When Donald Trump holds a rally, his supporters are very enthusiastic. I often expect them to chant; “we have a leader; we have a leader.” Trump has allowed bigoted Americans to cease ‘hiding in the closet.’ They celebrate the fact that one of the major parties has nominated a racist and a bigot; they have their voice.
Republican politicians have been successful in their efforts to hide the beliefs they share with Trump for years, and now they no longer have to suppress their true feelings; the truth has been exposed.
Take Republican Representative Robert Pittenger of North Carolina. Pittenger is angry about the protests in Charlotte. The mostly black crowds are protesting another black man killed by law enforcement in their city. This is the latest demonstration in a series of killings which have lasted for decades. Pittenger claims that their reasons for protesting are insincere.
Pittenger was born in 1948, and claims that he knows young black people better than they know themselves.
“The grievance in their minds – the animus, the anger – they hate white people, because white people are successful and they’re not,” Pittenger told BBC Newsnight when he was asked about what is driving heated protests in Charlotte.
“It is a welfare state,” he added. “We have spent trillions of dollars on welfare, and we’ve put people in bondage, so they can’t be all that they’re capable of being.”
Fortunately, Pittenger is a dying breed; older, white men whose numbers are disappearing and will soon no longer soil our country with their white supremacist views. Millennials, who are seldom prejudiced, have replaced baby-boomers in number.
When Trump hired Steve Bannon as his campaign CEO, the Ku Klux Klan celebrated. They claim that they now control a major political party. Bannon is a member of Alt-Right, a group which is openly white supremacist.
Let’s take a close look at reality. The truth is easy to kill, but lies and evil are nearly impossible to destroy. The fact that blacks are treated differently from whites is not new. This sad fact has existed in our cities for my entire life. Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1950’s, was mostly a wonderful experience. However, when I attended high school and made friends with others of all races, colors, and religions, my education truly began. Tales of mistreatment by law enforcement were nearly unbelievable, but involvement in their lives proved them to be truthful.
The only difference between those times and now is that everyone who has a phone has a camera. Falsified police reports no longer vindicate law enforcement. We saw a black man with his hands raised in the air shot to death with no provocation in Tulsa. We have witnessed blacks killed sitting in cars. They have been shot running away from the police, unarmed and in fear.
Yesterday, I wrote about “two Americas.” This is not a new concept. It has been denied by the right wing and their propaganda machine, FOX Noise, for years. The truth is that it is an undeniable reality.
Pittenger is a member of one America, the part which is dominated by ignorant men and women. They seek a return to a white-dominated society. They are unable to accept the growing numbers of blacks and Hispanics in our nation. They want to remove the Constitutional rights of the LGBT community. Although they are not in fact true Christians, they denounce all other religions and openly demonstrate their hatred of Muslim Americans without provocation.
The other America is hopeful and is moving forward into the 21st century. We embrace diversity and seek understanding as the tool which allows us to celebrate our differences. We embrace the Constitution; all of it; we are not selective.
Which America do you want to reside in; one which is moving forward and is joyfully accepting the changes in our nation, or one which thrives on fear, anger, and hatred; fueled by ignorance?
If you love your country, please repost. Thank you for your patriotism.
Op-Ed
By James Turnage
Photo Courtesy of North Carolina National Guard
Follow me on twitter; @jamesturnagenov
The Truth With No Restrictions 