A Brief for Whitey - Patrick J. Buchanan

Shimmer

Well-known member
Quote:
A Brief for Whitey
by Patrick J. Buchanan

How would he pull it off? I wondered.

How would Barack explain to his press groupies why he sat silent in a pew for 20 years as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright delivered racist rants against white America for our maligning of Fidel and Gadhafi, and inventing AIDS to infect and kill black people?

How would he justify not walking out as Wright spewed his venom about "the U.S. of K.K.K. America," and howled, "God damn America!"

My hunch was right. Barack would turn the tables.

Yes, Barack agreed, Wright's statements were "controversial," and "divisive," and "racially charged," reflecting a "distorted view of America."

But we must understand the man in full and the black experience out of which the Rev. Wright came: 350 years of slavery and segregation.

Barack then listed black grievances and informed us what white America must do to close the racial divide and heal the country.

The "white community," said Barack, must start "acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination -- and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past -- are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds ... ."

And what deeds must we perform to heal ourselves and our country?

The "white community" must invest more money in black schools and communities, enforce civil rights laws, ensure fairness in the criminal justice system and provide this generation of blacks with "ladders of opportunity" that were "unavailable" to Barack's and the Rev. Wright's generations.

What is wrong with Barack's prognosis and Barack's cure?

Only this. It is the same old con, the same old shakedown that black hustlers have been running since the Kerner Commission blamed the riots in Harlem, Watts, Newark, Detroit and a hundred other cities on, as Nixon put it, "everybody but the rioters themselves."

Was "white racism" really responsible for those black men looting auto dealerships and liquor stories, and burning down their own communities, as Otto Kerner said -- that liberal icon until the feds put him away for bribery.

Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America.

Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to.

This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these:

First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.

Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.

Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.

Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants.

Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.

We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?

Barack talks about new "ladders of opportunity" for blacks.

Let him go to Altoona and Johnstown, and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for "deserving" white kids.

Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America? Is it really white America's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent?

Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?

As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?

Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?

We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena. And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.

Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago.

Some of this I don't agree with, some of this I do. My interpretation of the article is that the author is asking 'When is enough, enough?'

What's the difference between what Obama is espousing, (the focus being on 'black schools' and making 'ladders of opportunity' specifically for black Americans, etc.) and pure simple racism? Because, IMO, what he's saying is that racism is okay, as long as the group discriminated against is white...and if he sticks to that platform, regardless of who else is on the ticket, Obama will not be getting my vote.
 

purrtykitty

Well-known member
I think I'm about on the same page as you. I think his "response" was a cop out...that because the Rev. Wright fiasco came to light, only now does he think there is a problem that needs to be addressed. I don't buy what he's selling.
 

kimmy

Well-known member
if the guy doesn't have the balls to stand up to a racist, what is he going to do as president when our country is threatened?
 

Shimmer

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by purrtykitty
I think I'm about on the same page as you. I think his "response" was a cop out...that because the Rev. Wright fiasco came to light, only now does he think there is a problem that needs to be addressed. I don't buy what he's selling.

I just never realized that it wasn't possible to be racist against white people, but that's how it sounds, to be sure.
How much money needs to be invested in black schools? More than in 'white' schools? Didn't segregation end several decades ago?
What kind of 'ladders of opportunity' are we talking about? Ladders that favor blacks over whites based on nothing but skin color?


Kimmy, I agree.
 

purrtykitty

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shimmer
I just never realized that it wasn't possible to be racist against white people, but that's how it sounds, to be sure.
How much money needs to be invested in black schools? More than in 'white' schools? Didn't segregation end several decades ago?
What kind of 'ladders of opportunity' are we talking about? Ladders that favor blacks over whites based on nothing but skin color?


Kimmy, I agree.


That's sure how it's spun...always, always. Someone like Rev. Wright espoused hatred towards whites for decades. And just now this is coming to light, and reasonably only because he's linked to a Presidential candidate. If this had been a white minister...he'd been fired immediately following the sermon and he'd likely never work again.

If Obama really wants to 'change' America...then blacks and whites need equal opportunity. Each individual should have to stand on their own merits. No more handouts - deserving but lacking individuals need handups.
 

kimmy

Well-known member
Quote:
If Obama really wants to 'change' America...then blacks and whites need equal opportunity. Each individual should have to stand on their own merits. No more handouts

AMEN.
 

athena123

Well-known member
Barack was never in danger of getting my vote, but his and Oprah Winfrey's membership in a church led by reverand white [purposely lowercase] really opened my eyes. I was inspired by hearing a lot of Barack's earlier speeches but saddened by the words preached by a pastor who should be teaching forgiveness and love instead of hate. And what's up with the prevailing concept that it's OK to practice racism against white people while any Caucasian who criticizes a member of a perceived minority is branded a racist?
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For a little enlightenment on this matter, check out Larry Elder's website. The Official Website Of Larry Elder He wrote an extremely interesting book "Stupid Black Men: How to Play the Race Card - and Lose". In this book [and yes, before anyone gets their panties in a twist Larry Elder is African American] Elder claims that many self-appointed black leaders actually do more to hurt the cause of African Americans than they do to help.

