I'm sick of hearing the phrase, "We need to have a conversation about..." (Fill in the blank).
Last week, our country was ripped apart when two black men (separate cases) were shot by white police officers; and when five police officers were killed in a sniper attack by a black man who wanted to kill, "as many white cops as possible."
The inevitable response from Black Lives Matters was to protest. Once again, the group's leaders and followers are talking about the need to have a "national conversation," about black men being shot by white cops.
For the record, we have been talking about this problem since the 1960s. So, with all the national conversations we've had over the last fifty years on racial conflict, why are we still talking about it?
Police officers nationwide feel like they're under siege. In 2012, the FBI recorded the deaths of 49 officers killed on duty.
This year, there's already been 58 deaths in the line of duty (as of 7/7/16). That leaves five more months to add to the deadly count.
Where have conversations gotten us?
Pease don't tell me, or a black man, that we've made a lot of progress in race relations the last half century. Facts fracture that notion.
Please don't tell police officers that they shouldn't be worried that each day may be their last one. That every case with a black man may lead to a national incident.
In addition:
There has been countless conversations about gun control. Everytime a mass murder happens - now a regularity every year - politicians and the public have conversations about gun control.
Nothing ever happens because the Republican dominated Congress has it's heads so far up the NRA's ass, it can't here the cries of the average American who wants to see some action...any action, that would deter crazies with semi-automatic weapons.
Instead...all we get are conversations in the mass media, and social media. Everyone talks up a storm, but no progress is ever made.
The million dollar question is, "What can we do about it?"
In our last presidential election in 2012, experts say only 57% of Americans bothered to vote. That tells me that a sizeable chunk of Americans aren't voting.
The only way we are going to get action on racial unrest, and gun control, is to elect people who represent a majority of Americans. Not the majority of half of America.
This is a watershed year for politics and progress. The need to get leaders supported by a real majority of Americans has never been greater.
Please vote. Get your friends and family to vote. If you've never voted before, let this be the year you start. We must elect leaders who will take action.
The time for conversations is long gone.
Time for me to walk on down the road...
No comments:
Post a Comment