Political discourse heading toward the abyss

The election of this nation's first African American president has done little to improve civility between the races. Still, it is hard to believe that instead of "Hail to the Chief," we would be on the verge of hearing, "To hell with the chief."

Folks, the discourse in this country is sliding toward the abyss.

The last thing we needed was an hour-long special about Charles Manson's diabolical plot to start a race war. However, this did not stop CNN from airing the program about Manson's homicidal Helter-Skelter tear through southern California 40 years ago.

Meanwhile, Manson, now 74 years old, and members of his geriatric posse are likely reminiscing about their murderous rampage, still hoping to see a race war in their lifetime.

Comparing the bitter dialogue in this country today to that which existed in San Francisco during the 1970s, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said, "This kind of rhetoric was very frightening, and it created a climate where violence took place ... "

Did Pelosi go too far? Speaking as someone who has seen racially charged situations explode into violence, particularly the one that reached its boiling point in Chicago during the 1960s, I do not think so.

We need to end this incendiary dialogue and, before things get out of hand, achieve détente.

I will never forget the 1968 riots and racial unrest that festered in their wake. Seared in my memory is my coincidental presence on a cold December morning almost four decades ago, when mounting racial tension exploded into violence on Chicago's West Side.

There, in a hail of gunfire on Dec. 4, 1969, Cook County police officers killed Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, high-ranking members of the Illinois Black Panther Party.

Totally unaware of what had occurred, my father and I became embroiled in the volatile and chaotic aftermath. It is a story that I hope to share with readers at a future date.

It is out of an abundance of concern (we might be sitting on a powder keg) that I contacted Kane County Sheriff Patrick Perez and Aurora Police Commander Joe Groom, who quickly calmed my angst.

Both men assured me that there is absolutely nothing to suggest that hate crime or racially charged incidents are on the rise.

Sheriff Perez said, "After reviewing our crime statistics for the past two years, we show no hate crimes occurring in unincorporated Kane County ... " Continuing with fervor, Perez stated, "In the event a hate crime would occur in unincorporated Kane County, we would investigate it with the same thoroughness as all other serious crimes."

Equally passionate, Aurora Police Commander Groom advised that there has been a steady decline in racially provoked incidents, adding that so far in 2009, there had been only two incidents reported.

So, what is going on here? Is it as some have suggested a blend of talk radio and online social networks, breeding faceless fringe extremism by giving false bravado to cyberspace hooligans, or simply the opposition's outrage over President Obama's programs?

I would like to believe Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, when he says that former president Jimmy Carter is incorrect to say that, "There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president."

However, when the rhetoric becomes so amped that a member of the United States House of Representative chucks decorum and bellows to the president of the United States, "You lie," and mostly white crowds angrily scream that they want America back, as if a foreign power occupies it, I regret that Chairman Steele's assurances are not enough.

For now, I will keep my fingers crossed that this potentially explosive environment does not ignite, giving CNN its highest ratings and Charles Manson his ultimate high.

Anthony Stanford is a freelance writer living in Aurora. Contact him at bmhtales@sbcglobal.net