Nov. 15, 2008

Post-Racial USA? Not So Fast

Obama's Election Spurs Widespread Vitriol; Children Chant "Assassinate Obama"

    • This photo provided to the Associated Press by Gary and Alina Grewal of Hardwick Township, N.J., shows a charred cross that had been burned on the lawn of their home. The Grewals placed a banner in their yard congratulating President-elect Barack Obama on his election victory. They found the banner wrapped around the charred cross Nov. 6, 2008. Photo

      This photo provided to the Associated Press by Gary and Alina Grewal of Hardwick Township, N.J., shows a charred cross that had been burned on the lawn of their home. The Grewals placed a banner in their yard congratulating President-elect Barack Obama on his election victory. They found the banner wrapped around the charred cross Nov. 6, 2008.  (AP PHOTO)

    • The election of Sen. Barack Obama has spurred a series of racist acts and hate crimes around the country, police and academic experts say. Photo

      The election of Sen. Barack Obama has spurred a series of racist acts and hate crimes around the country, police and academic experts say.  (CBS)

    Previous slide Next slide
  • Who's Who World Reaction

    For many, Barack Obama's election seals America's reputation as a land of opportunity.

(CBS/AP)  Cross burnings. Schoolchildren chanting "Assassinate Obama." Black figures hung from nooses. Racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars.

Incidents around the country referring to President-elect Barack Obama are dampening the postelection glow of racial progress and harmony, highlighting the stubborn racism that remains in America.

From California to Maine, police have documented a range of alleged crimes, from vandalism and vague threats to at least one physical attack. Insults and taunts have been delivered by adults, college students and second-graders.

There have been "hundreds" of incidents since the election, many more than usual, said Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate crimes.

One was in Snellville, Ga., where Denene Millner said a boy on the school bus told her 9-year-old daughter the day after the election: "I hope Obama gets assassinated." That night, someone trashed her sister-in-law's front lawn, mangled the Obama lawn signs, and left two pizza boxes filled with human feces outside the front door, Millner said.

She described her emotions as a combination of anger and fear.

"I can't say that every white person in Snellville is evil and anti-Obama and willing to desecrate my property because one or two idiots did it," said Millner, who is black. "But it definitely makes you look a little different at the people who you live with, and makes you wonder what they're capable of and what they're really thinking."

Potok, who is white, said he believes there is "a large subset of white people in this country who feel that they are losing everything they know, that the country their forefathers built has somehow been stolen from them."

Grant Griffin, a 46-year-old white Georgia native, expressed similar sentiments: "I believe our nation is ruined and has been for several decades and the election of Obama is merely the culmination of the change.

"If you had real change it would involve all the members of (Obama's) church being deported," he said.

Change, in whatever form, does not come easy, and a black president is "the most profound change in the field of race this country has experienced since the Civil War," said William Ferris, senior associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina. "It's shaking the foundations on which the country has existed for centuries."

"Someone once said racism is like cancer," Ferris said. "It's never totally wiped out; it's in remission."

If so, America's remission lasted until the morning of Nov. 5.

The day after the vote hailed as a sign of a nation changed, black high school student Barbara Tyler of Marietta, Ga., said she heard hateful Obama comments from white students, and that teachers cut off discussion about Obama's victory.

Tyler spoke at a press conference by the Georgia chapter of the NAACP calling for a town hall meeting to address complaints from across the state about hostility and resentment. Another student, from a Covington middle school, said he was suspended for wearing an Obama shirt to school Nov. 5 after the principal told students not to wear political paraphernalia.

The student's mother, Eshe Riviears, said the principal told her: "Whether you like it or not, we're in the South, and there are a lot of people who are not happy with this decision."

Other incidents include:

  • Four North Carolina State University students admitted writing anti-Obama comments in a tunnel designated for free speech expression, including one that said: "Let's shoot that (N-word) in the head." Obama has received more threats than any other president-elect, authorities say.

    Quote

    Someone once said racism is like cancer. It's never totally wiped out; it's in remission.

    William Ferris, Center for the Study of the American South
  • At Standish, Maine, a sign inside the Oak Hill General Store read: "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool." Customers could sign up to bet $1 on a date when Obama would be killed. "Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count," the sign said. At the bottom of the marker board was written "Let's hope someone wins."

