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Sept. 29, 2008 I am not naive enough to believe that both race and
gender do not factor into the current election process. With the nomination of
Barrack Obama and Sarah Palin a certain amount of "history" has been injected
into the process. I can accept that. What I can't accept and have hoped against
all hope wouldn't happen was that these factors would become dominant in
deciding who our next President will be.
For the most part, even the most biased of media
outlets have attempted to keep race out of the campaign but they have failed
miserably when it comes to the question of gender. Sarah Palin has been
subjected to the closest scrutiny of any candidate that I can recall in the
entire time I have been a member of the voting public.
Today, I heard what I consider to be an extremely
race-biased comment from the Chancellor of "ol' Miss' where the first
Presidential debate will be held tonight.
When Sheppard Smith of Fox News was interviewing
the Chancellor about the pride of the school in hosting the first debate I
expected to hear about some old history concerning the school and race. A long
time ago, the National Guard escorted the first black student to enroll in that
school inside the building. Bullets had been fired at one point and recently a
statue was erected to honor that moment and that student. I recall that incident
very well since I helped fight for civil rights during the contentious 60's and
I understood why Sheppard Smith, who is an alumnus of "Ol' Miss" would be proud
of that accomplishment. What I didn't expect was the comment that
followed.
The Chancellor remarked that not only was the
school proud of it's past history in furthering the cause of civil rights but
that they were extremely proud to be welcoming the first African American
Presidential candidate to their hallowed halls.
Normally, I wouldn't be bothered by a remark like
this but considering that I had every hope that this election would
not be about race and gender beyond stating the
obvious; Obama is half black and Palin is female; I had hope that the
candidates, their resumes and character would be what the American public would
focus on when voting.
Why was it not remarked upon that "Ol' Miss" would
also be welcoming a man who was imprisoned and tortured while defending his
country for over five years? Why was it not remarked upon that this other
candidate was and is a true American hero?
As I have previously stated in my blogs, I am a
centrist so I don't see eye to eye on too many subjects with either Obama or
McCain. I still haven't decided who I will vote for and I probably won't decide
until after a whole lot more soul searching and research into the records of
both men. What I will not be basing my vote on is
either the fact that Obama had an African born black father or that Sarah Palin
is a woman. I don't believe that either obvious fact is relevant to the
ultimate goal of choosing who will be best suited to run this
country.
We are going through treacherous times in America,
worse than any other time in my own personal history. I have lived through
recession and war(s) and racial strife. I have witnessed and participated in
protests concerning both war and race and as a woman I have fought to remain on
an equal level with my male counterparts in the workplace. Even with that being
said, I would never base my vote on a person's race or gender.
I'm sure that there are many people that will base
their vote on the fact that Obama is running as an African American and that
McCain's VP is a woman who is a heart beat away from the Presidency. I can only
hope that some of those people will pay attention and do their due diligence
before voting for either candidate. I can only hope that they will look
carefully at the records of the candidates, what they stand for and have
accomplished
Sadly, I don't believe that the comment heard today
on Fox News's Studio B was an accident or simply a tribute. I believe that race
does factor into the equation and that alarms me. Once we start to judge people
by what color they are or what sex they are we are descending down a slippery
slope and ignoring what is the most fundamental aspect of any
election........who is the most qualified to lead.
Does anything else really matter?
------------ About the author: Meri has a Medical/Legal background and is a former forensic researcher specializing in psychological profiling. Visit the Xlibris Bookstore! Email: writers2@cox.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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