Affirmative Action (Chris)

Affirmative Action in America
Affirmative action from the beginning has had two purposes: 1) to increase diversity in society and 2) to redress disadvantages for minorities from previous discrimination. To this day affirmative action has been an extremely controversial issue.
Supporters argue that it promotes diversity and that it offers opportunity to those who were previously shunned due to both institutionalized and unconscious discrimination. They believe that those receiving the benefits from affirmative action programs have withstood and still withstand prejudice and therefore this results in institutionalized limitations.
Opponents claim that affirmative action is an insult to our system. They suggest that it offers breaks to minorities and that it chooses people based on their social group, ethnicity, race, gender, or sexual orientation, but not on specific qualifications. They further argue that this devalues the workplace, because it means that the “best” is not being represented. They also believe that the “wrongs,” various programs attempt to right, are merely made worse, because they see affirmative action as another form of discrimination. They note the achievements of minorities and believe that said achievements are diluted when minority groups identity themselves as “disadvantaged,” even sometimes when they’re not.
There have been many Supreme Court cases addressing the issue of affirmative action in the United States over the years. Most notably in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, in which the court ruled that affirmative action was constitutional, but having a specific quota for race was unconstitutional. In other words, an institution cannot choose a candidate based solely on their race, there must be other factors included.

U.S Not Going To Race Conference

YAHOO! - GENEVA – The United Nations opens its first global racism conference in eight years on Monday with the U.S. and at least six other countries boycotting the event out of concern that Islamic countries will demand that it denounce Israel and ban criticism of Islam.

The administration of President Barack Obama, America's first black head of state, announced Saturday that it would boycott "with regret" the weeklong meeting in Geneva, which already is experiencing much of the bickering and political infighting that marred the 2001 conference in Durban, South Africa.

The Netherlands and Germany announced their boycotts Sunday, while Australia, Canada, Israel and Italy already had said they would not attend.

"I would love to be involved in a useful conference that addressed continuing issues of racism and discrimination around the globe," Obama said in Trinidad on Sunday after attending the Summit of the Americas.

My boy Benedict knows what's up though:

At the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI said the conference is needed to eliminate racial intolerance around the world. Asia News, a Catholic news agency that is part of the missionary arm of the Vatican, said of the pope's comment: "The Holy See is distancing itself from the criticisms of some Western countries."