  • Racist graffiti was found in places including New York's Long Island, where two dozen cars were spray-painted; Kilgore, Texas, where the local high school and skate park were defaced; and the Los Angeles area, where swastikas, racial slurs and "Go Back To Africa" were spray painted on sidewalks, houses and cars.

  • Second- and third-grade students on a school bus in Rexburg, Idaho, chanted "assassinate Obama," a district official said.

  • University of Alabama professor Marsha L. Houston said a poster of the Obama family was ripped off her office door. A replacement poster was defaced with a death threat and a racial slur. "It seems the election brought the racist rats out of the woodwork," Houston said.

  • Black figures were hanged by nooses from trees on Mount Desert Island, Maine, the Bangor Daily News reported. The president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas said a rope found hanging from a campus tree was apparently an abandoned swing and not a noose.

  • Crosses were burned in yards of Obama supporters in Hardwick, N.J., and Apolacan Township, Pa.

  • A black teenager in New York City said he was attacked with a bat on election night by four white men who shouted 'Obama.'

  • In the Pittsburgh suburb of Forest Hills, a black man said he found a note with a racial slur on his car windshield, saying "now that you voted for Obama, just watch out for your house."

    Emotions are often raw after a hard-fought political campaign, but now those on the losing side have an easy target for their anger.

    "The principle is very simple," said BJ Gallagher, a sociologist and co-author of the diversity book "A Peacock in the Land of Penguins." "If I can't hurt the person I'm angry at, then I'll vent my anger on a substitute, i.e., someone of the same race."

    "We saw the same thing happen after the 9-11 attacks, as a wave of anti-Muslim violence swept the country. We saw it happen after the Rodney King verdict, when Los Angeles blacks erupted in rage at the injustice perpetrated by 'the white man."'

    "It's as stupid and ineffectual as kicking your dog when you've had a bad day at the office," Gallagher said. "But it happens a lot."

    © MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

    Video and Galleries from U.S.

    Add a Comment See all 534 Comments
    by lbh12 November 15, 2008 5:53 PM PST
    So this portion of the population is Palin''s "real America" - where prejudice, hate, superstition, narrow-mindedness and ignorance thrive. How absolutely awful to contemplate that so many people think this is not only OK but actually desirable. They teach their children this? And probably pretend to be Christians and have "family values" while they''re at it.
    Reply to this comment
    by blazercoach1 November 15, 2008 6:01 PM PST
    Two wrongs do NOT make a right.....but...

    Isn''t this exactly how liberals have behaved towards conservatives, Christians, and Bush supporters for the past 8 years??
    Reply to this comment
    by paris1969 November 15, 2008 6:06 PM PST
    But ... let''s not forget, that for every incident of racist reaction there are thousands of people who are finding unity in Obama''s election. The good is far greater than the anger.
    Reply to this comment
    by hawksprings November 15, 2008 6:07 PM PST
    Didn''t something like 96% of blacks vote for Obama?
    Go to youtube and search for Howard Stearn''s on-the-street interview with blacks, where the interviewer ascribed McCain positions with Obama, and they didn''t know the difference.
    They were simply voting for Obama because he''s black.
    Isn''t that racist?
    Reply to this comment
    by earache4 November 15, 2008 6:08 PM PST
    I can just see it now....burning crosses on the west lawn....
    Reply to this comment
    by marcosis78 November 15, 2008 6:11 PM PST
    Paris, I agree. I just find stuff like this disgusting. These uneducated, ignorant people would rather have a white man in the office with no morals, overtax them, raise prices on everything, and then spit in their eye.....and then they would happier. Do people like this not remember that black men had the right to vote before white women?

    "and that teachers cut off discussion about Obama''s victory. "

    That''s just sad and pathetic of us as Americans. Whomever that teacher is, isnt much of a teacher. In fact, I think I am embarrassed for that teacher and the student needs to be apologized to. I suppose if McCain won, they would have just completely verbally annihilated that little girl. Perhaps we are a country of ignorance, intolerance, and just outright whiny.
    Reply to this comment
    by lross126 November 15, 2008 6:12 PM PST
    It appears that some folks are still stuck in the past...not to mention being afflicted with the arrested development syndrone.

    Why not bring back the military draft so that all of this supposed anger can be channeled into a real sense of service to our country.

    GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!
    Reply to this comment
    by earache4 November 15, 2008 6:16 PM PST
    Isn''t this exactly how liberals have behaved towards conservatives, Christians, and Bush supporters for the past 8 years??
    Posted by blazercoach1 at 06:01 PM

    Sorry, I haven''t seen any burning Shrubs in the yards of republicans, I haven''t heard any second- and third-grade students on a school bus chanting "assassinate McCain," No death threats, racial slurs, or beatings have happened to any republicans in my neighborhood....Maybe you could give some actual examples of how liberals have been perpetrating hate crimes over the last 8 years.....
    Reply to this comment
    by denn034 November 15, 2008 6:16 PM PST
    One expects this after two failed attempts to assassinate him. Unfortunately, this may lead to a resurgence of white supremacy in America.
    Reply to this comment
    by denn034 November 15, 2008 6:17 PM PST
    One more comment. Before someone blames the GOP, let me remind everyone of the racism within his own party that he had to overcome to get it''s nomination.
    Reply to this comment
    by earache4 November 15, 2008 6:18 PM PST
    Real Americans.....and you can keep ''em.....
    Reply to this comment
    by comeon11 November 15, 2008 6:22 PM PST
    RACISM WILL ALWAYS BE HERE PEOPLE. WHAT ARE WE SAYING. THIS IS NOT A FANTASY WORLD. RACISM HAS ALWAYS BEEN TRUE, WILL ALWAYS BE TRUE. ITS PART OF HUMAN SUPERFICIAL RESPONSE TO DIFFERENT. WE SHOULD BE APPLAUDED THAT DESPITE THE DIFFERENCES, THE PEOPLE VOTED FOR THE RIGHT CANDIDATE. THAT''S HOW IT SHOULD BE BUT RACISM WILL ALWAYS BE ALIVE. THEIR ARE MANY RACIST DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS, LETS NOT FORGET THAT. IT IS PART OF THE CULTURE OF AMERICA.
    Reply to this comment
    by laron345 November 15, 2008 6:24 PM PST
    hawksprings How is it racist when any other time blacks will vote for white candidates?? Trues there are some blacks that did vote for him because he''s black.But you act as if black people will never vote for a white person because they are white. He is also a democrat. If that were true, we would be split between voting for Obama and Alan Keys who is a black republican.
    Reply to this comment
    by earache4 November 15, 2008 6:24 PM PST
    Posted by comeon11 at 06:22 PM

    And the world was once thought to always be flat....
    Reply to this comment
    by dowjones20k November 15, 2008 6:26 PM PST
    Anyone who truly believes that racism will ever go away is naive ... All races have animosity towards one or another over something or another and this will never change ...

    Religious hatred is alive and well all over the world ... even right here in the US where religions are attacked as ignorant, crazy scary etc etc ... by progressives who promote diversity and tolerance towards their own beliefs ..

    Folks should get a clue and realize that none of this stuff will ever go away .. You cant wish it away, you can''t vote it away and you certainly cant make it go away ... we are who we are .. black, white, brown, yellow ...

    Most folks have some degree of racism or intolerance somewhere inside .. whether you want to admit it or not just think about it
    Reply to this comment
    by comeon11 November 15, 2008 6:26 PM PST
    HawkSprings ..................BLACKS ALWAYS VOTE BETWEEN 85-90 PERCENT FOR DEMOCRATS, AND BLACKS HAVE VOTED FOR WHITE PRESIDENTS FOR THE LONGEST TIME? YOUR POINT? ARE YOU CRITICIZING WOMEN WHO WANTED TO VOTE FOR HILLARY BECAUSE SHE IS A COMPETENT WOMAN AND WOULD BE A GREAT SYMBOL FOR YOUNG GIRLS? WHY IS IT A PROBLEM WHEN BLACK PEOPLE WANT TO VOTE FOR A COMPETENT BLACK MAN, WHO IS DEMOCRAT AND A GREAT SYMBOL FOR THEIR KIDS?

