My post about racism last night was wrong.

[Redstone]

I had a talk with Mrs R. about it, and she convinced me. Even though we're both only half white, I've never had a problem because of it. She did when she was young, so that gives her a better perspective than I have, and I have to agree with her.

Although we both still think that, although there may very well be an element of racism in this whole disgraceful mess, the majority of the problem is criminally negligent incompetence. Along with the fact that the people at the top of our government are such heartless monsters that they actually withheld that convoy until this morning, letting even more people die, just so bushyboy could descend from the clouds in a (very poorly) staged attempt to make himself look like The Savior Of New Orleans--which may be the single most despicable thing I've EVER seen, and I've seen some truly dreadful things.

I also posted in anger, which I should not have done. I was incensed by an earlier post that blatantly questioned the right of a woman and a small boy to be in a shelter, because they were white. I was also angry because that post seemed to indicate a racist preference on the part of the "rescuers" on the scene, which I still will never believe. If there's that element of racism, it's at the top, not among the people on the front lines.

The fact that that post was wrong doesn't make mine any less wrong, though. I'll count to ten before posting next time.

Redstone

[bridgit]

1. i found your mention regarding the siphoning of assests...

elsewhere to be spot-on.

[johnnie]

2. You weren't wrong Redstone

We are all experiencing something that no other generation has yet to experience.

The majority of us don't give a shit if they are black, white, young, old, democrat, republican or any other "labels", we needed to respond because there are people involved and the fuckers in Washington were dragging their feet. I never once looked at the people trapped in New Orleans as anything other than people who needed our help.

You have every right to express yourself as any other person in this country. You have nothing to apologize about and have nothing to feel bad about. It was refreshing having someone here at DU to tell people to cut the crap and let's get on with it.

I hope this makes sense and I haven't said something that is against what you were trying to convey.
Take care,
Johnnie

[Redstone]

10. Thank you for saying that.

Most of us looked, as you did, at those people with colorblind eyes.

But I will say this: I admitted I was wrong, but did not apologize. that may seem like linguistic hairsplitting, but there it is. While I'll admit that there is likely a racist angle to all this that I was wrong in denying, there's no reason for me to apologize. I can legitimately claim to be colorblind, given my ethnic background and my wife's, and if I think people are finding racism where there isn't any, or (as in this case) ascribing a problem more to racism than it should be, well then I'll say so. After all, we're both 50 to 60% white, so I can't let anti-white stuff go without comment, either.

Damn, I gotta defend everyone of all kinds of skin shades here. (That's a JOKE, people!)

Thanks again.

Redstone

[Zenlitened]

23. "I admitted I was wrong, but did not apologize... there's no reason..."

Uh... nevermind then.

:eyes:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

24. That's not true, Johnnie and that's the problem and WHY so many

have no racial sensitivity. In 1927 when New Orleans flooded and thousands died, black people were rounded up against their will and FORCED to work on the reconstruction.

Only 6 years prior black homes were burned to the ground in Oklahoma.

Redstone has every right to express himself as do you and I have every right to challenge that expression and set the record straight when people say things that are historically whitewashed and incorrect.

go here : www.tolerance.org and take the tests for yourself.

[Zenlitened]

3. Well, it's good that you were able to take a second look.

Race seems to me to be an integral part of this story. I'm trying hard to imagine a sea of white faces languishing in such agony for four days, and I just can't pull up the picture. :(

[roguevalley]

4. I remember as a child seeing people not be allowed to swim in

pools or drink in fountains or go and stay places because of color. Its a terrible curse in our country, not being able to find the good in people without checking a list of personal characteristics. Its a curse. I always believed that kids who were born with both races were the hope of the future for us. They would be the ones to show all of us that we are essentially human and worthy, or not and color be damned. Don't beat yourself up. There is classism and racism at work here and that NO was a blue city doesn't help. We are all at the mercy of a tyrant. If it didn't happen to them, it would happen to someone else and the response would be the same. Hugs to you and yours, honey.

