A double standard on race unfairly taints Republicans

I normally do not comment on things that I disagree with, but after reading Reid Wilson’s article “Republicans struggle with race” (Jan. 2), I feel it necessary to speak out.

Does Mr. Wilson not realize Condoleezza Rice is black? Is she not the secretary of state who was selected by a Republican president and has been the most powerful woman in the world? In fact, President Bush selected Colin Powell, the first black secretary of state. Why did Mr. Wilson’s article not mention these two prominent people?

Many black comedians joke about white people all the time and that’s OK with Mr. Wilson, but if a CD is circulated that mentions “negro,” it’s not funny anymore. Why is that?

The term “uppity” is used to describe white people all the time. If a white candidate running for office had his very own presidential seal he would definitely be called “uppity.” Young white men are called “boys” as well. It’s a little ignorant to think that “uppity” or “boy” is used only as a racial term.

Our President-elect sat in a church for 20 years that preaches hate against white people, but claims he doesn’t believe in that preacher anymore. Mr. Wilson doesn’t seem to question that. If I learned that President Bush ever sat in a church that preached hate against any American I would never have voted for him.

It appears that Mr. Wilson likes to cherry-pick his quotations. Why did his article not include Sen. Joe Biden’s (D-Del.) statement during the primaries that Obama would do well because he was a “clean” black man? And what about Sen. Robert Byrd’s (D-W.Va.) fascination with the “n-word”?

While Obama and Biden skated through the entire presidential campaign, the Republican presidential ticket of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin were relentlessly attacked. While we know everything there is to know about their personal life, we know nothing about Obama’s. If Obama had been running as a Republican he would have been annihilated by the media regardless of the fact that he is black.

Elloree, S.C.

Don’t seat Franken

From Robert Moon

The Republicans better do everything in their power to see that Al Franken never sits on the Senate floor.

This has been the biggest fraud in American history. If allowed to stand we might as well stop voting altogether and just appoint our leaders. The Democrats have proven just how crooked they are — they will do anything to win, including destroying out political system. The Republicans should sit the entire session out unless the Democrats reverse the Minnesota Senate election. The American people should not stand for this.

Dallas