    YOU ARE A RACIST AND YOU ARE TRYING TO RATIONALIZE IT. IT IS CALLED "BLAME THE VICTIM."
    Reply to this comment
    by comeon11 November 15, 2008 6:28 PM PST
    dowjones20k..................I AGREE. THE ARGUMENT MADE BY MANY PROGRESSIVES ARE CONTRADICTORY SINCE THEY SAY THAT THEY ARE WORKING FOR THE DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY ARE TORMENTING AND CONDEMNING RELIGION. THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT CARING ABOUT DIVERSITY, THEY ARE CARING ABOUT BEING ABLE TO DO WHATEVER THEY LIKE WITH NO STIGMA. THAT''S WHAT THIS WHOLE EXTREME LEFT MOVEMENT IS ABOUT.
    Reply to this comment
    by laron345 November 15, 2008 6:29 PM PST
    no, you just want to make yourself feel better by calling everybody else racist
    Reply to this comment
    by earache4 November 15, 2008 6:30 PM PST
    Most folks have some degree of racism or intolerance somewhere inside .. whether you want to admit it or not just think about it
    Posted by dowjones20k at 06:26 PM

    So how do you think your rational will play out in heaven? (if you believe)
    Reply to this comment
    by comeon11 November 15, 2008 6:31 PM PST
    earache4.................STOP BEING NAIVE. THAT WAS BASED ON SCIENTIFIC ARGUMENTS. THIS IS BASED ON HUMAN NATURE. SORRY TO AWAKEN YOU TO THE REAL WORLD. BECAUSE I AM OBJECTIVE ENOUGH TO ADMIT THE NATURE OF HUMAN BEINGS DOES NOT MEAN THAT I AM NOT PROMOTING HEALTHY PROGRESS IN SOCIETY. BECAUSE OBAMA IS PRESIDENT DOES NOT MEAN THAT RACISM IS DONE. FOR BLACKS, IT MIGHT BECOME HARDER FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE IT GETS BETTER DUE TO ANGER BY MANY WHITES (OBAMA ONLY RECEIVED ABOUT 40 PERCENT OF THE WHITE VOTES, REMEMBER THAT.)
    Reply to this comment
    by comeon11 November 15, 2008 6:34 PM PST
    earache4 ...............HAVE YOU EVER CROSSED THE STREET WHEN YOU SAW A BUNCH OF BLACK TEENAGERS COMING YOUR WAY?

    EVERYONE HAS BIASES IN THEM. THAT''S AN OBJECTIVE VIEW.
    Reply to this comment
    by earache4 November 15, 2008 6:35 PM PST
    (OBAMA ONLY RECEIVED ABOUT 40 PERCENT OF THE WHITE VOTES, REMEMBER THAT.)
    Posted by comeon11 at 06:31 PM

    Also remember, (MR ALL CAPS), that Obama polled better with white males having college degrees than he did with uneducated white males...
    Reply to this comment
    by earache4 November 15, 2008 6:37 PM PST
    earache4 ...............HAVE YOU EVER CROSSED THE STREET WHEN YOU SAW A BUNCH OF BLACK TEENAGERS COMING YOUR WAY?
    Posted by comeon11 at 06:34 PM

    No. But then again, I don''t have anything worth stealing....
    Reply to this comment
    by comeon11 November 15, 2008 6:37 PM PST
    earache4 .....................YOUR POINT? THERE WILL ALWAYS BE LESS EDUCATED PEOPLE THAN EDUCATED PEOPLE IN SOCIETY (IT IS USUALLY DUE TO WEALTH DISPARITIES.) THEREFORE, MY STATEMENTS ARE EVEN MORE TRUE.
    Reply to this comment
    by earache4 November 15, 2008 6:44 PM PST
    earache4 .....................YOUR POINT? THERE WILL ALWAYS BE LESS EDUCATED PEOPLE THAN EDUCATED PEOPLE IN SOCIETY (IT IS USUALLY DUE TO WEALTH DISPARITIES.) THEREFORE, MY STATEMENTS ARE EVEN MORE TRUE.
    Posted by comeon11 at 06:37 PM

    And yet, if everyone was given an equal opportunity at an advanced education.....Well MR ALL CAPS, I''m glad I don''t hold your opinion of human nature.....
    Reply to this comment
    by slim1h2o November 15, 2008 6:47 PM PST

    Hey CBS, why keep publishing the ignorant rantings from the less educated people in this country.

    I know the feelings are such, that most Americans are happy with the election results.

    And it runs through all races.

    Quit fueling the flames of hate.


