RACE RELATIONS
Sterling victim of hypocritical hype
Los Angeles Clipper’s owner Donald Sterling (“NBA to address scandal,” Sports, April 29) is being victimized by the hyperbole of hypocrites. He is not a racist by any stretch of the imagination. Racism is a hatred or intolerance of another race. A racist is a person who believes in racism. Sterling’s actions speak louder than his words. His actions impeach, rather than support, the accusation of racism.
Sterling has given many African-Americans the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of becoming successful, wealthy NBA basketball players. In addition, he has given former African-American NBA players the opportunity to occupy leadership roles within the Clippers organization. Former NBA player Glenn “Doc” Rivers is an African-American. Currently, he is the Clippers’ head coach and senior vice president of operations.
If Sterling is a racist, then all employers who pay African-Americans minimum wage are racists. Like all humans, he has his own preferences of association. The public did not need to know those preferences. He made an error in judgment. He lacked discretion. He is an imperfect pebble who caused a ripple in a sensitive pond.
KEVIN PALMER, MARTINEZ
First let’s figure who’s really racist
I really don’t understand how an 8o-year-old man estranged from his wife manages to acquire a half-black, half-Mexican girlfriend. He then says he doesn’t want her or certain other people to bring blacks to basketball games. Is this hypocrisy or insanity? The other side of the same coin is how the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was to give an award to someone who, in the past, expressed a dislike for certain minority members (“NBA owner not receiving NAACP award after purported comments,” AJC.com, April 27). When will we start realistically addressing the race problem in this country? Let’s stop calling everyone a racist and get to the bottom of just who has racist thoughts and lives a racist life.
DAVID CLARKE, BUFORD
UNEMPLOYMENT
Extend drug tests to elected officials
In response to “Drug tests for unemployed?” (News, April 29), since Gov. Nathan Deal is so eager to inflict more hardship on the poorest among us by requiring drug tests at their expense, I would suggest that he require the same of our elected officials. His further attack on the least of our people should be balanced by some attention to the elected officials who convene once a year at the Capitol to enact some pretty insane laws. I expect there would be more than a few culprits.
BETTY BLONDEAU, DECATUR
