Judge's family apologizes 160 years after Dred Scott

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Judge's family apologizes 160 years after Dred Scott
Updated 1:13 pm, Tuesday, March 7, 2017


ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A family member of the chief justice who presided over the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott decision has apologized to the family of the slave who tried to sue for his freedom.

On Monday, the 160-year anniversary of the decision, Charles Taney IV of Greenwich, Connecticut, stood a few feet from a statue of his great-great-grand-uncle Roger Brooke Taney outside the Maryland State House and apologized for the decision, in which Roger Taney wrote that African-Americans could not have rights of their own and were inferior to white people. Roger Taney lived in Maryland.


"You can't hide from the words that Taney wrote," Taney said. "You can't run, you can't hide, you can't look away. You have to face them."

He apologized on behalf of his family, to the Scott family and to all African-Americans, for the "terrible injustice of the Dred Scott decision."

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Supreme-Court-justice-family-apologizes-to-family-10981614.php

[byronius]

1. Wish the arc of justice was shorter.

[heaven05]

2. too little, too late

[phylny]

3. It's a thoughtful gesture.

It's not like this man today could have done anything to change it. He didn't excuse his ancestor's horrific decision. He acknowledged how wrong it was and apologized.

[heaven05]

4. yeah, yeah

[rateyes]

5. Did you even read the article. Taney acknowedges

your point by saying ""A Taney bringing an apology to a Scott is like 'bringing a Band-Aid to an amputation,'" Taney quoted his daughter as saying.

"An apology is not enough," he said. "But it is necessary."

A member of the Scott family was there to accept the apology and the two families are working together to make things better in the future.

Surely, you won't poo poo that, too!

[heaven05]

8. No poo poo

just that my having to fight white racist hate again for equality, rights, humanity, justice fought for for, bled for 50 years ago is back in my face shouting n*****!!!!! I hate you. Maybe you can't feel it, I do. My grandchildren and children feel it, my friends feel it. I hope the Scott family has some 'closure' and also the Taneys. That's the best I can do with anyone who, historically, caused this racial fustercluck ameriKKKa has experienced for generations and keeps experiencing. Grand gesture, just in my book, too little too late.

I just have never been able to understand ameriKKKan racism. This culture is mean spirited and hateful. Always has been. I am just sick, sick and getting sicker every fucking day with prezidents Bannon, Miller and their boy potus puppet ruling like despots and personifying that mean spirited nature that exemplifies ameriKKKa today in a HUGE manner. The whole world is watching. We shall see where this mess leads us.

No argument from me, just weariness.

If I can leave this swamp called ameriKKKa anytime soon I am getting away from this shit. There are countries where I can find peace of mind in my so-called 'golden years'. No offense intended toward you or your post.

[ColemanMaskell]

10. If you're actually retired, you might consider Belize or other Caribbean countries

Golden years, hmm? A lot of people retire to the Caribbean area because it's possible to live on just Social Security income alone in some of those places, among other reasons such as the weather. Hurricanes are a problem, but there are always pros and cons anyplace. A number of those countries speak English, too, though the accent is different, but you'd get used to that and adjust. If you don't have family or anything keeping you in America, you might want to do online research about places around the Caribbean. A lot of people retire to other countries.

It's obviously true that we've fallen into a resurgence of serious racism, and it isn't getting better; nobody could blame you for wanting to get away from that -- there were a lot of Jewish people who left Europe when the Nazi thing started becoming obvious, and that turned out to be a smart decision for them then.

I totally admire somebody like Obama who stands his ground and fights against the forces of evil -- If nobody stays and fights, the forces of evil win by default -- but everyone has to decide for themselves whether a struggle is reasonable for them in their own situation.

The Caribbean is close enough that you can come back if things don't work out as well as you hope in the new place you choose.

