Monday, July 27, 2020

A long overdue Correction of the Civil War's Omissions

Everett Piper wrote an article under the title: “Embers of racism, with Obama's help, turned into an inferno,” and the subtitle: “Racism now rife in America.” It was published on July 25, 2020 in The Washington Times.

The content of the article is exactly summarized in that title and that subtitle. That is, Everett Piper is saying that the old fire of racism in America was brought under control as a result of the Civil War that happened some 155 years ago. Left burning were a few embers that could have been completely extinguished, says Piper. But he contends that the advent of Barack Obama changed all that. Not only did Obama bring back the old fire, says Piper, he turned what was ordinary flames into an inferno.

This is so curious given what is common knowledge, we cannot help but ask the question: Does Everett Piper remember that Barack Obama rose to political stardom following the speech he gave at the 2004 Democratic convention when he said in essence, something to the effect that there are no Red and Blue Americans nor White and Black Americans nor Republican and Democratic Americans; there is only one people, all of it American? Surely, Piper must remember this, given that he is old enough to have witnessed the related events that have led to that moment.

Moreover, does Everett Piper remember that, hungry to become president of the United States, a third rate showman thought he could make his dream come true by pitting Americans against Americans, be they Red or Blue, White or Black, Republican or Democrat –– with the simple trick of questioning Barack Obama's place of birth? Surely, Piper must remember this, given that he is old enough to have witnessed the related events that have led to these moments of infamy.

In addition to all that, can Everett Piper point to a period in American history when millions of Black, White and Brown Americans held hands and descended into the streets of the nation's cities, day after day in solidarity with each other ... and together, demanded that the trappings of racism inherent to the system of law and punishment in America, be terminated to give African-Americans a level playing field on which to grow and be rewarded for what they accomplish? Can Piper point to one such period?

There is now a crucial question to ask: Will Everett Piper develop the intellectual honesty to look at this evidence, and do what millions of Americans of every stripe and every racial background do at this moment, which is to tell the pollsters who do political surveys, that Barack Obama is popular in their neck of the woods? Will Piper admit that this is the case because America was a W. Bush train wreck when Obama got into office, and that he handed Donald Trump an America as efficient as a Swiss watch 8 years later?

From the record he is leaving behind, it is doubtful that Piper will ever be honest with himself or with others; and his latest piece of work does not say he is about to change. On the contrary, having neglected to mention that the people of America are currently on the move across the nation –– prompted by a nine-minute video that shows how the police force of White America continues to implement the deadliest kind of racism on its Black citizens –– Piper dishonestly proceeded to argue that racism is back in America because Barack Obama revived it.

To expand on his point, doing it in defiance of the evidence, Piper falsely asserts that America was, “a nation close to realizing Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of being a color-blind society.” To cement the assertion, he used a trick that shows him to be a sophisticated liar. He says that just before Obama took office, confidence rating concerning racial relations was at 70%. He does not say how much confidence had improved during the following 8 years when Obama was in the White House. But now, after almost 4 years of Donald Trump, Everett Piper asserts––without giving a percentage––that, “today openly boast of judging people by the color of their skin rather than the content of their character.” Well then, tell us what would be the percentage value of that “today,” Everett? It is clear this is a naked fraud by which Piper hopes to stick to Barack Obama the failures of Donald Trump.

This leads to the following question: What does Everett Piper wish to see America become? Well, it is obvious from what he said, that he was comfortable with the lies that used to permeate White America before the advent of the body camera, now used by the police, and the widespread use of electronic cameras by the citizens. Back then, the word of the police trumped that of the victims and the witnesses. But now that the cameras are here to record the truth, Piper wants the public to ignore what it sees and hears, and do what he does instead, which is to exercise the art of lying to the self by attributing the sins of the Trumps of this world to the character of the Obamas of this world.

Adept in the art of deception, including the deception of the self, Piper does not worry that the movement unfolding before his eyes will eventually prove him to be the naked emperor of dishonest punditry.

He figures he'll fool himself into believing he is wearing the tunic that was worn by Moses when he came down the Mountain, holding the Commandment Tablets under his arm.

And he’ll feel good about himself.