15 Feb Unwelcome subject for Barbour, again?
Is Mississippi Still Burning? Or is Ole’ Miss up to it’s Ole’ Tricks?
As a Yankee from Boston, it’s easy for me to decide whether or not General Nathan Bedford Forrest deserves a special license plate in his name; NO.
I mean let’s look at the guy’s resume: Leader in the Confederacy, Founder of the KKK….need I say more? And as a Yankee, I must confess, it pains me that the South can’t let go of one fact: they lost. And that’s be honest, that’s a good thing; not just for Yankees but for the United States. The civil war was an embarrassment to this country. It cost lives and even dearer to those on the right’s hearts, money.
The fact that the governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour will not publicly denounce this speaks volumes about Barbour. Can a man who has made light of civil rights struggles in the past take a stand for the best interest of the people of his state? And of this country? Obviously not.
Listen, if you can’t denounce the founder of the KKK; an organization that went out of its way not only to harass people of color, but to kill blacks in the South for decades; if you can’t denounce that, you can’t be president. And by not denouncing this ridiculous waste of time and money, Gov. Barbour is spitting in the face of our president, the first man of color to be elected to that office. If Mr Barbour can’t respect the office, he can’t expect to sit in it.
This also spits in the faces of African Americans, who grew up hearing stories of lynchings, cross burnings and rigged trials at the hands of the KKK, in states like Mississippi. If Mr Barbour wants to be president, he must remember you are commander-in-chief over all Americans; that includes people of color.
And lastly, he’s spitting in the face of the people of Mississippi. It’s 2011 and the people of that state no longer want to be remembered as the guy’s running the plantation and owning slaves; maybe Mr Barbour should look at his calendar. The KKK’s numbers have been dwindling. Recent marches and protests have drawn very, very small numbers. The face of America is changing. It’s soon no longer going to be a white majority. We’re starting to look like the melting pot we pride ourselves on being.
The fact that the governor continues to avoid not only denouncing this effort by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, but commenting at all, speaks volumes. His silence is his answer. So I ask you Mississippi not to remain silent. I ask you American to speak up. If this man runs for president in 2012, speak with your vote. Vote no. No to further division in this country. No to hatred. No to a terrible history that we brought upon ourselves with hate and greed. No, people of color to further oppression from a rich right wing white guy. No to Haley Barbour.
If Mr Barbour runs, he can be certain he will not have my vote… and I’m a white chick.
As seen on Politico