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THE SAD DIVISIVENESS OF THE NAACP |
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Written by Sarah Palin
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Wednesday, 14 July 2010 |
I am saddened by the NAACP's
claim that patriotic Americans who stand up for the United
States of America's Constitutional rights
are somehow "racists." The charge that Tea Party Americans judge people by the
color of their skin is false, appalling, and is a regressive and diversionary
tactic to change the subject at hand.
President Reagan called America's
past racism "a legacy of evil" against which we have seen the long struggle of
minority citizens for equal rights. He condemned any sort of racism, as all
good and decent people do today.
He also called it a "point of pride for all Americans" that
as a nation, we have successfully struggled to overcome this evil. Reagan
rightly declared that "there is no room for racism, anti-Semitism, or other
forms of ethnic and racial hatred in this country," and he warned that we must
never go back to the racism of our past.
His words rang especially true in the immediate aftermath of the 2008
presidential election. It seemed that with the election of our first black
president, our country had become a new "post-racial" society. As one writer in
the Washington Post stated:
"[Barack Obama's] election isn't just about a black president. It's about a new
America. The
days of confrontational identity politics have come to an end."
We, as a united people, applauded that sentiment. We were proud of that
progress. That's why it is so sad to see that 18 months later, the NAACP is
once again using the divisive language of the past to unfairly accuse the Tea
Party movement of harboring "racist elements."
Having been on the receiving end of a similar spurious charge of racism (in a
recent frivolous
lawsuit which was finally dismissed by a federal judge), I know how Tea
Party Americans feel to be falsely accused. To be unjustly accused of association
with what Reagan so aptly called that "legacy of evil" is a traumatizing
experience, and one of which the honest, freedom-loving patriots of the Tea
Party movement are truly undeserving.
On this subject, I can recommend the statement
issued by a man I was proud to endorse, Tim Scott, the GOP candidate from South
Carolina's First Congressional District.
Tim, poised to become the first African-American Republican
Congressman from the former Confederacy since Reconstruction, is himself a sign
of a hopeful, truly post-racial future for our country. It gives added meaning
to his warning that "the NAACP is making a grave mistake in stereotyping a
diverse group of Americans who care deeply about their country and who
contribute their time, energy and resources to make a difference."
The only purpose of such an unfair accusation of racism is to dissuade good
Americans from joining the Tea Party movement or listening to the common sense
message of Tea Party Americans who simply want government to abide by our
Constitution, live within its means, and not borrow and spend away our
children's futures.
Red and yellow, black and white, this message is precious in
all our sights. All decent Americans abhor racism. No one wants to be
associated with any organization that is in any way racist in sentiment or
origin. I certainly don't want to be. Thankfully, the Tea Party movement is not
racist or motivated by racism. It is motivated by love of country and all that
is good and honest about our proud and diverse nation.
Like President Reagan, Tea Party Americans believe that "the glory of this land
has been its capacity for transcending the moral evils of our past."
Isn't it time we put
aside the divisive politics of the past once and for all and celebrate the fact
that neither race nor gender is any longer a barrier to achieving success in
America - even in achieving the highest office in the land?
I just spent a few beautiful Alaskan days with some beautiful Americans in my
husband's birthplace - they are Todd's family and they are Yupik Eskimo. In the
decades that our families have blended, I have never heard one proud, patriotic
member judge another member based on skin color.
Both Todd and I were raised to measure a person according to
their capacity and willingness to love, work, forgive, contribute, and show
good character. We're joined by the vast majority of Americans in this belief
whereby we measure a man by his character, not his color.
Because of amazing efforts and accomplishments by those who
came before my generation, it is foreign to us to consider condemning or
condoning anyone's actions based on race or gender. Being with our diverse
family in a melting pot that is a Native village just days ago reminded me of
that.
So to leave that remote village and return back to "modern civilization" only
to hear of the NAACP's resolution today suggesting that we Tea Party Americans
don't respect equality makes me sad for those who choose to divide these great
United States. It is time to end the divisive politics.
Sarah Palin
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