    Reply to this comment
    by CNH November 15, 2008 6:48 PM PST
    Fear of a dark-skinned President with a foreign-sounding name is a predictable outcome of the hate-mongering that was perpetuated by McCain, Palin, and the RNC in their speeches, ads, mailers, and robocalls. Skinheads, Aryan Brotherhood, KKK, John Birch Society and the like regard themselves as the GOP''s "peeps".

    McCain and Palin behaved like juvenile delinquents playing with matches and negligently starting a wildfire, and then disavowing any responsibility for the resulting property damage.
    Reply to this comment
    by irmcvet97 November 15, 2008 6:49 PM PST


    The Republican Party and the Right in General have a very large problem on their hands. THEY have allowed the lowest among us to gain control of their party AND they played to them and their fears during this election. They will NEVER gain NATIONAL Stature again as long as they are linked to those people and since the Traditional Republican''s have abandoned them, they now must either become the Party for the Kooks and wacko''s or throw them under the bus and HOPE they can again attract what was once their base. American''s went to the polls and elected this black man in the face of him being accused of being a socialist and being a friend to a Terrorist! That more than anything else, should tell them where the feelings of the vast majority in this nation are. It''s your call Republican''s, what few of you there are left!
    Reply to this comment
    by sincity_q November 15, 2008 6:50 PM PST
    Of course, the media completely ignores that racism exists across the broad color spectrum of society. It''s not popular to admit that race hatreds are prevelant in blacks, as well as every other ethinicity... not just whites.

    For humanity to ever rise beyond its most primal fears, hatreds and prejudices, we will have to create a color blind society through education, patience and tolerance... not yellow, sensationalist journalism like this.

    Reply to this comment
    by toolmangler-2009 November 15, 2008 6:50 PM PST
    earache4 ...............HAVE YOU EVER CROSSED THE STREET WHEN YOU SAW A BUNCH OF BLACK TEENAGERS COMING YOUR WAY?
    Posted by comeon11 at 06:34 PM
    No. But then again, I don''''t have anything worth stealing....
    Posted by earache4 at 06:37 PM : Nov 15, 2008



    If you are Black and see a group of white ''teenagers'' headed your way, or if you are White and see a group of Black ''teenagers'' headed your way, you should quietly go a different direction. Groups like that are just like a pack of dogs ''Pitbulls in particular'' when they think they have the advantage over you...
    Reply to this comment
    by smurfcrusher November 15, 2008 6:50 PM PST
    Why does CBSnews continue to fan the flames of hate?

    The people have spoken; there was no newsworthy divide based on race that decided the election.

    CBSnews should take on a healthy perspective - that people are individuals and race is irrelevant.

    Let racism die the death it deserves.
    Reply to this comment
    by irmcvet97 November 15, 2008 6:52 PM PST
    Hey CBS, why keep publishing the ignorant rantings from the less educated people in this country.

    I know the feelings are such, that most Americans are happy with the election results.

    And it runs through all races.

    Quit fueling the flames of hate.



    Posted by slim1h2o at 06:47 PM : Nov 15, 2008

    So we''re going to blame the messenger? This isn''t a secret and reporting it ONLY makes REAL American''s, especially those of us who got on Buses during the 60''s to help overturn Jim Crowe Laws, that these people have been there all along. No reporting the TRUTH, especially when it''s a wide spread as this, is NEVER a bad thing!
    Reply to this comment
    by earache4 November 15, 2008 6:55 PM PST
    Racism is taught, not inherrited. There is no genetic code that makes someone racist. The posters that state racism is here to stay will not make an effort to teach their spawn anything different. We ca only hope somewhere down their inbred family tree, someone will break the chain of hate...
    Reply to this comment
    by irmcvet97 November 15, 2008 6:56 PM PST
    Of course, the media completely ignores that racism exists across the broad color spectrum of society. It''''s not popular to admit that race hatreds are prevelant in blacks, as well as every other ethinicity... not just whites.

    For humanity to ever rise beyond its most primal fears, hatreds and prejudices, we will have to create a color blind society through education, patience and tolerance... not yellow, sensationalist journalism like this.


    Posted by sincity_q at 06:50 PM : Nov 15, 2008

    There''s people who have a honest difference with the POSITION of someone and those who have a LONG and very DIRTY history of just hating people because of the color of their skin! This is a PROBLEM that the RIGHT has allowed to exist within their ranks for power and now they and they alone must find away to deal with it. The Democrats kicked this scum out a LONG time ago and a very greedy and selfish Politician came along and gave them a home. It''s NO secret and it''s a great thing that it is NOW coming to the surface. I''ll tell you from a view held by the vast majority of this nation, these people and those who give them a place to hide, do NOT deserve a spot on the National Political Map. Don''t think so? GO to any part of this nation outside the Fascist South and LISTEN to people.
    Reply to this comment
    by slim1h2o November 15, 2008 6:57 PM PST
    NEVER a bad thing!

    Posted by Irmcvet97 at 06:52 PM : Nov 15, 2008

    I''ll give you that McVet, but you know what I was getting at.

    Lets get behind the guy, Obama, for the sake of the country.

    Hopefully he''s legit, we need legit right now.

    Right?
    Reply to this comment
    by irmcvet97 November 15, 2008 7:00 PM PST
    Racism is taught, not inherrited. There is no genetic code that makes someone racist. The posters that state racism is here to stay will not make an effort to teach their spawn anything different. We ca only hope somewhere down their inbred family tree, someone will break the chain of hate...

    Posted by earache4 at 06:55 PM : Nov 15, 2008

    Yep! I know that for a fact. I have a VERY good friend who lives in Kentucky. He has told me about how "Christian''s" used to come to his school, sometimes with the Klan, to teach them "Equal but Different". He told me the story of a Lynching on a Saturday Night and the pastor of his church told them that Sunday that it was the fault of the black kid.. Seems he didn''t "know his place" and strayed into a County after dark where "his kind" was not allowed.
    Reply to this comment
    by irmcvet97 November 15, 2008 7:03 PM PST
    I''''ll give you that McVet, but you know what I was getting at.

    Lets get behind the guy, Obama, for the sake of the country.

    Hopefully he''''s legit, we need legit right now.

    Right?

    Posted by slim1h2o at 06:57 PM : Nov 15, 2008

    Oh I have LIVED in Illinois for a long time and been represented by Obama for a long time. He''s a legit as it gets. The problem is we also know the hate of these people and the length they will go. My friend in Kentucky has been keeping me up to speed on the Klan Trial that''s been going on there THIS LAST WEEK... so to just hide your head and pretend if we ignore them they will go away is not going to work.
    Reply to this comment
    by slim1h2o November 15, 2008 7:05 PM PST
    Posted by ToolMangler at 06:50 PM : Nov 15, 2008

    Most people like to hang out with their kind, that''s no secret.

    But groups of people shouldn''t be affraid of other groups of people either. I blame the Feds for all this garbage.

    This is what the war on drugs have brought.
    Amongst other problems, nay,,,many problems.
    Reply to this comment
    by slim1h2o November 15, 2008 7:10 PM PST
    so to just hide your head and pretend if we ignore them they will go away is not going to work.

    Posted by Irmcvet97 at 07:03 PM : Nov 15, 2008

    Hey Bud,,I don''t hide from nothing, longs I have level field to work with.

    I know that race relations needs work in this country, but our leadres have done nothing to fix it.
    Except to reverse discriminate against whites.

    Bot what a fix. But most whites have seen past all that.

    It''s time to move on, if we can.

    Reply to this comment
    by comeon11 November 15, 2008 7:12 PM PST
    OOPS, THE *** BUTTON IS NOT WORKING RIGHT. SORRY GUYS.
    Reply to this comment
    by comeon11 November 15, 2008 7:15 PM PST
    slim1h2o...............A SOCIETY OF OVER 60 PERCENT WHITE IS NOT GOING TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST WHITE. HOW IN THE WORLD HAVE YOU AS A WHITE PERSON BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST? ARE YOU SERIOUS? AS LONG AS THERE IS POLICE BRUTALITY, HATE CRIMES, HARASSMENT, TORMENT, EMPLOYMENT BIASES (FOR BLACKS AND WOMEN) ETC.....THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A NEED TO ADDRESS THEM. NOT TALKING ABOUT IT IS A BIGGER PROBLEM. POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WILL ONLY CREATE MORE PROBLEMS IN THE LONG RUN.
    Reply to this comment
    by sprinkles08 November 15, 2008 7:18 PM PST
    its sad to hear how many ignorant people we still have today. you''d think by now, we would be ready and everyone that has a problem with the president-elect obama, can get over it and grow up! under god''s eyes, we are the same, brothers and sisters. if obama is going to get this country back on its feet, than that''s what people should be worried about, not the color of his skin. by the way, this land belonged to the native americans.
    Reply to this comment
    by slim1h2o November 15, 2008 7:21 PM PST
    Posted by comeon11 at 07:15 PM : Nov 15, 2008

    It''s considered bad manners to have your "caps" on, please take them off.


