Lonzie Cox, Jr. – 1/20/13

This page was last updated on January 23, 2013.

Different decisions; Lonzie Cox, Jr.; Beaver County Times; January 20, 2013.

Most of Mr. Cox’s at least 83 letters since 2004 are tinged with race, and all take leftist positions. The most recent previous Cox letter I critiqued was “Blacks have long served nation.” You can find more Cox letters in the archives (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004).

When it comes to race issues, Mr. Cox is pretty tolerant if you share his leftist ideology. For example, Mr. Cox had no problem with the late-Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV), a former KKK officer, but referred to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as an “Uncle Tom.”

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“At age 91 and 364 days no one could have been shocked by the recent death of pianist Dave Brubeck. I was a fan of Brubeck since I first heard his ‘Time Out’ album, especially the cut called ‘Take Five.’

“Not only was Brubeck a musician, but he had been a soldier in World War II and was heavily involved in the civil rights issues of his day, refusing to play in segregated venues whether in the U.S. North or South. He also was on record as having turned down huge fees from the Apartheid government of South Africa. His reasoning being that the blacks in that nation were being discriminated against, persecuted and killed for seeking equality.”

[RWC] It appears Mr. Cox “gilded the lily” regarding South Africa. According to The New York Times, Mr. Brubeck “refused to tour in South Africa in 1958 when asked to sign a contract stipulating that his band would be all white.” The group’s “bassist, Gene Wright, was black.” The article made no mention of Mr. Brubeck “as having turned down huge fees from the Apartheid government.” According to Mr. Brubeck’s son, Darius, “The New Brubeck Quartet (Dave, Chris, Dan and I) toured South Africa in 1976.”

“Contrast that with the scheduled Dec. 6, 2012, appearance of Stevie Wonder at a concert to benefit the Israeli Army. Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians is no better than was South Africa’s treatment of its black population during apartheid. Another reason for Stevie to have passed on that benefit program is the billions we already give to Israel each year, which pays for a lot of military hardware. We could use that money right here in Pennsylvania Beaver County and Beaver Falls.”

[RWC] The way this paragraph is written, it’s not clear to me Mr. Cox knows Mr. Wonder succumbed to political pressure and dropped out of the charity concert.

When he wrote the concert was “to benefit the Israeli Army,” I suspect Mr. Cox wanted readers to believe proceeds would buy “a lot of military hardware” for the Israel Defense Forces. According to The New York Times, “The concert … was to raise money for this United States-based charity [Friends of the Israel Defense Forces], whose mission, according to its Web site, is ‘to provide for the well-being of the men and women who serve’ in the Israeli military ‘as well as the families of fallen soldiers.’” It appears the FIDF is like the USO, Wounded Warrior Project, etc. all rolled into one.

While the Israelis aren’t saints, the comparison to South Africa’s former apartheid is ridiculous. If you want to argue whether or not the UN was right in forming Israel, you have a legitimate argument. The fact is, however, Israel has proven during its nearly 65 years of existence it wants to live in freedom and peace and poses no threat to its neighbors unless attacked. Despite this, Israel has been under attack the whole time, from within and without. Israel has tried to live in peace and make itself an economically viable state while Arab Palestinians seem focused on violence and live in poverty as a result. It’s also important to note Palestinians chose a mix of terrorist groups for their leadership.

To date, no amount of Israeli concessions has satisfied Palestinians. You may recall Muslims told Israel all they needed to do for peace was to leave Gaza and southern Lebanon (aka “land for peace”). Israel did both – even forcibly removing Israeli citizens from their homes. Since Israel left Lebanon and Gaza, Israel has been under constant attack. The breakout of warfare in 2006 started when Muslims crossed into Israel from both Gaza and Lebanon to kill and capture Israeli soldiers. What does Mr. Cox want Israel to do? Stand back and do nothing when its citizens are killed and taken hostage?

South Africa was easy to understand; lefties simply pandered to keep U.S. black voters in the Democrat fold. Had black voters been in the Republican camp, lefties couldn’t have identified South Africa on a globe. What I don’t get is why Mr. Cox and most of the left feign concern for so-called Palestinians. After all, I suspect Arab/Muslim Palestinians aren’t a big voting bloc in the U.S. Using presidential elections as a guide, Jewish voters have always gone for the Democrat/leftist candidate(s) since at least 1916. The most a Republican candidate got from Jewish voters was 43% (Harding) in 1920. Even when Nixon (61%) blew out McGovern (38%), Jewish voters went for McGovern (65%) over Nixon (35%). Why, then, does the American left appear to stick a finger in the eyes of Jewish voters? That said, since Jewish voters comprise only about two percent of the electorate, perhaps lefties don’t care about them. That, however, still wouldn’t explain the left’s love affair with people who danced in the streets when they learned of the 9/11/01 attack. Never mind, I figured it out.