NAACP President Resigns

Demonstrating that the NAACP wants nothing to do with ‘advancing colored people’ (isn’t it time they drop ‘colored’ from their name?), their President of 19 months Bruce S. Gordon resigns.   Some people thought his leadership would not be a good match and ultimately, they were right.

Bruce S. Gordon, President of the NAACP resigns due to different priorities between himself and the Board of Directors.The rub is between Gordon and the NAACP’s Board of Directors.  The difference was in Gordon’s idea of what the organization’s mission should be.  Gordon was interested in fixing problems in order to raise people that need it, and the Board of Directors’ idea of their mission is to be sort of a black ACLU.  Which begs the question, why can’t they do both?

“I don’t view this as I’m right and they’re wrong. I view this as I see things one way and they see things a different way. That misalignment between the CEO and the board is unhealthy.”

The mis-match in missions reminds me of the classic differences between conservatives and liberals in how social and economic problems are handled.   One side wants solutions to problems that will elevate a people out of whatever ails them.  This represents Bruce Gordon’s vision.  The other side prefers to leave the downtrodden down, offer up nothing but excuses, use the justice system, and blame everyone else for their problems.  This would be the NAACP’s mission, last century’s ideology.

related link: Clarence Page

The Internet, Man’s Newest Human Right

Pursuant to a 1976 amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act, the State Department issued its annual report for 2006.  The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices serves as “encyclopedia on human rights abuses” by 196 countries and entities around the world.  The use of the Internet is added to the list for 2006.

For the first time, the 2006 reports will include a section in each country’s report regarding respect for freedom of speech on the Internet. Although the growth of the Internet is a great trend for democratization, Bibbins Sedaca said, it has been paired with a trend of governments wanting to control the use of the Internet. The Internet threatens repressive governments because it threatens their control, she said. The more information people are getting from the Internet, the less governments can control the minds and information flow of their citizens, Bibbins Sedaca said. Now people can go online and read the human rights reports and see what activists are saying.