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Atwood: Keeping up with D.C.

My Thoughts

Dr. Bill Atwood

(Updated: Thursday, July 29, 2010, 12:00 AM)

Last Monday Shirley Sharrod was called on her cellular phone by a USDA staffer named Cooke who told Shirley to pull over in her car and resign as her appearance before the NAACP in early spring was going to be discussed on Glenn Beck's program that evening. The staffer told Sharrod that the White House wanted her gone immediately.

Beck never mentioned the story on that evening. We all know by now that the clip of Sharrod's speech was taken out of context, which isn't new for Washington. The White House, wanting to nip the story in the bud, over-reacted and called for her resignation.

This event occurred almost one year to the day of the President commenting on the arrest of a college professor friend of the President's who had been uncooperative with the police and the President called the actions of the police stupid.

He later recanted and held the "Beer Summit." I wonder if Shirley drinks beer.

Bill O'Rielly assumed that the White House knew what they were talking about and discussed the racial slurs that were shown in the Internet clip. He apologized on air. The White House clamored to end the mess with phone calls and offers of re-employment to Ms. Sharrod. Nobody from the White House has explained the "Ready, Fire, Aim" actions very clearly.

Even more upsetting was what I heard when I listened to the speech given to the NAACP. The audience was listening to a talk wherein a very nice lady was talking about treating a white farmer unkindly and unfairly because of his race and there was laughter and glee expressed in the audience.

At the point of the glee the point Sharrod was making of the wrongness of her actions hadn't yet been told. So here were many in an NAACP audience apparently not offended by racist actions and yet that organization's leader has decided that the people involved in the Tea Party are all racists. To be sure there are a few haters who probably hang out at Tea Party rallies but there are nuts and loons on both sides of the aisle.

There has been a $100,000 offer for proof of the alleged racist comments to the members of Congress who made the claims of being called the "N" word and yet with all the video footage there isn't a shred of evidence. What about the charges that there will be no prosecutions of black against white racism by the federal government? Many in the government are fearful that the voters who are the people are tired of the way the parties have been running things and the incumbents see the handwriting on the wall. The first step is for them to vilify the Tea Party and one way is to brand us as racists. The vast majority of us are not racist. The Tea Party folks are concerned about governmental policies and don't give a hoot about pigmentation.

Nancy and her ilk want to brand us as malcontents or gun-totting terrorists. When did the folks in Washington begin to believe that they had a lock on the truth and that they could ignore "The People?" Then there is Charlie Rangel. He has been a part of the Congress that has legislated taxes for four decades and he can't figure out that he owes taxes on income any better than the current Secretary of the Treasury. His Mercedes is illegally parked and stored in the Congressional parking lot. So much for supporting American auto workers! We heard that Senator Kerry docks his $7 million dollar yacht in Rhode Island and not his home state of Massachusetts to save $500,000 in taxes. While a smart move financially, don't you think a man who favors taxing us more and more should be willing to pay his share. He and his wife could sell a few extra bottles of Ketchup to cover the tax.

And as if this isn't enough we are now hearing the Democrats calling for the "public-option" on our health care. Did you see the news about the current hospital problems in the Central Valley and the predictions that it will only get worse? Can't wait for November!