One of my nephews [adopted, but child of our hearts] is bi-racial. When he gets old enough, I'm gonna be sure he hears from people like Larry Elder rather than "victocrats" such as Al Sharpton. He'll be raised with a sense of possibility and responsibility, not with victim mentality.
 

Kuuipo

Well-known member
It's not just a black and white country. There are Asians and Latinos and other groups as well. We need to agree to be equals and share the USA.
 

spectrolite

Well-known member
I think enough is enough like NOW! It's 2008 and this crap is still just as deep as it was in 1888, it just smells slightly different. As a nation, America should be past all of this. I don't see how we have achieved things like space stations on the moon, the ability to clone people, and quick n easy ass implant procedures, but we still can't manage to get past the race issues. One of the reasons that I left America to live elsewhere was because there was always this damned racial divide and I can remember how it bothered me from a very early age. I cannot stand how people have to be separated and grouped by ethnic background. Why can't we all just be human? We are all the same and should be treated the same. Equal rights and opportunity for everyone please! Honestly I think that dream is still a very long way off for America.

I can't believe that Obama would associate himself with a lunatic like Rev.Wrong! Talk about campaign poison...=/ The article certainly raises some interesting points that I have often thought about but I think many people are afraid to talk about them for fear of being called racist or insensitive. I really hope that these sorts of issues are raised more and put before Obama AND Hillary... constantly! Being able to talk about these issues freely and without fear is a great step in the right direction.
 

mizzbeba

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by spectrolite
I think enough is enough like NOW! It's 2008 and this crap is still just as deep as it was in 1888, it just smells slightly different. As a nation, America should be past all of this.


Enough enough from all sides of racism like yesterday. However, racism is alive and well from all races and towards all races. I work in education so I totally understand where Obama is saying that we do need to invest in schools that are heavily in need of extra help. Usually these schools that need our extra help are those located in predominantly minority or poorer areas of towns and cities. I work in a more affluent public school where students from schools in these heavy minority areas of town are 'allowed' and encouraged to come. On a similar note, do you think racism is dead? No mams and sirs. People who are highly educated are some of the most racist people that I have encountered. I have heard educators make comments like 'why don't they stay on their side of town' or 'that child is confused, she's a wigger'. If these 'educators' are saying this to other educators, I wonder what they teach in the classroom or how they treat and interact with students of color in the classroom/hallways. If we want racism to end it is up to us. It's up to us to stand up to people with this mentality, whether it's against Whites or Blacks. Not only do we have to tell children and students from less advantaged areas of town and races that they don't have to be a victim but SHOW them how to not be a victim and GUIDE them towards making good decisions. We can all complain about racism and how people are racist against Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans but what are YOU doing to change this?
 

Odette

Well-known member
I have many thoughts about the issue of race in America. It has never been my reality so I comment on this issue as an outsider. I believe some of the comments made in the article have an element of truth to them. However, I think a system was put in place to try and correct a wrong perceived or otherwise but it has backfired, it is antiquated and is divisive. I have not listened to what the Rev. Wright said in its entirety so I cannot comment on that. Hate speech is hate speech and I do not listen to such things. I did listen to Obama's speech and what I took from this is that one group does not have to be put down in order for another to be elevated. I will also say that I had felt many AAs have been too ready to use the race card for every perceived slight; however, having observed some of the news media's shenanigans I question now if there is some truth to this. I am not naive enough to believe that racism does not exist but I do feel that the media plays and feeds off the basest instinct in all of us. Everyone has a little racism in them no matter what ethnicity they are.
I have more thoughts but cannot fully articulate it all now. Anyway this is my 2 cents.
 

kimmy

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Odette
Everyone has a little racism in them no matter what ethnicity they are.

i think you're going to find alot of people that find that comment offensive, and completely untrue. me being one of them. racism is not natural. you do not see animals in the wild avoiding or attacking one another because they are of a different colour.

alot of people in america do place the race card, and it's absolutely disgusting. i'm pretty positive that if we as a society didn't accept the race card, any remaining racism would dissipate and be history...but that's just using logic, and that's becoming a pretty damn rare thing especially in this country.

i'm a little bit pissed off that the media is just kind of brushing this whole thing aside...remember when don imus made a racially insensitive comment about a stupid basketball game? that was plastered all over the news for WEEKS. now here comes this guy running for PRESIDENT who's involved in the same kind of shit (only it's against whites this time, so maybe it's okay?) and it's a little blip on the ten o'clock news.
 

