"You're a Racist!"

Oh yes... once again I've been called a racist. And it was a friend who called me one! My friend called and wanted to know if we could have coffee today, and we agreed to meet. We spent a few minutes catching up because it had been awhile since we've had time to be together, and then he asked me, "Why do you hate President Obama?" I tried to tell him that I did not hate Obama, but I did hate his policies that are destroying the fabric of America, but he cut me off mid-sentence and said, "No! You hate this man with a passion!" I again tried to tell him that I did not hate him, that I've never met the man and that I don't think you can "hate" a person that you've never met, but that that his policies and practices are a completely separate story. He said, "I don't believe that. I think you hate him because he is black!" I was stunned. I sat there for what seemed an eternity and I said to my friend, "Let me see your hand." He looked at me, confused, and I again said, "give me your hand."  He put his hand out and I held mine next to his and I said, "Notice anything?" He said, "That's different!" You see, my friend happens to be black. I asked, "How can you sit there and allow such stupid words actually come out of your mouth? I've been in your home, preached in your church, held your grand baby and been your friend for nine years... yet you have the audacity to call me a racist?" He started to respond, but it was my turn to cut him off. I said, "You've listened to the liberal mantra so long that it just comes out of your mouth without even thinking. Do you honestly believe that we'd be sitting here right now if I were a racist?" He was clearly embarrassed and said, "I did not mean that, Darrell."  I said, "Exactly, but the problem is that they have you programmed like a good little robot so that when you have no argument, the race card comes out." I said, "I want you to answer a question for me... and I want you to really think about it before you speak. As a father, husband and a pastor... would you support Barack Obama if he were not a black man?" He tried to back peddle out, but I asked him to be quiet and think for a minute. I pointed out numerous policies and events that have taken place over the past 4 plus years and said, "If you are totally honest, do you agree or disagree with this?"  For everything I mentioned but one, he admitted he did not agree with it. So then I turned the tables and asked, "If you disagree with everything I've just mentioned but one, how is it then that you can support this President?"  He sat for a minute and softly said, "Because he's the first black President and I have to support him." So I asked him, if that is the case, then whose behavior, thoughts and actions are based on race? He did not want to answer, so I asked it again... then yet a third time. He finally said, "I see your point." So I said, "so of the two of us, whose decisions are based on race, rather than reason?" 

The sad truth, this same scenario could be played out hundreds of thousands of times across America. Maybe millions of times. Time for folks to do a gut level check and see who really has the racial motivation to their behavior and words.