The state department of corrections has sent out a "diversity calendar" to employees noting the birthdays of Ho Chi Minh, Karl Marx. V.I. Lenin, and other luminaries in the economic and human rights pantheons.
A state legislator is upset, but a department spokesman says it is supposed to be an "instructional tool" to "provoke thought," for employees who may want to learn more. Maybe the department can send each employee a copy of the "Black Book of Communism."
The Yakima Herald-Republic broke the story Saturday; but the P-I offers a very truncated AP version this morning, which leaves out the following:
Dave Holbrook, 52, a community corrections officer in Vancouver, said when he opened the calendars in his e-mail at work, he was offended. "I'm a Vietnam veteran and to see Ho Chi Minh's birthday there, that just set me off. Then Memorial Day, when we honor my brothers and sisters who died," Holbrook said in a telephone interview....Diversity may be valued at Corrections but objecting to some of the names on the calendars is not, or at least not in Holbrook's case. He responded to the e-mailed calendars by hitting the "reply to all" key that he was offended by them. "In a half hour, a supervisor showed up at my desk and said my e-mail was an inappropriate use of e-mail."
More from Peter Callaghan in today's Tacoma News Tribune. Thank goodness for Google News.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at May 02, 2006 07:12 AM | Email ThisAll please read Rudolph J. Rummel's Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War detailing the cost of such luminaries as Lenin, Mao, and Ho.
Snapshot of the communist body count in the 20th century.
Russia - 61,000,000
Chinese - 35,000,000
Cambodia - 2,000,000
Vietnam - 1,600,000
Yugoslavia - 1,000,000
North Korea - 1,600,000
These are not war deaths, but the systematic killing by a regimes own people, and people under the regimes control.
I think these numbers should be added to the calendar, in dripping red ink.
Rummel estimates around 170 million dead at the hands of there own government.
Communism accounts for 100 million, Fascism 20 million, the Chinese KMT other 10 million. The lesser dictators in the first half of the 20th century accounting for a majority of the balance.
Communism is the most lethal form of government to it's own people.
The State of Washington is celebrating these mass murders in the name of "diversity."
Excuse me while I vomit.
Posted by: JCM on May 2, 2006 07:46 AMOn to the subject at hand … the reluctance to acknowledge Marxism, Leninism etc for what it represents is what illustrates the utter intellectual bankruptcy of the left and the repudiation of a distinction between right and wrong (moral relativism) is what characterizes the moral bankruptcy of the left.
I don’t suffer from that problem and have no hesitation in labeling not only the people who would erect a monument to the architect of one of history’s most prolific engines of human suffering and misery as pure unadulterated human filth, I will go one step further and say that any community that would tolerate the presence of such a monstrosity in their public square are evil incarnate. They wanted to "PROVOKE THOUGHT" ON LENIN, MARX well Lenin and Marx are dead thank God, but their evil philosophy lives on and will continue to prosper so long as it is not relegated to the same corner of history as Nazism which was only responsible for a tiny proportion of the suffering that Communism has been responsible for.
Douglas MacArthur
George Patton
Billy Mitchell
Pope John Paul II
Ronald Reagan
Vaclav Havel
Winston Churchill
Margaret Thatcher
Milton Friedman
Ayn Rand
Betrand Russell
That isn't "diversity," it's homage.
Posted by: Hinton on May 2, 2006 08:44 AMWhat about inappropriate use of MY TAX MONEY for publishing such a calendar? That's what I'm concerned about
These assclowns need to answer for this.
If this is diversity, it can go to hell.
Posted by: thecomputerguy on May 2, 2006 08:46 AMI heard that Tacoma’s Mayor, Billy Bumble was all upset over this story too...He was pi$$ed off because they included Memorial Day with Ho Chi Minh’s birthday!!!
Seattle libs stand four square for gulags, gas chambers and human misery on a colossal scale.
Just knowing that these sicko's worship at the feet of that monstrosity in Fremont should be enough to let every human being, or at least those with depth of intellect greater than a that of a sardine tin, know what exactly what it is they stand for.
Any other great experiences we could list for the DOC folks they could experience in these wonderful paradises we need to get along with?
Remember diversity is code word for hate America, hate whitey, hate Christianity...drive America down and replace it with the loving Arms of the State that surely will slaughter us by the millions in the noble goal of diversifying something they will make up. Luckily I already have tunnel building skills and we can use patriots like Dave for the upcoming fight.
Great Post Matt.
What day is Mugabe's birthday again??.....Darn I missed the February Calendar! Next Year hey DOC send me the Feb ‘07 Calendar will ya???
Next March get Osama on the calendar, now there is diversity of opinion we must get along with…That date is March 10th!
Any other great birthday date suggestions for DOC???
