Racism: Safety Net for Black People?

True racism does exist in this country and I believe it always will due to the fact that there are always going to be bigots and other associated idiots in the human race.  Racism has caused untold suffering for millions of people in this country and around the world.  

The race card is tossed around too casually these days though and I believe it's used by some blacks as an excuse for failure.  Let's face it:  if a white person fails academically or professionally, he has no one to blame but himself.  However, if a black person fails, he can blame it on this being a racist country.  It's kind of a safety net to avoid taking personal responsibility for trying and failing, or worse, not trying at all.  

So now we have Obama's defenders throwing down the race card.  Tavis Smiley declares that the election of 2012 is going to be the most racist in our history.  Whoopie Goldberg says the "birther" controversy is due to racism.  Joy Behar gets in a snit at the first whiff of criticism of Obama and attributes it to the color of his skin.  This casual use of such a loaded word minimizes the suffering of those who have experienced real racism in their lives.  

Throwing this charge out there at the first sign of disagreement or criticism of Obama serves two purposes:  first, it distracts, and in some cases intimidates, people and derails a rational discussion of his policies and second, it allows the president's supporters to maintain their blind allegiance to him.  

It must be very painful to realize that the man on whom you pinned such high hopes, our first black president, is totally incompetent at governance and good only at campaigning.  It's much easier and less painful to simply accuse those who question or oppose him of racism.  

One Long Lecture

Is it just me, or does the Obama presidency seem like one long, tiresome lecture?  He's telling the GOP that getting their way "is not how it works".  Well, I clearly remember BO telling Republicans "I won" and "elections have consequences".  


What a dung heap this administration has become!  Obama didn't mind ramming his way or the highway down the Republicans' throats before the election of 2010.  He's telling Congress that they must reach a compromise (i.e., Republicans must cave) so we can avoid a government shutdown.  We wouldn't be in this mess if the Congressional Democrats had done their job and passed a budget for 2011. I hope Republicans hang tough; if they give an inch, Obama will take a mile.  


Meanwhile, the Dems trot out their shopworn scare tactics:  Republicans are out to starve old people and children and deny seniors needed medical care, and on and on ad nauseam.  These served the Dems well in the past, but like the boy who cried "wolf", fewer people will be fooled this time around.  

Obama's Campaign

Obama is swinging into campaign mode once again (I would argue that he's never really quit campaigning).  Speculation is that he will spend a record amount of money in his attempt to get re-elected.

I'm wondering if people will fall for his deceptions, as they did in 2008.  There are people in this country who will vote for him no matter what, and I've written them off as hopelessly and willfully ignorant.  I would plead with my fellow citizens:  don't fall for his rhetoric.  His tone may have changed and he may be acting slightly more hawkish, but at heart he's still the same left wing  ideologue that he always has been.  We need to move our country back toward the right if we hope to save it.

Wasting Time

Our President seems hugely challenged by decision-making.  I am completely sick of hearing phrases such as "we're considering a wide range of options", "we're examining all our options", and "we'll make a decision in the near future". Obama's great at discussion, but the time comes when a president has to quit discussing and actually take some action, and Obama consistently falls short in this area.

I believe President Obama wants a world in which all countries are equal and none lead.  He is apparently uncomfortable with the idea of the United States being a world leader and he most certainly is not up to the job of being the "leader of the free world".  I would argue that the world is more chaotic and less safe when the United States fails to lead the way.  Other countries may criticize us, sometimes relentlessly, but when there is imminent danger, they still look to us for leadership and protection.  Somewhere along the line, Obama never got that message.

Courage of Convictions

I've received a number of comments in the last few days from "Anonymous".  I don't have much regard for someone who lacks the courage to identify him- or herself.  My profile is out there for anyone to see, so if you see fit to comment on my postings, please have the courage to put at least a pseudonym on your comments.  I won't try to destroy you or say untrue things about you - I'm not a liberal!

I won't bother to address all of the comments; most of them were the usual criticisms of Republicans, big oil, etc.  If Anonymous offered any alternative solutions, they were few and far between. 

As Obama is fond of saying, let me be clear.  I am in favor of all forms of alternative energy, including nuclear.  The reality, however, is that we need oil and gas right now and the other sources of energy are not available for use today.  Solar and wind energy won't run our cars, planes and other forms of transportation.  There are literally hundreds of different products that are petroleum-based, from plastics to medical products.  Are  you willing to dispense with all of these modern (and sometimes life-saving) products? 

