By Ron

July 6, 2009 10:45 PM | Link to this

Typical liberal condescention and racism towards blacks.

They’re just too dumb to compete on a level playing field, so lets lower the standards. Can’t pass a test? No problem! We” just dumb it down to assuage our liberal white guilt. When is Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Charlie Gibson, and other liberal like minded ilk going to give up their jobs?

By Jim

July 6, 2009 10:29 PM | Link to this

Mr. Blackburn: If appears that all of your columns on the subject of quotas, affirmative action or set asides you are always on the side of a white person being discriminated against. I have a suggestion. Why don’t you give up your position to a minority, who may or may not be qualified.

By Jim

July 6, 2009 10:28 PM | Link to this

Mr. Blackburn: If appears that all of your columns on the subject of quotas, affirmative action or set asides you are always on the side of a white person being discriminated against. I have a suggestion. Why don’t you give up your position to a minority, who may or may not be qualified.

By anonymous

July 6, 2009 8:30 PM | Link to this

Sorry reality. You have to test knowledge, and nobody objected to this particular test either BEFORE or AFTER. (The city refused to have the test certified, which would again have examined — as was done prior — if any possible racial bias was contained in the questioning.)

Just like, No Child Left Behind, which has been determined to lift minority test scores, you have to set the standards and stick to them. Period.

What happened here was racial discrimination, plain and simple. If the black officers in the limited sample size had passed, nobody at all would be remarking on the unfairness of considering a written test in evaluating officer promotions.

Honestly, in a limited sample size, is it possible that the black officers simply were not the best qualified? Or do they automatically get the promotion based on their skin color?

Think hard before you answer. We need to have faith in individuals that they too can achieve, not that they can never meet the set standards so we toss them because minorities can’t compete fairly.

By reality

July 6, 2009 11:16 AM | Link to this

Gee, anonymous, you missed the point. This isn’t about black & white, it’s about our worship of multiple choice testing. I’m one of those who always scores high, but I can think of 3 men right off, who would probably fail any written test, but who have way more common sense and leadership abilities than I do. Did you see the size of the guy who was fire chief on 9-11? And the size of the one standing next to Frank Ricci? Every leader should certainly have to meet some standards for physical preparedness. And why don’t fire & emergency personell have 8 or 12 hour shifts like nurses and other hospital personell? Taking a huge firetruck to the grocery store does not make sense. And firemen & women, sitting around eating with nothing to do, away from their children & spouses, does not seem to advance the “family values” we claim to support. But back to the multiple choice tests. Long ago, I heard that SAT scores do not predict success in college. Lots of “Straight A dummies” miss their comfortable homes, their 8 hours of sleep, and drop out, or just don’t like now having to work hard. Ask Dick Cheney. Lynn found some rich guy to pay for him to go to Yale, and he flunked out! Can’t get into your “dream” college? Wait till the second semester, and there’s plenty of room.

By anonymous

July 6, 2009 5:55 AM | Link to this

Oh Mr Blackburn.

How disappointing. You don’t think blacks are intelligent enough to test on water pressure for fire hoses, procedurers for entering different burning structures?

OK to give them a pass on substantive stuff, because they’re black and can’t read or test well? Cmon, Mr Blackburn.

The white guys were no smarter. They just worked hard, sacrificed, and studied their asses off.

The black guys can rely on color, that’s what you’re saying here really.

“Poor fellas don’t test well. Throw out the test and let’s … role play for advancement!”

Lol. You’re up high now, Tom. Insulated. You got where you got on competition, not promoting mediocrity (if so, where’s the elder black columnist and why are you still here? We want color, not white guys who think they are smart telling us how to evaluate job candidates.)

If I lived in New Haven, I’d take a white guy who studied and passed, over a black guy who for whatever genetic reason, some say, was doomed to fail that test about what happens at a firescene, when the stuff has to be instinctual — studied beforehand.

You slugs who want to discriminate against hard-working whites … I hope you get a lesser qualified first responder but of your particular color choice, to hold your hand while you’re dying.