What do you do with a New Times? Wrap a fish, line a bird cage, pack it into moving boxes?
Well, apparently, this paper isn’t good enough for any of that. It isn’t even good enough for a person whose Facebook name is Sandy Boo to wipe her own ass with. Boo, who said she grew up in a Salvadoran village so poor they used newspapers to wipe their butts, thinks so little of this little alternative weekly paper that “I would not insult my soiled anus with this garbage.”
Ooh! Sick burn!
New Times doesn’t want to see your poo either, Boo, so there!
But we do want to know what you, dear readers, would do with a New Times—go vote in this week’s online poll. I’ll wait.
Boo wrote that comment in Central Coast Families for Education Reform’s Facebook thread responding to a post asking everyone to go vote in the “countywide vote” posted on New Times‘ website about critical race theory. That Facebook group’s members, who claim they are “nonpartisan” folks interested in recalling three Lucia Mar Unified School District board members who apparently single-handedly destroyed their children’s chances to learn during the COVID-19 pandemic, heeded the call to action!
“Should critical race theory be taught in K-12 schools?” the poll asked readers.
What do you think this “nonpartisan” group of rabble rousers thinks? It’s definitely partisan!
A whopping 314 “people” elected the response “No, critical race theory is divisive and racist.” Overwhelming the more reasonable responses with divisive and racist votes! It happens every time the righty-tighties get wind of a politically juicy poll question and word spreads through the Central Coast’s conservative crazies to make their voices heard!
They want you to know: Teaching our children the full breadth of American history is racist against white people!
It’s so weird, you know? Only 38 readers total responded the week before to the “countywide” poll question asking what people would do during a public safety power shutoff. Too soft?
I guess it didn’t drip with the politics of the moment, so people just ignored it. Nothing to be angry about here! Trolls, amirite?
Luckily on this coast we have more than one kind of troll. We have racist trolls. We have tree trolls. And the tree trolls were just emotionally exhausted after the June 28 Grover Beach City Council meeting, where they exerted their efforts to try and save a dying century-old live oak tree from being demolished for affordable housing!
One woman, who lives right next to the lot in question, cried over the thought of the tree going anywhere—acknowledging that she never knew the tree existed until a few days before the meeting. But after realizing it existed, she spent the day with it, taking photos and connecting with the dying septuagenarian.
“It’s so awful,” she told council members, choking back tears for her newfound friend. “Instead of building more and making the density more, why not less to save that tree?”
Well, let’s see here: The tree is rotting from the inside out, according to an arborist. And Grover Beach has the ability to put 50 affordable housing units on an empty lot at a time when an expensive area with an already severe housing availability crisis is about to have an even bigger crisis because COVID-19 era eviction restrictions are going to expire in September.
But, yes. Let’s make sure that old dying oak tree has a chance to live out its remaining months in relative peace with the buildings surrounding the empty lot it sits on. You never know, a falling limb may even take out the annoying neighbor kid who lives next door! It’s definitely not a liability to the city, which owns the lot, or anything.
Other residents complained about losing “rare” open space in Grover Beach. Yeah, nevermind the Oceano Dunes Natural Preserve and Pismo State Beach, which are literally a few blocks away from this lot. The beach is miles long, buttressed from civilization by a wide strip of dunes, oaks, and vegetation.
Thank goodness, Grover Beach City Council members had their heads screwed on straight—Councilmember Karen “I Am A Tree Hugger” Bright who advocated for ye ol’ oak tree in years past said the tree isn’t healthy, it’s a liability, and the housing is sorely needed.
Good thing the tree wasn’t healthy, amirite?
You know whose heads are screwed on a little crooked? The folks over at Central Coast Community Energy (also known as 3CE), who pulled a little bait-and-switch on all the people who it promised PG&E rate discounts to when it was marketing itself to local cities and counties.
“Discounts themselves—that goes away entirely,” 3CE Chief Operating Officer Rob Shaw said.
Why? Well, they kind of, sort of, maybe didn’t end the fiscal year in the black. They ended it $500,000 in the hole. In other words, those much-touted discounts the community choice provider used to sell its product to you—Joe and Jane Consumer—made it so that 3CE didn’t bring in enough revenue to pay its operating expenses. Governing bodies, amirite?
All you told-you-so conservatives out there are going to say “I told you so!”
But really, when you run a utility like a business, you get PG&E, which burned down part of California because it didn’t invest enough in infrastructure maintenance. Cutting corners to maintain that nice profit doesn’t really work either. Δ
The Shredder only cuts corners when wiping. Send comments to shredder@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jul 1-11, 2021.
