The Triangle

Issue date: 3/4/05 Section: Ed-Op

Media Credit: The Triangle Mack, Jr.

Of all the countries in the world, every single one of them suffers embarrassing periods of their history. The United States indoctrinated slavery as the de jour institution of the late 18th century and much of the 19th century. Much blood was spilled in order to right that wrong, but we made good on our promise of freedom for all 140 years ago. That freedom was then cemented in juris prudence in the 1960's with the help of Martin Luther King Jr. With all of the advancements blacks in this country have achieved, why is it that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People continues to wedge a spike in this country, separating rich from poor and black from white? The NAACP is one of the foremost proponents of class warfare in this nation, and the direction it is heading only signifies a regression in the equality we want to enjoy.

I believe that, regardless of any factors outside of your control, you are capable of anything in this great nation. If you murder someone, you have lost your freedom. If you invent the cure for cancer, enjoy your inevitable wealth. Individually, Americans have all made great accomplishments. And they can thank their own motivation, not their race, for the what they achieve.

Media Credit: National Center for Human Relations West Virginia State University Julian Bond, sitting chairman of the NAACP, lecturing. Mr. Bond, along with his cohorts, deminish the effectiveness of the NAACP.

The NAACP, however, doesn't feel this way. Their ideals, under the leadership of current chairman Julian Bond, focus on the government forcing equality by tipping the scale the other way. Affirmative action, despite how underlying racist it may be, is one of the many programs the NAACP vehemently supports. They believe that the injustices of yesteryear must be paid for in today's currency. Never mind the dead soldiers of the Army of the Potomac, the fallen of the 54th Massachusetts and 20th Maine regiments. They honestly believe that the majority of America should pay for what was so wrongly done to them. They could not possibly be more wrong.

In the summer of last year, Chairman Bond stated "[The Republicans] idea of equal rights is the American flag and the Confederate swastika flying side by side." So, apparently, I fly a confederate flag with the Nazi symbol next to the American flag that is displayed proudly on my living room wall.

What progress is Mr. Bond making? He goes beyond affirmative action to blatantly call me and millions of other Americans flaming Nazi racists. Mr. Bond and the other fat cats at the NAACP are nothing more than race peddlers who sell class warfare as their snake oil. Only then will they manage to misinform their membership and create a battle royale between whites and blacks.

Mr. Bond and the NAACP have made known the fact that President Bush is the first sitting President not to address the organization in 70 years. No way! After all the comments they make comparing Bush to Saddam's regime, calling Republicans racists, and actively breaking apart the country, it is no wonder Mr. Bush has refused to speak! If someone kept calling me a dick, saying I was a racist, I would be hard pressed to join their little club or be a guest speaker. "Tonight only! WHITE TRASH, Live!" Gimmie a break. He is not addressing you, not because you're black, but because you're partisan hacks who shield your class-hatred under the guise of progress.

What is so wrong with preaching and encouraging individual responsibility? What is so wrong with saying, "you can accomplish anything you put your mind to?". Their current goal is to increase government subsidization of handout programs, and increase racial quotas in government schools and businesses. The biblical proverb of "give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and feed him for a lifetime," does not resonate at all with the NAACP leadership. If people wish to succeed, they must make a personal accomplishment that surpasses their peers. Succeeding because a racial quota put you there does not hold the same moral weight as everyone else in states without affirmative action who did it the fair way; applying with their own credentials.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the greatest philosophers of all time. His vision created an unbreakable movement of civil rights that this country will never forget. He dreamed that we would all be judged by the content of our character, not the color of our skin. This blatant partisan ideology of Julian Bond and the NAACP leadership directly contradicts everything Dr. King worked for, and they are doing his memory a great disservice. Mr. Bond: You are no Dr. King.

Is the notion of equality so hard for some to grasp, they believe in overkill in order to achieve their goal? Call the rich filthy, and they'll resent you. Call the Republicans racists, and they'll be damned if they speak at your convention. Just because domestic terrorist organizations like the KKK manage to spew forth hatred to achieve their goals, doesn't mean that we must counteract their attacks.

I have some constructive advice for the leadership of the NAACP; Rise above this. Rise above class and race as the determining factors of success. You are not the KKK, don't use their tactics of racial segregation. You have a strong membership base filled with unlimited potential. Unlock the potential within the people in your group. Show them that they themselves are able to accomplish their goals.

Unfortunately, Mr. Bond and the NAACP leadership hinder this vision from being realized. And, in the process, they promote the very thing Dr. King feared ­- race as the litmus test to success.

James Mack Jr. is a junior majoring in criminal justice. Mr. Mack is the Editorial & Opinion Editor.

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