    Reply to this comment
    by comeon11 November 15, 2008 7:23 PM PST
    slim1h2o ..................ACCORDING TO FAR LEFT LIBERAL PHILOSOPHY, I CAN DO WHATEVER I LIKE AS LONG AS IT MAKES ME HAPPY AND DOES NOT "PHYSICALLY" HURT OTHERS. MANNERS, SENSE OF MORALITY OR ETHICS ARE SUBJECTIVE.
    Reply to this comment
    by andor3 November 15, 2008 7:26 PM PST
    racists are having a rough time. that kind of cowardice requires the mindset of the mob, and they are finding they are a minority. racists are a minority. how ironic is that? but it hurts as they slowly realize how perverted, out of step, and now unpatriotic their views are.
    Reply to this comment
    by lloydbest1 November 15, 2008 7:28 PM PST
    "....so to just hide your head and pretend if we ignore them (the racialist ''Kluxer'' element) they will go away is not going to work."
    Posted by Irmcvet97 at 07:03 PM : Nov 15, 2008

    Unfortunately all too true. This is why I strongly support additional penalties and punishment for crimes that are "hate based". It MUST be driven home to the bigots and race baiters that their values are NOT compatible with the spirit of America. (In case anyone is wondering, I do not particularly care what the race is of the perpertrator or his/her victim).
    I am more of a "carrot" man than a "stick" man and do not believe we can legislate attitudes or ideology. I also believe that however inborn racist thought processes are, enlightened education and positive role modeling will blunt the effects. But that said, we CAN make the consequences of acting from a corrupted set of values, ideology or inappropriate anger very painful. With this nasty element, we need a lot less carrot and a great deal more stick.
    Reply to this comment
    by formrusmcsgt November 15, 2008 7:31 PM PST
    Second- and third-grade students on a school bus in Rexburg, Idaho, chanted "assassinate Obama," a district official said.
    ----
    And just where did they learn to hate like that?

    It''s bad enough that some are so ignorant as to hate entire races of people but it is indeed a crime to impregnate the minds of children with such stupidity.
    Reply to this comment
    by b0ludo November 15, 2008 7:32 PM PST
    Oops... It seems as a few folks out there miscalculated the effect that electing a mulatto of mixed white/black Muslim lineage would have on its citizens. I know several folks who were convinced by the never-ending pro-Obama mind-controlling diatribes on CNN, CBS, ABC and NBC who are now starting to question the wisdom of having voted for the "lesser of two evils".
    Reply to this comment
    by ndredneck-2009 November 15, 2008 7:39 PM PST
    I''m sorry for all you people that live in ur posh little realities but raceism is a golbal thing it is human nautre. In Hawaii the locals call whites and others by degrading terms, in cali there are areas whites don''t go becuase of the racist hate from blacks/mexicans. in the more rual northern states, racism is a dinner table discussion. I''ve been around the world and all over the USA and there is racism everywhere. so don''t think that just because you and your friends aren''t, dosen''t mean its just a "southen thing" its everywhere and in most people. I can''t speak for everyone and nither can any of you so please don''t. this is just something that will be worked out in time. after all you so called opend minded people turned down the *** right to marrige. is that not the same discrimination? that those low life repubs are doing about Obama...?
    Obama one by 2% more the Bush did in 2004 (51%) and you claim Unity get off it. "We" as a nation wanted something different but not a radical charge to the left.
    Reply to this comment
    by gramto8 November 15, 2008 7:45 PM PST
    McVet,
    You made the comment about the Southern Fascists. If you will notice, almost all of the items mentioned in the article are in the north. How does that translate to ''southern''?

    I agree with most things you say, but your decided hatred for anything southern is galling.
    Reply to this comment
    See all 534 Comments
    • MOST POPULAR
    • Viewed
    • Commented
    Latest News
    Featured Blogs