Efforts to ban critical race theory in schools is an effort to intimidate teachers and give control of what’s taught in classrooms to people who have no business controlling what’s taught in classrooms. Efforts to create laws to ban critical race theory are an example of efforts to inject a new, threatening aspect of racism into the school system. Teachers will be afraid to teach anything and everything that might put them in the crosshairs of people who are adamant about making sure children should not know all the facts about racism in America, historically and currently. It’s nothing more than a power grab by people who want to limit the scope of education in the United States. This is a classic example of systemic racism.
As usual, a few trolls try to muddle the issue!
Critical Race Theory IS racism, and it is ludicrous to teach K-12 children that they are bad because of the color of their skin, NO child deserves to be indoctrinated into some whacky racial theory adapted from the communists. While the Alt Left embraces this nonsense, the rest of us know that Critical Race Theory is damaging, counterproductive, and a disservice to this great nation.
I think by now we ALL see the fraud and deceit behind the “Critical Race Theory”, it is like the “BLM Looting” and the issue of “African-American Reparations”, the hypocrisy and sanctimonious thinking on the so-called “Progressive Left” is beyond the pale, and most decent Americans understand the Whacky Liberals must be defeated and removed from the body politic.
Guess what? The Critical Race Theory is premised on the idea that all of society’s ills come from White Privilege, and Whites must be punished for the sins of their ancestors. The so-called Progressive left, in reality, is just rebranded Socialism and Communism, and the Democratic Socialist of America (DSA), as well as the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) have deep roots in the modern Democrat Party. These people would fundamentally change America into a “socialist’s paradise”, where some people do very well, but the masses of people struggle to even get the basic necessities of life.
Is that the kind of society we want to be? Most people say NO.
Do you believe that students and others should be taught to judge people on the basis of their skin color? The “critical race theory” crowd argues that many of the ills affecting society come from the notion of White privilege, and that Whites — even small children — must be punished for the alleged sins of their ancestors, even if they never held slaves or treated Blacks poorly.
Discrimination on the basis of skin color, race or ethnicity has been illegal in the U.S. for more than a half century, and most Americans of all races are not bigots. Businesspeople who hire employees or serve customers on the basis of race or sex, rather than competency, put themselves at a competitive disadvantage and, ultimately, are forced to change their policies or go out of business — without being ordered to by government officials.
When engaged in policy debates, it is good to look at the facts and the data to the extent that it exists. Fortunately, the United States Census Bureau has compiled very detailed data on the incomes of Americans by race, ethnic origin, sex, marital status, religion, etc. The data comes from the Bureau’s 2018 “American Community Survey” (the latest available). (Note: this post includes sub-sets of the White, Asian, and African American categories — for the purposes of this post The entire data bank is available online for those who wish to have a more detailed look.)
Link: https://www.google.com/search?client=safar…
If success is really based on skin color, it would be expected that those with darker skins would have noticeably lower incomes than those with lighter skin tones — but is that true? Most people who pay attention are aware that on average Asian Americans have higher incomes than White Americans, who in turn have higher incomes than Hispanic Americans, who in turn have higher incomes than African Americans.
As can be seen in the table, Indian Americans (whose ancestors are from India) have the highest average incomes, even though most of them are some shade of brown). Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Americans all have higher average incomes than white Americans — with skin colors on average slightly darker than the average White American. The Taiwanese are Chinese, most of whose ancestors moved from mainland China in the last 70 years. So why do Taiwanese Americans have higher average incomes than Chinese Americans? Clearly, something other than skin color causes the differences.
Among Americans who trace their ancestries back to some European country (even though most White Americans have a mixture of several nationalities), the Austrian (a German-speaking nation) Americans have the highest average income levels. At the same time, Appalachian Americans who are a measurable sub-group of White Americans have lagged behind for reasons having nothing to do with skin color. (Note: Many of the Appalachian Americans have ancestors from Scotland who had fled the English in the century before the American Revolution. By moving to the isolated hills and valleys of Appalachia, they were largely left alone by the English.)
The term Hispanic covers those White Europeans of pure Spanish origin to the typical brown-skinned Central American whose ancestors were more often American Indian than Spanish. The term explains a language group, not a genetic or income group.
Most American Blacks were descended from West African tribes, including what is now Nigeria. The Census Bureau differentiates those of African American ancestry whose forbearers came as slaves in contrast to those who came of their own free will in recent decades and who now have a higher average income than White Americans. Why is that?
Before the Civil War, White Americans were able to obtain wealth by obtaining free land provided they “worked it” for a few years and from skills that they obtained through education. Slaves could neither acquire land or education (in some states it was illegal to teach them to read and write). Their big disadvantage was not in their skin color but in the fact that, unlike most other Americans, they had fewer ways of acquiring property and education.