People have wandered from one place to another to try to get better living conditions for as long as humanity has been on earth. Now is no different. Do research on the Caribbean, that would be my suggestion. Relocating means work and risk. Don't focus entirely on what you'd be getting away from -- we're probably not quite there yet -- give some thought and research to what you'll be going to. Best of luck, whatever you decide.

[heaven05]

16. I have researched Costa Rica and Uruguay

both have long term relatively stable countries and governments and Costa Rica has no standing army, excellent and cost effective health and dental care. I have been seriously working on getting my affairs in order to go. And yes, I am actually retired, with good income from good planning when I did work. The young people and others who 'love' america have the fight on their hands now and that's the sad part. Still fighting after all these years.... this Hitler redux is not my idea of an america that has potential to grow. It has regressed in the meanest and most vile way. AmeriKKKans voted this disaster into office...that cemented my opinion about what I have ALWAYS known about ameriKKKan culture and its people and what was once its barely hidden racist, anti-semitic, hate and bigotry for all not white and so-called christian.

Now I know there is not much hope for this country unless some kind of miracle happens. IF something happened to boy-potus, a KKKristian theocrat would follow him, IF something were to happen to the KKKristian theocrat, ryan the conscience bereft racist would take over. 2018 is the only hope for sanity to return in some measure to ameriKKKa.

92-95% of republiKKKans think the boy-potus puppet of prezidents bannon and miller is doing a good job. That is all I needed to ever understand in what ameriKKKa is about. AmeriKKKa is a hateful, vicious country with hateful vicious people who now have hateful vicious leaders. Its truly what millions of citizens have ALWAYS wanted and lordy be the Confederate states have finally won. The South has risen again with their western, eastern and northern supporters/traitors helping them. You can have it.

[ColemanMaskell]

18. Good luck; but don't count USA out yet; Obama believes in America; who am I to disagree

-- I take heart sometimes from looking at people like Obama just being there. America has been through bad times before, and come through. Seeing his optimism gives me hope. Also, he has put a lot into this project of America -- it seems almost ungrateful to walk away and let all that be thrown out without putting up a fight.

Consider the example of Hitler (easy to see how one would think of that), but look at Germany now: After all that happened, the remnants of Germany that were left have made a decent country again.

We've just fallen into some pretty bad times. Coming after the Obama years, it's a precipitous drop. But like the seasons and the alternation of day and night, it's cyclical. Obama brought a pretty bright daylight, and today looks pretty dark by comparison, but night always ends.

[heaven05]

19. like I said

Last edited Thu Mar 9, 2017, 09:54 PM - Edit history (1)

even with a competent and, I think, caring POTUS such has just left office to be replaced with this dumb fucking triumvirate of white nationalist racists idiots is fucking unbelievable. Yet who am I to be misled, American culture has bred a schizophrenia that has manifested itself over and over again in the history of this nation through virulent murderous racism, sexism, homophobia, xenpophobia and outright bigotry. But usually it was always something either quietly murderous and easily covered up from world view with sham talk of democracy and justice being for all here and in a POTUS, not obvious at all without a little research. NOW we have all the phobias mentioned in the THREE co-prezidents at the helm of this erratic and seemingly doomed ship of state bearing down on a huge iceberg.

You speak of bad times ebbing and flowing culturally for the american people. For some in economic depressions, recessions ect, yes this is true. But what about the people who ALWAYs have had to fight for justice and equality? That has never been an ebb or flow proposition for those affected by the racist nature of american culture.

