Louisiana Voice

Editor’s note: Louisiana Voice, while intended to draw attention to the foibles of our Louisiana Legislature and the machinations of the administration in Baton Rouge, is also open to a dialogue on national and international matters of import. Whether we agree or disagree with our guest columnists is not the issue. The issue is the free and unencumbered exchange if ideas, a principle to which we are incontrovertibly committed.

By Judith Howard

Ok, I get it. If I believed Obama was born in Kenya, is a socialist who is determined to undermine the United States, is a racist with a profound hatred of white people (even though his mother was white), promoted a healthcare plan that put the government between my doctor and me, that he has taken over every sector of the American economy, and that he has an anti-Christian agenda, I’d vote for Republicans too. None of this is true. Nor has he raised taxes.

If Republicans had spent years and millions of dollars from anonymous sources repeatedly telling the public that Martians walk among us, plenty of people would believe it. Some would even swear they had seen a Martian, and some people actually believe all that malarkey in the first paragraph.

A Washington Post reporter went to McKee, Kentucky where 50% of the residents live below the poverty line, and nearly three-quarters subsist on government money like Social Security, welfare or another entitlement program. It is 99.5% white. The reporter recorded these statements from McKee residents:

Viola Johnson, age 72, said, “I just feel like they’re trying to destroy our government and our Constitution and make us a socialistic society. They’re trying to take our freedoms away – no doubt about it.” Think about that for a minute. A woman on Social Security and Medicare– fretting about socialism. It would be laughable were it not so sad. Where do you think she gets her information?

The owner of the hardware store in McKee, Mr. Barrett, said that many locals are deeply suspicious about Obama and consider him an illegitimate president. He said people openly question whether Obama is Muslim or was born outside the United States.

Barrett said, “I’m not real sure. You don’t know what to believe. I hope he’s a Christian. He seems like a real good fella.”
Pointing to his computer, Barrett added: “I’ve seen on here a sign in Kenya or wherever his father’s at, ‘Birthplace of the American President.’ You really don’t know what to believe. Honestly, do you?”

When I read Barrett’s statement about reading it on the internet, I thought of a young woman’s sign at the Rally to Restore Sanity last weekend. It read, “Dear Dad, just because you read it on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true!”
One of my favorite rally signs was “Sanity, not Hannity.”

But back to Kentucky and how people get bamboozled. What are people referring to when they say Obama is “taking away our freedoms?” I can’t think of a single freedom Obama and the Democrats have taken from me, yet I keep hearing right-wingers rant about it.

People who have never read the Constitution get all upset because Democrats are destroying the Constitution. Why would they think this? Because Sarah Palin says so.

I received an email from a right-winger last week that was a scary message about the government taking our guns. Nobody has landed in black helicopters and stormed in to seize my guns. Them guvmint agents must not be able to find Pea Ridge. Have they been to your house?

Here’s an example of how silly this is, and how misinformed people are: A television reporter asked some Alaskans who were holding signs in support of Republican Joe Miller why they supported him. They said it was because Miller supported gun rights, unlike Eric Holder, head of the Justice Department.

When asked what Eric Holder had done to threaten their gun rights, they didn’t have an answer. One guy said, “Just look at his voting record.” I groaned. Eric Holder has never held elective office, thus has no voting record.

All this fear, divisiveness, and hatred whipped up to win elections are a sad commentary on our politics. If you want to see what moral courage looks like, read this email from an old friend in North Carolina who voted early:

“Well, I stood in line for about 20 minutes and voted today. While in line, the folks in front of me were discussing who the NRA said to vote for. Then the topic turned to the federal government. When a man referred to that n—-r in the White House I decided I needed to join the conversation.

I opened with, “That’s incredibly offensive.” And the conversation ensued. He said he had a right to his opinion and I agreed that he had the right to be racist. His fellow Republicans did not enter the conversation but were listening intently.

There were two black women standing about 2 1/2 feet in front of us, which his friends tried to point out to him. He added that he was proud of the South and would fly the Confederate flag if he wanted to. I agreed that he had that right, but he was still a racist. Oh yes, and he is very concerned about the President’s place of birth.”

I was dumbfounded when I read my friend’s email. The guy in front of him must have mistakenly assumed that everyone around agreed with his bigotry. What he didn’t realize is that a majority of people recognize the humanity of minorities, and antipathy towards them has gone the way of the dinosaur.

You’d have to know my friend to understand how courageous he was to speak up. He is not an activist; he’s a quiet person, and very much a “live and let live” sort of guy.

I understand that radio talk show hosts and Faux News peddle lies and hatred to boost their ratings. I understand that politicians spread lies and fear to win elections. But my friend’s experience in the voting line is an example of what hate-peddling does to our country.

While politicians have been exploiting fears about all manner of crazy stuff, people in a small Iowa town that has lost thousands of jobs were interviewed on television about the election. Gay marriage and abortion are not on their radar, and they don’t care about Republicans or Democrats.

They said they just want people in Congress to solve problems for everyday Americans, not go to Washington to make a career out of being there. They’re angry at politicians and desperate about their economic situation.

Republicans offer no solutions for these people. David Stockman, Reagan’s budget director no less, said on television last weekend that he was embarrassed to say it, but Republicans propose “tax cuts” as the answer for every problem.

How refreshing to hear one of their own tell the truth. It beats the heck out of lies about our President’s birthplace, or how much freedom we’ve lost, or who’s coming for our guns.