The NAACP is in the headlines again. This old and respected civil rights organization is taking the unwise step of condemning the TEA Party for alleged racism. Those allegations include unsubstantiated charges that TEA Partiers rallying at the Capitol against passage of the unconstitutional health care takeover had yelled racial epithets at black congressman who were walking from their offices to the House of Representatives to cast historic votes. They yelled the “N” word, the congressmen claimed. But no one seems to be able to produce any video, any audio, or any sworn statements naming names, or even pointing to specific yellers.
When asked why they chose to walk through a crowd of anti-ObamaCare demonstrators, the liberal Members disingenuously replied: It was the first day of spring. Right. And Gov. Sanford wanted to enjoy the spring air hiking the Appalachian Trail, too.
I want to remind my friends why the NAACP is revered in the black community in this country. At a time in the early 1900s when hundreds of communities in this land of liberty were in the grip of the murderous Ku Klux Klan, when hundreds of black Americans were lynched every year for daring to exercise their right to vote, when local law enforcement, editors and jurors ignored the plight of black Americans, the NAACP was there to champion civil rights for the oppressed.
For these and many other courageous actions, the NAACP deserves the gratitude of all Americans. But this legendary organization is risking its honored legacy when it cries wolf and hurls baseless charges of racism against Americans who are exercising their civil rights to protest against radical policies coming from Washington, D.C.
The NAACP can once again become the respected organization that champions civil rights for all, if it avoids these race-baiting tactics.