Politics: Dissension versus Racism

I have had a difficult time deciding whether or not I wanted to discuss anything political over the past month and a half. The direction that the Obama Administration seems to be taking the country is for me extremely unsettling. The recent cries of "racist and racism" being levied against those of us who dissent from President Obama's philosophical social endeavors screams of hypocrisy. The supporters of President Obama and the Reid/Pelosi Congress are either possessed with unbelievably short memories or they have no problem taking a hypocritical posture when their policy efforts are questioned.

Now I know, being half a century old, my memory could be accused of beginning to falter however; I can remember the horrific ad hominum attacks levied against former President George W. Bush during his tenure in office. I also never once heard any cry rising from Congress asking the dissenters amongst us to remain civil. Yet, Speaker Pelosi, amongst others, demand civility. Why is it perfectly acceptable to accuse a white person in opposition to President Obama's policies, of racism? If we are going to trod down this path then, why weren't high profile black Americans such as, Kanye West, Whoopi Goldberg, and Randi Rhodes called on the carpet for being racist merely because they opposed the policies of a white president?

We have only recently moved beyond the shadow of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Does racism exist in America? Naturally, however; is racism the sole propriety of whites against blacks? Of course not. I oftentimes work in Compton and Oakland, California and I can sense racism in the comments made by black residents when I am in their environs. Is it their right because they may possibly be descendants from former slaves or; is it socially acceptable for blacks to be racist against whites as a form of "payback" for the atrocities of slavery? I think not. Is the charge of racism being levied against white dissenters as a method of quieting the masses? A sense of white "guilt" for the institution of slavery is a reality. Personally, I think about it when I am a minority within a black community and I am very careful to not offend anyone. Are people such as Bill Cosby, President Carter, Representative Clyburne, and Dr. Lamont Hill playing the race card in order to get those of us who truly want a color blind society to shut up? Is the charge of racism being thrown around because we now have a black American for our president and the marketeers of the theory supporting the subliminal white suppression of black social ascendancy are worried that their beliefs are on the verge of being disproved?

I'll be the first to admit that I do not have the answer to any of these questions. More importantly, I cannot understand why anyone amongst us would hope to stir up racial unrest within our culture. I support almost none of President Obama's policies however; I am proud of the fact that he is the first black president of our great nation. Racism has no place in the current national discussion surrounding health care or any other of President Obama's social views. Such talk muddies the real issues facing our nation. Besides, how would those on the left who are currently playing the race card against President Obama's dissenters feel if J. C. Watts was president and his conservative supporters accused his liberal dissenters of racism merely because they dared to voice their dissent?

De Oppresso Liber