Politics and Racism

I am often disturbed by the common used argument by Liberals these days; they don't like Obama because they are racist.  This all too common statement undermines the very fabric of political debate.  It demeans the person making the argument to a point where no validity is reached in discourse.  Those on the opposing side automatically tune out anything that the accused has to say, because, who would listen to a racist, after all?  This argument is not only used here on the internet in personal and group debates, but also in the public sphere where talking heads constantly point to racism as the motivation for opposition to Obama.

Let's step back for a moment, and recap some history regarding racism in general terms. First of all, racism exists, and few deny this.  Racism exists on both sides of the political spectrum as well as across all nationalities, sex, creed, religion, etc.  In other words, picking out racism is not a one-sided conversation; to suggest otherwise would be ignorant in and of itself.  Second, the election of Obama was a great moment in American history from the standpoint that we had our first black President.  It took more than 50% of the voting public to elect him (this is important to keep in mind later in this post).  Third, we have an ugly history when it comes to racism; from slavery to voting rights and even after that point.  Few Americans are proud of this deplorable history we share, and many work to overcome this and to heal the nation.

The Problem With Being Thin

My daughter and I, especially, run into several issues with our build.  Jeans don't fit as intended, as neither of us was blessed with a butt.  For that matter, neither was my son blessed with a substantial gluteus maximus.  Buying pants is an exercise in patience as we have to try on pair after pair, skinny, husky, different sizes, etc. until we find the right one.  And, these days, my kids are growing exponentially so this becomes a regular occurrence in our lives.

We don't starve ourselves by any means, we eat huge amounts of food.  My grocery bill regularly runs $900+ per month.  However, we are all very active; I just run after the kids and work in my yard regularly.  My daughter swims 4-7 days per week for nearly 2 hours a day.  And, then, there is Will...Will plays hockey 24/7, 365 days a year, inside and out.  The kid has endless energy and embarrasses his teammates with his unending supply.  We all build up a big appetite doing these activities and we are regular consumers of pasta, bread, cheese, milk, and, of course, bacon.  We, of course, have our healthy foods as well.  My kids will demolish fresh fruit like a normal kid will eat candy.  They choose vegetables over desert on a regular basis.

So, why do I need a politician regulating my children's meals at school?  Yes, I get it; there are many kids and families overweight out there.  But, for kids like mine, they can't get enough food at lunch to fill them up.  They also tend to need a massive snack when they get home every day and before their practice or game begins.  And, why are they skinny?  Chalk some of it up to genetics, but a good portion has to do with our active lifestyle and the insistence that our children don't sit in front the TV or on their electronics (as I sit here writing on my computer, ironically).