[Colonel]

For those that don't know him, Andrew Young was the US Ambassador to the UN under Pres. Carter. He was a guy that walked side-by-side with Martin Luther King. I think he was a GA congressman. He was also Mayor of Atlanta. He has years of service to the country and in fighting for civil rights all around the world.

When I heard about his "racist remarks" I expected something worse. The NAACP, Jesse Jackson, and many other leaders in the black community have been complaining about Koreans, etc. owning all of the stores in prominently black neighbrhoods. The complaint is always that these small stores are high priced, and that the profits leave the community. All Andrew Young did was voice the feelings of the whole black community. Smart? No. Dumb? Yes. A guy in his position should know better. But the issue is a real concern in these neighborhoods. I don't know if it is a legitimate concern but it is definitely a concern. I don't think the guy should be crucified for the statement as it appears in this article.

I, however, disagree with him that running "Mom and Pops" out of business is a good thing. Small business is the backbone of this country.



[quote:5ed59]
Young quits Wal-Mart group after remarks

By MARILYN GEEWAX
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/18/06

Washington — Andrew Young, the former United Nations ambassador and mayor of Atlanta, said Thursday he has resigned as head of Working Families for Wal-Mart, a Washington-based group that supports the retail giant.

His resignation followed the publication of comments he made to a reporter about Jewish-, Asian- and Arab-owned businesses.

"I recently made some comments about former store owners in my neighborhood that were completely and utterly inappropriate. Those comments run contrary to everything I have dedicated my life to," Young said in a statement.

"I apologize for those comments. I retract those comments. And I ask for the forgiveness of those I have offended."

Young said his comments "run contrary to everything that Wal-Mart is and means to communities."

In an interview published in Thursday's Los Angeles Sentinel, Young was asked to comment on whether he is concerned that Wal-Mart causes mom-and-pop stores to close.

"Well, I think they should; they ran the 'mom and pop' stores out of my neighborhood," the Sentinel, a newspaper serving the African-American community, reported. "But you see, those are the people who have been overcharging us — selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables. And they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs; very few black people own these stores."[/quote:5ed59]