The other day the NAACP declared…oh, who the heck cares.
I must really be desperate to fill up a column if I am going to spend time dealing with such an irrelevant entity. They remind me of the 100 year old relative talking about doing the Charleston and bread being a nickel. Then they get into how the Moon landing was fake. The NAACP needs a cup of warm (make it chocolate so they do not call me racist) milk and a nap. It is past their bedtime.
The NAACP recently declared that tea party attendees were racists. I will get to that, and gloss over it quickly since the charge is baseless.
The organization lost credibility and purpose long before former leader Benjamin Chavis mixed anti-Semitism with financial mismanagement and corruption.
The NAACP declares itself the “oldest civil rights organization” in America. Why does that mean anything?
The Model T Ford is the oldest car, but it long ago ceased being part of our culture.
Mordechai “3 Finger” Brown may have been a great baseball player, but I do not see him pitching any time soon.
The NAACP stopped being relevant ages ago for two reasons.
The first reason is positive. They succeeded in achieving goals that they had every right to pursue and succeed in. The idea that a black man had to drink from a different water fountain than a white man is vile, and a stain on this nation I love. Yet “separate but equal” was struck down in 1954.
Financially, America has a black middle class. We even have black billionaires. There are fewer of them than white billionaires, but there are many more white people in America overall. There is a middle ground between saying everything is now hunky dory and denying that tremendous progress has been made.
Yet the second reason the NAACP is useless is because the group long ago stopped caring about black people in the same way the NOW stopped caring about women. The NAACP is now a politically liberal interest group, and nothing more. Rush Limbaugh refers to them as the NAALCP, with the L standing for liberal. He is right.
95% of black people vote for the Democrats. This is not just bad for Republicans. It is bad for Democrats, and yes, it is also bad for black people.
Black America (and all groups) benefit when politicians fight over them. Nowadays one party ignores blacks and the other party takes them for granted. Even worse, a lack of a vigorous political debate in black America hurts black America.
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois had vigorous debates on how to succeed in America. Dubois wanted to radically storm the gates, while Washington wanted to put his head down, focus on work, and buy a house. Wherever one is on the spectrum, having the debate is a victory in itself.
There is no debate anymore. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are considered “leaders.” What have they ever accomplished?
Young people today hear nothing but victimhood and blame. They do not hear enough from opposing views.The other side of the debate is nonexistent. If I were black, I would take pride that some of the greatest thinkers in this country are black, and in plenty of cases are far brighter than their white counterparts.
On economics, two of the very best are Dr. Thomas Sowell and Dr. Walter Williams.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should be a beacon for every black youth in America.
Michael Steele leads an entire major political party.
Dr. Condoleeza Rice is a very respected foreign policy mind.
The left will say that these people are not “authentically” black. Yet if a black man has to be liberal, isn’t that intellectual slavery? How can people who were once banned from reading and writing and getting an education truly be free when they are forced to think a certain way and only that way or face ostracism?
This is not to say that black people should all become conservatives. They should simply have that as an option, without being abused.
The blogosphere has even shown that black Republicans and conservatives are not monolithic. The National Black Republican Association tends to be very conservative, including on social issues. Hip Hop Republican, despite the potentially misleading name, deals with urban issues from a very moderate centrist Republican perspective.
Too many on the black left are a collection of grievance mongers, especially in the media. Bob Herbert of the Jayson Blair Times is as hateful as it gets. E J Dionne of the Washington Post is often pretty awful as well.
A rare bright spot is Clarence Page at the Chicago Tribune. He is black, liberal…and fair. He is also pleasant. He does not demonize conservatives. Juan Williams is also very thoughtful, arguing the liberal perspective without throwing racial bombs. His reward for being fair is to be tarred as a self-hating black.
(Ironically, Williams is dismissed because he is on Fox News. Fox News is supposedly right-wing, yet Williams is a frequent contributor. So the station is biased even though he is on, but he should not count because he appears on a station that is biased. The delightful circle of leftist stupidity endures.)
