and so what Ive testified to ya, I was in the WATTS riot, I seen the beginning fire and I seen the last fire. What I seen is civil disturbance. People are not happy, people is thinking they did not have their freedom; they didnt have these things, and they didnt have them.
Weve progressed quite a bit from that day until now, and sure dont want to go back; we sure dont want the colored people to go back to that point; we sure dont want the Mexican people to go back to that point; and we can make a difference right now by taking care of some of these bureaucracies, and do it in a peaceful way.
Let me tell.. talk to you about the Mexicans, and these are just things I know about the negroes. I want to tell you one more thing I know about the negro.
When I go, went, go to Las Vegas, North Las Vegas; and I would see these little government houses, and in front of that government house the door was usually open and the older people and the kids
. and there was always at least a half a dozen people sitting on the porch. They didnt have nothing to do. They didnt have nothing for the kids to do. They didnt have nothing for the young girls to do.
And because they were basically on government subsidy so now what do they do? They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never, they never learned how to pick cotton. And Ive often wondered are they were better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things? Or are they better off under government subsidy?
You know they didnt get more freedom, uh they got less freedom they got less family life, and their happiness -you could see it in their faces- they were not happy sitting on that concrete sidewalk. Down there they was probably growing their turnips so thats all government, thats not freedom.
Now, let me talk about the Spanish people. You know I understand that they come over here against our constitution and cross our borders. But theyre here and theyre people and Ive worked side-by-side a lot of them.
Dont tell me they dont work, and dont tell me they dont pay taxes. And dont tell me they dont have better family structure than most of us white people. When you see those Mexican families, theyre together, they picnic together, theyre spending their time together, and Ill tell you in my way of thinking theyre awful nice people.
And we need to have those people join us and be with us
. not, not come to our party."
Intellectually honest people are able to see the broad questions and positions raised by both examples of Sherrod and Bundy. However, whats more sad than the refusal to openly discuss the issues is how quickly the conservative right is willing to throw Bundy to the wolves based solely on the New York Times and Media Matters opinion.
A progressive opinion intended purposefully to avoid that painful conversation the professional left constantly claim no-one is willing to have.
