The Distraction of Racism

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Shirley Sherrod served her purpose. Her racism has been explained away, and all we have left is a bunch of folks on the Right that got all upset (including myself) over what Sherrod said, and the weak exit, stage left, that (as usual) cleared her of any wrong doing.

The strategy is simple. Accuse the Tea Party, the Republicans, and anyone else that opposes the leftist agenda of racism, the country gets all wound up in it, and then go back to what you were doing as a Democrat as the Right tries to figure out what just happened, and is left holding the bag of racism.

A tactic as old as government, and a trick used everyday by magicians.

Misdirection.

While America was throwing racial accusations around, the federal government took over the financial system in a fascist manner with the financial reform bill.

I have a problem with racism, whatever form it may take. On the same token, I recognize we have differences as people from the point of view of culture, environment, and upbringing. This, however, does not change us from what we are at the base level: Human Beings. . . and Americans.

What angered me about the Shirley Sherrod episode is not the fact that she is, with no doubt in my mind, a raging racist spewing very racist comments. What angered me is that her racism was seen as fine, was dismissed, and even explained away with the excuse that she was simply telling how she was once a racist, but is not nearly as racially motivated as before (she then later indicated she doesn't think Obama understands the struggle, but that is for a different article). Had the shoe been on the other foot, meaning had she been a white with a conservative streak running through her, there would have been no tolerance as was afforded Shirley Sherrod. Shirley Sherrod is given a pass, Senator Byrd's white KKK hood was given a pass, Bill Clinton's comments that ten years ago Obama would have been serving him coffee was given a pass.

And then if a black decides to be a conservative, they are called an "Uncle Tom," as if they are traitors, as if they have traded in their affiliation with their own racial group to be a different race, or something.

How preposterous is that?

We are being split into groups by the Left. According to the liberals we are supposed to think like our group, and have a couple people speak for our groups, otherwise we are not following protocol, or something. Then, once we are in our groups, the Left pits us against each other, lets us fight it out, and then claim they are there to bring peace to the quarreling.

Ahhh, aren't we grateful?

But we are a bunch of Americans, not a bunch of [insert race here]-Americans.

Democrats have kept a majority of blacks in poverty. "The Man", so to speak, has kept the blacks down, or at least that is what many believe. But when the richest and most powerful television talk show host is a black woman (Oprah), and the President of the United States is a black man, who is "The Man?"

Liberals don't think people are capable of thinking or doing for themselves, and if you begin to, they create division by pulling out the race card. Black conservatives know what is going on. They realize that life is not about groups, or the liberal's version of diversity, but about acting as an individual, doing whatever it takes to fulfill your potential. . . because you have the freedom to do so.

Conservatism is about providing opportunity for everyone to achieve prosperity. No people should be excluded from prosperity by being convinced they are failures by the government (poverty level). They have some people convinced that they are unable to succeed, and must instead receive the consolation prize of a lifetime of entitlements from the government - paid for, by the way, by the taxpayers - which are those that are succeeding, that are going for it, that refuse to allow the government to become their slave master.

True freedom is having opportunity to go for it. And if you fail, you pull yourself up and go for it again.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary