One would hope racism is a thing of the past. It hasn’t been totally wiped out, but something even more dangerous has taken its place. It’s ‘false racism’, or calumny.

Racism is a horrid a sin. But false accusations of racism at someone who is not racist at all, is typical of one who uses calumny, or injuring another person’s good name by lying.

Why has this been so prevalent? The accusation still seems to work. Everyone has been so paranoid about being racist, even a false accusation tends to taint the person accused.

Cases in point, where calumny has raised its ugly head recently:

A) Obama’s friend, the scholar Henry Louis Gates, was arrested by a white Cambridge police officer (Sgt. James Crowley), and President Obama immediately drew the most sinister interpretation of any police officer’s motive [profiling], and did not let the facts speak for themselves. Obama quickly sidestepped, and promptly requested Crowley join him at the White House for the much ballyhooed ‘beer summit’.

Crowley was selected by a black police lieutenant to teach fellow officers about racial profiling, which he has been doing for five years. The most comprehensive study of racial profiling in the U.S., is Are Cops Racist? | by Heather Mac Donald. She analyzed data obtained to date, and shows how the issue of profiling has long been seriously distorted. 

B) Rush Limbaugh was not allowed to partially purchase a team in the NFL because the owners though he was too divisive for the league. Never mind that the league is over 65% black, and that Limbaugh’s immediate sidekick on the show [Bo Snerdley] is also black. Their main concern was comments about Donovan McNabb [QB/ Eagles] being overrated. Statistics proved that to be the case, but because McNabb was black, it had to be ‘racist’.

Even in Pennsylvania this hypocrisy in Rush was right about Donovan McNabb. - By Allen Barra - Slate Magazine was outlined. Limbaugh did not say anything remotely racist, or even insensitive. ESPN hired Limbaugh to give his opinions about football. He did exactly that, and got fired for it.

C) Columnist Leonard Pitts in Searching for a reason to rally around Rush Limbaugh | Leonard ...calls Limbaugh an “OxyContin” junkie, and claims as a married man Limbaugh will have babes on each arm in a luxury box at football games. He insinuates that Limbaugh is an inherent ‘racist’, and he has gotten what he deserves. Limbaugh realized OxyContin was taking control, and put himself into a hospital to free his slavery. In Pitts’ disastrous attempt to paint Limbaugh as a ‘racist’, he greatly demeaned himself with his false racial statements.

D) The racist rants of Reverend Jeremiah Wright. How many well-meaning folk were hurt by his diatribes and calls for racial division?

E) Jesse Jackson Says Black Men ‘Can’t Vote Against Healthcare ... . How obvious does prejudice towards anyone white get? How many have been impugned by that logic?

Many more instances can be listed. Nina May : Democrats Have Kept Racism Alive - Townhall.com reiterates the following points. The Emancipation Proclamation; the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution; and most civil rights laws were all brought forth and passed by Republicans.

Many whites and politicians changed parties to Republican because they understood that Blacks were Americans too, and should be afforded every American right. Calumny was not an option for them.

Most probably don’t realize Democrats started the “KKK” in 1866. That Democrat Bull Connor turned dogs and fire hoses on civil rights demonstrators, that Democrat Lester Maddox prevented blacks from patronizing his restaurant, and that Democrat George Wallace was the one yelling “segregation forever”.  Good examples of actual racism, versus calumny.

Why don’t people remember MLK Sr. and MLK Jr. were both Republicans?

On 12/10/04 the Democrat party admitted racism for the last 150 years, based on their ‘Jim Crow’ laws and ‘Black Codes’. But the decision was thrown out on a technicality. Why do Democrats still accuse other parties of racism?

Fortunately, race is no longer the problem that it once was. However, that doesn’t mean there are not white and black bigots, and that every remnant of racial discrimination has been eliminated.

Thank heavens most people reading this who are directly involved with “false racism” will mend their ways. America will be a thriving metropolis of many colors. Please tell me that’s no ‘pipe-dream’.

Speaking as someone from the South, there are only a few things worse than actual racism. Calumny is one.

Kevin Roeten