Da Techguy's (no longer backup) Blog

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I find it interesting Peter Ingemi and others (-the serial liar Breitbart) get their panties in a wad when others mention the fact that there are SOME in the Tea Party rallies that seem to display racist tenancies. DaTechguy, I know you most likely have been to many Tea Party events and have 1st hand knowledge. I haven’t been, yet I’ve live a blue collar existence North Carolina. I speak with a distinctive accent and among my peers(I’m white), when the subject of race comes up in my conversations, there seem to be SOME who express racist tenancies. Not a majority mind you, just SOME. And whenever I hear it, I call ’em on it. That seems to be all the NAACP is doing …….calling the Tea Party on what they perceive to be racism. If I saw a sign (I’ve only seen it online, so it COULD be photo shopped) that compared Obama to a monkey, I’d say that is racist. I’d say something about it if I saw it.
Polling reveals that the majority of Tea Party members are republicans. Republicans have a long history of standing up AGAINST racism. Was it not a republican president that championed the end of slavery as an institution? Did not many republican senators break the filibuster to enact civil rights legislation? Yet after 1965, “Dixiecrats” who opposed civil rights legislation switched to the GOP. Then in 1968, Nixon enacted his “Southern Strategy” which was predicated on the support of former segregationists. Guess what? It was wildly successful, and still is. Way to go Dick!
Racism has grown more subtle with time. In 1968, Dr. King was being buried, and it was on TV at my white junior high school in Fayetteville N.C. The only blacks present were the cafeteria workers. As I walked in with a fellow student, he yelled out loudly, “LET’S WATCH ‘EM PLANT THE N****R!” I chastised Joe H. ( guess I was more sensitive to race since I had attended integrated Army schools previously, and military housing was fully integrated.) That doesn’t occur much these days. But I notice the race divide still runs strong among my fellow whites. The “N” word isn’t so prevalent but such ideas are promulgated in code. “Welfare momma’s in Cadillacs” was wildly popular in 1980 when Reagan tried his hand successfully in using Dick Nixon’s “southern strategy”. Perhaps you see nothing wrong in this terminology. But it speaks of blacks in a way that is calculated to appeal to the negative instincts in SOME. In the same way all social programs are derided by conservatives since they cater to minorities in SOME people’s minds. Hell, Rand Paul even spoke of gutting the Civil Rights act since it infringed on business’ freedoms! Yeah, he had to walk that one back.
Yes racism exists, but it is cloaked more often in code, only seeping out in SOME of the signs I have noticed at rallies. If you see or hear it, speak out against it. I’d like to join in with fellow Americans in limiting the growth of our government and it’s astronomical costs. But until I see support for cost cutting that includes cutting the largest offenders of breaking our federal budget (Tax Cuts for the Rich, and our hugely wasteful military budget)….I’ll opt out.