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Health & Fitness

Charlie Rangel And A Look At The Past

In a recent interview with the Daily Beast, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) said, “Tea Partiers are the "same group" who fought for segregation during the Civil Rights movement. It is the same group we faced in the South with those white crackers and the dogs and the police. They didn't care about how they looked." Because of this, Rangel said the Tea Party could be defeated using the same tactics employed against Jim Crow. "It was just fierce indifference to human life that caused America to say enough is enough. ‘I don’t want to see it and I am not a part of it.’ What the hell! If you have to bomb little kids and send dogs out against human beings, give me a break,”

Many of us read with interest these comments by Congressman Charlie Rangel. Many wonder if he has evidence the Tea Party is a danger to America or if this is just political opportunism. Is this a warning of danger to protect people or another device to sell the opium of division?

Many average American working people like the idea of a Tea Party, a Labor Party or a Progressive Party. As Americans’ we support people who are taking part in our political process. This support should be allowed without vilifying or damning any group for presenting a point of view they support. The Tea Party identifies themselves as a group of Patriots standing up for what made America great. The Tea Party supports the Constitution and the ideas buttressed by the Founders who wrote the document. Tea Party members are becoming involved in their government and thus are taking part in democracy. A check of news sources failed to find a single report of the Tea Party bombing kids or using dogs to reach their lawful objective of electing representatives of their choice. It did reveal the Government targeting The Tea Party, using the IRS and apparently other agencies, a move John Adams warned about early in our history.

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There was a time when many, including Congressman Rangel, had to fight for equal rights. This was an ugly, bitter battle eventually won on moral grounds. Over the past 60 years things have changed. Kids graduated from school and left the farms. Poor people discovered how to open businesses, learn higher paying skills and move their family to levels of prosperity most of us could not have imagined. During this time Middle America supported efforts such as a safety net, Affirmative Action and educational quota’s to make sure everybody had a chance. All these changes moved this country to a better place. These laws and ideas were passed, mostly by “White Crackers,” trying to correct an ugly scar in American history.

It is time to recognize the ugly days of overt racism is over. There will always be a certain percentage who don’t get the message; perfection being impossible. It must be difficult to accept victory and understand the war is won. It may hurt so much, the Congressman forgets the allies he insults, the allies who worked to overcome this very same type bigotry. The Congressman got rich in this battle for equal rights. Does he see his value belongs to another age? The Congressman feels comfortable repeating the errors of the past. He has no trouble calling people haters while displaying the same ugly hatred towards a group he is condemning.

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Let’s get it right. The 1960’s generation should be the last generation involved in the race debate. The issue is dead, black racism was caused by an under educated, fearful society who were fighting to protect a life style that would have died on its own from a lack of legitimacy. We don’t need to fight that fight again. We certainly don’t need another form of racism to accommodate those who need the issue in order to remain relevant. Everybody is equal in the eyes of God and the errors of the past are just that; errors of the past.

We have a black President, a black Attorney General, and a Black Supreme Court Justice. Blacks comprise 13% of the American population, yet 18% of all Federal employees are Black. We have had Hispanic governors, Hispanic Congressmen and an economically growing Hispanic community. Many think it is time for us to honor the memory of Martin Luther King who wanted kids to be judged on the quality of their character and not the color of their skin. Those who would hold us back dishonor a leader who pointed the way.

I’m happy Congressman Rangel feels comfortable calling people crackers. In today’s world of Political Correctness it is helpful to know how someone really feels. If more people were like Congressman Rangel it would be easier to navigate the world; you would know who to respect, and who to avoid based on their words and actions. Thank you Congressman Rangel for reminding us of the hate which existed in our past………

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