Slavery: Bush won't say sorry

News24 (South Africa) ^ | July 2, 2003 | Deon Lamprecht

[fightinJAG]

Slavery: Bush won't say sorry 02/07/2003 23:16 - (SA)

Deon Lamprecht

Washington - President George W Bush will not apologise for America's historical role in the slave trade during his Africa visit, White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer said on Wednesday.

On the first leg of his trip next week Bush will visit Goree Island off the coast of Senegal.

Thousands of West Africans were taken off the island and sold as slaves to the New World, including the United States. His itinerary will include a visit to the island's slave fort.

During a daily White House press briefing Fleischer said Bush's speech in Senegal would not include an apology, although the president did regard the island visit an important opportunity to discuss moral questions such as slavery, freedom and democracy.

Some black civil rights leaders have criticised Bush for taking part in an affirmative action case against Michigan University and said he should apologise for slavery on Goree Island, regarded by some in the US as having a profound symbolic significance.

He will also meet various regional African leaders on the island. The democratisation of Africa and trade agreements will feature high on the agenda, said Fleischer.

In Uganda Bush will promote his $15bn Aids plan for Africa, which he said was modelled on the Ugandan approach - a combination of sexual abstinence and education about the use of condoms.

Bush will be accompanied by his wife Laura, who as a former teacher will address school pupils and promote Aids awareness.

The couple will also visit a "famous game reserve", possibly in South Africa or Botswana.

[fightinJAG]

Good work.

[Howlin]

He did......and I'm still furious about that!!!

[Republican Wildcat]

Are the African nations who set up shop to sell the slaves going to apologize?

[Becki]

I'm sure if he did it would have been in the N.Y. Times.

Good one!!

Then again, it might appear there even though he didn't.

All the news that's fit to invent.

Becki

[Restorer]

But according to this site, the first sovereign state to abolish slavery was the Free and Independent State of Vermont, which occurred when Vermont adopted its Constitution of 1777.

Britain abolished slavery in Britain in 1772 with the famous Mansfield (?) decision. Thereafter, any slave who touched the soil of the UK became a free man.

[TigersEye]

Maybe Bush should offer they can have either an apology or $$$. They would shut up in a hurry.

Maybe Pres. Bush could get Bubba to sign a videotape of his apology and give it to them.
Put it in a nice little presentation case...

[Go Gordon]

When it comes to drugs the sellers of drugs are considered far worse than the users of drugs. The same can be said about slavery. But that would mean Africans would have to apologize the their ancestors for creating the slave business.

[Interesting Times]

Bush owned slaves?

Who knew?

[ErnBatavia]

America didn't have a role in the slave trade. Of course, you'll never convince the Europeans of that.

They have CNN over there, eh?

[PistolPaknMama]

I never knew Mr. Bush was responsible for slavery. The things you can learn on the internet! /sarcarsm

[Hildy]

In order to have a buyer...you must have a seller...case closed.

[Go Gordon]

Abstinence requires more than education

Or we can send Jocelyn Elders over there...

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Any balls? Why should he apologize? It doesn't take any balls for this?

[Sofa King]

"Are Jesse and Al going to apologize for the massive amounts of assistance African chieftains provided in the slave trade and the profits they made from it?"

For all of their pretensions, liberals would prefer to stick with the more simplistic worldview of America=bad. They claim to be above seeing things in simplistic, black-and-white terms, but I've yet to see any actual evidence of this. 'whites enslaved blacks' is good enough for them.

Revisionist historians are working hard to re-write history so that America was the lone perpetrator of evils in the world. You know of all that stuff you were taught in school about how peaceful the native Americans were and about how they had no concept of property? It's a load of crap. All of the things I've learned from actual history contradict this. They were fighting each other for land long before Europeans showed up. They weren't exactly the angels that we're lead to believe they were. The truth, of course, doesn't make for as good a sob story, so history is being changed.

[PatrioticAmerican]

Clinton already apologized.

[FourPeas]

President George W Bush will not apologise for America's historical role in the slave trade during his Africa visit, White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer said on Wednesday.

And?

[PistolPaknMama]

this would have been a BIG BLACK MARK on Bush for me.

Bigger than Bush's support of the assault weapons ban and his praise for the S.Ct. affirmative action ruling?

[PatrioticAmerican]

BTW, when are the nations of Africa going to apologize for THEIR role in the slave trade? They did enslave each other's tribes by force.

Also, aren't they killing each other as we speak?

[Howlin]

Sorry, no taking the bait. This thread is about slavery.

[TigersEye]

Bush owned slaves? Who knew?

Harry Belafonte.