Native American Indians, by being put in common ownership reservations (socialist organizations) without individual property rights, were also put into a very difficult disadvantage.
If you really want to help those groups who are lagging, find ways (and there are many) of enabling them to obtain secure property rights to productive assets and provide them with marketable skill sets — math, science, information theory, etc. — but not counterproductive education in “grievance studies” (e.g., sociology, Black and women’s studies, etc.) that actually reduces their chances of obtaining well-paying jobs.
Indian Americans: $135,809
Taiwanese Americans: $102,405
Lebanese Americans: $87,099
Austrian Americans: $86,499
Chinese Americans: $85,424
Greek Americans: $82,036
Korean Americans: $76,674
Irish Americans: $75,583
Vietnamese Americans: $72,161
Spanish Americans: $71,903
Nigerian Americans: $68,658
White Americans: $65,509
Cuban Americans: $57,000
African Americans: $43,862
Appalachian Americans: $38,593
Mexican Americans: $38,000
Navajo American Indians: $31,057
As we see here, it is clear that “Critical Race Theory” cannot stand up to scrutiny, like BLM and Slavery Reparations, they are just campaign talking points of the so-called modern Progressive/Socialist/Communist crowd, and the Whacky Democrats dark prescription for our future would neither help our society nor would it help Black Americans. Looking at the upvote/downvote tallies on this issue, it is clear that the SLO Progressives are NOT FOOLING ANYBODY with their socialist nonsense, and no society has done well by reallocating wealth from one group to another. Ideas like Critical Race Theory, BLM, and Slavery Reparations are foolishness, and implementing them will actually do a great disservice to Black Americans.
If the Progressive/Socialist/Communist White Liberal Elite crowd wants to buy into a false narrative, so be it, but leave the rest of us out of their foolish nonsense. If they prefer to teach their own children that Whites are evil and must be punished, so be it, but leave OUR CHILDREN ALONE. If they want to give THEIR MONEY away to Black Americans, so be it, but hands off OUR MONEY, we don’t have to fund such nonsense. The idea that people who have never been enslaved would be given money by people who have never owned slaves is preposterous, and, if Black Americans want to do better in average yearly income, then simply looking at the the above chart shows that income level is not based on skin color.
It is not a secret that America is an opportunity society, people who act on this do well making money. 🙂
Now you know the rest of the story.
Reject Progressivism/Socialism/Communism
Reject False Narratives
Reject Critical Race Theory
Embrace Facts, Not Political Falsehoods
Reject White Liberal Elites
God Bless America!
Embrace E Pluribus Unum: “Out of Many, One”
Support Israel, Not Hamas Terrorists
No BLM/Antifa Rioting & Looting in SLO County
No Hwy. 101 Shutdowns/Broken Glass Shattered Onto Babies
No Slavery Reparations: Nonsense
Facts, Not Political Gibberish
United We Stand!
Interesting, you are upset and triggered by an opposing position by Sandy Boo. Shame, you are so afraid of her that you take the time to dedicate an entire article about her.
My buddy Fat Larry credibly informed me that newsprint can be rendered more comfortable for use as TP by crumpling it first to soften it. I have not used my privileged posterior to verify this tip, but will pledge to never use the Shredders’s column to for my morning ablultions. I make no such promise for the online version, though.
LOL at tthe phony “Steve Edwards” coward-bot, copy/pasting nonsense and lies about Critical Race Theory, which in fact does not blame any individual for anything, but suggests that we look at our institutions to examine the extent to which the playing field is, in fact, level. Please do your own research, and ignore the panicky snowflakes like the craven anonymouse “Steve Edwards.”
Shredder, school is almost in session. So you let new times know you can’t work over four hours a day! Know your rights
https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/DLSE-CL.htm
John donegan, you’re making up stuff again— and violating the new times comment policy. How is that helping our community?
If you have something worthwhile to say, I’m sure you can say it without having to lie or be ridiculous. But if you have nothing worthwhile to say, better for everyone that you remain silent. Thank you.
It’s disappointing the New Times allows themselves to be overrun by nutty trolls with an agenda. On the websites I design and maintain, I disable the comments because all people want to do is undermine the content with off-topic rants and spam. Nobody reads the article when they’re too busy sniping back and forth at each other.
If most of the people here were to take a pop quiz on any New Times article, they’d fail easily. It’s all about them and their rants.
As far as Critical Race Theory goes, it’s a big ol’ nothingburger. If we want our kids to learn about U.S. history, we need them to learn everything about it. Don’t leave anything out, especially long-standing prejudices that resulted in the social issues and obstacles we’re trying to overcome today. But if you’re so adamant about kids not learning the more problematic aspects about our history, what does that say about you? A lot.
