Oliver Willis, who blogged next to me at the Democrat Presidential Forum on PBS last Thursday night, gets a lot wrong in two sentences.
As Willis wrote:
"-- Casey Latrigue from CATO, who's right next to me, exemplifies the kind of silly thinking the right supports. Oh, the civil rights act passed we ought to pretend race is solved."
First, here is what Willis gets right:
a) I did sit next to him.
b) The right may enjoy things I say--that's why people use the term "strange bedfellows." That's also why some take the approach that there are no "permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests." I will point out to Willis that many on the right do have a problem with me when the topic is gay marriage, the drug war, or immigration.
What Willis definitely gets wrong:
1) "Latrigue." I won't give him (much) grief about misspelling my name, it is a bit difficult for people who don't hail from Louisiana. Plus, in the rush to blog during events it isn't surprising when people make spelling mistakes. But since he was sitting next to me he could have peeked at the name tag on the table as well as the media credential tag, my name was spelled correctly...
2) "from CATO"
I haven't been on the Cato Institute's payroll since early 2004. I guess I should give Oliver the benefit of the doubt--I suppose that I'll be "from Cato" the rest of my life, if not longer, just as I'm "from Harvard" or "from Fight For Children."
3) "CATO." Willis isn't the first to make that mistake. Many people who have no idea who Cato was (or "is" as some have asked) or base their opinions on second-hand sources often capitalize Cato as an acronym.
4) "Oh, the civil rights act passed we ought to pretend race is solved."
Not sure how one would really go about solving race...
Anyway, I blogged: "News flash, everyone: The Civil Rights Act passed more than 4 decades. It is time to get your own act together." Is there any other civil rights legislation that needs to be passed to help blacks advance? If anyone can show any Constitutional rights that have not been extended to blacks should let me know ASAP, I'd lead the fight to change that...
CJL
