There so much hope that we would finally heal what was left of the racial divide that exists in this country when Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. That’s why many threw caution to the wind and voted for a poorly qualified man with Marxist tendencies to lead us. That’s why so many were willing to stick with him for another four years. Surely, he would finally come through … but he hasn’t.
His speech Tuesday in Dallas was, without a doubt, one of his best. However, after extolling the virtues of the Dallas police and the fallen, he simply couldn’t resist the temptation to legitimize those who feel the police are out to get them, as he has done many times before.
Over the last year, we watched as Obama gave Black Lives Matter, the group that is largely responsible for stirring the racial caldron and ginning up hatred against police, credibility. He even invited one of its leaders to the White House.
What Obama should have said early on in the case of these highly publicized deaths of black men at the hands of police is: “Let’s wait until all the facts are in before we pronounce judgment on these police officers. If we are willing to pronounce guilt prematurely, simply because these officers are white, that is racism of the worst sort. All decent individuals should reject such a thing.” Taking a verse from the Bible, as the president is prone to do when he is between a rock and a hard place, “Do not judge, lest you be judged.”
When it came to light in Ferguson, Missouri, that would-be cop killer Michael Brown did not raise his hands in an attempt to surrender, Obama himself should have denounced the phrase that has motivated so much hate against the police. “Hands up, don’t shoot” was and is a lie!
Obama should have been the first one to stand up for police officer Darren Wilson, who was simply doing his job – but he didn’t. Wilson’s life was upended when he shot Brown, who had just robbed a convenience store, in self-defense – a fact Obama conveniently overlooked.
Obama should acknowledge that police, quite naturally, are more afraid in an encounter with a black male than a white male – even black police officers – because black men disproportionally commit more crimes. In 2013, a black was six times more likely than a non-black to commit murder. Blacks account for 42 percent of cop killers where the race is known, even though they make up only 13 percent of the population.
Why is that? Obama, as the first black president, has the moral authority to talk about it, but he hasn’t and he won’t.
Blacks are much more likely than whites to have children out of wedlock, and black males are much more likely to skip out on the mother of their children than males of other races. Over 70 percent of black children are born out of wedlock, which is an express ticket to a life of poverty and a fast track to crime and incarceration.
Obama should say, “It is time for the black community to take charge and declare a war on illegitimacy. It’s also time for the black community to declare war on those individuals, organization and movements that want to capitalize on this violence and blame others for our problems that we create for ourselves.”
While Obama has experienced some of the negative aspects of the “black experience,” he never talks about the benefits of being black.
He should say, “If you are black and do well in school, you are much more likely to get a college scholarship than someone who is white. You are much more likely to get admitted to a college than a white guy with the same grades. You are much more likely to get a government grant to do a study or a loan to start a business than a white guy, and if you start a business, you are much more likely to get a government contract. All things being equal, as a racial minority, you are much more likely to be hired by a business over the guy who is lily white. Companies get credit for hiring a minority, any minority. They get no credit for hiring a white guy. So go out there and work hard in school. Achieve. Stop whining. The sky is the limit! You can even be president of the United States.”
Now that would be leadership, but a leader, sadly, Obama is not.
Media wishing to interview Jane Chastain, please contact [email protected].
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