Here’s the thing with attitudes and comments from what passes as “conservatism” these days. The cruelty is the thing. That, and enriching the few on the backs, bodies and misery of the many (including themselves, but again, unfortunately being and acting cruel trumps empathy, commonsense and the common good… My sense is that many of these poor folks will recognize that they have been played for fools long after it is too late…
First, for the record, I totally disagree with the call from Mr. Rightword and Mr. Ochs to ban other commenters. I applaud the New Times for allowing all comments, unlike right-wing Cal-Coast News which regularly censors its comment section.
Second, “Indian-Americans.” Really Steve? You want to use Indian-Americans as your basis for arguing against CRT?
The vast majority of Indian-Americans immigrated to the U.S. of their own free will, usually to attend U.S. universities (Both of Kamala Harris’s parents fall into this category). Many stayed and became doctors, lawyers, techies, etc. It’s not surprising that these folks make good money.
On the other hand, African Americans have descendants who did not come here on their own to seek better schools or a better life. Rather, they were stolen away from their homelands, often originally captured by their own neighbors, and were forced, beginning in 1619, to be a FREE labor source for White Europeans who were in the middle of stealing land from folks who had lived here for generations.
Those Africans were subjugated and forced to live under chattel slavery for more than 250 years. Once they were freed in 1863 they faced another 100 years of clear, out in the open, discrimination. Laws and systems were put in place over those years to keep them a permanent under class, so much so that today, the average white household in the U.S. has nearly eight times more wealth than African Americans who were descendants of slavery.
Progressive ideas, such as social security, medicare and minimum wage (all championed by progressives and criticized by conservatives), not to mention civil rights and voting rights (also championed by progressives), have made life better for blacks, yet persistent systemic racism continues in education, law enforcement (34% of inmates are black even though blacks make up only 13% of the population), housing (71% of whites own a home as opposed to 41% of blacks), etc.
Nice try Steve, but looking up things on Wikipedia probably won’t convince anyone, that, somehow the fact “Indian-Americans,” who make up less than 1% of the U.S. population, have become successful proves there is no systemic racism.
Michael,
It’s your right to disagree. But wouldn’t you agree that a debate is more substantive when people post under their real names? There is accountability. Maybe we can find consensus on this issue.
Mr. Ochs said, “But wouldn’t you agree that a debate is more substantive when people post under their real names? There is accountability. Maybe we can find consensus on this issue”
I disagree. What difference does it make whether they use their real name?. I suspect Mr. Edwards is probably really Mr. Fonzi, Mr. Donegan or Mr. Clovis Dad. So what? They’re all old men, as I am, simply debating the issues of the day—I know I’m right on these issues so I continue to post. No one in power actually listens to us, I hope. I notice lately that my comments now get far more down votes than up votes, which means Mr. Edwards has brought the clientele from CCN over here. More power to them.
Ultimately the only thing that will matter is elections. Right now, if Democrats continue to succeed on the economy (growth now at an annualized rate of 6.4%, way up from the Trump years) and are on the right side of history when it comes to issues such as infrastructure, voting and race, we will be able to ward off the anti-democratic, pro-authoritarian voters of the current Republican Party.
I used to use my given name for posting, until some local like Steve Edwards used the information to try to harm myself and loved ones. This stuff is dangerous. Its terrible what unethical people did to Aaron Ochs. I saw it happen when it was happening but if youre interested, go on Amazon and buy his book. Its an eye-opener about many local people that you know of but may decide you would rather not, after you read the book. And I can testify From my own observation and experience that Ochs reporting is fair and accurate. Read the book. Among other things you will see why its so important that some people in our community are standing up to these unethical, mendacious, self-serving local terrorists, who are given aid and comfort by some local social media venues run by others who share the same unfortunate character traits and rely on mendacity to navigate their way and try to get their way in our community at the expense of the good guys.
You posted a survey and didn’t like the results.
Right word 2 . You need to wake up
CRT is racist and Divisive. This needs to be banned…and who ever wrote this article…needs to be stopped from writing more
The systemic racism that infects the United States to this day it’s worth talking about. Our students can handle the truth. And with the truth, they can make America a better nation in line with the ideals of our Founding Fathers. Systemic racism is real. I’ve seen it before and I see it now. Unfortunately we have people in the community who want to see it in the future.
Hey Michael, I hear what you’re saying and appreciate your philosophy. But I wanted to bring to your attention your line: “No one in power actually listens to us, I hope.” Well, people do, if you repeat yourself enough. That “Steve Edwards” fellow has written 200+ comments, with many of those comments inciting violence against Democratic figures and community leaders with a fixation on women based on false and defamatory claims. Donald Trump was banned by Twiiter and Facebook for not only posting false claims, but also inciting violence that led to the Jan. 6 insurrection. And “Steve” has posted so many times, his comments now appear on Google as viable search results. And the people they’ve targeted have received harassing and threatening messages with the same false claims.
