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.
I would pretty much agree with all of that.
I was also wrong about my fears of this thread turning into something else, which it has not. My fears apear groundless at this point.