50 Years On: God Help America

Too Bigot To Fail?

April 4, 2018

Fifty years ago today, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Tennessee. Since that time there have been subtle yet in some ways relatively significant improvements in race relations in America. These are by no means etched in stone. Many people were happy to pretend that racism in America ended because Barack Obama was elected president – and not just by winning the Electoral College – he actually got more votes than those who ran against him…twice. What a concept.

If you are reading this, you are probably not one of those who thinks racism in America is anything close to over. For those who might have even momentarily hoped things were at least better, any such imaginings surely vanished the moment the Giant Tainted Creamsicle masquerading as a mammal oozed down that infamous escalator to announce his assault on the United States, particularly our less white inhabitants.

As you are well aware, it went straight downhill from there and so far, it appears to be a bottomless escalator. The deplorables, whose feelings were so hurt by being called exactly what they are, have overflowed the basket Hillary Clinton said they were in, and have spilled onto the streets. In some ways, I must admit that I miss the good old days when they were still slithering around under their various rocks. It is so much less tidy with them scurrying around where everyone can see and smell them, but it is better to deal with them head on than it is to pretend they do not exist.

So here we are, rushing backwards to the future. At least we have not made it all the way back to the days of slavery. Fingers crossed. Knocking on wood.

State of Confusion/Confederacy

Speaking of Tennessee, the state legislature recently tried and failed – for the second time – to bring a resolution to a vote. The second attempt was abandoned after a Republican lawmaker’s unsuccessful attempt to alter the motion’s language to make it more acceptable to his Caucasians caucus. It seems Tennessee Republican’ts were concerned over language classifying neo-Nazis and white nationalists as “domestic terrorist organizations.” One can only assume that they balked because such groups are too bigot to fail. Maybe we are just not ready to judge such people by the content of their character as opposed to the color of their skin.

I. Mangrey reporting.