Affirmative Action!

I have few black friends but the ones I do have are very dear and very close. One of my early hires is coming to spend a weekend with us for the Savannah Jazz festival. I have been instrumental in helping her advance both her education and professional career. She deserved no less.

Another dear friend and tennis nemesis has spoken for me twice at my JEA Speaker Series and we have debated Affirmative Action for years.

Initially I stayed with my 'reverse discrimination' rebuttal but eventually he convinced me it was necessary to jump start those in his race impacted by years of social degradation, segregation and slavery. I eventually relented with the caveat that there must be brakes because PC'ism was ruinous.

Obama is the tragic consequence of Affirmative Action. He was given passes throughout his youth and adult life, associated with far too many radical and resentful types and ,in my opinion, has proven unqualified for the enormous burdens he must bare.

White guilt went a long way towards his election as well as years of dissatisfaction with GW, McCain's terrible campaign and Republicans failing to adhere to their principles.

I refuse to bear white guilt or have any placed upon me. I never enslaved anyone nor showed disrespect because of color. My father fought the Klan, had their charter revoked in Birmingham after they scared black girls attending a Girl Scout camp, and helped rid the city of racist Bull Conner. I have always been outspoken about the evils of segregation and am totally in favor of education as the best leg up solution for all peoples.

I take issue with the way The Supreme Court resolved the separate but equal problem but from a moral standpoint it was long overdue and I believe Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas were/are both great Justices.

Affirmative Action has worked but now it has become divisive, its continuance wrong and destructive. We must focus on betterment not self esteem sans betterment. Far too many of our black citizens are failing because they were not allowed the truth and that is hypocrisy at its worst and demeaning. It renders the cohesive fabric of our society.

These views are not popular but they need expressing. Obama campaigned as our healing president and has been nothing but divisive. He,like the Clinton's and many
in the Black Caucus, have played the race card to buttress their personal selves. To his undying credit,GW promoted based on competency and did more to advance blacks in key positions than most presidents but was vilified and his appointments were criticized as selling out to 'whitey'!

Our failed economic progress hurts all but mostly the unqualified. Obama is anti-Capitalism and yet, with all its faults, Capitalism has done more for more than any economic system. How, until lately,could we have supported our out of control spending Congress,I ask? Name me any nation that could possibly do what America has done and achieved?

So it is time to move forward using common sense and in doing so lay to rest the perpetuation of Affirmative Action and bury PC'ism or we will continue to face serious and increasing but unnecessary problems of our own making.


The Redistricting farce being the most recent examples of 'be careful what you wish for' you may be boomeranged.

Dick
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