Random Coincidences

It's just a coincidence that death threats against the President have increased something like 300% (vs. G.W. Bush) since Barack Obama was elected, right? It must be because he is a "liberal". Yeah, that's the ticket. For the record, I heard this little statistic on a conservative Christian radio station, on a show there Ron Kessler was being interviewed about his book "In the President's Secret Service". The book sounds like a great read by the way.

Maybe this is the same coincidence that spawned the anti-big government spending, 98%+ white Tea Party after a(n only) half-white man was elected President. You know, this is the same group that came out rabidly against big spending...AFTER 8 years of G.W. Bush's big spending (including the largest increase in Medicare benefits in modern history). So much for government intrusion into health care. I know, I know, just another coincidence.

Now do I think that America is full of racists? No. But I think that it's pretty easy to fall into a racist "us vs. them" mentality, especially when you feel threatened. It's this same mentality that also fuels the likes of Louis Farrakhn as well as your average klavern member. I do think there are plenty of people who feel threatened by the notion of anything other than an older white guy as President.

Do I think that all Tea Party members are racist? No. I actually think most of them are well intentioned, if not a bit naive. Personally the "Obama as a witch doctor with a bone in his nose" poster...of the variety that I saw with my own two eyes* at a Tea Party rally in Scranton...was a dead give-away. For the record, G.W. Bush was accused of a lot of stupidly false things, including the implication that his response to Hurricane Katrina was racially motivated, but none of that ever got the scale (or stature) that the Tea Party enjoys. I read a great book about the Bush family (sorry, I can't recall the title), and I'm reasonably sure that they are just about the last family you would ever call racist.

Do I think that only white people are racists? Of course not. I've slammed plenty-o-brothers (and others) here for racist behavior.

Do I believe in coincidences? Not really.



(*) Technically this is incorrect, as I can only see out of one eye at at time, but the phrase "that I saw with my one focusing eye" sounds fruity.