You know I hate when family fights in public but I had to write a letter to the Editor of the Albany Herald regarding a fellow member of the Albany State University Pol Sci family and one Governor Sarah Palin. For background, my letter responded to Dr. Konde’s op-eds stating that who you are as a person or leader is measure by your level of education and the prestige of your colleges.
My letter:
Konde’s comments counterproductive
I voted for Obama/Biden yesterday because I real want positive change for our nation. Then, Sanford and Saxby got votes because their work in agriculture is vital to Georgia’s economy. As an ASU double grad in political science, my thoughts turned to Hollis, Rhodes, Mobley, Joshi and the elegance of Tucker when reading the on-going battle between Professor Konde and Palin supporters. Dr. Konde, your well-intended jousting regarding academic degrees is driving Clinton-type voters to the polls for Palin. You are playing into their plans. Rep. Jim Marshall is Ivy League like the Obamas, but he would never put Princeton in his ads — only old pickup trucks. Dr. Konde should reread the Art of War or read the notes on our black moderate blog Project Logic GA. Sun Tzu wrote, “Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.”
Team Obama and reasonable people stopped attacking Gov. Palin and switched focus to actual issues. There is an old story about Congressman Bishop’s father, who was college president during the Iranian hostage crisis. When the Iranian students started to protest America on campus, President Bishop promptly sent them home. The late Dr. Lois Hollis and the late President Bishop would recommend caution during these delicate days — don’t fan the flames.
T. S. Sylvester Georgia
Dr. Konde’s Op Ed
Palin’s supporters promote mediocrity
In “Is Palin ready for office?” (SundayViews, Sept. 7), I argued that Gov. Sarah Palin is ill-qualified for the office of vice president and explained why. I was unambiguous and lucid. Some people were taken aback by my contention and felt compelled to question my pedigree: “How dare him?” Given that my detractors could not answer my fundamental argument with equal zeal and clarity, they naturally found recourse to tangential issues not even remotely related to the argument.
One respondent accused me of plagiarism (Sept. 8), a second noted that I was writing from a position of hysteria (Sept. 8), a third thought I was unfair (Sept. 10), while another directed my attention to Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (Sept. 10). And then there was The SquawkBox (Sept. 10) where some people berated me as the “pompous professor,” teaching hate, and more. These attempts at derogation notwithstanding, none of my detractors rose to present a cogent rebuttal. I am truly the disappointed man.
The litany of invective has been dragged on into week two, with David Morey’s “Elitism ‘inspires’ mediocrity” (Sept. 17). I wonder what was so elitist about my candid perspective, or so mediocre about my contention! I will not characterize Morey’s person as elitist; but mediocre, his ideas are. Note the distinction I make between the person and his ideas. It is not normal for one with a first degree to present himself as an intellectual counterweight to me. No, Mr. Morey, I will not cower to platitudes. You come across as one with the mentality of people of by-gone years, and operate on the assumption that it is your prerogative to tell me when to inhale, exhale and when not to.
I reject your stance because I stand on a pedestal constructed by valiant men and women who came before me. I will not relent in the face of your insult packaged as erudition. You are mistaken to think that your first degree in engineering is better than a graduate degree earned from Albany State University.
I do not subscribe to the outdated notions which seem to pervade the world you inhabit — a world that time has gleefully left behind. That an engineer with a four-year degree from Mercer University would muster the audacity to challenge a historian in the realm of ideas is quite astounding.
And, yes! I know because I think. I know the contours and trajectory of your histrionics; and, I adamantly refuse to surrender an iota of intellectual ground!
The facts: Gov. Palin’s language is sophomoric. She earned a bachelor’s degree in six years attending five different institutions. If the majority of Americans were prone to that kind of erratic schooling, I would be compelled to tender my apology. But such is not the case. Gov. Palin is unique in this regard. Read: Hawaii Pacific University (one semester), North Idaho College (two semesters), University of Idaho (two semesters), Matanuska-Susitna College (one semester), and back to the University of Idaho (three semesters, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism).
Palin appears not to have made her mark on the college newspaper or campus television station at the University of Idaho. Upon returning to Alaska, however, she worked briefly as a sportscaster for KTUU in Anchorage, and thereafter began her meteoric rise to power as could be possible only in Alaska. And now some ill-advised ideologues want to foist her on America as the best the Republican Party could find? My detractors should take a deep breath and think things over. Adieu!
Emmanuel Konde is an associate professor of history at Albany State University.
Project Logic Ga 
My friend,
Re: Palin Bashing
You know I disagree with you on some level. Society pegs you and distinguishes you by your level of education and color/race. I think you missed the boat on this. You can not compare Obama to Marshall. That’s like comparing apples to oranges. That’s black and white for you in this America!
