Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 11:11:15 -0400 (EDT)
From: CAPT Joseph Gamboa <gamboa@nadn.navy.mil>
X-Sender: gamboa@arctic
To: "Gerald L. Atkinson" <atkinson@newtotalitarians.com>
Subject: Re: Affirmative Action at the U.S. Naval Academy
Mime-Version: 1.0

Mr. Atkinson,

This is one Naval Academy alumnus who believes this country is far better morally than it ever was.

I was abroad in Europe as a midshipman in the early 60s and I met many Europeans who asked me why a country like America that was looked up to by the world for its principles acted in such immoral ways when it came to racial issues. Why, they asked, were an average of about 50 black people lynched every year by whites? My only defense was that these terrible acts were not sanctioned by the laws of our country and that they were committed by outlaws. Not a very strong defense of our actual practice as a people.

Also, I can name you a distinguished graduate who, as a midshipman attended a meeting with our revered ADM Arleigh Burke at which he spoke about 'niggers' in our country and Navy.

In this one area alone, our country and our Navy have come a very long way.

I for one have no desire to return to 'the good old days' of our nation when we were a 'truly moral' country, one in which
a founding father could father a son (one of many by the same slave) who was only 1/16 African and have him stand and wait on this distinguished former president at table and never be acknowledged as his son and heir.

What hypocrisy. I want none of it.

I don't know why I bother to write about even this one area.
I know my words will fall on deaf ears.

Joseph Gamboa



Note:
       For a response to CAPT Gamboa's unattributed slur of ADM Burke, a universally admired and respected  WWII hero, click on RADM Mark Hill's comments



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