You Can't Say Some Things

The recent mass killings in El Paso and Dayton should make us all stop and think. Free speech does not give you the right to say anything you want to without consequences. The President’s recent pronouncements about Baltimore and its Congressman are far beyond what should be allowed. It as if he doesn’t care about the people who live there. He seems to think they want to live in poverty and do not want the best for their children. I have not found this to be true.

Though Baltimore is struggling with too many drug users and too many deaths, it is not because the people there want to live with rats and roaches. Unfortunately that is the best environment they can provide given the expense of living. That is hard for someone who inherited wealth and whose father and son-in-law have profited handsomely on the backs of those who do not have many options. We all knew about Baltimore through watching TH WIRE on TV. What was an HBO series two decades ago has become current news. In the meantime, the minimum wage has not been raised while the rich have received even greater tax cuts. Is something wrong here?

Even here in Raleigh, we have shown we are not immune to the language of hate. A customer at the Bonefish Grill was offended by other patrons who happened to be of color. She could not take it so she took matters in her own hands. She called the offenders the “n” word and refused to apologize, saying she would do it again. She chose the right patrons because for most of the people I know she was a good candidate for a beat down. She claims it was not racist but I wonder how many white people she has called the “n” word. That she felt free enough to use this word is of itself a reason for concern. Have we created an environment where this is OK?

Many of us have spoken inappropriately in the past but most us learn better. It seems that some people just can’t learn or just don’t want to. When you constantly offend others it would be appropriate to conclude that this is the way you feel. You would be a slow learner if you could not figure this out. If your criticism is only directed at people of color, it would be fair to conclude that you have a problem with them. This is commonly called racist behavior and should not be tolerated.

All terrorists should be eliminated from the fabric of America. It should not depend on your religion, or race, or country of origin. If you kill people you should be caught and punished. If you encourage others to do so by your words, in my opinion you are just as guilty as they are. You can’t say anything and think your hands are clean.

We have heard many dog whistles. “Send them Back”, “urban problems”, and other statements are easy to interpret. You don’t have to use the “n” word for people to know you have a problem. There are some things you just cannot say.

Br