My battle as an adult started in Vietnam, really, when I had to fight the racism of the racist white soldiers and cover my ass when the VC struck, always two battles. And then I came home to a richard nixon and lee atwater and their 'Southern Strategy' which showed me how racist both political parties were. Yet I voted as a democrat because that was the only viable option which has been the truth for AA in elections up to the present and I'm still fighting not to lose my benefits as a retiree, not to lose my human and civil rights as a minority in a racist culture, not to lose my ability to vote, trying not to get shot by the american police, brownshirts and gestapo because they want to make ameriKKKa white again. No ebb there. Just flow

No, IF white people would forget about white privilege and entitlement being priority in their lives and really look at this culture for what it is, viciously racist, nightfall wouldn't seem so perpetual and CONSTANT for millions because a huge swath of decent americans would start bringing things into balance for all struggling in this failing democratic experiment called america.. Americans are a mean, vicious and vindictive people as proven by this last ascension of the terrible triumvirate ruling now. They will cut off their noses to spite their faces to prove superiority over all not white or KKKristian male.

No, I am sick of this racist bullshit that has passed as a democratic culture for generations as this sham has been shamelessly perpetuated to the detriment of millions who NEVER saw daylight.

I cast no aspersions upon you or your post, I'm just stating the facts as my life and millions of other lives have borne those facts out in america. Also most of Europe is fighting the Reich Wing onslaught again as we trade words here, germany included.

[The Sand Reckoner]

9. No, it is not necessary, or even meaningful

Our culture feeds on theatrical, media-grabbing apologies of all sorts, but this one is just silly. You cannot meaningfully apologize for something you didn't do, couldn't have prevented, and have no responsibility for at all. It makes no more sense than it would to punish someone for something their ancestor did.

[ColemanMaskell]

11. Not entirely sure about that view --

There is another angle some people take on this sort of thing: that if you profit from a crime, you share in the guilt of it.

So for example if you had a Nazi ancestor who looted works of art from Jewish families, and you have those same works of art in your possession now, and members of the aforesaid Jewish family can be found, then there is a reasonable argument that you at least ought to return the paintings. Sure it isn't much and it doesn't make up for what was lost and cannot be replaced. But as long as you have those paintings hanging on your wall, you do share some modicum of guilt, according to that viewpoint.

Along the same lines as that, American prosperity was built largely by the uncompensated work of slave labor. To varying extents, we now enjoy the benefits of that prosperity. It's obvious in the cases of inherited wealth that can be traced, but there is also a shared wealth of infrastructure, culture, and benefits that even now are not shared equally. Some would take the view that those who benefit more from the current state of things cannot simply ignore the foundation on which the current prosperity was built.

Take your example of "something their ancestor did". If your grandpa bonked my grandpa on the head, stole his horse and everything he had and left him to die, and you inherited wealth based on what he stole, it is not unreasonable to expect you at least to return some of the proceeds from the theft.

Just saying, there is another viewpoint you might give some thought to.

[Judi Lynn]

13. I thoroughly appreciate your comments on this thread. Thank you for taking the time. n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

14. I thank you for this, as well.

I also agree with you, that was very well said.

[The Sand Reckoner]

15. Your analogy doesn't really work

Possession of stolen property technically IS a crime, and someone bears personal moral, even if not legal responsibility for not giving it back once they become aware of that fact. And in any case, making reparations for past wrongs that you continue to benefit from is not the same thing at all as apologizing for the commission of those wrongs in the first place if you were not the one responsible. The former is perfectly reasonable and meaningful, the latter not. People have just been conditioned to apologize reflexively for the cameras.

[heaven05]

17. those ancestors of their types

need to stop doing what caused the problem, needed apology for in the first place. With the hateful, racist, vicious government now leading the progeny of the racist perpetrators of hate in Dred's time, I can see citizens, IF ameriKKKa survives, generations down the road apologizing still for the hate done today in the name of white purity and so-called supremacy in race matters. So you're right, the apologies made today ring hollow since the same hate is still present maybe even in some of the Taney family members.

[WhoWoodaKnew]

6. Good for him.

[Sunlei]

7. Thank you, Charles Taney. That is the way to Face "terrible injustices".

[Warpy]

12. Exactly. He's probably got a privileged and comfortable life

with old family money in there somewhere. He didn't have to do this.

He did. It might be late, but at least one of that family finally said something.