We Are All Racists

I doubt if you will agree with me but I think every single person is racist to some degree. I would even go so far as to say that I would be offended by someone who isn’t a bit racist. The President’s choice for Supreme Court Justice, Sotomayer, has the country talking about racism and it is a discussion that needs to be had. But people need to be realistic when talking about racism and realize that it is embedded in each of us.

What is racism? Webster’s on-line definition is: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. OK, based on that definition I will repeat myself and say that I believe every one of us are racists. And we should be.

It begins in childhood with children’s attitudes about their families. I am sure that somewhere right now there is a little kid arguing with a playmate and as the argument becomes more heated one of them will say the classic line – “My Daddy can beat up your Daddy”. Oh the way it is said may have changed and families may be a lot more dysfunctional than when I was a child but I bet that the attitude that a child’s father and family is better than someone else’s is still alive. And it should be, for what parent wouldn’t want their child to love them and be proud of their family?

As a child grows up and begins to leave his front yard then the circle widens from just his family to the block he lives on and then to his community, town and even state. From “My Daddy can beat your Daddy” we change it to “My town’s team can beat your team”. (Go Magic!) But what does this have to do with racism?

Since the 1960’s government has tried to put an end to segregation and to have our nation racially integrated. But it hasn’t worked. The truth is that people feel more comfortable when they are with other people that share their same traits; racially, financially and idealistically. That is why people voluntarily segregate themselves into distinct sections of a town or state. Are these people racists? Maybe, but they simply prefer to be with other people of similar backgrounds.

Now if a child lives in a segregated community are they being racists if they say that their Dad can beat someone else’s father who just happens to be of a different race? No. Nor is the sport buff who states that their community’s team can beat another community’s team (of a different race). Again, no. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your family, community, city or country. It would be silly to say that a patriot, who flies an American flag, and believes that their country is better than China is a racist. They don’t dislike the Chinese as a race, they just believe their country is superior to China.

So this brings me to the statement made by Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayer “"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." I admit that at first I was offended by this statement. I also agreed with the Republicans who are arguing that if a white man said he was better than a Latina woman he would be automatically disqualified. But then I had a second and third thought on all of this.

I soon realized that Sotomayer’s statement is nothing more than an expansion of the old “My Daddy is better than your Daddy”. Perhaps not the wisest thing to say but she is simply expressing her pride of her family and community. Is she a racist? Yes, just as each and every one of us who is proud of our family, town and accomplishments is also a racist if we happen to live in a segregated community. And it is that pride of a family or community that inspires and encourages people to grow and achieve more. And Sotomayer has done just that.

So yes, Sotomayer is a racist in the same sense that all of us are racists. Her unfortunate quote should not disqualify her. Republicans need to forget what she said and concentrate on what she has done and how she has ruled in the past. Is she truly determining her rulings based on the law and not on race or gender? Because if she has a pattern of making judicial decisions based on race then her nomination for Supreme Court Justice should be blocked.

When Fiction Become Fact

When I was in college I discovered the books written by Allen Drury. Many may have heard of his Pulitzer Prize winning 1950’s novel Advise and Consent. However, most do not realize that this novel was just the start of a series of books regarding Washington politics*. I loved those books for they opened my eyes to so many issues and were one of the reasons I became a Republican.

Much of this Drury series were leading up to a major presidential election. The series then ended in a very unique way. There were two “final” books; one in which the very naïve and idealistic liberal candidate becomes President and in the alternate ending the staunch Conservative became president. Each book then reflected how the winning President dealt with the Communist threats facing America during the 60’s and 70’s.

The ending with the naive President was a warning to the liberals who believed that the Communist regime was really not as bad as Conservatives make them out to be. Even after enemy aggression, this liberal President still counseled talk and not war. In their naivety, the liberals also believed that the UN would step in and do the honorable thing of helping us. Instead the UN members gloated at what they perceived to be US weakness and condemned us. I also liked Drury’s treatment of the media. Drury portrayed the press as being the first to write glowing stories about the liberal President while ignoring his weaknesses. But after the Communists took over the first freedoms to be revoked were our Freedom of Speech and the Freedom of the Press. By the time the journalists realized they had been wrong it was far too late.