Posted by: Col. Hogan on May 2, 2006 10:26 AMPresumably, opposing and varying viewpoints would be included in the "instruction." I might have a few comments to make (all in the interest of "provoking thought," of course).
Did they include Saddam Hussein and Ysser Arafat? Did they include Fidel Castro?
Steve Beren
These terrible ideas are the underlying philosophy behind all of the world's ills. Everywhere you look and find strife, corruption, abject poverty, genocide, suffering, fanaticism, intolerance, etc. you will find totalitarian and other anti individual forms of government that steam roll over humans and destroy lives in the name of "the greater good."
For all good people with integrity, it is our duty to expose the shameful scum that espouse these ideas, wherever they lurk.
Dave Holbrook is a hero and exactly the kind of great American that scares the heck out of the Camp Wellstone types.
Posted by: Jeff B. on May 2, 2006 10:55 AMYour comments are squarely on point as usual.
You left me with nothing to say.
Thanks anyway.
Posted by: Amused by liberals on May 2, 2006 12:04 PMSplendid!
Posted by: Playin' Possum on May 2, 2006 12:12 PMBut, they say that they love diversity. Screw the DOC. I was more concerned about what my managment would do to me than what the criminals would do to me. How F'ed up is that?
Posted by: Useless on May 2, 2006 12:18 PMWatchman Nee, don't see him referenced too often 20 years in Chinese prisons for preaching the gospel.
His sister in law lived in Seattle the last years her of life, she passed away at 100 6-7 years ago.
Posted by: JCM on May 2, 2006 03:07 PMI have heard similar stories from some of your contemporaries.
If I'm not mistaken, there are some employment discrimination lawsuits and minor abuse, molestation lawsuits,
and criminal charges still pending outcomes respecting the Seattle Community Corrections Dept.
You are better off, but think of the poor people (especially kids) that are being screwed by that system.
Liberalism is a mental disease (see playin' Possum above). He's a happy Punk.
Maybe think of a better moniker.
Thanks for your efforts.
I came up with the useless tag because I was working as a CCO, which was useless. That, and I was playing a lot of Battletech games, and I was REALLY useless...
When I left the department in 99, the Seattle area lost something along the lines of 50% of the staff. I stayed on until the summer of 2000 as a volunteer in the IT department of the DOC, and 6 months after I left, I hardly knew who any of the CCO's were in King co. I had trained a good number of them too from time to time, so I knew just about everyone in King and Snohomish county. Anyway... getting paid 38,000 a year and having to put up with that shit... I do IT now and am much better off. Way better off.
Posted by: Useless on May 2, 2006 05:08 PMRead on.
http://www.komotv.com/stories/43221.htm
Posted by: SP Fan on May 2, 2006 08:17 PMhttp://www.historylink.org/output.cfm?file_id=2016
Posted by: JDH on May 3, 2006 07:36 AMFunny . . . everything you describe . . . sounds like liberals in hog heaven.
No self respecting conservative would ever stick around for that foolishness.
"This is in response to your e-mail regarding the Department of Correction’s diversity calendar. As you probably know, the calendar includes the birthdates of a diverse group of people who have had various impacts on world history. We realize people may have differing reactions to the names included, but that is part of its purpose. The calendar is intended to educate and provoke thought, not celebrate heroes.
"This Department employs many veterans, and we honor and respect them for the sacrifices they have made for our state and country. The Department, through the Workplace Diversity unit and diversity committees throughout the state, has conducted celebrations to honor our veterans. In our Quarterly Diversity Report this month, we are starting a place of honor for those staff and family members of staff who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the Workplace Diversity staff, who is a veteran, also has a son who served in Afghanistan for a year.
"Finally, you should know that the DOC employee who prepared this calendar is a military veteran who served 22 years in the service. I assure you he had no desire to be disrespectful toward other veterans.
"However, to avoid confusion about our purpose in publishing the calendar, we will print a statement on future calendars that says, “This calendar does not represent individuals to honor or celebrate them. They are listed to represent diversity in many ways.” We will also do additional screening of entries on the calendar.
"Thank you for reviewing the calendar and offering suggestions. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify its intent.
"DOC Correspondence Unit"
Posted by: Erik on May 3, 2006 12:37 PMI think they could have saved some electrons if they had just written: "We were wrong. We're sorry, and we'll never do it again".
That's too hard for Dhimmicrats though.....
Posted by: alphabet soup on May 4, 2006 09:12 AMcopy email to Sen Hillary.
Illegal Immigration is just one thing I'm angry about.
We work all our lives and pay up the nose for 3 insurances and they get everything for nothing. I can't get done what I need done without it costing a fortune. My ss is$522 a month plus the almost $100 they take out of me. Would we get the same if we move to Mexico. Why don't they stay home and improve their own country instead of DRAINING US.