This is what one does when they individually or as a movement are out of gas, intellectually exhausted.
The greatest thinkers do not demonize people. Does anybody see Dr. Walter Williams hurl bombs? No. The best and brightest stick to policy and ideas. They stand for things.
The NAACP is the product of a bygone era. They should change their name, for one thing. The C stands for colored, and that term has not been acceptable for decades. If a white person used that term today, it would be seen as racist. Yet this black organization still has it in their title. The NAACP is simply an anachronism at this point.
This is why I am not angry at the NAACP playing the race card against the tea party attendees. This is not a black vs white issue. It is a liberal vs conservative issue. The NAACP is no different than any other liberal organization. They are irrelevant, angry, bitter, and hateful toward conservatives. In a nutshell, they are liberal. This is how liberal organizations behave.
The charge of racism is serious, but it gets thrown around so casually that at this point it is practically boring.
When I play chess, I prefer that the black pieces move first just so the rest of the world can shut up and just play a board game without a coma inducing conversation about social progress. I also don’t care that the queen can be killed but the king cannot. It is a game.
If everything and everybody is racist, then nothing and nobody is racist.
This is flawed because real racism does exist. There are white bigots. David Duke is one. Yet decent Americans, and 99.99% of tea party attendees, condemn him.
This is not about race. It is about ideology. The tea party movement is conservative, and a threat to a liberal president. It has to be racist.
The flaw in this thought process is that Barack Obama is supposedly seen as different from any other ultra-liberal. I will explain it to the left again, even though they will deliberately ignore this. Barack Obama is not being treated any differently as president than John Kerry (shudder) would have been. There is zero difference.
Barack Obama is a budget busting big spending liberal. The tea party attendees want the spending binges and the budgetary madness to stop. That is policy.
America should have these debates. It makes for a stronger and more intellectually healthy nation. Remember when dissent was patriotic? I know, that was so 2008 when Republicans had the White House.
W.E.B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington had some of the most intelligent debates in the history of this country. Unless the NAACP stops shilling for liberal causes, allows debate, and stops demonizing conservatives (especially black ones), then the group will remain useful only for those with insomnia.
The NAACP is spreading racism, but like David Duke, at this point they are so marginalized that I only bring myself to care when a filler column is needed.
eric
The problem with the Tea Party – something most conservatives refuse to acknowledge – is it is heavily colored by Nativist and Nationalist Populism, which can be very dangerous indeed. You’d think a Jewish blogger, son of Holocaust survivors, would at least recognize this as at least a possible problem. You can shoot the messengers all you like, but the problem remains, and any clear-minded, educated person can see it. The evidence is so clear that you’d really have to dellude yourself to be blind to it.
First, there’s the hypocrisy. Where were these whiny little “Tea Partiers” five years ago? Ten years ago? Twenty years ago? Why only now have they decided the time has come for their complaints to be heard?
Second, there’s the whole “take our country back” theme. Take is back from whom? Who took it in the first place? Take it back from the majority of voters who voted in a way the Tea Partiers don’t like? Are they not Americans too? Many of the Tea Partiers don’t seem to worry very much about the real powers that be – on Wall Street or the Military Industrial Complex – but rather they fear common voters, working men and women, minorities – people who’s only political power is that very vote these Tea Partiers seem to want to “take back.”
Third, there’s the over-the-top crazy, nasty, virulent, incendiary, irrational hatred of Barack Obama. He is blamed for everything under the sun, most of which simply isn’t even real. If you believe Obama is a communist, or a Muslim, or a terrorist sympathizer, that he’s trying to create a one world government, or that he’s intentionally trying to damage the state, or anything like that – then either you are simply projecting racism, or you are just plain stupid (I mean “you” generically, of course). There’s no other way a rational, intelligent person could view someone who thinks things like that.
