By GottaLaff
Want to know how that neo-Confederacy thing is going? Just ask Haley:
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour forgot what century it is. Worse yet, he didn't care. But he didn't have to go back that far to realize how fresh the wounds are, and how not "not significant" the omission of slavery was. It's just a tad more weighty than "diddly". Check this out:
Not until 1995 did Mississippi finally ratify the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery. It wasn’t until 2009 that the Mississippi legislature finally passed a bill to repeal discriminatory Jim Crow laws that had been enacted in 1964 but ruled unconstitutional in 1967 by federal courts.
Some maintain that Barbour won his bid for Governor of Mississippi in 2003 in part because he pledged to keep intact Mississippi’s state flag design, which contains a miniature representation of the Confederate battle flag.
Tiptoeing around the subject of race instead of facing it head on occurs far too often. President Obama gave a wonderful speech that opened up what shouldn't even have to be a "debate" any more. Sadly, attempts at debating has morphed into out and out baiting.
In other words, civility is rapidly being replaced by outward hostility.
Barack Obama, 2008:
[W]e may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren.
This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story. [...]
But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. [...]
And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.
But in the last year, racism has had an alarming uptick in vocal proponents who carry signs, make threatening calls, scream slurs and spit on government officials.
When the subject of hatred and blatant racism is broached, there is a tendency to shy away from confronting it head on. Maybe there is a fear of stirring up even more hostility. For some it may be a way of avoiding their own prejudices. For others, it might be that it's politically radioactive, especially in an election year.
But we can't avoid it. The anger and vitriol has gotten too heated, the threats too frequent, and the divisions too deep.
Direct communication and blunt exchanges may be painful, and even scary, but they're necessary. It sure beats acting out.
It's time for America to grow up and realize we are all "created equal."
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