Racism

Letter writer Lyle Rescott chides The Sun for correctly outing Newt Gingrich as a bigot ("Newt Gingrich isn't a racist," Jan. 22). I can't resist paraphrasing the old adage: If it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck and pontificates like a duck - it's definitely a duck! Ann Power, Catonsville

Thomas Schaller is to be commended for his commentary revealing a dark side behind the avuncular charm of Ron Paul ("Ron Paul disavows ... Ron Paul?" Dec. 28). As a progressive, I've long been skeptical (to put it mildly) of Dr. Paul's right-wing libertarianism, which prefers a rapacious market over community and an anarchic rugged individualism over social justice and human solidarity. A society is much more than a market, and the individual is a social being. Democracy is a kind of community.

Baltimore Fire Chief James S. Clack, who has been grappling with allegations of racism in his department, announced Tuesday that he is promoting two African-American officers to be his top deputies. Clack, who is white, said he promoted the two assistant chiefs because of their qualifications, not because of race. But he stressed that the department has bolstered diversity initiatives under his leadership and he denied claims by a black firefighter's group that the department is plagued by institutional racism.

According to Leonard Pitts Jr., the tea party is racist ("The black self-loathing of Herman Cain," Oct. 16). If you're intrigued by Herman Cain (who hates the fact that he's black), you're a racist. If you disagree with President Barack Obama on a policy issue or you didn't vote for him (he's black, you know), you're a racist. If you admire Condoleezza Rice (who is too "white"), you're a racist because she would never condemn the racists who surrounded her. These are the claims Mr. Pitts makes in his column about why he loathes Mr. Cain and why racists love him. If only Mr. Cain shared the liberal, self-serving view (it's kept liberals in power for decades)

The lingering effects of racism percolate through Alonzo D. LaMont Jr.'s "Zulu Fits. " Although the production directed by the playwright at Heralds of Hope Theater has some rough edges, it's a thoughtful play about how young African-Americans are literally haunted by things that happened centuries ago. "Zulu Fits" is the final play to open in this summer's Baltimore Playwrights Festival. It also marks the debut for Heralds of Hope Theater in Baltimore City's Station North arts district.

It is 5 a.m. and I can't sleep because of the rage I felt at the letter written mostly consisting of name calling diatribes against columnist Leonard Pitts and President Obama for purportedly playing the racism card ("No racism here, Mr. Pitts," Aug. 11). Rest assured, Mr. Pitts and Mr. Obama might have a better vantage point of what racism looks like, smells like and acts like than right wingers writing from the safety of exurbia and white privilege. I still receive racist e-mails from that milieu purporting that Mr. Obama is the Antichrist, a closet Muslim, a socialist, a proponent of one world government, decorating the White House with esoteric Middle Eastern symbolism and failing to salute the American flag and all sorts of equally ridiculous reality challenged nonsense.

I agree with letter writer Gail Householder about the intensity of opposition to the president, but unlike her and her friends, most of my white friends do believe there has been remarkable evidence of racism in the vitriolic attacks against President Obama ("No racism here, Mr. Pitts," Aug. 11). Anyone is entitled to agree or disagree with a political leader. But to deny there is racial hatred in this case is to deny the obvious. Mr. Pitts stated in his column why he reached this conclusion, and he actually provided supporting evidence, while your letter writer provides absolutely none to support calling Mr. Obama a "Marxist.

I saw the point of the writer who complained about Leonard Pitts' rather frequent accusations of "racism," but to say that President Obama's policies are "socialistic, Marxist" ("No racism here Mr. Pitts " Readers Respond, Aug 11)? Give me a break. This is not Fidel Castro, people! Obama is so timidly middle-of-the-road I am always shocked when I hear people describe him as if he were some flaming radical. He seems to be pursuing the same policies as George Bush before him, a far as I can see. Even "Obamacare" is hardly universalized medicine.

I have had all I can stomach of Leonard Pitts' ranting and raving about racism ("For Obama, there's no reason to make nice," Aug. 7). I am offended, as are many of my friends, at being labeled "racist" every time I or they disagree with President Obama's socialistic, Marxist policies. It has absolutely nothing to do with his color, and Mr. Pitts and the Democrats know it. But they continue to go down the same old tired road of disingenuously labeling dissension as racism. Mr. Pitts claims that "this is not politics as usual," referring to Mr. Obama being black.

Janet Gilbert's column "The college we visited was mighty nice … and mighty white" (June 16) is a good example of racism. The student population was judged on skin color alone. Ms. Gilbert has taught her child to see only color. The wonderful diversity of cultures such as Greek, Italian, Hungarian, English, Canadian, French, Irish, Scottish, Norwegian, Polish, Czech, Swedish and Finnish — plus the many combinations thereof — were completely ignored. Hopefully, her children will be wise enough to see beyond skin color.