Now let’s tie this into the discussion on CRT. I’m now seeing people post about this issue as “Pam Beasley” and “Jim Halpert,” both are fictional characters from one of my favorite TV shows: The Office. Now why are they using fake names? They’re participating in the discussion under false pretenses and in bad faith with the intent to dilute the discourse with disinformation — that CRT is “racist.” That is their modus operandi. That is how they operate. And the more they do it, the more people will be radicalized by their content. This is what happened with QAnon and people who posted as the user “Q” on message boards. These people are just a cheap imitation of “Q.”
Debate the merits. Attack the disinformation.
Thank you new times for standing up and speaking out against the deplorable bigotry of Steve Edwards and Chris Arend who are trying to deny students an opportunity to learn about crucial aspect of American history.
WOW!
Here is someone whose future was intentionally defiled by a xenophobic, would- be Emperor.
Yet such a person would perpetuate the dogmas of this abomination!
I have found a friend in New Times. I cherish what you do and what you represent.I wish that many misdirected persons did as well.
Thanks Alt Left Liberals for the free rent in your head!
America’s flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is rainbow: red, yellow, black, brown and white, ALL precious in God’s eyes.
As we see here, the liberals are triggered by any pushback to the racist ‘Critical Race Theory’, but they haven’t seen anything yet. As more and more decent folks become aware of their attempt to institutionalize racism and indoctrinate our public school children into their hatred, I predict Americans will discard their silly nonsense. It is time to return to time-honored basics, and no child should be made to feel bad because of their race.
As my above post indicates, race and skin color ARE NOT a factor in income generation. The factors which affect income have to do with cultural traits about wealth, and how those traits are passed down generationally. One big identified factor in earnings potential is whether there are two parents in the household, and it has been shown that a single-parent household means a 10 times likelier average that the children in that house will grow up in poverty. In other words, if you want to address poverty and low-income status for children, make sure they grow up in a solid, two-parent household. Our efforts to help people rise in society ought to be centered around education, skill development and keeping the nuclear family intact.
As we saw with the fraudulent “BLM/Antifa movement”, as well as the “Reparations for Slavery” nonsense, the “Critical Race Theory” will be on life support as soon as the American public learns the sordid details of these preposterous lies. We must reject the whacky Alt Left vision for America, as it is a direct takeaway from the Progressive=Socialist=Communist, and we are a better people than to get duped by their rebranded failed Communist puke. Since we won the Cold War and stopped the global spread of communism, let’s not give them another opportunity to spread their Godless atheism to our society.
All Americans ought to offer dignity and respect to their fellow Americans, and reject the Alt Left’s attempt to divide us by race. The division by race is central to there playbook, and they also will seek to divide us by class. They will attempt to stoke animosity along racial and class lines because that is the fertile recruiting ground for low information voters. The American people are far too smart to fall for this idiocy, and you see the calls to limit free speech on this page because the whacky left realizes that the only way they can convince people that their outrageous ideas have merit is if their is no counter argument.
In conclusion, let’s soundly reject the racist “Critical Race Theory”, it is a communist-inspired attempt to divide our people.
Blue Lives Matter
RIP Officer Luca Benedetti
NO to Critical Race Theory
Reject Liberal Lies
E Pluribus Unum: “Out of Many, One”
No Voter Fraud: Demand ID’s when Voting
Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator
No Voter Suppression: Count Every Vote
Land of the Free, Home of the Brave
Happy Birthday America!
Reject Hwy 101 Shutdowns: Convict Rioters & Looters
No Broken Glass Shattered on Babies: No Antifa Thugs
Babies Lives Matter: End Abortion-on-Demand
Martin Luther King Jr: I Have A Dream
Reject Progressivism/Socialism/Communism: It Never Works
Steve, where did the “cultural traits” come from and why, in your opinion, do they align with race?
There are 2 answers here. I suspect you won’t say what you think in public.
The very best thing for Black Americans, and ALL Americans is to have a job, it is the basis of progress and advancing.
Please use the link provided to see how the black labor force has jumped to the largest point EVER.:
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-…
The whacky liberals want you to believe that life is terrible for blacks in America, but just the opposite is true. Free elections and free markets are the way to improve life for ALL people, it is a proven American recipe. Pleas read their nonsense on this blog to see how ridiculous and out-of-touch the liberals are, its humorous!
Nations that adopted Progressivism=Socialism=Communism HAVE ALWAYS FAILED.
Support Black Lives by abandoning white liberal elite politics. Abandon Democrats in 2022/2024 and stop the nonsense.
