Mr Goodby sez:
<It is my opinion (nothing more, nothing less) that guilt is not
hereditary--not "racial" guilt, especially, any more than one should be
imprisoned for the debts of one's grandfather.
[BAD ANALOGY:  should one continue to enjoy the fruits of granddad's
rapes, pillages and other exploitations ? MP ]
 As a "white" person, I am responsible for understanding how the history
of racism has contributed to the society of the present, how I benefit
from it, and how others are correspondingly disadvantaged. I am than
responsible for taking some steps, in my personal life and in my role as a
member of society, to try and improve these historically created
injustices. But my responsibility is limited to what I do in the here and
now--I cannot be presumed guilty based on what (some) white racists did
before I was born.......Mr. Hartley's comments in this regard are right on
target.>

  Mr. Goodby deserves applause for trying to improve "these histrically
created injusticres."

But he can't - with any degree of honesty -  define the limits of his own
responsibility. it's not that the court is still out, it's that there
hasn't been a court set up to define those limits. He (and we)  have only
a limited idea of what damage has been suffered at the hands of racists
and he ( and we) can have no certainty as to the continuing effects

MichaelP