said one Negro minister. "It was a vertical thing, sweeping through all our people. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen, and the most heartening." more...

ah yeah! the nation (and many on the left) have been fighting the good fight for a long time. in times of great injustice, inaction is complicity. we should be thankful that some people stood up. where would be be without them? i wonder where trent lott and george bush were? hmm... wasn't it the republicans voting against the voting rights and civil rights legislation. huh.

miers withdraws.

from wonkette.com:

Trent Lott: "I think the President should look across the country and find the most qualified man, woman, or minority."

Should we be happy that he thinks those colored folks are acceptable for positions of powered or apalled that he aparently doesn't think they're men or women. begging the question, "does that mean that they're human in his eyes?)