The professor was right. Palin does promote mediocrity. Society is telling the white woman/man that regardless of what school/schools you attend without putting any effort into your work, you can still be president. For a black man/woman, society is telling you (especially in Barack’s case) that you can go to the best of the best colleges/universities that this country has to offer and excel and still you do not have a chance to be president of these United States of America or at least slim to none (without divine intervention).
I agree with you on the strategy, Marshall would not use his degree in his campaign strategy. Hell, he does not have to use the degree, he is white. He could have graduated from Podunk University and still be a Congressman, U.S. Senator or Governor of Georgia. Mac Collins has only a high school diploma and he was a congressman and ran for the U. S. Senate. He became rich with trucking company business. But, he is still white. The comparisons are off. You just can not compare black and white in this America in some ideological way. It does not work.
I also disagree with you about the attacks on Palin. If left unvetted, Palin would have walked right into the VP slot with John McCain. The media was simply not doing its work and has not been holding G.W. Bush accountable for the last eight years. The media is racist and is afraid to attack a white woman. That daughter of hers could have squatted right there on the stage of the GOP convention and had her baby and Carl Rove would have spun it by saying, “Oops! There goes another vote for the GOP. This whole mess goes to credibility, hypocrisy and just plain lies that the GOP spews.
Obama did not have to attack Palin, but it had to be done. Now, look at the media. They are going after her for the first time with their blinders off. I also think that the Clinton-types who identify with Palin are/were enamored with her and now her star is starting to fade a little. Also, the Clinton-types who identify with her would like to see one of their own in the vice president’s office, plain and simple. They are/were thinking with their hearts and racist mentality and not with their brains. It still does hold water to say that she is qualified to hold the second highest office in the land, Vice President of the U.S. nor does it proves that the jobs, Mayor of Wasilla and Governor of Alaska qualify her to be VP in this America. Her limited exposure to the real world, the lower 49 states makes it impossible for her to run this country. She has been cut off from the real world too long and does not have a clue about urban blight, crimes and etc. on a massive scale. I am sure that meth and alcohol is killing the Eskimos up there. But, hell with Barack being in Chicago, he has seen enough blight, poverty, crime et al to last him a life time. I will concede that he does not have nearly the kind of executive experience of some mayors or governors. However, some members of congress have left to run for governor and have won. Hell, but most of them are more qualified than Palin is to be mayor and Governor, especially in Alaska.
At least with Barack there is some recognition of the fact that he made it out of an Ivy League school with honor proves that he is smart as hell. For all of his detractors that call him “uppity”. This is sheer nonsense and the green-eyed monster is once again rearing his ugly head, pure and unadulterated jealously. The white man does not want to believe that blacks have the brain power to graduate from an Ivy League college without affirmative action, let alone run for president. Then there is the Clinton-type/Palin enthusiast who wants her to be VP and who is just glad that she made it because they could not. They are just glad that the cute cheerleader got picked for the big dance. They are not thinking or asking themselves, “Can she really lead us? Is she really ready on day one?” This does not involve thought. It is merely a warm and fuzzy feeling and a knee-jerk type of reaction that the Clinton-types/Palin enthusiasts are experiencing, similar to some of us voting for Barack just because he is black. Her people are simply identifying with her skin tone, hair, and simply perpetuating that imperialistic ideal that because she is white, she must be good and therefore she should, not could, but should be VP. Look at McCain. McCain is dumb as hell and yet, they all think that he is smart.
You yourself, once said, “That McCain went to the naval academy and his degree is more prestigious that someone who went to a lesser school”. Hell, McCain graduated at the bottom of his class. He probably would have been thrown out had it not been for his father and grandfather’s statue in the military. McCain is a legacy child just like G.W. is when he attended Harvard.
One thing that we all know too well is that race and education are used to screen a lot of folks out of jobs, homeownership and an upward mobile way of living. This does not preclude an individual from attending Podunk College and distinguishing himself and rising to the highest level in office. In this case, I think you missed the boat on Palin. Maybe, if she had distinguished herself, but the way I see it, her credentials, credibility and conduct just don’t add up.
I have to agree to disagree with you on this.
Marie: you know I have respected your opinion on politics for 14 years but my point is that we are close to winning Georgia for Obama (the polls are wrong) and a few thousand votes in south Georgia could be the different just like the support Rep. Marshall could have brought in middle Georgia.
Don’t energize or motivate the other side behind some dumb stuff; Rove is a genius and Palin bashing brings a blue collar reaction than is strong than the optimism for McCain alone. McCain’s maverick nature could drive him to replace her with Romney and Mitt would bring a level of financial knowledge that America needs now.
What I am saying is don’t compel McCain to switch to Romney. Professor Konde should consider using his energy to focus attention on Rep. Marshall blowing off the Obama Candidacy.