Legal Commentary

Missouri: Who?s ?Deceptive,? Who?s Uninformed?

Missouri opponents of colorblind equality are hauling out the same arguments that have been tried, and that failed, in California, Washington, and Michigan.

The latest example is the charge by a group opposing the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative that supporters of the initiative are ?deceptive? for describing a proposal that would ban preferential treatment based on race, etc., as a civil rights measure.

?This isn?t about civil rights. It?s about banning affirmative action,? claimed the director of the opposition group. Affirmative action remains necessary, he said, because ?we don?t, as a society, have a level playing field yet.?

Because we don?t yet have ?a level playing field,? opponents of colorblind equality believe, we must continue to keep the playing field slanted by preferring some over others based on their race, ethnicity, or sex. And we must continue doing that until such continuing discrimination results in an absence of discrimination.

Fat chance.

Full post as published by Discriminations on March 03, 2008 (boomark / email).