PrintOctober 19, 2009
The lucrative business of racism
This latest imbroglio about Rush Limbaugh being ineligible to buy an NFL franchise, because of a couple of alleged racial comments he made over the span of his many decades on the radio, stands out as one of the phoniest canards ever foisted upon the American public.
The irony behind the spurious charge is that they come from two of the most incendiary provocateurs in the race-baiting business. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, who give themselves the ludicrous title of Reverend, have the unmitigated gall to proclaim that Limbaugh is a polarizing figure in the country. This from a couple of race hustlers who have been living large for several decades with no visible means of support except for the "donations" they received from corporations they've threatened with not so subtle methods of extortion. Using their race as a bludgeon, they begin by claiming that a company doesn't have enough blacks on the payroll, therefore they will stage protests and jeopardize the company's profits until it cries uncle and makes sizable "contributions" to the respective bank accounts of some very suspicious "nonprofit" groups. Add to that several instances in which these charlatans have thrown gasoline on black - white incidents from coast to coast, and you have a clear picture of actual racism.
However, this is where we are in 2009. Sharpton and Jackson can make millions of dollars by parsing every word, phrase, action or thought and search for a creative way to connect it to bigotry. Every time they do, they expect white America to be intimidated into relinquishing something of value. Yet, when Jackson exhibited his rabid anti-Semitism by referring to New York City as Hymietown, that other laughable excuse for a member of the clergy couldn't find his voice. Similarly, when the bozo known as "Reverend" Sharpton gained national attention by claiming that a black woman was raped by three white men and covered with feces; a malicious and libelous claim that left him on the losing end of a lawsuit, we weren't entertained by the rent-a-protest mob frequently organized by that other jerk who masquerades as a man of God.
More recently, when a black woman charged that she had been raped by three white Duke University lacrosse players (another accusation that proved to be false) the country's premier race-baiters catapulted themselves to North Carolina as though they discovered a vein of gold in Durham. In a very real sense it was gold for them because it gave them another opportunity to use the race card in their continuous pursuit of self-aggrandizement and racial polarization.
You have to understand that if these guys didn't have the skin-pigmentation crutch to lean on, they'd undoubtedly be unemployed. As long as they can keep racism alive, these flimflam artists will not only continue to stuff cash into their larcenous coffers, but they'll be virtually impervious to allegations of corruption, since every genuine charge will be met by an apocryphal countercharge of racism. Even the IRS, who proved their puissance way back in 1931, by sending Al Capone to prison for tax evasion, has so far been unable to lock up these 2 gangsters. Several years ago, Sharpton claimed that blacks cannot be racists because they don't have the power to support discrimination and subjugation in the system. Some people may have bought into that reasoning when all the presidents had been white, but now that we have a black president such claims become obvious attempts to escape responsibility for black bigotry. As a result, an increasing number of whites are becoming fed up with the constant barrage of frivolous complaints that come from some of the most unproductive members of society.
If either Sharpton or Jackson had enough money to buy a sports franchise, does anyone believe they would be denied the purchase because of the multitude of racist statements and actions they've engaged in during their entire adult life? I can just imagine the crybabies screeching over the airwaves about the attempt by whites to keep blacks down.
This is nothing less than a strategy to limit free speech for one segment of society, while giving unlimited license to another. A good example of that are the many groups who blithely get away with blatant discrimination. We don't hear complaints about the Congressional Black Caucus being a racist group. Nor do we hear whimpering about the Miss Black USA Contest, or the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, etc. etc. I have no doubt that some blacks will read this and call me a racist. Well, if telling it like it is makes me a racist, then bring it on, brother.
Bob Weir is a former detective sergeant in the New York City Police Department. He is the executive editor of The News Connection in Highland Village, Texas. Email Bob.