Anonymous accused me of having no imagination and stealing the title of my blog from Jon Stewart.  I don't watch Stewart and so was unaware until this morning that the name of his rally he's sponsoring is "Rally to Restore Sanity".  My blog has been around a lot longer than Jon Stewart's plans for a rally; maybe he was inspired by the title of my blog!

I will freely admit that I listen to Fox News.  I would bet that Anonymous and others who feel Fox News isn't trustworthy have never even watched a Fox newscast.  Don't point to Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity as examples of bias.  They are not newscasters; they're commentators and there's a difference.  They are paid to give their opinions and, yes, Fox does lean to the right, sometimes heavily, in their commentators.  I would challenge you to watch a Fox newscast - that would be Bret Baier and Shepard Smith - and see for yourself that they do indeed just report the news without a slant to influence opinion.  They even report news that isn't favorable to conservatives, whereas CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC et. al often fail to report what doesn't favor Democrats.  There's a reason that Fox News' ratings are so high. 

One other point I'd like to make is that when one makes generalized comments about large groups of people, e.g., Republicans always do this, Democrats always do that, blacks are like this, whites are like that, you're automatically wrong. There is no group on earth that is completely homogeneous, so don't fall into the trap of claiming that we're all alike. 

I don't fancy myself as a political commentator, nor do I have aspirations to such.  I started this blog simply to blow off steam after the election of 2008 - writing makes me feel better.  So, Anonymous, my suggestions are to quit attacking me personally, have the courage to identify yourself, offer some real alternative solutions if you don't like mine, and, oh, one final thing - learn to spell correctly!

The Mean Season

With the election nearing, the political ads and rhetoric are often over the top.  In a recent debate, Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas accused her Republican opponent, John Boozman, of having voted in Congress to allow a father who had raped his daughter to sue the doctor who performed an abortion on the daughter he had raped.  The only problem is that Mr. Boozman had no idea what she was talking about and when challenged, she couldn't back up her ugly accusation. 

The ad by Florida Democratic representative Alan Grayson is one of the most shameful, despicable things I've ever seen a politician do.  This is the ad that takes a quotation from his opponent, Daniel Webster, completely out of context, which makes it seem totally different from the original quotation in its entirety. He then compares Mr. Webster to the  Taliban!  No, nothing over the top about that.  Mr. Grayson should be ashamed, but he seems to have no sense of shame at all and I can't imagine why anyone would consider voting for someone so devoid of character. 

The Democrats can't really run on their legislative "accomplishments".  They managed to pass a lot of new laws, but the only problem is that the majority of Americans didn't want those laws.  They now can do nothing but resort to name-calling and outright lies to divert attention from the damage they're doing to the economy and the country as a whole. 

Don't Do the Democrats' Job for Them!

I've never been a fan of Karl Rove, but he's really showing his petty side right now in his harsh words about Christine O'Donnell.  What I'd like to hear is something along the lines of  "Well, she's not my first choice for a Republican candidate, but she won the primary and of course I'll fully support her."  


Instead, what we're hearing from Rove and other members of the Republican establishment is what I'd expect from a Democrat:  pointing out O'Donnell's baggage, questioning her ethics and, most egregiously, self-defeating talk about how Republicans have no chance of winning that seat now.   What's up?  Are the Republican leaders simply misunderstanding the public mood or do they fear losing their own power? 


The people of Delaware spoke, Mr. Rove.  Republicans would do well to heed their message.  I believe voters are sick and tired of wishy-washy Republican candidates who might as well be Democrats when you look at their voting record.  What choice did the voters of Delaware have?  Mike Castle voted for cap and tax, for heaven's sake!  How does it help us stop the Obama agenda if we elect Republicans who don't have the courage to stand up and try to save the country from this left-wing lunacy? 


As a Texan, it's anathema to me to wave the white flag without a fight.  We may indeed lose the Delaware seat to a Democrat, but let's make sure we don't hand it to them on a silver platter.  If the National Republican Senatorial Committee won't allocate funds to help O'Donnell, then we, the people, should send her campaign whatever we can afford.  Fight with all you have - the stakes are too high to declare defeat before the fight has even begun!