Racist Congressional Black Caucus Falsely Labels House Ethics as Racist

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Martin Luther King Junior-I have a Dream Speech

Based on an article in the recent issue of the Atlantic (H/T Weasel Zippers) , members of the CBC, the Congressional Black Caucus must have skipped that part of MLK Jr's famous speech, either that or have totally forgotten it's content. They are grumbling that many members of the CBC are facing ethics violations because they are black, saying the congressional ethics process is racist.

I would make a different suggestion, those particular members of the CBC are under investigation, not because they are black, but because they are crooked. They have gamed the system and broken rules for personal gain.

The facts say this: African-Americans make up 10 percent of the House, but as of the end of February, five of the sitting six named lawmakers under review by the House Ethics Committee are black. The pattern isn't new. At one point in late 2009, seven lawmakers were known to be involved in formal House ethics inquiries; all were members of the Congressional Black Caucus. An eighth caucus member, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois, had also been under investigation, but his probe was halted temporarily while the Justice Department undertook an inquiry of its own.

All told, about one-third of sitting black lawmakers have been named in an ethics probe during their careers, according to a National Journal review.

I can only think of one Supreme Court Justice who had to resign in because of ethics violations, the Jewish Abe Fortas. Obviously the judicial ethics process is anti-Semitic.

Only two members of Congress have been formally charged with ethics violations in recent years and have faced the specter of public trials -- Reps. Charles Rangel of New York (censured) and Maxine Waters of California (investigation ongoing). Both are black. There are no African-Americans in the Senate. Remember the most recent black senator, Roland Burris of Illinois? Reprimanded by the Senate Ethics Committee in 2009.

Those are the facts, as Cleaver said. The question is why so many African-American members have been in the ethics spotlight.

OK lets look at some facts.  Charlie Rangel was found to have numerous violations:

• He admitted a failure to report $75 thousand in taxes on his vacation property.

• He was discovered taking a tax break for people whose primary residence was in Washington DC, that wasn't possible since NY Law says if his primary residence was in DC he couldn't be congressman representing NYC.

• Pay For Play.  The allegation is that Rangel helped preserve a lucrative tax loophole for an Oil Company, and in turn the Oil Company donated a Million Dollars to the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service. Maybe it was for research on how people in Congress find way to service themselves.

•   Then there was that Caribbean boondoggle.

And there were many others, at one point during the late summer of 2009 there was a new Rangel scandal every day.  I wonder which of these Rep Cleaver believes Rangal was charged with because of the color of his skin.

And for the venomous Ms Waters.  She is accused of helping a bank with ties to her husband receive TARP funds even though the bank did not have the qualifications to receive funding.

Now tell me,  should that be investigated because...?

What about this one: A powerful lobbying firm paid Waters’ banker husband $15,000 in “consulting fees” at the very same time Ms Waters  co-sponsored a law designed to help that lobbyist’s top clients. Even worse, the IRS has taken a look at that lobbyist's clients business and determined those kind of businesses were  “scams.

Oops I guess those charges have been added to the ethics docket because Waters is Black.

Roland Burris was only reprimanded because of the color of his skin, it had nothing to do with the fact he was caught on tape purchasing his Senate seat. And Jesse Jackson Jr. is being investigated by the feds for the same scandal.

Perhaps Rep. Cleaver isn't the best person to talk about ethics. It was Cleaver who was involved in the loogie heard round the world.

As he walked toward the stairs of the Capitol building for the final debate on Obamacare, Congressman Rep. Emanuel Cleaver claimed that he was purposely spat upon by a tea party activist. In video of the incident, a man is seen with his hands around his mouth and yelling at the Kansas City, Missouri, Democrat as he walked by. The footage shows Rep. Cleaver reacting to the man, and is seen a few seconds later wiping his face. It was an obvious case of "say it don't spray it."

The claim that racism is behind the ethics investigation is nothing but racism itself.  Beyond being a thinly-veiled attempt to save the arses of his colleagues, by making these charges Cleaver an other CBC members are saying African-Americans are not human, humans have imperfections, make mistakes. According to Cleaver, Blacks are perfect and unable to make mistakes, so any investigation of them must be trumped up-racist charges.  What a sad comment on our supposed leaders.