Civil Rights and Dubya

I'm getting political today, so bear with me. I just read this piece by Emil Guillermo from the San Francisco Chronicle and thought it quite telling. It talks about George W. Bush's civil rights record and how the bipartisan committee can kill the report simply with a 4-4 vote. This was my favorite part:

The commission report says the appointments point to the problem with Bush and civil rights: He doesn't know what the term means.
He confuses diversity with civil rights, and they're not the same.
"The president seems to deliberately, and in a highly disciplined manner, alter public discourse by expressing diversity and civil rights as interchangeable concepts," reads the report. "Although a worthwhile goal, diversity does not necessarily translate into support for civil rights. By conflating the terms, the president minimizes the persistence of discrimination and the remaining barriers to equal opportunity, which are at the center of civil rights."
In other words, putting people of color and gender minorities in high places is just a facade, especially if it's not backed up with the political will and federal funds needed to ensure effective civil rights enforcement.

I really get the feeling from the man they call President that if you're not a rich white male in this country these days, you're quite basically screwed. Oh, I should have specified heterosexual as well, shouldn't I? I know some of you will pointing to Colin Powell and Condeleeza Rice as evidence of this not being true, but do you really believe it? Okay, I'll change my statement, if you're not rich in this country these days, you're screwed. The man says one thing, does the complete opposite, but people don't pay attention to that, they just hear what he says.

And I won't get into what he's done to the environment as that really makes my blood boil and it's really too early for that!