America-It Works If You Do.
There are still far too many places in the United States where blacks are excluded from neighborhoods and can only gain entry with the forceful and expensive help of a lawyer.
It’s called systemic racism and it’s not just in the real estate market.
America is great and not racist because “black men over 20 still have the highest unemployment rate of all the race and gender groups tracked by the Department of Labor”! – Steve Edwards
Have you come up with an answer yet Satchmo?
Here is some interesting and helpful parental information about the value of teaching about critical race theory. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/critical-ra…
Of course, we should all remember that it was Republicans and other conservatives and Trump supporters who instigated the failed but murderous January 6 attempt to topple the American government.
“Happy Birthday, America!”
Thanks for the 1,000 word essay, Mr. Fonzi, er…I mean Steve Edwards. I can’t remember when so little meaning could be gained from so many words.
“There is a certain class of race problem-solvers who don’t want the patient to get well, because as long as the disease holds out they have not only an easy means of making a living, but also an easy medium through which to make themselves prominent before the public.”
Booker T. Washington
“It is through the dairy farm, the truck garden, the trades and commercial life, largely, that the negro is to find his way to the enjoyment of all his rights.”
Booker T. Washington
It is becoming quite obvious that some of our so-called progressive “friends”just cannot stand to see American succeed in the world, but, thank goodness, the rest of us have the sense to appreciate our country in all of its beauty. As we come together once again in peace and freedom, let’s not forget that we must set air potty grievances aside and become the nation that our forefathers called it to be: “Out of many, one”.
Here is a copy of an article written by one of the leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.(NAACP), Notice that she speaks of OUR country without anger or judgement, I imagine the whacky white liberal elites would be unhappy to see her speak so eloquently about how precious America is. Enjoy this well-written piece and remember that Progressivism=Socialism=Communism, the alt-left prefers division, race hatred, envy and class warfare.
Perspective: America is not perfect, but she is certainly beautiful.
America — land of the free, home of the brave. The global epicenter of possibilities where hope abounds, dreams are fulfilled and compassion is boundless, endless and colorless. We are a country of overcomers, givers, supporters, survivors and victors.
To her, every stranger becomes a guest, friend, resident and citizen. She has a very maternal nature. Her arms are open to welcome, foster and adopt the broken, blended and bordered families. She is a melting pot of all, comprised of immigrants and citizens of every tradition, language and hue.
One of her great symbols, the Statue of Liberty has an inscription that reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.” It is the embodiment of this message that when people arrive, they kiss her sacred soil.
America is also a country that is loved, envied, desired, loathed and admired around the world. She provokes the awe of her admirers and the ire of her enemies. Many have fled their own country and forsaken their family to forever dwell with her.
She is tempting and tantalizing without being flirtatious. Her tapestry is bold, subtle, textured, opaque, nuanced and diverse. It is a place where everyone and anyone can belong and call home. Visitors aspire to be residents. Tourist wish they were natives. They bathe, bask and baptize in her grandeur.
Her breathtaking beauty can be seen in the magnificent magnolias, mountains and red mud in the South; the distinctive four seasons and iconic firsts like Michael Jordan, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Mae Jemison from the North; the ever-rising Rockies, redwoods and retirement communities in the West; and the architecture, artistry and audacious attitude of the East.
She is a constant presence of contradictions, provoking curiosity and indifference, engagement and withdrawal, unity and division. She is humble, yet bodacious, patient, yet hurried, stagnant, yet ever-changing. She is temperamental and rarely predictable, which is part of her alluring and enticing attraction.
On her best days, she appears in her finest regalia inspiring awe, pride and admiration. Her symbolism evokes criticism and controversy as well as reconciliation and redemption.
America has her flaws, faults and frailties. There are some days she wakes up with matted hair and a bad mood. It’s on those days that we see her blemishes of internal insolence, disparaging disagreements and tactless transgressions.
She is comprised of 50 amazing states with distinct personalities of their own. Fifty stars, 13 stripes and one flag, representing the history of our fights and our freedoms. Many of us pledge allegiance to this flag — one nation under God, indivisible, with justice and liberty for all. America’s star-spangled flag is mostly revered and sometimes desecrated. It is lowered at half staff, draped over caskets, folded and presented to the families of soldiers who served our beloved country.
Her strength and resilience are part of her magnetism. The world has seen her respond to Sept. 11, Sandy Hook, Hurricane Katrina and George Floyd. From each of these tragedies, America rebounded as a stronger, more cohesive nation, representing a beacon of hope and shelter for all.
Her spirit has been influenced by heart-held values and profound messages of hope: “In God we Trust.” “E Pluribus Unum” (“Out of many, one”). “Ask not what your country can do for you for. Ask what you can do for your country” (President John F. Kennedy). “I have a dream” (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.). “Yes, we can” (President Barack H. Obama).
