Silence of the Obamas

A few days ago,  along with some friends,  we discussed the issue of race in America.  At the center of our conversation was the fact that prior to Obama's election, we'd not heard the words "racist" or "discrimination" within the context of our conversations in quite some time, yet now the word is bandied about frequently and freely.  Having come of age in the 1960s we clearly remember the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, the boycott in Alabama, the march to Selma.  In fact, the struggle of black Americans to achieve racial equality in all aspects of life is firmly imprinted in our minds.  Perhaps we've led sheltered lives not being in the inner city, but we have to say that racial relations in our childrens' generation is a far cry from what it was when we were children, and the changes have been for the betterment of black Americans. 

We don't deny that discrimination still exists.  It does for all races and creeds, and often in reverse form.  But the fact that much has been accomplished is indeed very real, and boundless opportunities are available for those willing to work hard to achieve their goals.  As they were growing up, through their high school and university years, our children had African American friends, roommates, fellow athletes, and co workers.  After their marriages, their friends often consisted of mixed race couples.  We'd advanced so far in achieving racial harmony, we scarcely gave it a thought.  This writer spent summers tutoring black basketball players so that the would still be scholastically NCAA eligible when they returned to school in the fall.  Their race was not an issue, if fact, it was nice to be called "Mama" by them as they became part of our extended family.

Why then, have we taken such backward steps in race relations in this country in the last two years?  Before Barack Obama's candidacy did we ever see baton carrying Black Panthers at the polling place?  Did Black entertainers turn out in droves in support of a candidate to turn out the vote, merely on the basis of race?  In his "I have a dream speech" Dr. King spoke to black Americans:

"But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."

Where are the black American leaders to continue his tradition?  What we have instead are the Jesse Jacksons, the Al Sharptons stirring up racial tension any time trouble brews between blacks and whites.  They call themselves "reverends" but we never hear  words of healing, forgiveness, or spirituality from them.  Then there is Jeremiah Wright, Obama's one time spiritual advisor, preaching separatism of races.  Even worse, there is Louis Farrakhan and his Nation of Islam always searching for ways to blame "the white devils" for all ills that might befall the black  community. 

Why is it that only whites are supposed to listen and learn from Dr. King's speech?  Where is the black leadership today admonishing other blacks that violence is not the means by which to achieve equality?  Why is it that Barack Obama remains silent when a crime against a white person is committed yet rushes in with comments if the situation were reversed?  Witness, if you will, in the account below the Obamas' hypocrisy in maintaining their silence in the face of racial atrocity when the victim is white, then ask yourself, "Why?"
Two Sisters

The Obamas Silent in the Face of Race Atrocity

By Lauri B. Regan

For the average human being, it was not possible to watch the video of two black women beating the life out of a defenseless white woman at a McDonald's in Baltimore and not feel complete and total revulsion. Adding to the horror was the knowledge that the black employees -- one who only half-heartedly attempted to intervene, one who was filming the barbarism, and perhaps others not seen on the video -- did absolutely nothing to save the white woman from her assailants.

While police investigations are focusing on whether the attack was a racially motivated hate crime, the LGBT group is also suggesting that the assault was a hate crime due to the victim being a transgender woman, notwithstanding what appears to be a lack of evidence that the woman's sexual status was known by her assailants. In either case, it is clear from the video that the monsters beating their helpless prey were filled with animal blood lust that was completely inhuman.

One of the first thoughts that I had when trying to process this heinous assault that left the woman bleeding from her mouth and seizing violently on the ground was how it reminded me of the days of wilding, the Central Park jogger case in particular, and of all the other senseless hate crimes that occur in our cities.

But more importantly, I then thought about the fact that we have a black president who so far has remained silent about the crime. Barack Obama was vociferously outspoken when his black buddy Louis Gates was properly and justifiably arrested by white officers in Boston two years ago. However, when a white woman is brutally beaten to a pulp by two black women less than an hour from the White House, our POTUS has nothing to say on the subject.

And the reason that this is so offensive is two-fold: (i) Barack Hussein Obama was supposed to be our post-racial president bridging the racial divide and healing the country's wounds; and (ii) Michelle Obama has spent the better part of the past two and a half years as first lady dictating to America's youth what they should and should not be eating rather than helping them learn how they should and should not be acting.

