Posted by Dennis Herrick [ at 12.172.64.245] on July 11, 2008 at 12:47:35:
Published: July 11, 2008 12:43 am
Letters to the editor
Who decides whom we can hate?
To the editor:
I just wanted to express my gratitude to Ms. Heidi Scholes for her recent letter (July 2) exposing the "White Pride" rally as nothing more than a clandestine KKK meeting. If not for the intelligence and uncanny insightfulness of good liberals like Ms. Scholes, the rest of us dullards would never have picked up on the secret "code" implied by using the words "white" and "pride" together.
And where do those "white" people get the nerve to think they deserve a "pride" day? Everyone knows that in these United States, only minorities are entitled to celebrate their culture and heritage with pride days. (Which means whites won't be eligible until sometime around the year 2050.) Luckily, we have vigilant liberals like Ms. Scholes to remind us that celebrating Black Pride Day, Gay Pride Day, Latino Pride Day, Hispanic Pride Day, Asian Pride Day, Native American Pride Day, etc., is a wonderful thing. But when whitey talks about expressing pride, we know it's just a smoke screen to get together and do some "hatemongering."
Actually, I really don't get the whole racial pride thing. Since race is determined either by evolutionary coincidence or intelligent design, there's really nothing to be "proud" of. We didn't accomplish anything by being born. And I find it interesting that liberals are obsessed with pointing out our differences yet they support the theory of evolution which is based on the premise that all human life originated on the plains of Africa. Doesn't this make us all African-American? And if we're all the same, how can there be such a thing as a "minority"?
I seriously doubt that Ms. Scholes actually spoke to Mr. O'Donovan before characterizing him, and his entire group, to be "intolerant, hatemongering, racists who blame others for their problems." Instead, she relies on her progressive, liberal intuition to pass judgment on an entire group of people she knows nothing about. And in her feeble analogy, she also assumes that Mr. O'Donovan is Irish because of his surname, ignoring the possibility that he may be adopted. (And by the way, Ms. Scholes, the Irish are not a "race.")
People like Ms. Scholes who see racism lurking around every corner and who believe they can ascertain another's motives, beliefs, and thought processes, present a far greater danger to our freedoms than any "pride" rallies. If someone wants to run around with a giant foam finger declaring their race No. 1, who cares? That's why we have the First Amendment. Unfortunately, the cornerstone of our freedoms is being insidiously undermined by legislation regarding "hate crimes" and "hate speech." In other words, the government can now punish you for what it thinks you're thinking! It's only a matter of time before the mere appearance of hate is a crime.
Mr. O'Donovan's group may very well fit the model of a "hate" group. So what? Would Ms. Scholes be so moved if the group was holding a "We Hate President Bush" rally? I doubt it. So is it the act of hate that's offensive or is it the target of the hate? And who gets to decide who or what is acceptable to hate or not?
DENNIS HEALEY
Plaistow, N.H.