Finally, there’s the demographics of the movement. The vast majority Americans, regardless of race or creed, are not thrilled with the massive national debt and deficits. They are not happy that 11+ million people are here illegally. They are not happy with our dependence on certain foreign resources or our trade deficits. They do not like it when the government has to bail out the banks or put out massive economic stimuli. Pretty much all of us are unhappy with these states of things. Sure, Americans have different ideas about how to resolve these things, but none of us are happy with the problems themselves. Yet the Tea Partiers are mostly older, white, Republican, middle-class men. Much more than the rest of the general public, the Tea Partiers are convinced the Obama administration favors black people and the poor. And their disapproval of the Obama Administration is double that of the general public. They have an axe to grind, but apparently it’s with black people, poor people, and our first black president, much moreso than any of the issues they claim motivate them.
The Tea Party is pretty much disliked by as many people as those who like it. It is a divisive movement – divisive on race, class, and ethnicity. This is why people accuse them of racism. I agree with those people. The Tea Party is just whiny old white people who just can’t stand that America really is changing, whether they like it or not. The good news is that eventually those old, whiny, spoiled, “greediest generation” will fade away, and America will be a better place.
JMJ
” The evidence is so clear that you’d really have to dellude yourself to be blind to it.’
What evidence ?
You morons keep crying about all this crap the Tea Partys responsible for yet you cant put up squat.
“This is why people accuse them of racism. I agree with those people. The Tea Party is just whiny old white people”
Pot, meet kettle.
As long as we have leaders who spend and grow government we’ll have citizens rejecting it. Call em Tea Partiers, whatever. Government has been growing and spemding us into oblivion for decades. Obama takes the cake and is the straw that broke the camels back.
The “Racism” thing is about as freeking weak as it gets and shows you guys have nothing to refute the fact that what these “White People’ are b*tching about is true to the bone.
The reason you dont see that many minorities at Tea Party rallies is because they’d be rallying against the entitlements liberals have told em they need.
“Ohhhhh, thats racist Micky”
NO ITS NOT Because you wont see the white trailer park trash on food stamps there either !
“GREED” ?
Are you effing serious ?
You guys seem to think that everything belongs to everyone regardless of who actually earned it !
You’ve taken my kids asnd grandkids futures from them.
“at some point you’ve made enough money”
Remember who said that ?
The conservative Christian republican right is the most generous on the planet. WITH THEIR OWN MONEY !
Why now? National Health Care, potential Cap and Trade, drilling moratorium that will cost billions (much less than the clean up), extension of unemployment (under a different name, welfare. Under a different name: entitlements), czars, transparency cloaked in black (not as in mulatto Black, but as in not transparent), the “creation of 600,000 jobs” but a net loss of over a million, bowing, apologizing, lying, cheese eating… It is the whiney old white people who are paying taxes – i.e. the salaries of the representatives who are giving these whiney old white people’s money away to the other voters. And Jersey, you are probably right. I won’t speak for all older White men, but speaking for me, I DO believe that the Obama administration favors black people and the poor. You have nailed it – many people don’t like the 11 million illegals, growing debt, trade deficits et al…but it isn’t racism – it is reality: Obama and crew show absolutely no sign of changing the theme of continuing the bail outs, trade deficits and dependence on foreign products (unless we go green …hahahahahahahha)… so although I’m not a big Tea Party fan, I certainly understand the movement. It’s a throwback of the Silent Majority who isn’t quite as silent… We’ll see whether they have legs or whether they split the conservatives/independents to favor Dumbocrats. (cheap shot, but it sounded great when I wrote it!)…
Micky,
Just because a bunch of Christians give to their churches, that doesn’t make them the “most generous people.” I mean, what? Would they not give were it not for their fear of God? Does all that money go to charity, or does plenty of it go to sectarian activities? It would be like saying, “Rich people spend the most on their children,” or, “Black people spend the most on black people.” Well, DUU-UUH. They TITHE to their churches, Micky. That’s not charity. That’s buying a stairway to heaven.
