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The United States Commission on Civil Rights voted on Friday to wait until after next month's election to discuss a report critical of the Bush administration's civil rights record. Republican members had objected to the report's timing.
The report remains posted on the commission's Web site (http://www.usccr.gov/), despite objections from Republican commissioners.
sourceI'll reserve editorial comments about this vote and instead provide a link to the report:
Redefining Rights in America-The Civil Rights Record of the George W. Bush Administration, 2001-2004 (PDF) Some of the highlights of the report include - from the executive summary section of the report:
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* Voting Rights: The Bush administration did not provide leadership to ensure timely passage and swift implementation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. As a result, Congress did not appropriate funds for election reform until almost two years into the administration.
* Equal Educational Opportunity: The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) does not sufficiently address unequal education, a major barrier to closing the achievement gap between minority and white students.
* Affirmative Action: Instead of promoting affirmative action in federal contracting and education, the administration promotes "race neutral alternatives," in many instances not applicable and in others not overly effective at maintaining diversity.
* Racial Profiling: The administration responded to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by instituting regulations that facilitate profiling rather than prevent it. Immigrants and visitors from Arab and Middle Eastern countries were subjected to increased scrutiny, including interviews, registration, and in some cases removal.
* Women: President Bush’s record on women’s issues is mixed. Economic gains for which he has paved the way are overshadowed by other actions that have set back women’s rights.
* Gay Men and Lesbians: President Bush appointed some gay rights supporters to Cabinet and administration positions. However, other actions he and his administration have taken have almost completely eclipsed the efforts he made.
* Funding for Religious Groups: When President Bush took office, he expanded the ability of religious groups to receive federal funds through the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Although the initiative constitutes a retreat from civil rights, President Bush has consistently presented it as an extension of civil rights to religious groups.
The report itself goes into great detail in all of these areas, and more giving examples and analysis of each one. It is most definitely worth a read, even though it is extremely long. More importantly, I feel that everyone has a
duty to at the very least skim it considering we won't officially see it until after the election.
Questions for debate:
1. Do you agree or disagree with the report's conclusion that Bush does not have a good civil rights record? Why or why not? 2. Do you agree or disagree with the decision to withhold the conclusions of the report from official public release until after the election? 3. Do you feel that it is important for a President to have a strong record on civil rights? If not, why? Edited for spelling.