In response to Tim Wise's "Open Letter to the White Right...." et al
I am white. And considering that I've attended a Tea Party rally and am part of the Pittsburgh Tea Party meetup.com group, you would label me as one of the Right. So be it. Being, therefore, one of the people you addressed your letter to, allow me to respond to your bit of absurdity.
I'm quite sure there are racist people involved in the Tea Party movement and in the Republican party. But then I'm pretty sure there are racist people in the liberal camp and the Democratic Party, too. So the fact that racism exists is not even really worth mentioning. It is what it is, there will always be people who are incapable of seeing past others' external appearance before judging their character. Fine. I don't care what those people think, and nobody else should either. They have forfeited their right to be heard as rational people by judging others in an irrational manner.
So here's my point: I can't speak for everyone who supports the Tea Party movement, but I am one that does support it. And I, as well as the people I know personally who have attended rallies and meetings, am not racist. This election upheaval had absolutely nothing to do with minorities, or a secret desire to take things back to the 1950s. Where did that idea even come from?!? Everything I've heard, including your arch-nemeses' radio shows (Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck) is pretty straight forward and obvious with regards to the goal of 'taking our country back'.
We want to take it back to the days of pride and responsibility. We want to take it back to when the Constitution was actually respected by our president, instead of being ignored. We want American citizens to be legal citizens, and people willing to work for their wages and benefits. WE DON'T WANT THE HEALTH CARE BILL. Know why? Not because we hate poor people or handicapped people, but because it's UNCONSTITUTIONAL. The federal government has no business telling us what we are required to buy.
And that's just a start. I, personally think we need to majorly downsize the federal government. I've talked about that in previous posts though, so I'm not going to repeat myself here. I'd like to see politicians that I can respect, people that go to work for the citizens, not in spite of them. There are lots of things that I'd like to see, but mostly I'd like to see someone in office (at any level) who understands the concept of doing things in a responsible manner. Because we DO need to take the long view, as Mr. Wise says. But he's got it wrong, by removing government meddling, we're doing more for all those underdog citizens out there than any socialist program ever could.
So, Mr. Wise...in conclusion, I'd just like to say this: Be more careful how you address your open letters. Yours was clearly written at irrational racist people, not white Conservatives. The two are not the same thing, and if you can't see that, then you are just as guilty of making irrational judgments as racist people are. Try making arguments based on fact and deductive reasoning next time, instead of broad generalities. Remember, there's always an exception to every rule.