[Redstone]

6. That I do have to disagree with. I don't think any of understand

the depths of depravity that bushyboy and them will sink to. I honestly believe that they'd have been every bit as happy to let white people die, as long as it served their megalomania (see my comments about the staged "rescue convoy" in my original post).

Redstone

[bettyellen]

5. i know it's hard to imagine it, but there would be 2X the outcry and 10X

the preperation to prevent this mess as well as much fasterand bigger evacuation efforts if these people were white.
it's fubar, but i believe it's the truth. i'm glad you've rethought it. you're a big man, in more ways than one.

[melissinha]

7. I think its classism

unfortunately a majority of black people in this country or poor. We have seen that the administration will employ their token minorities in positions of power.... but make no mistake it was combination of tokenism and payback to their supporters and friends.... just how many of their Cabinet members are not oil moguls or former big business executives.... They didn't even have the precursory experience one would think would be necessary for their positions.

When a sharecropper's granddaughter Condasleeza Rice is spotted spending thousands of dollars on shoes while people are dying.. its not only race.

Its about the "haves" and the "have nots".

But then again.. they target african american neighborhoods when they try to suppress the vote cause they know they're democrats....

[ScreamingMeemie]

8. We've all been there, Redstone.

What I'm concentrating on is the spirit of goodwill toward each other (in spite of what I believe to be a lot of trumped up lies of news reports of "gangs" and the like) in spite of skin color. I am hoping that this will make all of us-the poor, the middle class struggling to maintain, and yes, even the rich with conscience for there are a few left...learn that we are all in this together. And that,under this administration...we have to see each other through.

You're a good person Redstone. :hug:

~Laura

[Nothing Without Hope]

9. I've had a similar experience with a post suggesting "passive genocide"

Although I went on to urge that we channel our rage, horror, compassion and hunger to help into a nonviolent, positive, effective, coherent set of actions to unite the country behind what must be done, my anger about what has happened came through.

That's wrong. I feel as you do in this. I was furious and suspicious when my post was "disappeared" this afternoon - I had worked so hard on it and I was so full of righteous fury! But after cooling down and ripping the hell out of the weeds in my landlord's garden until it was too dark to see, I'm calm enough to see that fury is destructive - it must be channeled into energized, insightful action that will accomplish our goals. I think it's vital that the victims understand that we are OUTRAGED (I can't think of a word that conveys my sickened, saddened fury) on their behalf and will stand forward for them as brothers and sisters. But whipping each other up to a furious broth here at DU - as opposed to getting the news and discussing what has to be done - is NOT going to help.

My personal theory is that the neocons WANT us all to erupt in divisive violence so that they can invoke a Pentagon-driven domestic military police force around the country. Very scary scenario and I do have reasons for suspecting it. But you know what? It doesn't matter in the short term whether the cut funding and criminal delays that are resulting in so much more devastation and death are the result of callousness, greed and incompetence "only" or due to truly malicious deliberate planning. Either way, we must channel our horror and outrage as well as our compassion and hunger to help into well-planned, effective nonviolent actions that will unite and energize the country for
1. aid and resources to the suffering and homeless – everything they need to start their recovery and start healing their trauma as much as can be done
2. organization of how to unite and respond nonviolently and most effectively now and henceforth
3. inspiration of the American public with effective goals to create true change
4. US regime change
5. Joining the world community and moving forward

And yes, I am collecting the ever-lengthening list of evidence for the criminally negligent (at the least) actions of this Administration. They will not succeed in lying their way through this one. Never again. This is the turning point.

[Redstone]

11. Now THERE's a phrase for us all to sieze on:

You said: "Never again. This is the turning point."

I would not at all mind seeing that phrase everywhere I turned, on the street, on the Web, and everywhere across this fair land.

Them there's fightin' words. And words we need now.

Redstone

[Nothing Without Hope]

14. Yes, you're right! NEVER AGAIN. THIS IS THE TURNING POINT. A good rallying

cry..

I'm thinking my "disappeared" angry post from this afternoon through, have been since this afternoon, and will post again with a rewritten and less angry version of the text, probably tomorrow.

