Black Male
It’s interesting how these conversations work.
A few days ago I wrote a piece about our new Attorney General’s contention that we are a “nation of cowards” when it comes to race and that “….if we are to make progress in this area, we must feel comfortable enough with one another, and tolerant enough with each other, to have frank conversations about racial matters that continue to divide us.”
My point was then, and remains that it is nearly impossible to have a truly frank discussion about race or pretty much about anything else that involves blacks and whites without the threat of being called racist by those that have no other defense. Blacks have become very comfortable simply refusing to acknowledge obvious facts to the contrary and immediately claim racial prejudice as being the underlying issue. The race card trumps all others and is an easy excuse to any and all behavior and situations. Less than a week after writing the piece a group of black politico’s, preachers and pundits in Chicago and elsewhere have gone to extreme measures to prove this premise 100% correct.
The lightning rod for this latest round of racial despair is the new Senator from Illinois Roland Burris. Burris was installed by the now infamously impeached Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill the vacated Senate seat of Barack Obama. Burris is a lifelong Democrat office holder who appeared to have no excess baggage that would preclude him from taking over as Senator. But the main reason he was tapped to fill the spot was because he possessed the most important qualification, he is black. It was repeatedly chanted throughout the black community and by the card carrying political correctness enforcement squads that this seat must be filled by a black simply because it was being vacated by a black. Pay no mind to the fact that if this same argument was used to fill the vacancy of a white politician it would be deemed completely inappropriate and racist.
The problems began to surface shortly after Burris was finally and reluctantly seated in the US Senate. Burris had appeared before an Illinois special committee investigating then Governor Blagojevich for corruption. Burris was asked specific questions regarding his relationship with the governor and his crew of fundraising henchmen.
Burris, on tape and under oath, denied having contact with the governor or his crew regarding either the Senate seat or any special fundraising requests. All of which are untrue. Since making those statements under oath Burris has publicly changed his story four times and has filed amended affidavits twice more redefining his activities. The more the story evolves the more it is obvious that Burris has developed his skills in the “Pay for Play” game of Illinois politics to an art.
He not only failed to admit to his dealings with the disgraced governor and his fundraising brother, he also failed to detail how his son was given a sweet state job as senior council for the state’s housing authority. His son’s state paid $75,000 per year job includes overseeing mortgage programs for low-income home buyers and anti-foreclosure initiatives.
Roland Burris II, because Roland Burris I simply couldn’t find enough things to put his name on, should have some insight into these mortgage programs as he was hired shortly after facing foreclosure of his own house. He was also recently slapped with a $34,000 tax lien by the I.R.S. for failure to pay income tax, which should make him eminently qualified to serve on the Obama cabinet.
Regardless of the sordid facts of this whole imbroglio the Chicago City Council Black Caucus is screaming racism and warning white politician’s that if they continue with this investigation they will be out of work come the next election.
Illinois Congressman Danny Davis has joined the chorus and said that there is considerable support for Burris in the black community so whites should just leave him alone. A group of black ministers and community leaders held a press conference warning whites that if they continue to seek a Burris resignation “…they gotta come by us and we will not forget”.
This is truly nothing but racial blackmail. Leave the black guy alone regardless of the facts or we brand you as racist.
Perhaps if our new Attorney General is looking to open a dialog about race he may want to start with the blackmailers.