That whole “conservative Christians are the most giving” thing always rubs me the wrong way. Yeah, they give it alright.
The “greed” to which I’m referring is the greed of post-“Greatest Generation” crowd, who’ve done NOTHING for this country but to steal, and take, and demand, and let the whole thing got to pot while they wrecked this country as best they could. And now, these sleazy little brats complain… “WAAAAAA, I don’t want to pay taxes!” The Greatest GEneration built the roads, built the schools, built thios modern nation, and these sleazy little Boomers et al used it, abused it, neglected it, and now refuse to be responsible for it.
This gets to Eagle’s point. All this phony whiny and crying over BS. These same sleazy brats got their Medicare, destroyed the Social Compact that once ensured our prosperity, and now they whine and complain that 40 million people shouldn’t be allowed some basic level healthcare! Whine and complain about that stupid cap ‘n trade, which will have about as much impact on our lives as the cancelling of Friends. Whine and complain about a lousy, stinking moratorium on drilling 33 friggin’ rigs, claiming it will cost “billions” and add to unemployment! JHC! Do they have anything genuine to complain about?
The “Silent Majority” was just code speak for disaffected post-Civil Rights White People, guys. Code for the “Southern Strategy.” RACISM.
JMJ
Jersey, nice try. You’ve been narrow minded before but this time your heads in a vice.
Were not talking bout the collection plate.
Were talking about donations to charities and services rendered.
Liberals are the ones greedy with everyones money telling em what they should be doing with it.
“Do they have anything genuine to complain about?”
Dont talk about “genuine”. Its very “disengenuous” of you since I showed you stats on the direct and collateral employment connested with the rigs.
But, like most typical deluded moonbats you figure you can just keep repeating the same crap over and over again and maybe it’ll become true.
The countrys tired of that crap. They’re not seeing it, your partys going down in flames because of exactly the crap you employ
Micky,
It’s 33 friggin’ rigs. Give it a rest. I feel bad for the workers, but we just suffered the worst man-made disaster in our lives because of one of the test rigs. We have to be careful. We are stewards of our country. It is our responsibility. Thousands died in those stupid wars you guys got us into, hundreds of billions wasted. And you’re worried about a moratorium on 33 test rigs? Get real.
JMJ
33-333,333…it doesnt matter.
Shutting em down was just plain freaking stupid.
Ots like takin evey Toyota off the road because of one years models problems.
Pandering to the greenies, pandering to the greeniers, pandering to the greenies…tellin em what they’d love to hear.
Oh, by the way. I dont give a rats a$$ about race.
I’m a hell of a lot more worried about another 3000 Americans getting blown up, my kids future being screwed, my government humongous and outta control, debt a debt thats broken all records combined, unemployment,rising taxes and progressivism in general screweing up everythung.
I and most Americans associate non of this with the president being half black and half white.
But you freaking morons just had to put a black man in office, didnt you ? Just for the political ambience that would show the whole world how un-racist we really are.
Yet, at the first sign of dissent…. were all racist.
Go ahead, keep it up. And you will nongratuitously be called the dumbest generation yet for your sheer lack of ability to win an arguement without resorting to such trivial and “UNSUBSTANTIATED” claims.
Some people do and should get fired simply because they turned out to be “IDIOTS”.
But, in the liberals world that’ll actually be what retains their employmrnt as they’ll no doubt be labeled with some PC term for stupid.
Legislation will require at least a 10% showing of “mentally challenged” in every work place.
DC is pretty much safe from that should it take place.
Idiocy knows no race
JMJ;
“33 test rigs?” “Get real”?
They’re not “test rigs”
Stop lying.
“I can tell you firsthand that everyone offshore is worried about job security. Each of those idled rigs costs up to $500,000 per day – a huge burden that companies can’t bear for such a prolonged period of time. I’ve already seen the devastating effects of rigs leaving the United States for operations in Africa and Brazil, for example, each taking up to 1,200 jobs with it. All told, as many as 46,200 people stand to lose their jobs if the moratorium lasts six months.
