Posted by
Michael Tetrick on Saturday, February 28, 2009 12:00:00 AM
A Nation of Cowards …
Let’s Talk About Race
The Nation’s chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Eric Holder, says that “we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. If we are to make progress in this area, we must feel comfortable enough with one another, and tolerant enough with each other to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us.” Well let’s talk in honest, brave and real world terms about racial bias of past profiles in courage and cowardice that prevent our citizens from overcoming the important divisions that plague our nation. Mr. Holder says he wants “frank conversations about race,” but it is unclear what he means. He is tragically remiss if he fails to acknowledge the long cowardly history of minorities getting a pass for their racism, while many innocent whites are often unapologetically destroyed with false accusations of bigotry, persecuted for imaginary offenses and exploited by race merchants who eagerly denounce them for personal gain. Leery white folks often speak of race with carefully worded apologies and guilt laden tones to avoid expulsion, revulsion and labels of RACISM! Meanwhile, many black celebrities, politicians and journalists act as though they are the only one’s qualified to address racial matters because after all, their ancestors were victims of slavery nearly 150 years ago. Well beyond this tragic past we’ve had blacks elected, appointed and success attained at every conceivable level of the American dream.
Race baiters preaching black victim-hood, political correctness police and liberal elites stand ready to club and pounce on any white man who dares to comment honestly about their view of race relations in America. Mr. Holder’s comments are more pardonable than former felon Mark Rich, but no less offensive. There are reasons that millions of white Americans distrust Barack Obama, with his “hate whitey” Jeremiah Wright affiliations at the Trinity United Church, just as we would distrust anyone else who hatefully denigrated blacks and disparaged our country. The appointment of Eric Holder and his incendiary comments add to pre election concerns that questionable affiliations really do matter, redistribution of wealth is wrong and our country is under siege by liberal elites who have no understanding of Middle America and the values that made this country great. If Mr. Holder wants frank discussion of racial matters in the future then let’s first define what that mans to have civil rights, those rights which are considered to be unquestionable; deserved by all people under all circumstances, especially without regard to race, creed, color or gender. Are we really a nation of civil rights or has this inalienable right been weapon-ized by the left?
Civil?: (1987) Tawana Brawley falsely accuses six white men (who are assumed guilty) of rape, and Reverend Al Sharpton uses this incidence to achieve national recognition as a Presidential candidate and future spokesman for oppressed blacks throughout the US.
Rights?: (2006) Crystal Mangum falsely accuses three Duke Lacrosse players of rape, who adamantly defend their innocence, but all three are expelled and their coach is fired. One of the accused, David Evans, summed it up this way, "This woman has destroyed everything I worked for in my life. She's put it on hold. She's destroyed two other families and she's brought shame on a great university. And, worst of all she's split apart a community and a nation on facts that just didn't happen and a lie that should have never been told." Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and a compliant media again use this incident to inflict maximum guilt, pain and turmoil over accusations that proved false and racially motivated.
Civil?: (1995) Between multiple DUI’s, $10 million in gambling debts, bar fights and sexual peccadilloes, Charles Barkley proclaims on the air, “That’s why I hate white people,” while furthering his career as a TV sports analyst for the NBA and TNT.
Rights?: (1988) Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder is fired from CBS for expressing views (echoed by many blacks) about the size and athleticism of black athletes that “slave owners would breed a big black man with a big black woman so he could have a big black kid.”
Civil?: (2009) House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina recklessly and wildly accuses GOP governors with fundamental misgivings about Obama’s trillion-dollar stimulus plan of opposing the law because they don’t like black people, without any repercussions, flashback or demands to justify his racially insensitive remarks.
Rights?: (2002) Senator Trent Lott is forced into serial apology mode and early retirement as Senate majority leader for saying during a 100th birthday celebration, “When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years.” Please God, forgive Mr. Lott for complimenting a 100 year old man on his birthday.
Civil?: (2007) Miami Herald journalist Leonard Pitts continues his career, flourishing and unfettered, after telling white people to “cry me a river” for being outraged over media double standards when a young white couple’s murder is widely ignored by the mainstream. Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom, were victims of a brutal crime of carjacking, kidnapping, torture, rape and murder, where cleaning fluid was sprayed into Christian's mouth, suffocated, tortured and stuffed in a trash can. Her partner, Newsom was shot, set afire and dumped by five blacks who are awaiting trial for murder. It is a tragedy that neither legal, law or media forces dedicate enough resources or effort to the minorities who are killed daily in this country, but Mr. Pitt's comments can not be excused. If he were a white man making the same comment about a black couple's murder, he would have been publicly and professionally destroyed. Let's bravely call this disparity of treatment what it really is: racism.
Rights?: (2003) Rush Limbaugh was forced to resign from ESPN and Monday Night Football for opining that Donovan McNabb is "overrated” and “there is a social concern in the NFL and the media, that has been very desirous that a black quarterback can do well."
