Racism is now shown to two sided. I think he should be fired.

The intent of this blog is to show you that there is such a thing as healthy debate, different belief with friends of different color. Below are several emails on one topic that have been combined in this blog. I believe in a healthy dialog, and the sharing of ideas and backgrounds. This has not been edited, and should be viewed in an open-mind.

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Subject: Racism is now shown to two sided. I think he should be fired.

ALBANY -- Gov. Paterson, who raised state taxes by $8 billion last month, just cost state taxpayers $300,000 more.
The state has secretly settled an embarrassing federal racial-discrimination lawsuit, The Post has learned. The suit accused Paterson, back when he was Senate minority leader in 2003, of firing a white Senate photographer in order to replace him with an African-American.
The lawsuit had been scheduled to go to trial in federal court Monday in Syracuse, with Paterson, the state's first black governor, as a key witness. The case was settled earlier in the week, although a few glitches delayed the final deal until yesterday, legislative sources said.
The settlement ends a civil-rights action first filed in 2005 by Joseph Maioriello, 56, of Schenectady, a 26-year Senate employee who originally sought $1.5 million.
He was fired from his $34,000-a-year job as a photographer two years earlier and replaced by a black employee, El-Wise Noisette. The shakeup happened after Paterson ousted then-Sen. Martin Connor (D-Brooklyn) as the minority leader.
Connor was expected to testify that Maioriello was a good photographer.
While neither Paterson nor the state admitted that Maioriello was a victim of racial discrimination, the size of the settlement means "that the state wouldn't have made out very well if it had gone to trial," said a source close to the lawsuit.
"If nothing wrong happened, why is the state paying out this kind of money?" the source asked.
Maioriello's lawyer, Anne-Jo Pennock McTague of Albany, told The Post that her client was "satisfied with the amount and the fact of a settlement."
Paterson was expected to be one of Maioriello's star witnesses in federal court if the case had gone to trial, a lawyer close to the case said.
The settlement was initially delayed when Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens), Paterson's successor and a fellow African-American, refused to give his approval.
Smith had veto power over the settlement since the suit was filed against the Senate. He was in the awkward position of either authorizing a large payment for alleged reverse discrimination or holding out for a trial, which would have forced Paterson to testify under oath.
Austin Shafran, a spokesman for Smith, said he delayed the final settlement to determine if the cost "was acceptable."
Smith was represented by lawyers from the office of state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, which had no comment.
In the lawsuit, Maioriello claimed he was told by John McPadden, then Paterson's chief of staff, that he was being fired because a number of minority senators wanted to replace him with "a minority photographer, a black photographer."
He said he was also told, "You got to remember who Sen. Paterson is. Sen. Paterson is black."
Paterson, who is legally blind, claimed in a sworn deposition that he didn't see well enough to have fired Maioriello because of his race.
A spokesman for Paterson later said the comment was "a quip, a joke."
Paterson and McPadden denied the race-bias claim


On Fri, May 1, 2009 , Big Ron wrote:

Give me a break! I can conveniently show thousands of direct charges of racism over the course of time (years, months, and even hours) against minorities or specifically Blacks. There is certainly racism that affects others outside of the minority base. However, we can't begin to compare the two on face value. If one looks at this as being wrong, and following this up as a racist’s gesture, I can then wrap my head around that. But to imply that this is a prelude to where our country is going is appalling. It's interesting to me that these types of leaks or cover-ups even get out. I can only imaging the amount of cover-ups and leaks that don't get out on a daily bases as it relates to racism.

Below is an interesting and telling statistic. I say this because this country (I know many) is made up of outstanding, intelligent, and brilliant Black Americans. Now, please don't compare your implied subject heading to this, and don't tell me that minorities aren’t trying to make an impact by running for office on a local level. FYI...I am not implying or stating that this is racism. However, there is a long history of an embedded thought process that has been ingrained in this country. Granted, we have a Black president, but come-on; let's not start to think racism is over.

Of the 1,864 people who have served in the Senate since 1789, 15 have been minorities: four blacks (two elected), three Hispanics, four Asian-Americans, three Native Americans and one Native Hawaiian. More than 2,200 people have served as governors. Nine have been minorities: four Hispanics, three Asian-Americans, one black and one Native Hawaiian.

A big boost in those figures is unlikely this year. There are 34 Senate seats and 36 governor's offices on the ballot; about 20 minority politicians are running or considering it. A few are given a fair chance of winning their primary and general elections, but none is an outright favorite.

Politicians of all races and ethnicities are troubled by the underrepresentation of minorities in top elective offices. They believe it has a subtle but unmistakable impact on the way the nation is governed.

On Fri, May 1, 2009, Buddy SR wrote:

Big Ron, please do not try to compare 1789 with the racism of today. The education on what racism is more defined today than ever before. Just admit racism, sexism plays both ways and in today's society and no one should play the victim card.

On Fri, May 1, 2009 , Big Ron wrote

Agreed! But I disagree when trying to imply that there is an even playing field in most cases today. Yes, we understand it more, and yes it has the means of having more exposure that that of 1789 (I see you were fixated on the date as oppose to the length of time). However, it is still prevalent is today's society, like it or not. I think it is interesting on how our younger generation (outside of most Black Americans) use the words "Race Card", and yet I'm torn on "why" some Black Americans would even use it as an excuse. I certainly understand 'why" those words are used. Heck, I even use it as you do when addressing some people sometimes. But come on! Just because there is a President of Color doesn't mean that this thing called racism is gone. By the way, I don't think that you are directly saying that racism is gone, I here you saying that it is evenly distributed, and this is where I disagree.

Hey it’s just funny how:
Every 15 or so years America elects minority to the Senate.

Every 24 years or so we elect (1 by default) 1 minority to Governorship

Every 200 years we get 1 President.

The Change is certainly moving at a record pace, this is especially true since we now have a President.
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BigRon