The fact of the matter is that silence means consent. And when you are silent about the inflammatory remarks that Geraldine Ferarro made, then you give your consent for racism. It doesn't matter if you marched in the struggles of the 1960's. If you did, that only makes the matter worse because you have betrayed everything you ever stood for by implying that racism is a matter for debate.
This is not a partisan political issue. I was pissed off at Obama for allowing Donnie McClurkin to represent his campaign several months ago. This is part of the reason why I supported Edwards over Obama; however, I forgave him when he gave this speech:
But I understand if someone else might not. Forgiveness is a process that sometimes takes a long time.
Our goal, as a party, is to move towards universal human brotherhood where all people are truly equal and nobody has to worry about where their next meal or their next paycheck will come from. The ethic of zero tolerance is a necessary component of this goal because as long as there is racism, hate, or other forms of bigotry, there will still be massive poverty all over the world.
That means that there should be no place in this party whatsoever for people who would divide us because we are White, Black, Hispanic, gay, transgendered, or any other thing. If people want to be like that, then there is a place for them -- it is called the Republican Party.
And what is more, when we encounter these forms of bigotry, then we have every right to be angry or upset. If humanity is the measure of all things, then we have every right to demand that others treat us like an adult who can make our own decisions and live our own lives. And we have the obligation to treat others like people as well.
People who lecture us about not being so angry or divisive are being like many well-meaning people in the 1960's. They would say that they didn't have anything against Blacks and that they did not like the segregationism that was going on in the South, but they wished all the Blacks would not be so uppity and divisive. They wonder why we simply don't live at peace with everyone.
But this is a false peace that does nothing to advance progressive causes or end the scourge of bigotry in this country. People who act like that are like the false prophets of Jeremiah's time who kept saying that there would be peace and prosperity in the land of Israel even as Nebuchadnezzar was about to overrun the city of Jerusalem. We are talking about a struggle that already exists, and as long as there is no equality in this land, there will be struggle.
The reason that Geraldine Ferarro's comments were so racist was because she was belittling Obama's accomplishments. It was as though he was not really competent, but that the only reason that he was where he was is because he was Black. It is also a Republican talking point because Rush Limbaugh makes the same kinds of inflammatory remarks about reverse sexism or racism on a regular basis. Let me put it this way -- if you are a woman running for office and winning, is it OK for me to tell you that you are simply winning because you are a woman?
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