Tiring of the racism accusations...

There's an interesting thread at IdahoFallsToday.com about the local opposition to President Obama's schoolroom speech earlier this month. The author of the post asked a genuinely good question about the outrage over what turned out to be a pretty innocuous speech about working hard and staying in school.

The comments by readers, however, immediately accused those of us (I was one) who opposed having the President's speech aired to America's classrooms of being racist. A discussion about race ensued, many of the commenters talking about how we're racist here in Idaho and we don't even know it, because we've had a sheltered life, and we're a bunch of ignorant prejudiced Mormons, blah, blah, blah.

I have no doubt there are some who are indeed racist, and include skin color in their grievances against the President. In all the look-what-Obama-is-doing-to-America discussions I've had with friends -- and I've had many a discussion -- there's never been a mention of his race. For me and those with whom I associate the only reason we're are aware of his dark skin is because the false accusers of racism keep bringing it up.

I do oppose Obama. But it's because he's deceptive, utopian, leftist, and he surrounds himself with scary radicals. His vision and dogged pursuit of that vision fuels plenty of opposition. I'd oppose a scary leftist utopian Swede, and I'm a Swede. The fact he has African blood is irrelevant.

I think what's happening here is that there are a few who cannot fathom why anyone would be against Obama's vision. So grounded in and blinded by a defective ideology, they can't see any reason why anyone would choose a different path.

It used to be that a charge of racism would ruin a person's reputation. Now, I believe that we're more sophisticated on the issue. Since the R-word is thrown out like candy at a parade now, people have become more discerning. We find it just as offensive to give people a pass because of their minority status as we do denying them opportunity for the same reason. In both instances racism breeds division, the former robbing a person the dignity of really earning something, and the latter depriving them of an equal opportunity to succeed on their own.

False accusations of racism are, actually, the real racism. The latest example is Jimmy Carter:



Anyone who exploits race for political advantage ought to be shouted down, opposed, and put in their place. We're all grownups here... let's move beyond race and discuss issues on their substance, without polluting the dialogue by injecting a poisonous and false accusation about somebody's skin color or blood line.