America — an amazing country with cities that “never sleep” (New York City), have “big shoulders” (Chicago), and are “different by nature” (Salt Lake City). She is inviting and inspiring. She lifts, affirms, serves and protects. She offers hope, opportunity and freedom for all. She is not perfect, but she is certainly beautiful.
Theresa A. Dear is a national board member of the NAACP
Whacky white liberal elites hate it when people of color unabashedly love America without putting others on a guilt trip, it confounds their “Grievance Culture” narrative, and they are left clueless when the majority of people see right through their nonsense. We are a better people than to buy into false narratives. Progressivism=Socialism=Communism.
Dear America,
What happened to us? What’s happening to us? What will become of us? We cannot be helpless empathizers in the destruction of humanity. Our country is calling us to step up, roll up our sleeves and make a difference.
The unrest and uprising throughout America is not happening to “them.” It is happening to “us.” For generations, no one wanted to tackle the dismantling of racism. Now, we all do. Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible, until it’s done.” Let’s do it together.
This is the time to put up or shut up. This is the time when we must have skin in the game. This America, is the tipping, flash and inflection point, where we must act.
We can learn from the past. Participate in the present and influence the future. Here are seven ways to start:
1. Prepare for a better America
The remnants and vestiges of the current America will be taught in history classes, preserved in shadow box frames and ensconced in museums. Future generations will likely mourn our current America of 2017, 2018 and 2019, which has been fraught with polarization, whistle blowing, name calling, tweets, brutality and hatred. We are tired of the vitriol, caustic leadership and unapologetic indecencies and offenses. Our souls cannot relive any version of this again. We crave a better America. We have the collective capacity to build a better America. Each of us must commit that the better America of tomorrow begins with our individual actions — today.
2. Face your racism
Examine and check your impulses, perspectives and implicit biases toward black people and other groups.
3. Become involved in the building process
We need to build relationships with people unlike us. We need to build bridges where there are gaps. We need to build trust with those we have offended.
4. Dismantle all forms of racism
Brick by brick, person to person, generation to generation, begin to take apart and tear down structures of racism such as:
Dismember and disassociate. Refuse to be a member of anything that discriminates. Does your housing development, golf course or country club exclude blacks? You have enjoyed the luxury of exclusiveness. If your clubs don’t permit black people, then your membership is endorsing a racist structure. Condemn racist jokes, jargon, slang, vernacular, euphemisms and practices.
Divest. Examine your investment portfolio. If you invest in stock that benefits from the oppression of black people or racial crimes, divest. Sample stocks and products include prisons and endocrine disrupting chemical cosmetics with sodium hydroxide. If your bank engages in predatory lending, change banks. Do not finance, monetize, donate or invest in anything that intentionally targets, exploits, excludes and hurts black people.
Disrobe racists. Do not allow closet or covert racists to use you as their cover. Don’t harbor or hide them. Don’t let them feel comfortable around you. Rip off their hoods and masks.
Deprive it. An entity that is starved of essential elements will die. Racism thrives on hatred, oppression, collusion, passivity, indifference and silence. Remove all metaphorical forms of oxygen from racism. Starve racism to death. Deprive it and its hosts from your presence, attention, investments and interests. If a cable or news channel spews racist ideology, do not watch the channel — unsubscribe. If a company has promoted racist ads, don’t buy their products. If the magazines you subscribe to, the retailers and restaurants you frequent do not employ black people, do not patronize them.
Don’t permit distractions. There are antagonists, infiltrators and saboteurs planted among peaceful protesters, with one purpose — to change the narrative and stop the cause. They fear our solidarity, and they should. The enemy of progress is stagnation, doubt and fear.
5. Host courageous community conversations
This is the precise time to talk to your community about white privilege and how you can leverage it to dismantle racism. You have access to networks, communities and decision-makers blacks cannot reach. Use your privilege to significantly influence change through candid conversations and action plans.
6. Hold candidates and elected officials accountable
Ask every candidate and elected official about their plans to dismantle racism and demonstrate their commitment to diversity and inclusion. (These are two different issues.) Don’t allow them to conflate the two. Don’t settle for rhetoric. If they don’t have plans, don’t contribute to their campaign and don’t vote for them.
7. Stand in solidarity
Leave your home, dawn your mask and march for the cause. Make your presence known.
May the God of our weary years and silent tears bless our weakness with strength, our fear with faith and our ambivalence with intention and steadfastness. May God remove the scales from our eyes, the stone from our heart and racism from America.
Theresa A. Dear is a national board member of the NAACP
Sounds a lot like Critical Race Theory, but don’t tell Steve that he’s quoting a progressive.
