The last few days have shown to anyone who is willing to look how mean spirited and hypocrytical the issue of race in America really is. Let's begin with the so-called celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. day. A day that is only grudgingly honored in many states and cheapened some more by the phony platitudes uttered by today's news "personalities", most of whom have no clue.
The truth is, Dr. King went from revered to reviled. His dedication and sacrifice were at the forefront in the battle to secure the civil rights we now recognize as law. King was the toast of the land. Even people who opposed the civil rights bill and the voting rights act, muted their hatred.
But King had a larger vision. He took on the problems of the war and scorned the war in Vietnam. He highlighted the plight of hungry kids, homeless families and the growing gap between the rich and the poor. Suddenly he was toxic. Civil rights leaders said he was diluting the message. Even the race-pimps, those enjoying the fruits of his sacrifice without risking anything, turned on him. The corporate media pounded as well and he was no longer a front page hero, and when a sniper ended his life, King was in Alabama protesting on behalf of striking garbage collectors. You can only imagine how the POOR PEOPLE'S campaign would be treated tody.
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Then there is the open marriage guy who knows how to use the race baiting dog whistle as good as anyone (a sound calibrated to reach only the most descerning of ears.) Newt's cynical proposal that ghetto kids clean toilets in their schools because they need to learn the dignity of work is bad enough. But when you add his repeated calling Mr. Obama the "food stamp President" then his message is clear. Minorities and the poor are shiftless. The truth is EVERYONE needs to learn the dignity of work and whites are the main recipients of food stamps and welfare by far. No dog whistle needed.
