The Missoulian: on Civil Rights

John Edward Walsh: Voted against NAACP staffer's appointment to Dept.of Justice

Debo P. Adegbile's office, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, represented Mumia Abu-Jamal, a black Philadelphia journalist accused of murdering a police officer. They proved that Abu-Jamal's death sentence violated the United States Constitution. They saved his life as his sentence was reduced to life without possibility of parole.

For his work, which was in the tradition of John Adams, the U.S. Senate denied Adegbile's appointment to be head of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. He lost by three votes. Sen. John Walsh cast one of those votes.

If courage is to be the centerpiece of Walsh's campaign, then he should demonstrate it on the floor of the Senate.

Steve Bullock: Address persistent wage gap between men and women

With the economy a focal point of the governor's race, Bullock is attempting to position himself as an advocate of the working class. Bullock wants to see wages rise--particularly among women who aren't being paid fairly. He said Montana women make about 67 cents for every dollar made by men. And he noted the slow pace in which women are catching up to men in salaries. "At this rate, the gap won't close until the year 2080. That's unacceptable," he told the group. "I'd match our Montana work ethic up against any other state in the nation, and 39th in the country in pay equity is flat out not OK."

Steve Bullock: We celebrate progress, but fight for equal rights continues