Racism is simply immoral.
Racism hurts the victims.
Racism even robs the racist of humanity as hating someone because of the color of their skin dehumanizes even the bigot; and, racism is destructive of democracy.
However, since it is apparent there are so many racists in positions of power and influence in government and among the general population I feel further explanation is needed.
Unfortunately, there probably isn't any way we are going to end the racist acts of of uncaring, stupid individuals any time soon.
What we can do is demand the public schools do a better job educating towards eradicating racism but how is this accomplished when so many teachers are even nothing but bigots?
There are not only the personal acts of racism; there is ideological racism perpetuated by our schools, the media and opportunist politicians who will use every cheap, dirty trick to try to get votes. There is institutional racism of which structural and systemic racism are a part.
This entire rotten and corrupt political and economic system has us all trapped in a web, and institutionalized racism is the primary "glue" holding this web together.
Where you find corruption in government you will almost always find racism in government.
As American cities were burning, the result of a massive popular uprising and rebellion against racism on the part of African-Americans, Lyndon Baines Johnson signed Executive Order #11246 intended to bring an end to institutionalized racism through the enforcement of affirmative action.
For years, now, the racist bigots of every political stripe and persuasion have been challenging affirmative action being enforced in hiring, education and housing.
The enforcement of affirmative action is the bone of contention in the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party today as the politicians are trying to accomplish what the racists have not been able to accomplish in the courts: striking down affirmative action through a ruling declaring Executive Order #11246 "unconstitutional" because it "discriminates against whites."
So, instead of challenging affirmative action in the courts, the white racist elected officials like the members of the Bemidji City Council have found supporters in attacking affirmative action among state and federal elected officials like MN State Representatives Brita Sailer, John Persell and Senator Mary Olson who are working in cahoots with Congressman Collin Peterson and Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken--- all of whom have shown their true racist colors by refusing to stand up for the enforcement of the law of the land--- Executive Order #11246 which has as its primary goal to "create a level playing field" for all Americans.
The objective of Executive Order #11246 never has been to solve the many problems of injustices in our society like unemployment, poverty, lack of healthcare, poor housing and inadequate schools. A more socially just social and economic system which requires the unity of all peoples to achieve can only accomplish bringing an end to these injustices for all of us. Ironically, we find the biggest racists and bigots also the greatest defenders of this failed capitalist social/economic system.
These public officials like racist United States Congressman Collin Peterson have sought to fan the flames of racism for their own cheap political gain here in Minnesota's 7th Congressional District by, instead of challenging Executive Order #11246 in the courts because they know their court challenge to affirmative action would fail; instead, these racist bigots like Collin Peterson who use racism as a tool to push their constituencies to the political right creating an atmosphere where they can be elected and re-elected on a thoroughly reactionary pro-war/pro-big-business agenda--- to accomplish their objectives, Peterson and his gang of public officials who cling to his unraveling political coat-tails, arrogantly decided they would just ignore Executive Order #11246 and affirmative action on the Bemidji Regional Event Center--- the largest ever public works project in northern Minnesota. They intended to demonstrate to their racist supporters that they are "independent" of Washington and that they had the "courage" of a Tea Bagger in "standing up for white people" because isn't this what the racist Tea Bagger movement is really all about?
It is this institutionalized racism which should concern every decent person in Minnesota because if we lose the common human decency to fight against this institutionalized racism perpetrated by these crooked and corrupt politicians like Collin Peterson, Brita Sailer, John Persell and Mary Olson working in cahoots to deprive Native American Indians of jobs on the Bemidji Regional Event Center because the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association and the corrupt tribal governments requiring a pool of cheap labor to operate their casinos fear that if Native American Indians have the right to jobs on a large public works project like the Bemidji Regional Event Center, the back of institutionalized racism in hiring will once and for all be broken in northern Minnesota and throughout Minnesota and the Indian Gaming Industry will have to compete with higher wages.
A rich racist white man, John McCarthy, runs the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association and in spite of having spent tens of millions of dollars electing white racist candidates like Collin Peterson, Brita Sailer, John Persell and Mary Olson who are dedicated to shoring up institutionalized racism as a means to push ALL wages down which in turn pushes all business profits up... in spite of spending tens of millions of dollars electing these racist white politicians, the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association has never once spent a single dime trying to elect Native American Indian politicians... doesn't this strike anyone as somewhat strange given the fact that not one single Native American Indian sits among the more than 200 state legislators or among our congressional delegation.
Look at the huge number of Democrats presently running for governor; not pne single Native American Indian among the candidates yet all of these candidates except for one go begging for campaign contributions from the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association which a white man doles out.
Is there one single reason why a Native American Indian should not have been allowed to be nominated to run against Collin Peterson who takes the money from the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association only to turn his racist back on the racist unemployment causing horrific poverty on Indian Reservations not to mention that workers employed in smoke-filled casinos that is called "the modern-day version of smallpox-laden blankets" by even the head of the Indian Health Service, working without any rights under tribal, state or federal laws (ever heard of any "sovereign" nation allowed to get away without laws protecting workers?) who are all paid poverty wages... which raises the question: How do you end poverty while paying workers poverty wages? Any school child understands that when you pay working people poverty wages those workers and their families will live in poverty.
And, isn't institutionalized racism really about using one group of workers against another group of workers to depress and keep wages down? There is no other explanation for institutionalized racism other than to maintain a racist and corrupt political system where the levers of government are used to push wages down... not only are the victims of racism deprived of the jobs they are entitled to when affirmative action is not enforced... but those people for whom perpetuating racism is some kind of a sick "honor" have their own standard of living held down and pushed down.
Racism, in all its ugly forms, is like a cancer in the human body which destroys everything healthy--- racism in our society destroys everything decent and just.
If anything destroys the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party its destruction will be attributable to the racism the Democrats acquiese to, and perpetuate.
It is no coincidendence that everything evil and unjust--- from wars to poverty to lack of adequate healthcare can be attributed to the racism which permeates our society--- United States Congressman Collin Peterson and his racist supporters have demonstrated this as they trampled upon democracy by perverting Robert's Rules of Order to maintain the racist status quo of all white politicians in the Minnesota State Legislature and on its Congressional delegation.
Think about it: Over one-hundred delgates engaged in smothering democracy in order to deprive one Native American the right to run for public office... all these racists stood up to pledge allegiance to the flag and then they turned right around and made the American flag an ugly symbol of racism.
Racism destroys democracy and creates an un-even playing field which ends up hurting us all.
Something to think about around the dinner table tonite--- if you can keep from vomiting knowing what is going on in this state in your name.
Alan L. Maki