With regard to our FLOTUS, where does one begin? While she gallivants across the globe on the taxpayer dime eating up delicious delicacies, she has chosen attacking the nation's childhood obesity problem as her raison d'être. And while childhood obesity may be a serious problem, I maintain that Michelle Obama is not the appropriate spokesperson for a multitude of reasons including her hypocrisy on the issue, her lavish lifestyle (that affords her the opportunity to eat as she desires and work it off the next day with her personal trainer), her lack of medical expertise, and her pathetic attempt to address the social and psychological issues underlying the problem.

Instead of telling people what they should order if they enter a McDonald's, the first lady should be teaching people how to act when they enter a McDonald's or any other public place. This is not a racist suggestion -- the suggestion is no different from Barack Obama telling young children that they can all fulfill their dreams since, as a minority, he was able to ascend to the highest office in the land.

Perhaps Michelle Obama has not watched the video clip of two black women beating the white woman to a pulp. If she has not, she should. And perhaps it will move her to stop talking about food and start talking about behavior, because with her fancy vacations, personal chef, elaborate parties, and other sundry benefits of the job comes responsibility.

And while I could go on for pages on Barack Obama's failures in office, what is relevant here is just how empty his rhetoric continues to be. For not only has he been an absentee president on multiple levels, but he has been the missing link in what was a real opportunity to bridge the racial divide that has been ailing our country.

In his famous "race speech" Obama stated:

"Race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. ... And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.
What we have already achieved gives us hope - the audacity to hope - for what we can and must achieve tomorrow."

Well it is tomorrow and our absentee president is, well,
absent. Healing the country's wounds is tough business. One cannot have the audacity to hope but then remain silent in the face of atrocities like that which occurred at a McDonald's restaurant this week.

Obama has not hesitated to interject himself into a multitude of domestic issues including the Louis Gates arrest (in which he opined, "what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately"), the Ground Zero Mosque controversy (in which he discussed "[o]ur capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect to those who are different from us"), and the Wisconsin budget protests (in which he stated that Governor Walker's legislation was "an assault on unions").

In Obama's world, African-Americans, Muslims, and unions are victims who deserve presidential support. There will be no prosecuting New Black Panthers who terrorize white voters, there will be a worldwide reach out to Islamic terrorists, and union thugs will be given carte blanche to bully members and non-members alike. But white transgender women are on their own.

Obama went on in his infamous speech:


A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families -- a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods...all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us.

Well yes they do continue to haunt us but blaming a lack of "economic opportunity" on the "cycle of violence" is disingenuous, lazy, and disgusting. It is disgusting because Obama seemingly justifies violence in the same manner that Palestinian apologists use to justify the murder of innocent Israeli civilians. Mr. President, violence is not a natural and acceptable consequence of economic strife in a civilized society.

In yet another Obama speech he stated the following:

But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized -- at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do -- it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we're talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.

Mr. President, it is time to stop talking. Perhaps instead of going to George Washington University to give a campaign speech justifying your abysmal economic policies, you should visit inner city schools and teach kids respect for human life and common decency. Take on the responsibilities of office which include immediately denouncing this act of violence and begin to address the cause full steam ahead. Move past your own resentments and anger about the travails of poor black Americans since the beginning of time and take proactive steps to help them learn to value life -- not government handouts and entitlements and certainly not violence.

I am not suggesting that what happened at the McDonald's in Baltimore is the Obamas' fault. But I am strongly advocating that they use their remaining time in office (God willing, only 19 more months) to the betterment of society. And what society needs desperately is a toning down of the anger, racism, and class warfare that the Obamas are fomenting.

Our country needs individuals in the White House who lead by example, who teach right from wrong, and who understand that no matter how much you share the wealth, there will always be people who remain devoid of morals and values until they are taught otherwise. The Ones who promised the country hope and change have done nothing to implement the promises they made to the black community or the country as a whole. It is time they owned up to their responsibilities to the people.


© American Thinker 2011

Warning the video is extremely violent.  Video