Why General?

I have always admired brilliant men of courage and distinction but on Sunday I watched Meet The Press with disappointment. I heard General Colin Powell condemned the GOP of its “dark vein of intolerance” going on to say that the party’s repeated use of racial code words to oppose President Obama to rally white conservative voters.

Without mentioning names, most of us knew who Powell was talking about; former Mitt Romney surrogate and New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu for calling Obama “lazy” and Palin, who, Powell charged, used slavery-era terms to describe Obama. Frankly much of what comes from the GOP were terms used just a generation ago.

The general went on to say:

“When I see a former governor say that the President is “shuckin’ and jivin’,” that’s racial era slave term. When I see another former governor after the president’s first debate where he didn’t do very well, says that the president was lazy. He didn’t say he was slow. He was tired. He didn’t do well. He said he was lazy. Now, it may not mean anything to most Americans, but to those of us who are African Americans, the second word is shiftless and then there’s a third word that goes along with that. The birther, the whole birther movement. Why do senior Republican leaders tolerate this kind of discussion within the party?”

Well General, if you can acknowledge that this activity exists, and even Ray Charles can see that it does, then why Sir do you associate with this ilk? You saw what they have done to all other faces with melon and what they did to you with that Weapons of Mass Destruction thing. Isn't it a little disingenuous to report that you see a disturbing problem? And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…