Week
of
1/19/98:		 Larry Young of Baltimore, a powerful State Senator in the Maryland General Assembly, has been expelled from office by the vote of the entire Senate (first in over 200 years). All of the Black Senators voted against expulsion except one. Should the abstaining Black State Senator have voted with the other Black members of the State Senate?



Submit Date: 23 APR 1999
Name: Lanette King
Email: NetteK1@excite.com
Response: It disturbs me very much that an african americam senator can be exspelled for anything. After all that this country has been through with the president and all he received was a slap on the hand. Something is truely wrong with this suppousidly great nation. This is the first of me hearing this incident and I am appaled.


Name: Joey
Email: turtle0001@hotmail.com
Response: The man had a right to vote for what he thought was right, his vote should be regarded by his reasons for that vote, NOT HIS SKIN COLOR!


Name: Jon Rutter
Email:
Response: solomon is right


Name:
Email: pittbul@webtv.net
Response: The "HOLDOUT" Senator should have voted against the ejection, and done more to fight on behalf of Senator Larry Young. For my response to be an intelligent reply, the facts should be revealed......It's been reported that the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics decided that Senator Young had disregarded its Ethical Standards. Thomas V. Miller, the Senate President, was prompted to expel Senator Young from the Senate of Maryland! The Baltimore Sun Newspapers had benn writing articles equivalent to "Character Assassination" about Senator Young. The newspapers were implying the Senator inflluenced the financial improvement--using his legislative prowess--for three Corporations he is affiliated with. Sen. Young held the daily media responsible for Tarnishing Opinions of him. The Senate President informed the media he would work for a Speedy Extraction of Senator Young. Sources say, Sen. Miller inspired the Senate Membership to deprive Young of his Membership. Sen. Young had served in the Legislature for 23 Years. Supporters say Sen. Young is a Victim of a Double Standard existing in the General Assembly!!! Other Legislators were not forcefully Extracted as Senator Young, for the very same infractions! Senator Barbara Hoffman, who Chairs the Budget and KTaxation Committee, Failed to inform the Committee of Her Johns Hopkins University Contract. She conferred with the Ethics Committee and was forgiven. She was not dismissed as Senator Young was.....This is a Classic case of "WHITE INHUMANITY" to African-Americans. The INSANE HATRED that is so Prevalent in WHITES is DEPLORABLE. One might ask, What is the Compelling Force that makes 'THEM' so MANIACAL? I would assume the Inherent Factors to be IGNORANCE, FEAR, AND COWARDICE!!! Their ILLITERATE PARENTS TAUGHT THEM TO HATE AS CHILDREN. So, They grew up DUMB, STUPID, AND FULL OF UNEDUCATED HATE! This scenario plays out everday Across America, in Every Area They Dwell. The Hate Monster Won't Permit THEM to Rest. THEY HATE, AND HATE, AND HATE......


Name: Solomon Landers
Email: Solomon@memrain.org
Response: No, no, no! Pardon me, but I believe the stuff I was taught in school about the courage of one's convictions, standing for what you believe in even if standing alone, and freedom of speech. Call me more American than the Founding Fathers if you wish (that's your right which I will defend to the death). But the idea that all Black folks should think and act alike is ludicrous to me. Unity for wrong does not make it right; only unity for right is worthwhile. If the dissenting State Senator's vote was conscientious, why should it matter that it differed from anyone else's???


Name: michael allmon
Email: mallmon@raider.grcc.cc.mi.us
Response: No! We as blacks are not obligated to vote. This question is incomplete.You don't give a reason why the Senator was expulsed from the Senate. What ever the reason why the Senator was expulsed had to be a darn good one.


Name: DoesThatReallyMatter?
Email: bradfo43@ccvax.mmc.edu
Response: Not if he agreed with the decision to expel the man. Blacks are not obligated to vote all one way just for the sake of saying that we are all unified. Unless his voting with the other Black State Senators would have swayed the decision one way, or the other, which it does not sound like it would have, I think the one for expulsion should have felt free to vote what was in his heart. Now if it came down to that ONE senator saving the expelled guy's job by voting with the rest of the Blacks, he should have done so, unless the expelled senator had REALLY committed some GROSS misconduct which dictated the need for his expulsion anyway.


Name: vanessa james
Email: vjames@worldbank.org
Response: We should ALL know by NOW that persons of color are treated/handled with caution. Persons of color are continuosly under the MICROSCOPE. Society can't wait for persons of color to FAIL . SO JUST DO THE RIGHT THING. Stay F-A-R away from negativity . We SHOULD NOT/CAN NOT commit crimes as we see others doing and not expect to be penalized . Let me give you two names our powerful men of color Mike Espy and Marion Barry . Now, how were these situations handled. IT'S A TWO WAY STREET FOR OUR MEN OF POWER!


Name:
Email: PITTBUL@webtv.net
Response: This is an incomplete question. The reason for his dismissal is absent! If you are asking if all African-Americans should vote the same way regardless of purpose, then, I say no. If, conversely, the reason for dismissal was invalid, the answer is an 'emphatical' YES!! BUT, this is conjecture. We, who answer this question on the basis of what's presented here, do so--'BLINDLY.' We all should be advised about politicians. They have been known to conduct themselves in a manner unbecoming Government Officials! If this be the case--and 'Poor-Larry' was the only one caught--they should all be Stood Against a Wall, and Shot Down Like Dirty Dogs!!! AGAIN--this is Purely Conjecture. Does Larry know the reason why he was expelled??? It would be a Crime to Kick a Man Out and not Tell Him Why....


Name: Monica G. Wood
Email: monicaw@afroam.org
Response: I believe the one Senator thought that not voting would be the safest thing to do. But, she doesn't realize is that the decision to not vote was just another way of voting for the expulsion. If she had chosen to vote against the expulsion it would have helped Senator Young. I believe she took the easy way out. If she didn't believe Senator Young should have kept his seat then she should have been a woman and stood her ground. And, I would have had more respect for her. Now, it seems like she is just trying to save face on both sides and it is not going to work.