Sunday, 28 December 2008

• Just When You Thought We Were Past This...
  
  Because I have seen NOTHING in the local Grand Rapids Press on this issue, I decided to post about this appalling story which has been unfolding this past week.  Chip Saltsman, Candidate for Republican National Committee Chair, distributed a Christmas gift to his fellow members of the Republican National Committee this past week.  It was a CD produced by the Rush Limbaugh show.  The CD is titled: "We Hate the USA, " and includes songs with the following titles:
  
  

  "John Edwards' Poverty Tour," "Wright place, wrong pastor," "Love Client #9," "Ivory and Ebony" and "The Star Spanglish banner."  As if these titles are not offensive enough, the most prominent song on the CD is titled, "Barack the Magic Negro."
  

  
  According to Chip Saltsman, "I think most people recognize political satire when they see it." Actually, and more importantly, I hope that most people recognize bigotry and racism when they see and hear it.
  

  For those who haven't heard of all the  tasteless gems thrown out by various leaders in the Republican party during the 2008 presidential campaign, let me emind you of a few.  First there is Diane Fedele, who produced the "Ten Dollar Obama Bucks" food stamp showing the then Democratic candidate's head superimposed on a donkey's body surrounded by a chunk of watermelon, ribs, a pitcher of Kool-Aid, and a bucket of fried chicken.

  Then there is Marcia Stirman, the chairwoman of the Otero County Republican Women in New Mexico, who wrote in the Alamogordo Daily News that "I believe Muslims are our enemies," and that "Obama isn't a messiah or a Democrat. He's a Muslim socialist."

  Of course don't forget Jeffrey M. Frederick, the Chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, who likened Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden in a pep talk to campaign volunteers, explaining that "Both have friends that bombed the Pentagon. That is scary."

  Of course leading the choir is Rush Limbaugh who, on a daily basis issued countless hours of slander and racially tinged commentary towards Obama and his campaign, like calling him a "street thug" or a "hip hop candidate." 
  

  Racism is based on ignorance and fear.  Upon Obama's landslide win this past November, I had hoped that America took a huge step forward...away from our racist past...a step towards healing.  Leave it to ignorant fools like those I mention in this post to attempt to keep the ugly head of racism alive and well in our country.

  Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul, and Mary, and writer of Puff the "Magic Dragon" puts it well as he said:

  The sending of a Christmas greeting by Chip Saltsman to the members of the Republican National Committee that includes a recording of the so-called parody, "Barack the Magic Negro" is not only offensive, it is shocking and saddening in the extreme. It flies in the face of America's deeply held hope for a new era in which common ground and mutual respect characterize the exchanges between our national leaders.
  
  I and my co-writer of "Puff," Lenny Lipton, have been eagerly awaiting an end to the mean-spiritedness, outright disrespect and bigotry that was commonplace prior to this last presidential election. What might have been wearily accepted as "the way it was" in the campaign, is now unacceptable. Obama is not a candidate. He is the President-Elect, and this song insults the office of the Presidency, the people who voted for him, as well as those who did not -- and taking a children's song and twisting it in such vulgar, mean-spirited way, is a slur to our entire country and our common agreement to move beyond racism.

  It is almost unimaginable to me that Chip Saltzman who sent the CD, would seriously be considered for the top post of the Republican National Committee.

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