The parallel last book showed the Conservative candidate becoming President. In this book, the Conservative President was demonized by the media as he continued to take a strong stance against our enemies. I loved the part where the US had met with the Soviet Union to try to reach a détente. If my memory serves me correctly, earlier in the series, the Russian Premier started to rant and rave and blame America for all the ills in the world. Instead of listening to him or even try to reason with him, the Republican President simply walked out of the room and to Air Force One and flew home. Yes!

I hadn’t thought of these books in years until I read a number of recent headlines in the Drudge Report; “Iran sends six Warships To International Waters”, “Ahmadinejad rejects Western Nuclear Proposal”, and “N. Korea fires more Rockets, Says USA Hostile”. These actions and threats remind me of what faced the new President in Drury’s book. And I can’t help but wonder if fact is like fiction and that our enemies are now testing our new liberal President.

In the book, the naïve President who’s platform had been peace not war, did nothing when threatened because he was afraid that if he retaliated he might “offend” our enemy and that the confrontation could escalate into war. But by not retaliating, the enemy became bolder and more aggressive while the new President, who was encouraged by the press, continued to back down rather than go to war. In spite of the truth, that the enemy really did want to destroy us, this President continued to think that if he could just sit down and talk they could find an answer. Sound familiar?

Today we, too, have a new liberal President who is adored by the media and far left groups. Like the naive President in the book, Obama also urges peace at all costs and believes the propoganda spread by those who hate this country. For example, Obama didn’t even wait for the enemy to blame us for the problems of the world – he did it himself with all of his sickening apologies! He is also going forward with the naive idea that we can talk to those who truly want to destroy us - such as Hugo Chavez whom he recently shook hands with. And what message is sent by the President of the USA bowing to another leader? How much harm has he already caused by denigrating the position of the greatest leader of the free world?

So how will Obama react to the blatantly aggressive action by Iran and N. Korea? Will he ignore it and let them continue on this aggressive course because he and the media are afraid of war? Will he continue to say that the answer is to sit across the table from them and talk? Or will he stand firm against our enemies? I can only hope that Obama does no lasting harm to my country and that in four years we can have our own alternate ending with a Conservative President.



* These books are no longer in print. However, you should be able to find them in used book stores and they are also available through Amazon.com. The books, in order, are: Advice and Consent, A Shade of Difference, Capable of Honor, Preserve and Protect and then the two final books”: Come Ninevah, Come Tyre and The Promise of Joy.

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend was one of my favorite holidays when I was a child. It kicked off with “The Parade”, which was nothing more than a small home town parade. But when I was little it was a wonderful collection of retired military proudly wearing their uniforms (which may or may not actually fit), high school bands, twirlers, fire trucks and police cars startling the crowds with their loud horns and sirens, every girl scout and boy scout troop in town and of course the entrancing men and women riding their beautiful horses that had been decorated with ribbons and bells for the occasion. Oh how I wanted to be one of those riders…

For years I would stand by the big oak tree with my family watching the parade and waving to my sister playing in the band. Then it was my turn to become a part of it. No, not as one of the people riding horses but instead I was in the parade as a Brownie and then I marched with my Girl Scout troop. How mature I felt when it was now my turn to wave to my parents and little brother who stood by the oak tree.

But the best part happened when the parade ended – it was now officially summertime! And that meant jumping in the pool. Sure it might only be in the 60’s and I might jump in and then immediately jump out again but it was now summer and so I simply had to do this.

There was one more piece of nostalgia that came with the weekend, and that is the barbeque served for dinner on Memorial Day weekend. Dad just had to grill something; hamburgers, hot dogs or even steaks, plus corn on the cob and Mom’s homemade potato salad. The day would end watching the Memorial Day specials on TV with the inspiring music, marches, and fireworks. Yes, Memorial Day weekend with its parades and pools and barbeques was definitely a wonderful childhood experience.

