Angry, Black and conservative

Political discourse and debate are essential to a healthy republic. Unfortunately, there is a large segment of the black community that believes any black person who is not a liberal is a race-traitor. To be blunt, a black conservative is a "boot-licking Uncle Tom."\nI contend such a presumption is not only preposterous but inherently racist. Just as all black people do not look alike, play basketball and eat watermelon, we do not all share the same political views. Just because we are conservatives does not mean we do not care about our people. We, too, wish to reach the same end of justice and equality but by different means.\nPersonally, I believe it is extremely naive to believe any individual or group of elite white men (i.e., the politicians and their parties) are genuinely concerned with, or even capable of, correcting the problems facing the black community. It is also silly to believe Republicans are a party of racists while the Democrats are all truly compassionate. Sen. Robert Byrd, who has been called "one of the finest orators ever in the Senate," is a former Klan member and a democrat. Racism does not respect party lines.\nIn American history, nearly every piece of legislation brought by white men to help black people (or other minorities for that matter) has been a token gesture either reaping political benefit for politicians involved or temporarily appeasing the angry black masses. Most notably, it took over a century for the U.S. to begin to enforce the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution. Legislation is worthless if the people in the nation are not willing to enforce it. \nWhat does our government do about rampant crime in our cities? They lock up the criminals and throw away the key. What does the government do about drug epidemics? They lock up the dealers, users and addicts and throw away the key. What do they do about teenage pregnancy, unwed mothers and the obscene and ever-increasing number of mybabydaddies? They give the "mothers" a check and wait to put the kids in jail and throw away the keys. Government is not the answer!\nThe burden for change falls on the people -- our people.\nWe, today's students, must become tomorrow's parents, teachers, authors and activists who preach the gospel of change. Many great leaders of our past were not elected political officials -- they were teachers, orators, authors, journalists and community leaders. They were our voices -- and we must find our voices again.\nBlack people must become active in our communities. There is still injustice, and we must use protest, social discourse, and litigation, when necessary. The key to achieving equality will not come in the courts of America -- it will come in the hearts and minds of its citizens. No legislation or court ruling can provide that.\n On a local scale, we must take care of our families and ourselves. If there are children in our family who do not believe they can go to college, we must pass on the information that got us here, and encourage them to do the right thing. We can volunteer, join the PTA or write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper. But we must all do something -- ANYTHING -- to help with the struggle. \nThese are the values of a black conservative. I believe the less government has to do with the lives of individuals, the better. Bureaucracy, set in motion by out-of-touch sixty-something-year-old, rich, white men, no matter what their intent, is not good for anyone's community.\nLiberals may disagree with me, and that is fine. But let us sit down and discuss our differences without slandering one another with words of hate.