“WE CAN DO BETTE. WE HAVE TO DO BETTER”
Dear Editor,
The past forty-eight hours have been trying times for our great state. Like many others – I have refrained from interjecting my own personal views, but I believe something must be said.
I believe it is time for us as a state to recognize that we still have major problems to deal with regarding race relations. Yes, we go through the motions and act like we are in the 21st century, but sadly, we are still stuck in the mid-20th century in so many ways.
Nothing demonstrates that more than the heinous act committed on Wednesday evening in Charleston, S.C. – an act that took the lives of nine hard working, contributing members of our state.
We can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the elephant in the room. The racial divide and tension in our state is stronger than we would like to admit. You don’t have to go far to find it. Eavesdrop on conversations while you are out and about – and listen to conversations held by those around you.
We have not progressed as far as we would like to think. It is a sad, but true fact.
Now we have two options. Either we can continue down the same old path thinking that we do not have a problem, or we can recognize the problem, and do a better job of educating each other that color doesn’t matter. A man or woman should be judged based on their merits, not their skin color.
My heart is broken for the Palmetto State and its people. We can do better. We have to do better. It is my hope that we all take a lesson from what happened and pass that lesson along to our fellow South Carolinians. “Dum Spiro Spero: While I breathe, I hope.”
May God bless all South Carolinians and help our great state heal – and learn.
David Carter
Laurens, S.C.
SIC SEZ
David: Thanks for sharing your perspective. A lot of elected officials in South Carolina listen to you – and we hope you share this letter with them.
26 comments
I’m sure codifying hate into crimes will help the healing. Just ignore the crime itself and focus on the hate.
If only ignoring racists made them go away. I don’t think black people want to go back to the days of their churches and businesses being burned to the ground and being dragged out into the street and murdered by racists. Thank you for your concern though.
That’s right, ignore the crime. Focus on the hate. You’ll find a way to fix it.
Once you’re able to peer inside everyone’s mind and find out who the racists are you’ll be able to stamp them out and the world will be filled with rainbows & unicorns again.
Who is ignoring the crime? The guy is behind bars awaiting trial. He isn’t getting away with what he did. The charges he is facing for killing 9 people in cold blood can’t get worse, that is pretty much guaranteed life in prison or death penalty. Why are you so upset it is being called a hate crime? He is a monster and his motives are pure evil.
“Who is ignoring the crime? ”
Those people that are focusing on the hate.
“Why are you so upset it is being called a hate crime?”
Because if we are going to incarcerate everyone that has hate, we’d better create more prisons and raise taxes.
There needs to be a distinction between “hate” and “crime”. They are two different things.
“Those people that are focusing on the hate.”
People are focusing on hate because now that the guy is behind bars and is being tried the crime part of this is already being taken care of. You really think that black people have no right to worry about the hate that played a factor in this attack? I think a lot of black people alive today remember some of the horrible crimes that happened half a century ago and don’t want to live it again, much less have their kids and grandkids experience it. This is already spreading too so their fear of this type of hatred is justifiable.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/virginia-man-menaces-black-church-charleston-shooting-article-1.2263534
“Because if we are going to incarcerate everyone that has hate, we’d better create more prisons and raise taxes.”
We aren’t jailing racists for being racist, we are jailing racists who commit violent crimes. The skinheads in prison aren’t behind bars for having swastika tattoos I assure you.
“We aren’t jailing racists for being racist, we are jailing racists who commit violent crimes”
and that’s my point…put them in jail for the crimes….BUT…if everyone wants to continue to focus on hate, we are definitely going to a place where we’ll be ‘jailing racists for being racists’.
THAT, I can promise you.
And, when that door is opened, it’s just a matter of time before the purveyors of acceptable thought then come for the gender bigots, the religious bigots, and on and on…Pandora’s box will have been opened.
It’s a crime, a horrible crime. That is sufficient.
‘Why are you so upset it is being called a hate crime?’
Because it’s his God given right to hate.
So you hate no one?
He’ll be found guilty, but mentally ill. He’ll never see the needle, all he’ll see if a lifetime in a padded room. He’ll outlive every single person on this blog.
Always expect and see knee jerk reactions with lawmakers. It turns into a race among them to see who can present the first piece of legislation spawn out of a reactive emotional frame of mind. Nothing but a band of self-serving two faced lying crooks in the General Assembly.
This is their opportunity to be relevant. The great planners of society will fix what ails it.
Well,now the Usual Suspects are starting to come out of the woodwork.
Hey Fits,the NAACP held Press conference today.Why not do a post ?That will bring the rest of em out!
Racists can’t contain themselves. They have to remind us how dangerous black people are (not racist, just stating statistics!) and why we need to be afraid of them within 24 hours of 9 innocent blacks being gunned down in a prayer meeting.
Isn’t it strange that all you same guilty “Blame-Gamers” also told us, without a doubt, that electing Barack Hussein Obama would take us out of the this dark age you all seem to always claim we’re in?
On the contrary, it is Republicans who always blame Obama any time incidents like these occur. You are the biggest example of this, Pogo. You not only think Obama is racist, but think he is somehow more racist than this Roof character.
In a week, after all the funerals are over, this will be all forgotten until the trial starts. There’s little that could have been done to stop one crazy individual who targeted a specific group. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and the news cameras will be gone, Todd Rutheford will still continue defending black criminals involved in black on white crime. Anti-flag liberals will still be blaming the piece of cloth on the front lawn of the Statehouse for all of the problems black citizens in this state face and if taken down, illegitimacy rates will drop from 70% to near zero; drop out rates will plummet; drug use and drug related crimes will require cops to start work as crossing guards to stay busy; black men will all find jobs; sickle cell will be cured, etc…
+1
“We can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the elephant in the room.”
Apt turn of phrase.
I’m trying to remember if this is what LBJ really said regarding the “elephant in the room’ —-
If you’re having a party and your mother-in-law walks into the room, and she has a third eye in the middle of her forehead, well you just can’t ignore it…
That was a good letter for sure and made me think about hating in general
Here are the things I hate:
1. Rats (I LOVE shooting rats!!!)
2. Mosquitoes
3.Ticks
4.Gnats
5.Horse/”buck” flies (makes my day when I kill one!!!!)
Things that I don’t hate but annoy the shit out of me:
1. Smug, self righteous conservatives who think they have the answer to everything……
2. Whiney know-it all liberals who think they have the answer to everything………
Just reread David’s letter, which made me think… I need to pick up toilet paper the next time I’m at the store.
Stuck in the mid-20th century is just where the GOP wants us to be. We had progress in the 1970s, then it stopped. The GOP is to blame.
Ever heard the saying that the 1970’s is when the the 1960’s came to the south???
The irony of saying SC is 50 years behind stinks when you think about our adored Jr. US Senator and Gov are both racial minorities, and Republicans. But there may yet be some more yellow dog democrats out there.
Did Senator Pinckney ever get this matter cleared up? http://www.fitsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/senator-Pinckney_Response-Letter.pdf