Conservative Member of Civil Rights Panel Quits, Says It Should Be Closed
Sunday, March 20, 2005 at 01:32PM
TheSpook
The longest-serving member of the U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights abruptly resigned yesterday, saying that the
agency spends money irresponsibly in pursuit of partisan agendas --
liberal and conservative -- and should be shut down. Russell G.
Redenbaugh, a conservative unaffiliated with either major party, said
he decided to end his 15-year tenure on the commission because his
colleagues have resisted calls for more than a decade to appoint an
independent agent to manage the commission's funds and an independent
auditor to review its operations. The commission has not had a
financial audit in 12 years; board and staff members believe it is
deeply in the red. The commission will likely be forced to reduce staff
and close offices, Redenbaugh said. A House subcommittee is preparing
to review the commission's finances at a hearing Thursday. Redenbaugh's
resignation came only months after the commission moved from a liberal
to a conservative majority, and followed years of conflict under the
leadership of Mary Frances Berry. Berry and liberal co-chairman Cruz
Reynoso were ousted in December by President Bush, who appointed
conservative Republican Gerald A. Reynolds to succeed Berry. The
commission is poised to press what some civil rights advocates, some
academics and the two remaining liberal board members call a Republican
agenda. On Friday, the board is scheduled to consider launching studies
on whether Social Security shortchanges African Americans and whether
minorities and women deserve advantages in the awarding of federal
contracts. Both issues are part of Bush's agenda. [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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