Equal opportunity is one of our nation's most valuable national assets.
On September 27, 2010, the Office of the Attorney General reinvigorated our nation's commitment to opportunity for all people by releasing a memorandum adopting The Opportunity Agenda's ongoing policy recommendations for the economic recovery.
To comply with civil rights requirements prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, disability, and gender in federally funded programs, the Attorney General stated that federal agencies should consider:
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.
Fools said I, you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you.
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence
If a far right crazed wingnut can get it right, why can't the rest of us?
This comparison is one that we can use to good effect, but only if we do it continuously and loudly.
A friend of mine Tuesday morning, a nearly unquestioning Obama supporter, said to me, and I quote:
No argument from me. Ford should have been stood against the wall and shot for that pardon. Nixon cooling his heels in the clink for a few years would have prevented this mess, no doubt.
Ford's pardon of Nixon was the beginning of the end of any hope Ford had of being politically effective, and absolutely killed his future chances for reelection.
Next up in the series on the upcoming Obama cabinet: Who would make the best Attorney General? For me, that would be the person best qualified to dismantle the so-called PATRIOT act. For others, it may be someone motivated to bring at least a few of the players from the current Bush White House to justice.
Myself, I wouldn't mind a surprise here - say someone like WA Gov Christine Gregoire. She was the lead AG in the first of the major tobacco "settlements".
To some extent, every D state AG might be considered. So I can't have an unlimited list. The poll includes an option for "Someone Else," plus a request to specify in the comments.
Once again, poll and brief description of each candidate on the flip. I evaluate each option as best I can. (I had to research the credentials of a few.) I trust others will add more data, including why others would be great or awful. I may have missed a few excellent candidates, so please feel free to add your own.
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