NutMeg

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by kimmy
i think you're going to find alot of people that find that comment offensive, and completely untrue. me being one of them. racism is not natural. you do not see animals in the wild avoiding or attacking one another because they are of a different colour.

alot of people in america do place the race card, and it's absolutely disgusting. i'm pretty positive that if we as a society didn't accept the race card, any remaining racism would dissipate and be history...but that's just using logic, and that's becoming a pretty damn rare thing especially in this country.

i'm a little bit pissed off that the media is just kind of brushing this whole thing aside...remember when don imus made a racially insensitive comment about a stupid basketball game? that was plastered all over the news for WEEKS. now here comes this guy running for PRESIDENT who's involved in the same kind of shit (only it's against whites this time, so maybe it's okay?) and it's a little blip on the ten o'clock news.


I'm not agreeing with racism in any way, but your statement in bold is not true. Animals will frequently ostracize and attack other animals that look different, ie deformities and injuries. I would go so far as to say they would attack/ostracize animals of a different colour (for example a wolf with unusual markings), but as I have not personally seen this demonstrated (as I have with the former) I can't confirm this for sure.

I don't think this weakens the argument against racism. After all, animals do a lot of things that we as human beings do not consider acceptable behaviour for ourselves.
 

ratmist

Well-known member
I'm kinda surprised... Shimmer did you listen to Obama's entire speech? The link for it is here: YouTube - Obama Speech: 'A More Perfect Union'
The full text of his speech is here: Washington Wire - WSJ.com : Text of Obama's Speech: A More Perfect Union

I really didn't think he was being an apologist for racism against white people. I thought he tackled an extremely difficult subject and spoke to America like those who were listening were adults. I can't remember the last time a politician was so brave.

I think the article you showed was heavily biased to find fault with Obama's speech and to capitalize on the emotions of white people who have experienced racism. Barack Obama had a lot more to say about the racism white people experience.

To quote his speech:
In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience – as far as they’re concerned, no one’s handed them anything, they’ve built it from scratch. They’ve worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.


Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren’t always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.


Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze – a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns – this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.
He didn't shy away from talking about the discrimination white Americans experience. He addressed what the black community need to do to heal the racial divide.
For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances – for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans — the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives – by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.

And then he said what the white community must do.
In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds – by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.
That may make for uncomfortable reading, but the fact is, the divide between the races exists for a reason. How is what he saying somehow apologising for racism towards white people?
For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.
We can do that.


But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.


That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.” This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can’t learn; that those kids who don’t look like us are somebody else’s problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.


This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don’t have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.


This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn’t look like you might take your job; it’s that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

I have poured over his speech and watched it, and I do not find any reference to a "focus being on 'black schools' and making 'ladders of opportunity' specifically for black Americans". At no point does he say "black schools", so I'm not sure where you got that from. His words about the 'ladders of opportunity' are as follows: "by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations". This actually includes every race and every class, which is reinforced with his next concluding statements on that paragraph.


I think you should re-read the speech or watch his speech again, and then decide if Pat Buchanan is being a dick by misquoting Obama's speech.
 

Shimmer

Well-known member
Of course it's heavily biased, it was written by someone who isn't a proponent of what Obama is selling. And, of course Pat Buchanan is a dick.

I call into question why race or gender is even a necessary descriptor in the first place? Why does he have to be a 'black man', why isn't he described as a 'man'?
 

ratmist

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shimmer
Of course it's heavily biased, it was written by someone who isn't a proponent of what Obama is selling. And, of course Pat Buchanan is a dick.

I call into question why race or gender is even a necessary descriptor in the first place? Why does he have to be a 'black man', why isn't he described as a 'man'?


Word. I totally agree. It depresses me that Hillary Clinton has to be seen in the media as the female candidate, not just another candidate. She has to field questions about being a woman and how that affects what she'd be like as president.

Equally, it depresses me that Barack Obama has had (from almost day one) to field media questions about his race. The more he tried to get away from talking about it, the more the media backed him into corners. Even Bill Clinton got involved with that game, to my horror.

I wish it had been a novel thing - woman versus black man versus old man (McCain would be the oldest ever candidate to take the office). It distracts from the real issues and the real problems that the next president has to tackle. But it's like, god forbid we talk about those problems... let's just talk about race and gender again. :/
 

greentwig

Well-known member
Can I post something in this thread titled: "Insight on Michele Obama"
I got it in an email today from a co-worker and I though it was intresting.

Or should I start a new thread?
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Thanks
smiles.gif
 

Beauty Mark

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shimmer
Of course it's heavily biased, it was written by someone who isn't a proponent of what Obama is selling. And, of course Pat Buchanan is a dick.

I call into question why race or gender is even a necessary descriptor in the first place? Why does he have to be a 'black man', why isn't he described as a 'man'?


People are weird about stuff with race. If Obama never qualified himself as black or Hillary never discussed being a woman, people would criticize that, even though you'd have to be blind not to tell either. It's a no-win situation.

As for Buchanan- I personally think, as I've always thought, that if we targeted poor and under-performing schools, most black people would benefit anyway, as well as any poor white, Asian, Hispanic, etc. people. While it is indeed thought-provoking and makes some valid points, I don't care for his style of writing, because I think statements such as "
First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known." where he loses a lot of credibility and just, IMO, furthers the divide.

People in general need to stop seeing race as more than it is.
 
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