I've only studied the methods used in the nonviolent programs for social change used by Gandhi, Mandela, King and others in a general way. Now we need to comprehend it all in detail as one part of what we have to put together now.

The images from my "angry post" are cool on their own - here they are. All of these leaders have accomplished profound change and are inspiring to even think about.

--Hope

[Redstone]

17. If you're still up (if you, like I, cannot sleep),

I wish I had seen your "angry post."

There is deep anger within all of us. Let us put it to good use.

There is hope for our country yet, much as it may seem that there is not.

We're still Americans. We still can think. And hope. And change things. We CANNOT give up.

But we can rest now, and take up the fight again tomorrow.

Redstone

[Nothing Without Hope]

18. I'll PM my angry post to you. I used the rallying cry you pointed out in

THIS new post in GD - it'll probably sink like a rock at this time of day and it's too bad - it's significant. Look at the end for the rallying cry:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4600287
Thread title: CNN article entirely on DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OFFICIAL VERSION AND TRUTH

I've not been able to sleep during these awful days, either. There's too much feeling and too much of a sense that I've got to do all I can, even "only" posting at DU and (tomorrow morning) heading out to the local yard sales for adult and child clothing to mail when we have mailing addresses, sizes etc. for people who need it.

edited to add: Hey, I see you're from Conn. Can you please tell me what the favored one-word term for a person from Connecticut is? There really isn't one for MA, but maybe there is for Conn. and I just haven't heard it.

OK - now going back to my Word file to PM you my disappeared angry post. I never got to see the replies - everything happened very quickly and I was PMing a couple of people to ask for their opiinions - but I was told it got 8 votes before it disappeared with no explanation. (Now I'm calm enough to understand that with the high volume and high tempers, they didn't have time to explain.)

[Redstone]

19. I posted about that this afternoon as well.

It was so good to see CNN savaging the lying, clueless SOBs...

Redstone

[Nothing Without Hope]

20. searched but did not see your post on the CNN article - sorry

I edited my previous post i this string = plese hit refresh :hi:

[Redstone]

21. It's OK. We need to let it go now, and get some sleep.

We can fight the good fight again in the morning.

Sleep well,

Redstpone

[Nothing Without Hope]

22. You too. You did a fine thing in this thread. It's an excellent example.

My decisions and rethinking on my own disappeared angy post - just PMed it to you - followed along the same lines, but you POSTED your learning experience. It really helped me and I'm grateful.

I need to get some sleep to or I'll miss those yard sales tomorrow AM.

Good night. :boring:

We're all going to be brought together in a new and powerful way in this good fight. That's the only way it can happen.

[progmom]

12. very nice, redstone.

you're a good man.

[democracyindanger]

13. You've got integrity.

Not many people would be willing to come back and post that.

[khashka]

15. There is a huge element of racism in this

Not on the front lines - people who risk their lives to save other people rarely give a fuck about something as ultimately trivial as race.

On the other hand, our culture is still viciously racist. Black people are more likely to live in poverty. When something like this happens... blacks are differentially effected. And racism raises it's ugly head when people become desperate.

And the media isn't helping....

I didn't read your post Redstone, but I'd be surprised if you said anything to apologize for.

Khash.

[miss_kitty]

16. I am very concerned about the institutional racism

It runs so deep, most white people can't see or fathom it. It's such an ingrained fact of life, it's accepted as a truism, even though it's based on a falsehood buried deep within us. I saw this a couple weeks ago when Dateline did a story on why does the media only focuses on missing white girls, the president of NBC (the only exec that would answer questions for the report, and a white guy) said he didn't think it was true.

But right now the bottom line is the black, white rich or poor, anyone in NOLA and environs is suffering. And they're suffering because of the current administration's inability to address the needs of the common people in this country. And we knew it already. This bullshit is just proof for the rest of them.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

25. I'm glad you apologized.

Now ask yourself the source of that criminally negligent incompetence..because at the root of it is racism and classism.

But when I see progressives in denial about racism and classism, I get about as angry as you were when you started that thread.