Comment – Opinion. The recent Supreme Court decision that gave remedy to the non-African fire fighters in New Haven has an interesting little back story. What was not widely reported was that one of those fire fighters, Lt. Ben Vargas, who is Hispanic, was assaulted by a black, (read African - American), fire fighter – this according to an article posted on the New York times today: For Hispanic Firefighter in New Haven Bias suit, Awkward Position but Firm Resolve. (New York Times – online, Friday, July 3, 2009.)
Vargus woke up in the hospital as a result of the beating, which happened five years ago, (the result, he claimed, of being set up by black firefighters), when the suit against the City of New Haven was first filed. Lt. Vargas was the victim of discrimination and taunts not only from blacks, (he placed sixth on the exam), but also by his own Hispanic firefighter organization, which he quit after being accused of being a turncoat.
In my opinion what this incident shows is that those who were too dumb to pass the test, proved they were not qualified for any higher position than those they had originally obtained as a result of affirmative action. We see this type of discrimination against people who prove by merit that they deserve promotion against those of lesser intellect and ability who do not deserve promotion. One recent, (and ignored by the main stream media), example overlooked in the news was the move by the Los Angeles Police Department Command Staff, who, ( in April and May of this year), promoted lower scoring African American officers to detective positions over whites and Hispanics who scored much higher, ( their scores reflecting their ability to understand and do the job); in this case mediocrity and lesser ability won the day.
Now that the Supreme Court has in effect put a stop to this pandering to minorities, those candidates for upward mobility in their occupations now stand a chance of being rewarded for their competence instead of being penalized for their skin color. Just my opinion.
Beaudreaux
