Where is the Character?

Thursday – July 8, 2010

Where is the Character?

On today’s date, in 1776, John Nixon read the first oral presentation of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Can you imagine being there to hear for the first time what 56 men came to build in the presence of the tyranny they recognized and did something about? Can you imagine the exuberance on the part of those that believed in liberty and freedom? Can you imagine how those who fought to get to that place in history rejoiced in the reading that started it all? Can you imagine being there for the birth of Liberty?

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nixon_(financier))

I get excited when I can tell a story like this. These stories are absent from the dialog of our leaders today.

There is a video tape that was broadcast on FOX news yesterday. It is a member of the New Black Panthers. He said he hates white people. He hates crackers and that he wants to kill crackers. If you want freedom then you have to kill some crackers and their babies. I am paraphrasing the comments. The DOJ, Department of Justice has dropped a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panthers. While these people have a right to vocalize their thoughts, they do not have a right to intimidate voters. There is also a video tape showing them doing this.

The subject of race is disturbing. It is a scar that has been left on the face of liberty. I truly believe that there is no excuse anymore for intimidation and the words of hate by these groups or any group that hates, based on race. The words of hate only destroy the hope for building a society based on liberty and freedom.

Unfortunately, there are still people who profess hate and who profess killing based on hate. If a white person had spewed these words or stood out in front of any voting station and intimidated voters these white men would be in jail today.

If you connect all the dots with the appointees and the members of the administration’s past you will find a pattern of this militant story. Some of the president’s best friends have connections and or have had a storied past in this militancy and intimidation.

The black community should embrace the strides they have made. Oprah Winfrey is the richest black woman in America. She has been supported by whites and blacks and this is why she is a success. Her message connected and her voice garnered high ratings in a very competitive industry. Our president is also a black man. The leaders of the black community should embrace this achievement. But, unfortunately, some in the black community will not embrace the success with words of hope and the two most important members of the black community, Oprah and Barrack, have remained silent in these exchanges. Instead of talking about Liberty and what happened on this date 234 years ago that set the seeds for freedom, they remain silent.

The question of race in this country will remain a question until our black leaders condemn members of their own race, just as they would if they were white for spewing these words of hate from groups that are filled with hate.

Where is the question of character? It takes character to oppose this hate language and it takes character to stand up against hate, regardless if it is black on white or white on black. Where is the character of Oprah and the president in all of this?

The president is president to all the people. The president has power to stop any movement by his words alone. The president can create a great society if he has the people behind him. I fear this president does not want to create a great society because when ever an opportunity has presented itself he has declined to be a leader. I fear he will be just another follower.

This is what separates the president from the leaders that created liberty. This is what separates the president from the leaders that made it possible for him to achieve his success. This is what separates the president from the country that he does not respect and from those that built liberty and freedom. Oprah, on the other hand, has no excuse for her silence.

Unfortunately, the question of race will not end on this president’s watch. He could have become the greatest president, if he did end the question. Unfortunately, this president will go down as one of the worst, because he believes his destiny is far greater than what the issues are.

Unfortunately, this president is to busy making recess appointments like the one he did with Dr. Berwick yesterday. This president had one more opportunity to be the transparent president. Unfortunately, this appointment is one more example of the type of person and the type of philosophy that will separate rather than build our liberty. This recess appointment circumvented the vetting process and put into place a person that will oversee Medicaid and Medicare. This appointment of Berwick was made in the dark of night and will promote the worst aspects of government run healthcare. This appointment of Dr. Berwick will again place the activity of promoting liberty on the back burner and instead promote back room practices of separation and the denial of life and liberty and don’t forget the pursuit of happiness.

Where is the character that some of us voted for?

Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives

A footnote: We are at day 80 of the oil spill. We are 117 days out from the midterm elections. It will take character to bring back life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.