The world has changed a lot since my idealistic childhood. Yet I truly hope that somewhere in the United States there are still towns that honor Memorial Day with parades and speeches. And that there are still children who watch in awe as the parade passes them. Perhaps today there is even a child smiling happily yet shivering after having jumped into a very cold pool to celebrate the start of summer. And I am sure there are kids somewhere who are stuffing themselves with grilled hot dogs and burgers. And you know what? I can’t think of a better tribute on Memorial Day weekend than to see our children having an innocent, joyful and happy childhood thanks to the soldiers who fought and gave their lives to give us our freedom and way of life.

Short Retort

The debate escalated yesterday surrounding the fate of Guantanamo Bay and its terrorist inmates. As the President seems determined to close this facility then let’s close it and move the war criminals stateside. Yes, these inmates will have greater freedoms and more access to both the other inmates and the press, who I am sure, will glamorize these criminals and conveniently forget that the terrorists plotted to destroy our country. On the other hand, I bet that there will be more cases of the terrorists meeting “accidents” and being injured if not killed while in these stateside jails then the likelihood that they will attract other inmates to their twisted views of America.

In the future, knowing that this facility is closed, then our military should first interrogate any terrorists they capture (waterboarding optional) and then be “forced” to kill them as the terrorists “try to escape”. No Gitmo then no future inmates. It’s as simple as that.

Freedom's Continuous Downward Spiral

The Senate passed a bill yesterday, voting 90-5, to regulate Credit Card companies from sudden interest rate hikes or hidden fees. This is one more major mistake by our government and another step toward socialism. Most of you will disagree with me. You will point to the ridiculously high rates charged by Credit Cards, by their unfair tactics of raising rates if you are just one day late in your payment and by charging you fees for things you still don’t understand. And you are right. Some Credit Cards are unethical and will try to fleece you. But whatever happened to buyer beware?

Instead of you being responsible for your decisions, government is making those decisions for you by regulating yet another industry; all in the name of “protecting consumers”. At the same time Congress is dictating what Credit Card companies can do, the President was issuing orders regarding what car companies, those that are still left, can produce in the future. This order seems almost insane as the car industry in America is barely keeping alive manufacturing existing models. But now they are required to make major changes, which will mean massive revamping of designs and manufacturing of the new models, with extremely high costs which could surely swamp the existing American car companies. But again, this change is to protect you, the consumer, from real and imagined green house effects.

Based on the vote, it doesn’t appear that the Senate is concerned about voters disagreeing with the bill to regulate Credit Cards. I can only guess that this is because voters refuse to act responsibly. That’s the problem with real freedom. In a free society you don’t hand over your decision making process to the government; instead you take control over your decisions and ultimately your life. If you are unhappy with the rates charged by your Visa company there are enough competitors that you could find a Credit Card company offering better rates. But that means you need to do a bit of research or make some calls and then take action on your own to move your debt elsewhere. Of course the alternative is to not build up large Credit Card debt but that is probably asking too much of a person today. But people are too lazy or too irresponsible and are happy that Congress is taking care of the problem for them.

In a free capitalistic society, people would take action and leave a specific Credit Card company due to its high rates and fees or others wouldn't buy a specific car model because of its low MPH which would ultimately result in those companies changing its rates and updating its car models. But that isn’t being allowed to happen once government steps in to dictate what those rates and models must be. As soon as government makes those decisions for you then you have given up one more claim to freedom.

What you need to ask yourself today is "what industry will be next?". Now that people have willingly given government the right to take over and/or regulate entire industries, for the supposed sake of protecting the consumer, you know this is just the beginning. And it won't stop with big business. For just as the sun rises each morning, government, in its quest to "take care" of its citizens, will want to expand its control over all aspects of life.

Our freedoms are already under attack. There is free speech which has been severely limited due to political correctness and the ever despised 2nd Amendment which Washington has tried for years to suppress. The government will surely want to "protect" us from hate speech and gun violence so let's further restrict those rights, too. And who knows? Maybe religion is next on the list for doesn't differing religions create stress and violence? Therefore in order to take care of and protect the citizens why not take religion away, too? Imagine, that... So when will you wake up and say "Stop!" And on the day you realize what you have lost, will it be too late to change the bleak world that will be America without the freedoms we are so casually giving away.