Unity or Division?

Stupidity, ignorance, and resistance to change present one kind of social problem, but blatant racial hatred is a completely different matter. The willingness of so many of us to put our ignorant foot in our mouth seems to have emboldened those who only want to flaunt their hatred. There is no room in our public discourse for those who wish to promote division and racial hatred. No matter how upset we may be with one another or how deeply we may disagree, those of us who intend to weather this storm together ought to find instant and powerful unity the moment we encounter hatred. Such messages ought to meet with sound rebuke or stone-cold silence.

And, lest there be any misunderstanding, I am not talking about the controversy surrounding Rev. Wright and Trinity UCC in Chicago. In all the sound bytes I've heard, I've heard no hatred, nor have I been threatened or offended by Rev. Wright's words. Pat Robertson, Rev. Falwell, and hundreds of other preachers have criticized this country with equally harsh condemnation. Many of Rev. Wright's recent critics are evangelists for the kind of jingoism that took us into Iraq; a jingoism that has damaged this nation and has the power to destroy us. There is nothing OBL can do to us that is so powerful as what we can do to ourselves.

I've said my peace on the firestorm surrounding Senator Obama's skin color. I'm moving on. What will you do, America?