Politic so greedy and arrogant
This big privacy thing , everyone in the world has all our info and sells it to everyone else, THAT SHOULD BE against the law.
There has to be a stop to all this spending, companies used to be able to get along fine on their own and still could if they weren't taxed to death.
It's time to keep our money at home.
I'm sick to death of sending all our everything to other countries. And I'm also tired of everything I want to buy is made in China.
Very poor material and quality. Thje companies that send all their work overseas and cutting the throat of the USA are nothing but traiters. Like the oil companies that are ripping us off.. Too mant perks for polititions. No more pork barrel.
Think of us for a change,.Where's all the lottery money that was to be for the schools??? Time to check up.
Posted by: mr on May 8, 2006 07:04 PMfuel cost & imaggration
I just want to say that as longas you have been President I think you have done a good jod and that the Democrats have done nothing but fight you in every way.
now both sides are worring more about reelection than doing there job.as far as immagration we have good laws they just need to be inforsed and if everyone would quit using so much gas the price would come down.
I am sure that anyone that goes to a foriegn country understands that you need to speek that languuage and obey there laws and customs.
I think that every senator and congressman that is up for reelection democat or republican should be voted out and a message sent that if they don't do their job we will vote them out untill you get honest hard working people that will do the right job for the righht reason
Only mexicans so happy in US , no tax, free healtcare,benefits ,stampa food , get liecense driver no insurance , and they can do anything they want.
They always say : US IS CONTINENT NOT COUNTRY "
NO body respect this country even scumbags illegals because most politic is PIMPS!!
WASHINGTON (Oct. 12, 2000) — The report on America's illegal immigration crisis by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), released today on Capitol Hill, highlights the profound unintended consequences of illegal-alien amnesties, just as Congress is considering another such amnesty. The report also makes clear, contrary to the conventional wisdom, that legal and illegal immigration are so intimately connected as to be two sides of the same coin. (Download the report at http://wwwa.house.gov/lamarsmith/INSreport.pdf.)
The report represents a genuine effort by the INS to examine this complex problem. The new estimates are the best to date and provide valuable new information for policymakers and the public. Among the findings, and their implications:
Amnesties clearly do not solve the problem of illegal immigration. About 2.7 million people received lawful permanent residence ("green cards") in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a result of the amnesties contained in the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. But these new INS figures show that by the beginning of 1997 those former illegal aliens had been entirely replaced by new illegal aliens, and that the unauthorized population again stood at more than 5 million, just as before the amnesty.
In fact, the new INS estimates show that the 1986 amnesty almost certainly increased illegal immigration, as the relatives of newly legalized illegals came to the United States to join their family members. The flow of illegals grew dramatically during the years of the amnesty to more than 800,000 a year, before dropping back down to around 500,000 a year.
While it might be supposed that the increase in illegal immigration was caused only by the Special Agricultural Worker (SAW) provisions of the 1986 amnesty, the INS report indicates that this was not the case. Figures in the report itself show that illegal immigration surged more dramatically from countries other than Mexico. Since the vast majority of those amnestied under SAW were from Mexico, the increase should have been mostly Mexican if the SAW provision had been responsible for the surge.
Overall, the estimates show that nearly 500,000 illegal aliens settled here each year in the mid-1990s. This total number of new illegal settlers is offset by about 145,000 illegals who returned home on their own each year, 40,000 deportations, 20,000 deaths, and around 150,000 illegals receiving green cards as part of the normal "legal" immigration process.
The report clearly demonstrates that legal and illegal immigration are intimately linked, and not separate phenomena, as is commonly supposed. Between 1987 and 1996, the report states that 1.3 million green cards were given out to illegal aliens as part of the normal "legal" immigration process (189,000 in 1996 alone) — separate from the 2.7 million illegals who received legal status under the 1986 IRCA amnesty.
The 1.3 million green cards given out to illegals between 1987 and 1996 dwarf immigration enforcement efforts. According to the new estimates, only 335,000 illegals were deported or required to leave the country by the INS during the same period.
"The fact that these new INS figures show that the last amnesty actually attracted more illegal immigration should give serious pause to those now advocating another amnesty," said Steven A. Camarota, Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies. "With the government estimating that nearly half a million illegal aliens settle permanently in the United States each year, the new estimates indicate that we have not yet regained control over our nation's borders."
These numbers suggest that Congress's focus on border enforcement as almost the sole means of controlling illegal immigration is inadequate. Illegal immigration can be controlled only with a strategy that combines border enforcement with efforts to turn off the magnets that attract illegal aliens in the first place — jobs and green cards. Thus, the missing elements of our illegal immigration policy are muscular enforcement of the prohibition on hiring illegal workers and deep, permanent cuts in legal immigration.
Posted by: PLS GO TO..LAWATCHDOG on May 8, 2006 07:27 PM