When Referendums become civil rights advocates...shit done hit the fan

"The fact of the matter is, I think people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South." - Gov Chris Christie

Voting rights as a proposition to be granted by the upper echelon when they see fit, rather than an indisputable human right. I'm sure Governor Christie realizes that the progress of civil rights did not happen overnight.  The "fighting" and "dying" mostly belonging to the side that had to cut down brown carcasses from tree slopes they hung from; shoes muddled with water from the firemen that assault them with water canons. All the result of what New Jersey's beloved Governor would like to chalk up to a single oversight: the lack of a referendum to prevent acts of violence that were staggering communities of color. Though we live in a democratic republic, where every vote counts (unless the electoral college has a say about that), what we as human beings cannot leave up to referendums or the "people" is equality for all.

It is by that token that civil rights should not be left up for referendum. Initiative-74 will be in Washington state's ballot, a measure to provide marriage equality for everyone, straight and gay alike.  I will be voting yes.  Governor Christie believes people are "happy" this is finally a referendum, and they are.  But more importantly one should be disgusted and offended that marriage equality is proposed as a referendum in the first place.  Remember how excited everyone was for women's suffrage?  The right for women to own land?  Me neither.  Instead I remember Susan B. Anthony called disgusting names and the tyranny that would befall the nation.  Remember how happy the Emancipation Proclamation made everyone?  Oh yea, that's right, the confederates flipped the bird and conceded from the north.  The lesson the Governor wants to retell is that southerners weren't unhappy because of their capitol loss on totally free labor, it was instead they had no say in a referendum to grant their own capitol loss!  Speaking purely economically, they would've been more than happy to release from the bonds of slavery assets that they saw worth slightly more than mules.  The Confederates were just misunderstood, poor fellas.

Civil rights are not a referendum, Governor Christie. The "fighting and dying" in the streets in the North and the South were all a byproduct of racial inequality, and your comments are a fatal oversight.  "Justice delayed is justice denied", to quote MLK.

I have been a staunch advocate of Chris Christie. It is quite likely he'll run for President come 2016.  The New Jersey Governor has eradicated polarizing barriers that are normally in the way of ultra-conservative, republican party members. His appointing of a gay black mayor to the state Supreme Court, and appointing of a muslim judge last year, Sohail Mohammed, saved face for the republicans and rational alike in the midst of lampooning conservative rhetoric full of anti-homosexual and anti-muslim sentiments.  His policies for social welfare, however, show his privilege and out-of-touch ideas about equal opportunity (he's recently pissed all over the teachers in the public education system of NJ...maybe a post for another time).

Next time some is denied rights entitled to everyone else, let's just remind them that "we can't help you right now, there's no referendum for that..."