We're probably going to jail

Note to our readers:  The letter below is NOT a review of WZBH programming.  We posted it here for three reasons.  First, the letter is too long to send through the White House contact page, but we did provide them as much of the letter as their character limit allowed with a link to here for them to finish reading the letter.  Second, we hope fans of our critics page will help make this letter go viral just in case the President doesn't really care what five, White rednecks have to say, but would be forced to listen if enough other people made it a concern.  Third, we wanted to show the targets of our normal reviews at WZBH that we're equal opportunity critics.  We don't just pick on WZBH.

Dear President Obama: 

In response to your press conference today regarding the George Zimmerman case, you are correct - we all need to do some soul searching, but not by the side of the coin you implied during your press conference.  Let me suggest the following:

1. The executive branch (that's currently you and your administration) and the legislative branch (that's Congress) have no business sticking their noses in most state issues.  The Zimmerman case was one such issue.  The Justin Carter case in Texas is an example of where the federal government did have reason to voice an opinion on a state issue, but chose not to.  In that case, a teen in Texas posted a sarcastic joke that a Canadian reported to authorities and the Texas teen was promptly arrested and spent five months in jail until just recently when an anonymous benefactor posted bail for him.  He still faces up to ten years for his joke he posted online.  Whenever a complaint from a person in a foreign country can get an American citizen arrested for what he posted on the Internet, that should be of federal concern and should warrant a press conference.  I suppose since Justin Carter is a White boy, his civil rights and free speech rights aren't worth protecting in the eyes of our federal government.  Perhaps you, and every member of Congress, should read the Constitution and learn why you, every member of Congress, and every American, should be concerned, and even outraged, about how easy it is for a citizen of another country to get an American citizen arrested.
2. In light of the fact that Justin Carter, the good ol' White boy from Texas, is facing a possible ten-year jail term for his bad joke authorities have labeled as "terroristic threatening", why did you not talk about the New Black Panthers leader's public and Internet "terroristic threatening" of "declaration of war" against "Whitey's neighborhoods"?  Why are you nor anyone in Congress outraged at the double standard of justice being applied to the New Black Panthers leader that gives him a free pass to threaten in all seriousness, but the teen in Texas gets thrown in jail for posting a bad joke?
3. While most Americans of all races and ethnicities understand the injustices all minorities in this country have suffered throughout our history and the historical basis for racial sensitivities today, one thing we all should have learned is not to make the same racist mistakes our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers have made, yet you, many in Congress, outspoken community leaders and media personalities are repeating the same mistakes made generations ago.  Let me enumerate those mistakes for you:
1. Whether or not George Zimmerman is a racist, the actions of one person is not reflective of an entire race of people.  Your press conference only confirms to many people that yes, the actions of one is reflective of the attitude of many.  Remember when we were taught that not all Black people eat watermelon and play basketball?  Not all Black people are promiscuous coke addicts?  Not all Black people live off of welfare and foodstamps?  Not all White people are racist or harbor racist attitudes, either.  To imply otherwise, as you did today and many others have been doing everyday since the Zimmerman verdict, is a racist attitude.  Period.
2. To the best of my knowledge, Hispanics in this country never owned slaves, never joined the KKK lynch mobs, nor ever enacted the Jim Crow laws, yet, somehow the actions of an Hispanic-American citizen is generalized to the White-American citizens as an example of the racism that still exists in the this country.  Sorry.  Ask any White person if George Zimmerman is White, and they'll tell you, no, he's Hispanic.  Remember when we were taught that not all Black people look the same?  Apparently, to Black people, anyone who is lighter skinned than themselves is White because all White people look the same.  When you, many in Congress, and many leaders in the media spotlight point to a person of an ethnic minority and imply or claim that person is representative of the racism of White people, that in itself is racism.  Period.
3. When a complaint from a citizen in another country lands an American in jail because he made a tasteless joke, an American who happens to be White, and you, no one in your administration, no one in Congress, and no one in the media spotlight - all who have expressed concern or outrage over the Zimmerman case - expresses concern or outrage over the violation of the teen's civil and free speech rights in Texas, one can only conclude that the silence stems from racism against White Americans.  Either that or you, your administration, members of Congress, and those who are always in the media spotlight don't really care what our Constitution says and what it stands for.  Take your pick.  Either way, you and everyone else standing in concern or outrage over the Zimmerman case end up looking like hypocrites, at best.  Racists, at worst.

Today, you encouraged America, and implied you meant White America, to do some soul searching.  I agree.  You, members of Congress, and the media spotlight grabbers need to do some serious soul searching.  In this country (again, read our Constitution), one is innocent until proven guilty.  The law failed to prove Zimmerman guilty of murder or manslaughter.  For anyone to imply that racism factored into the law's inability to prove guilt is only a reflection of the racist attitudes one holds within him/herself, not a reflection of racism in White America, in general.

Sincerely,

 

A concerned citizen who doesn't want the FBI knocking on his door for expressing his opinion, no matter how poorly done, just like what landed Justin Carter in jail.