Civil?: (1988 - 2008) Candidate Barack Obama is hailed as a “post racial candidate” even after attending a black separatist church for over twenty years, where the reverend Jeremiah Wright repeatedly espouses anti-American, hate whitey and inflammatory rhetoric to incite anger among his flock of ~8,000 predominantly black members. In trying to douse the flames of angst, Mr. Obama states, “I can no more disown Reverend Wright than I can my (typically) white grandmother,” who he weeks later disavows (like he did Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and Tony Resco) when the heat gets too hot for political comfort and cover.
Rights?: (2000) Bill Bradley, other Democrats and media elites blast George W. Bush as a racist bigot for making a single campaign speech to conservatives at Bob Jones University. Nothing in GWB’s past, his appointment of Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell or even his handling of Katrina indicate anything beyond a respect and desire to help lift all Americans, but accusations of elitism, guilt and bigotry are much easier made than denied or rejected.
Civil?: (1990 - 2008) When Martin Luther King spoke of being judged on character, he surely meant for this judgment to cut both ways. Why are Marion “Crack” Barry, William “$90K in my freezer” Jefferson, Kwame “Hip-Hop” Kilpatrick and Ray “Bus” Nagin re-elected by black people who’s trust they betrayed? Blacks are 12% of the population, account for 47% of the homicide victims and 52% of the offenses, 35% do not graduate HS, 70% of black kids are born out of wedlock and inner city schools fail to teach, yet the outrage is toward Bill Cosby!
Rights?: (2008) A gushing media, vested in Obama’s victory, ask a politically conflicted nation, “Is America too racist to elect our first African American President,” while looking feverishly for signs of prejudiced whites who would play into their accusations of bigotry. Meanwhile the mainstream media ignores the actual outcome that 45% of whites voted for Obama, or questioned why (race?) an astounding 96% of blacks voted for the black candidate. Also ignored by the media was that most simply voted for the candidate (black or white) that they deemed most qualified to be the next President, irrespective of skin color.
Civil?: (1950’s to Present) In an effort to broaden opportunities for blacks across the nation, we have the NAACP, National Urban League, Rainbow Push Coalition, the United Negro College Fund, Black Entertainment Television, Jet Magazine, Congressional Black Caucus, Black History Month, Miss Black America and the list goes on-and-on. Additionally, we have created a college admissions program that awards points for skin color, a hiring system that insist on ethnicity quotas and discrimination protections that reach far beyond their original intent. A similar Google search for “white organizations” is considered a racist endeavor.
Rights?: (2001-2008) On at least five separate occasions the Bush administration, along with other Republicans, repeatedly warned against the impending mortgage crisis developing as a result of insufficient regulatory oversight of GSE’s at Fannie and Freddie. With the help of ACORN, the Congressional Black Caucus (NBCSL), Maxine Waters, Gregory Meeks, Lacy Clay, Barney Frank, Christopher Dodd and other Democrats the warnings were ignored, accusations of racism made and legal actions threatened to extort banks and force them into making risky loans that ultimately led to our current financial crisis. In a statement issued the day before the administration's oversight proposal was unveiled, the NBCSL stated, "On behalf of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, in accordance with NBCSL's resolution voted and unanimously passed, we ask the United States Congress to leave Fannie Mae intact and not to change its mission, charter or status. ... Today, at a time when the millions of constituents we represent are in need of affordable housing, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are meeting a critical need. We believe that Congress must be careful not to restrict their ability to provide their core mission of affordability." During the oversight hearings, Rep. Lacy Clay played his ace race card by saying, "This hearing is about the political lynching of Franklin Raines." Now our economy hangs by the financial short hairs.
So, Mr. Holder, until you are truly ready to have an honest discussion about race and the challenges we all face in confronting the hateful, disgusting and intolerable nature of discrimination, racial injustice and denied civil rights, I suggest you refrain from name calling and inflammatory rhetoric that truly does divide us. Let’s talk about race, but only when conservatives can speak without liberals, media elites and race baiters using “macaca” and other similar nonsense to club us over the head like baby seals. Most Americans simply want our fellow citizens to live well, but “puffed-up” incendiary claims of cowardice make me wonder how Mr. Holder achieved such high status and power, with such lowly behavior.
Power, like black and white people, can be both good and bad, but depends on application. Merit has nothing to do with skin color; it’s about honor, integrity, tenacity, intelligence, hard work, attitude, ability, performance and other core values we learned as kids. So please consider some audacious advice - work hard, do your job and stop making foolish accusations of cowardice against a nation of people who lost over 625,000 people in a Civil War bravely fighting over racial matters that no longer divide us. As we celebrate the nation’s first black President (socialist, wealth redistributionist, liberal that he is), and as the nation’s first black AG, you should know better than others, Mr. Holder, that we are all American’s, created equal, one nation under God. Surely we can all agree that the days of cowering should finally be over – here in this opportunity filled land of the brave, home of the free and civil liberties for all. Cut the racial twaddle and do your job.
Michael Tetrick
Chicago, IL. 60657