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of law itself. Had they prevailed, our constitutional rights
would have been protected only when they were popularly agreed
to, or when a person who supports them was elected President of
the United States.

For the past and present Administration, the Constitution
is a document of infinite elasticity, to be tailored and snipped
to fit the passions of the moment.

The record is appalling.

The Reagan/Bush years saw attempts to give tax breaks to
segregated schools; opposition to renewal of the Voting Rights
Act followed by a cynical claim of credit for its passage; the
trashing of the Civil Rights Commission; the transformation of
the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice into a
society for the protection of white male privilege; the halting
of integration of public schools; strident attacks on that part
of the federal judiciary that still sought to protect minority rights.

The human costs of these actions are beyond measure. When
the government becomes the aggressor against the civil rights of
its people, it becomes the promoter of prejudice and makes common
cause with the stain of white supremacy that has persisted
throughout our History.

Despite this dreary record, there were successes, and the
bipartisan Congressional majority on civil rights remained intact.

A second front against racial justice was opened in the
1980s and has gained strength and power ever since. Led by