Monday, May 31, 2010

Save Your Energy

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico gets worse and worse as the days go on. There seems to be no solution to the problem. Everything that the BP Corporation attempts to do does not work. They fail again and again to stop the flow of oil. In response, President Obama has expressed a great deal of anger. Commentators around the country have followed his example. Anger reigns supreme.

From my perspective, the President and everyone else should save their energy. There is no need to be angry about something that cannot be fixed. Whenever there is human endeavor there is a chance of failure. Whenever there is a mechanical device there is the possibility that it will have a flaw. That is just a fundamental fact of life and there is no sense getting all charged up over it. So, if you are angry over the oil spill, I suggest you save your energy. Get angry over things that can be fixed not over things that cannot be fixed.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

No Time to Waffle

The Tea Party is taking American politics by storm. Among the exciting leaders is Rand Paul, who captured the Republican senatorial nomination for the state of Kentucky. He immediately got attention with his remarks that the civil rights legislation of the 1960s was probably not constitutional. The federal government has no business telling private business that they can’t discriminate on the basis of race, he indicated.

The furor, as you might imagine, was immediate. In response, the usually self-assured Dr. Paul waffled. He backed off his original statements saying that he opposed discrimination. Eventually the good Doctor declared that he would have voted for the civil rights law.

From my perspective, Dr. Paul needs to stand up for his principles. If he truly believes that it is appropriate for private organizations to discriminate on the basis of race, he should say so. We do not need any more politicians who waffle on such important issues. The Tea Party movement promised to give us more genuine politicians. So far, Dr. Paul has not lived up to that billing.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Imagine That

Way back in March angry Tea Party members surrounded Congress persons screaming insults while talking about revolution and taking their country back. Imagine that these people were all Black rather than the Whites who make up the tea party membership. What would’ve been the reaction by conservative Americans if an angry crowd of African Americans had threatened to take their country back from the White Congress persons!

Or even imagine that in states that allow open carry weapons several large Black man walked into a Starbucks with revolvers holstered on their side. What would be the reaction? Just let your imagination run wild on this one.

(In the interest of full disclosure, the ideas presented here were borrowed from an editorial in the May 7, 2010 edition of The Week. It is not original with me.)