It was long ago and in private that everything had been decided. The time to take a stand and show himself a man had come and gone, washed away like a name in the sand as the waves splash in and out, or as the wind blows. But, of course, he could not act.
Two years ago, when his brother's and Katherine Harris's purge of the Florida voter rolls, primarily of blacks, was not enough, the Governor of Texas went to court to stop the count. Ultimately, he took what can, out of generosity, be called a case to the nation's highest tribunal.
On December 12, 2000, five Justices of the United States Supreme Court stopped the counting of votes, again primarily those of blacks, which would have shown George W. Bush to be a loser. Instead, he was the Pretender-select or, as Kevin Phillips prefers, His Fraudulency the Second. (www.prospect.org/print/V12/2/phillips-k.html)
On December 12, 2002, a new insult was added to an old injury. The Pretender rode into action and attempted to lance a Lott.
Any suggestion that the segregated past was acceptable or positive is offensive, and it is wrong. Recent remarks by Senator Lott do not reflect the spirit of our country. He has apologized, and rightly so.
Every day our nation was segregated was a day that America was unfaithful to our founding ideals. And the founding ideals of our nation and, in fact, the founding ideals of the political party I represent was, (sic) and remains today, the equal dignity and equal rights of every American.
Senator Lott, in what The New York Times called Apology No. 4, agreed. "...(H)is words were wrong and he is sorry," said a spokesman. "He repudiates segregation because it is immoral."
On Friday the thirteenth, as was appropriate, Senator Lott made Apology No. 5.
Segregation is a stain on our nation's soul. There is no other way to describe it. It represents one of the lowest moments in our nation's history. And we can never forget that. Not only have I seen the destruction by those immoral policies of the past, I have tried to and will continue to do everything in my power to insure that we never go back to that type of country again.
If true, Senator, a good place to start would be with a denunciation of the biggest impostor in American history. Do you dare?
In this new role of slaying dragons and saving damsels in distress, Saint George might want his squire to awaken him sooner. If not, many villages will be burned and many ladies ravished. A week is a terrible thing to waste.
When George Bush the Elder ran the Willie Horton ads, George the Younger did not say, "Dad, that is divisive." When President Bush appointed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, his son did not say, "Dad, that is divisive, and Elliot Richardson is far more qualified." And when George W. Bush ran in the South Carolina primary, he did not say, "The Confederate flag is as offensive to blacks as the swastika is to Jews. It is a symbol of hate, not of heritage. And that is divisive." Oh no, no not George, he did it his way.
The Pretender denounced Lott for doing what he had done himself. The Senator simply does not know how to play Jim Crow--off stage with secrecy, subtlety, and a smile. By posing as the good knight, the Pretender has revealed all the vices of Arthur's betrayer and none of the virtues. Indeed, George W. Bush denouncing Trent Lott is like Lucifer defining loyalty.
Try as they might, the Pretender and the Senator will not make us forget Burns and Allen. Neither will they become regulars on Saturday Night Live. Their repeated attempts to win Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in an Outrageous Role is annoying the audience and the academy.
On the same day the Pretender faulted Senator Lott, he violated separation of church and state in the city where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed, in the place that was the capital of the United States when the Bill of Rights was ratified. Was that the hypocrite's daily double, or was it tic tac toe for the clueless? After such a performance, one wonders if Mae West's co-star in My Little Chickadee would still want his tombstone to read: "Here lies W.C. Fields. I would rather be living in Philadelphia." For it was acts like The George and Trent Show that killed vaudeville.
Had George Wallace been the Democratic candidate in 2000, George W. Bush would have used the same tactics in Florida. Yes, the votes of John and Mary Q. Public would have been ignored even though they look like the folks from central casting--Colin Powell and Condolezza Rice. But Wallace would have found the "pussyfooting" intolerable.
Mark Twain was right: "Truth is stranger than fiction." To wit, if Shakespeare will forgive me:
The time is out of joint, O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right.
The Pretender's in the White House, 'tis true;
And the President hosts Saturday Night.
(c)2002 Marvin D. Jones. All rights reserved.