But the economic impact goes beyond the Gulf; it will reach the whole country. I may work off the Louisiana coast, but I live and spend my wages in Florida. The industry supports 9.2 million jobs nationwide – 267,000 jobs in our state, and these are not just any jobs. Exploration and production jobs in the upstream sector pay an average of $55,447 – 40 percent higher than the average Florida wage. Lost wages for rig workers alone could be as high as $10 million per month, and that’s not counting idled supply boats, welders, transportation companies and office support.
No one is more devastated by the Deepwater Horizon tragedy than the men and women who work in the industry and live along the Gulf. We work hard to provide secure and reliable energy, and we have the proven technology to do it.
In the last 60 years, more than 42,000 wells have been safely drilled in the Gulf without incident. Of those, roughly 2,000 are deepwater wells that produce 80 percent of the oil and 45 percent of the natural gas in the Gulf. Overall, approximately 30 percent of the nation’s oil production and 13 percent of its natural gas production comes from the Gulf.
Each day that the moratorium lasts could represent 350,000 barrels of oil of lost production by 2015, which is more oil we’ll have to import from foreign countries. Our need for oil isn’t going anywhere, and what we don’t produce at home will have to be bought elsewhere. The government’s Energy Information Administration says we’ll need 14 percent more energy by 2035. If we keep these proven Gulf resources off limits, we’re not only driving our production and jobs overseas, we’re dramatically decreasing our energy security.
We must lift the ban on deepwater drilling, get our people back to work and our rigs up and running again so we can stimulate the economy and help secure our energy future.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jul/01/na-a-damaging-moratorium/news-opinion-commentary/
Right, 33 rigs just for “testing”?
And you call people stupid ?
As far as “those wars” goes…
Yeah, Carter and Clinton had nothing to do with letting these dysfuctional theocratic didctatorships threatening the planet.
I hate to think what the scenario would be had a president with some balls not come along and nipped in the bud what could be catastrophy of nuclear proportions.
Watch, the next administration will no doubt be a republican one that has to deal with N. Korea and Iran.
And you morons will be crying “look at the wars you got us into”
Wow, I can almost hear the theme song from Twilight Zone… Sleazy brats got Medicare. Yes, I qualify for Medicare, and the government has taken between $100 and $150 per month from my paycheck for the past 40 years to supplement this Medicare…and I haven’t used it yet..on the low side, that’s $48,000 I’ve invested for something I don’t even qualify for yet. I’m not whining or complaining about 40 million people not being allowed some basic level of healthcare – I think everyone should be afforded the opportunity to purchase healthcare, and the truth is, there is no health care crisis. We heard about it prior to the “passage”, and although nothing is in place, for some odd reason, the crisis went away. It’s a hoax. I don’t understand about middle-aged, tax-paying white people destroying the Social Compact…? “Whine and complain about that stupid cap ‘n trade, which will have about as much impact on our lives as the cancelling of Friends.”??? To coin one of your favorite phrases, you would have to be a moron to not understand that cap and trade will increase energy costs and stifle economic growth. A more civil way of saying this is: the proponents of cap and trade don’t understand the adverse effects of increasing inconsequential emissions standards (costs vs benefits) and that this is yet another “don’t let a good crisis go to waste”…kind of like the non existent health care crisis. Things will be bad in the gulf because of the disaster, but Mother Earth is a tough old critter, and within a couple years, this will be history. “Whine and complain about a lousy, stinking moratorium on drilling 33 friggin’ rigs, claiming it will cost “billions” and add to unemployment! Do you not think it will cost billions and add to unemployment??? “Do they have anything genuine to complain about?” “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We have just heard from an otherwise intelligent man, a man who loves his country; who loves his freedom, and has worked hard his entire life, only to find himself stuck in his ideologies of…… The Twilight Zone”…..do do do do….