Comments on: Are we winning yet? No, actually we’re failing Connecticut’s children.

By: LaurieLima

LaurieLima — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 14:57:00 +0000

I want to thank you for coming out and saying “and yes, Connecticut is deeply segregated and racist, and racism is directed at certain groups in varying degrees of virulence” It is not something openly admitted or discussed but if you live here (in the denial but are not part of it) you walk around thinking “is it me?” even when you know it’s not. Thank you!

By: msavage

msavage — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 23:51:00 +0000

Speaking for myself, I certainly never wanted you to stop commenting here, buygold. The vast majority of the time, you make valuable contributions to the conversation. But like I said a while ago–I will speak up if I feel like someone else is being treated unfairly. Just as I expect someone else to call me out if I go over the top.

By: jonpelto

jonpelto — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:30:00 +0000

There were times today that I was just going to delete all the comments on this post and call it a day… although I have to say we all certainly learned a lot about the word “xenophobia.” So we’ll now right it off as educational and use today’s discussion it as a basis to remind ourselves that words are powerful things. I admit I’m often the first to fall down on this task – but words have meanings – so pick the right words when you decide to make observations about others who share our little “wait, what?” space…..okay? just nod your head up and down. good.

By: Sue

Sue — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:21:00 +0000

DailyKos allows ‘Trusted Users’ an opportunity to ‘silence’ (aka ban) posters after a couple of inappropriate comments or references. Maybe a voting system? I know it sounds like a popularity comment, but KKK references are really over the top – the are embedded signals for an agenda.

By: Sue

Sue — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:21:00 +0000

popularity contest.

By: Sue

Sue — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:09:00 +0000

We give them a free dinner (along with breakfast and lunch).

By: JMC

JMC — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:49:00 +0000

Bill, you are certainly not a xenophobe! You have been victimized in a post-modernist employment of the word, wherein it is employed to annihilate you as a person, to alleviate its employer of any obligation to responsible discourse, and to render your intelligent and informed responses and self-explanation meaningless.

By: Bill Morrison

Bill Morrison — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:23:00 +0000

Being called a xenophobe is a first for me! I have travelled around the world, own property in Italy, have marched alongside MLK, taught multicultural courses, made a conscious decision to remain teaching in Hartford because of the multicultural nature of this city, and, as soon as I simply state that, when citing poverty numbers, we must consider the actual source of that povert, I am denounced as a xenophobe. Unbelievable!

By: JMC

JMC — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:47:00 +0000

Much food for thought there, M. Until recently it was thought that English was a minimum necessary requirement in order to participate responsibly as a citizen in our Republic. Thus the English comprehension requirement for citizenship and the right to vote. But now the “fundamental right to vote” trumps the need for anything at all, including showing the tiniest bit of responsiblity of any kind. Voters are herded to the polls like cattle.

By: JMC

JMC — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:38:00 +0000

Sounds good, and a noble effort. Ah, but that word “unduly”. There’s the rub. Interpretations of it will differ. It may be with this word as with others, that no acceptable definition is possible in a post-modernist, deconstructed world because nobody can agree on anything. Of course some folks would say that is the hallmark of a civilization in decline. And others would celebrate such an attitude as a new height.