Even New Times doesn’t like to admit that ever since they’ve been allowing Steve Edwards to use this website to spread his vile propaganda, There has been a record number of hate crimes in San Luis Obispo county.
I think its clear, based on the like/dislike voting on this site, as well as national polls about so-called Critical Race Theory that the American people DO NOT want our schoolchildren brainwashed and indoctrinated into the divisive racist theory that promotes division and discord in our precious country. Enough is enough.
Like other whacky alt-left ideas, Critical Race Theory is an attempt by the rebranded socialist/communist progressive alt-left extremist to turn child against child, American against American, and I could not think of a greater recipe for disaster. The great men who founded this country proclaimed Americas motto to be E Pluribus Unum, Latin for Out of many, One. Our republic is the envy of the world, and no other society has done as much to promote racial, gender, sexual, ethnic, religious and class equality as the United States of America.
For those new to the debate, critical race theory is a radical ideology that focuses on race as the key to understanding society. People who subscribe to this nonsense reject the efforts our nation has made to promote racial tolerance, and they also reject the constitutional order of America. In other words, they reject the 14th amendment which requires equal treatment under the law and they also reject the notion of building a colorblind society. Amazingly, these so-called progressives (think rebranded socialist/communists) would take us back to Jim Crow, and the time when America was fixated on race and racial politics. Thank goodness we have discarded Jim Crow and its racial debasing idea, for we are a better people than to judge each other by race.
Lets dismiss this alt-left nonsense. Lets, once again, dismiss this ill advised attempt to hoist illogical and counterproductive ideas onto the American public. Lets especially NOT ALLOW the extreme alt-left to poison the minds of our schoolchildren. If they want to have a meeting of the extreme leftists and embrace the ideology of racial hatred so be it, but hands off our children. As we are seeing with the rightful protests about CRT all across America, parents overwhelmingly DO NOT want their child indoctrinated into these discriminatory ideas. Enough is enough.
The American public has now seen how the alt-left will work through Kamala Harris, AOC, Ilian Omar and Nancy Pelosi to hoist their radical Alt-left agenda onto the rest of us. We ALL know that open borders, critical race theory, tax hikes, gun ownership suppression, coddling China, Sanctuary City, and BLM/Antifa rioting and looting is the WRONG prescription for our great country, so we must come together at the ballot box to resoundingly reject the alt-lefts radical agenda for American Decline.
Critical Race Theory, just another bad prescription from the seriously misguided crowd. 🙂
Teaching is not the same as indoctrinating. When teachers teach about the history of slavery in America, they are not indoctrinating children to become slaveholders.
Making students aware of various theories broadens their minds and gives them tools to make critical decisions to better our community.
Efforts to restrict Learning opportunities are misdirected and are insults to students and teachers.
Pretending racism doesnt exist is an effort to perpetuate racism in our community and gives aid and comfort to the very worst bigots and domestic terrorists.
It perpetuates hate crimes, as we are seeing in San Luis Obispo County where the number of hate crimes have reached record levels. Sad.
Sorry, but “teaching” the racist “Critical Race Theory” IS indoctrinating, and the whacky left knows it, that’s why they defend it so vigorously. We ALREADY are teaching an accurate view of US History, and a simple look at the California history standards would suggest as much. Check the CDE website.
Moderates, conservatives and even some mainstream Democrats are ALL calling for an end of the Alt-Left’s attempt to indoctrinate our public school children into this seriously misguided theory. Our children deserve to be taught with facts, not theories, and 90% os society is bright enough to realize this very fact.
These-called alt-left communists/progressives are entitled to their opinions, but they do not get to reinvent the facts.
Reject Critical Race Theory/Reject Racism.
Sandy Boo is my hero. CRT is a mental health disorder.
White people will not define genders nor race for my family. Please take your Covid medicine.
The thing is, no one I know is proposing to teach critical race theory. It seems crazy or racist to urge people to fight against people who might someday propose to educate students about a theory that is controversial. And the most vocal opponents of critical race theory in the new times comment section are the very same ones who continually make blatantly racist and bigoted comments. It’s my theory that the effort to codify a prohibition against critical race theory is a form of systemic racism, I am that stirring up animosity and intimidating teachers by people who have no business doing so.
Thank you…thank you…thank you Steve edwards!!!!….it’s great to read your truthfull words….it’s impossible to refute them….these totalitarians want to control are thoughts and browbeat anyone who stands for truth….and you brother stand for truth….keep giving it to them….they can’t take it!!
Sorry Keith, I’m not interested in promoting Marxism whether it is American Marxism or any other kind. It’s enough work just trying to support democracy and equal treatment for all in the United States. No Marxism required. Thank you.