No problem. We all do that sometimes.
Nevertheless, I don't see how 7.62 was "making" this story into propaganda via his comments.
Because, in my view, he was setting the thread up for people to start elevating this into something it is not, in the name of advancing an agenda OR to counter one they saw (and I understand the race-baiting examples he used and agree with him that they are reprehensible).
Do you think that the MSM is yearning for stories regarding possible racial harmony in the South?
Probably not. It does not gel with their desire to paint Southerners as ignorant, racist hicks. But here is the rub - trying to elevate this warming story into an "a-ha! See! See how NOT Racists we are! See the decendents of Slaves & Confederates holding hands!" is simply setting up the MSM to twist things to their liking.
Sometimes understatment is best. Consevatives are not SUPPOSED to notice race. Is that not what we rail against the left for doing all the time? Some people see color here. I see neighbors. Americans.
Except for this: But here is the rub - trying to elevate this warming story into an "a-ha! See! See how NOT Racists we are! See the decendents of Slaves & Confederates holding hands!" is simply setting up the MSM to twist things to their liking.
I'm sorry. I just don't see how this plays into the MSM's hands.
I don't mind people noticing race or even commenting on it, just so long as they don't discriminate or attempt to justify racist beliefs.
If conservatives can't take notice of race in their thought and commentary, then how can they forthrightly address an issue which has riven the country since its founding. To put another gloss on my point, how can conservatives minister to blacks in this country if they can't discuss race or if they have to pretend that it doesn't exist? Is GW Bush violating the conservative code by pointing out that Social Security has a disparate impact on blacks? Would I violate the same code if I said that Asians are not assisted by the State of California's affirmative action policies, despite enduring a century of discrimination on the West Coast?
BTW, it's not that I disagree in principle with your statements. You're right: As a rule, conservatives ought to be less race-conscious (nay, less race-obsessed!) than liberals. I believe conservatives are the proper legatees of a color-blind ideal of justice, one which prizes equal treatment under the law and abhors unlawful discrimination. I just don't think that there is any need to take an ideal designed to secure justice in the legal realm so far that it limits our ability to articulate our positions or promote racial healing in society at large.