Project Logic Ga

Let me be fair and honest: when Tiger Woods failed to make the cut at the British Open, my first thought was that I would support Vijay Singh because he kind of looks like me. Then I remembered that Boo Weekley attended college at ABAC in nearby Tifton and Tom Watson is going it big for us old guys. Am I am racist in some way or just backing my own, which is odd because I likely have more in common with old Boo than Tiger.

You know what might be coming over the horizon: an American cultural war.  If given the opportunity, I was taught at home and college to put myself in someone’s shoes.  Inside the boots of the average White southerner, I would imagine a vision of the future that see the loss of power and control in this country—power and control being the fuel for wealth and family security.  No groups gives up power and gold without a struggle and from the Palin crew we are starting to hear what can be consider the veiled “something old becoming new”….I better leave that at that.  If you want to hear future Palin speeches before they happen dust off southern governors and senators pre-1970s.

I think about Malcolm X saying that he had more respect for a man who tells him how he feels—even if he is wrong- than a man who smiles and lies.  I personally like Governor Palin for that reason and I starting to better appreciate Patrick Buchanan for the same reason.  Like Rev. Wright, Buchanan is an old guy and is “done” with sugarcoating how he really feels.  I love sitting and listening to those old heads go-off with that realness. 

In the “exercise in futility” category, those of us who were waiting to see the emergence of a moderate, less bitter division of the conservative movement were wasting our time.  Not only will the southern Right not move toward center, but the gloves are coming off about the possible loss of control and power.  Our community needs to be very careful; we should not put all of our proverbial eggs in one basket because the Right still runs the south and the national winds will shift in the future. 

In college, we started every research project with a review of the literature to see if what was about to me studied had been done before.  If there is a movement of Black moderates and conservatives that was created “for us, by us,” I welcome to opportunity to learn more about it because what is next from some parts of the Right might have a tone that could be best described as ugly.

While his arguments regarding affirmative action makes interesting points, Pat Buchanan is basically saying that White men should circle the wagons before they found their power and influence gone.  Again, I appreciate his realness in the American dialog.  I better get back to the British Open; Tom Watson is 4 under Par with a one stoke lead.  Georgia had a populist congressman and senator named Tom Watson back in the day and if you never heard his point of view, don’t worry because history has away of repeating itself.  For our community, if the opportunity to help a smooth conservative of color appears, we should consider it because the post-Obama era could be the return to…..you know.  We need someone in the room.

Sidenote: MSNBC and Fox News makes me appreciate Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley,  John Chancellor and Bernard Shaw.