Wishing well those blinded by prejudice
It seems really hard for Leonard Pitts, “Both blacks and whites need to wake up on race,” (Opinion, Nov. 30) to overcome his own prejudice. He thinks of humanity only in terms of skin color. I wish him happiness and new vision as he looks for a nebulous nirvana. Also, I include the Dec. 1letter writer who thinks we are cursed by slavery. Well, I got over curses and witches when my first grade teacher turned from a worrisome witch into a priceless princess. I have since enjoyed the finer aspects of humanity and equality in our country. For those blinded by prejudice and the perplexities of living, there is always the hope that they will acquire a better understanding of their fellow human beings, all of them.
CATHERINE BOONE SHEALY, ATLANTA
MLK’s dream still a ways off
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted his children to be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We still haven’t reached that point. Too often, white Americans see brown Americans as the “other.” Case in point, the letter writer who reviles “men and women … who will not take responsibility for what they breed.” Peter Morici used the protests as an opportunity to spout off about white victimization, rather like the kindergartener complaining to the teacher about a paper cut while she’s attending to the child who fell off the slide. Admittedly, the Michael Brown case is not the ideal flashpoint for this discussion. Perhaps either of the recent killings of black Ohioans by police would have presented a clearer picture of police overreach. Until we begin to listen to these stories, to truly hear what our fellow Americans are telling us of their lives and their realities, and until we as white Americans are willing to hold up a mirror and see how our attitudes contribute to those realities, the protests will continue. Reacting with defensiveness or disdain will get us nowhere.
CAROLINE KNIGHT, ATLANTA
Gov. Deal’s helped businesses
We read the Nov. 28 PolitiFact on Gov. Nathan Deal’s commitment to reduce taxes for Georgia’s corporate citizens and respectfully disagree that he has broken his promises. From his first days in office, Deal made it clear that he wanted to grow our economy, create jobs and attract new investment. Four years later, we’ve been twice recognized as the best state in the nation for business — a fact directly attributable to policies put into place since he has taken office. Those policies were designed with the cooperation and input of the business community, who the Governor spent his first year in office listening to through the Georgia Competitiveness Initiative. What he heard was that business supported measures such as eliminating the sales tax on energy, extending angel investment tax credits, extending film tax credits, and incentivizing regionally significant projects. As a result, we have attracted companies like Caterpillar, grown a $5 billion film industry, and kept more of our entrepreneurs at home. We should all be glad to have a governor who will take the time to listen before he acts and who seeks the input of the people he serves.
CHRIS CLARK, CEO, GEORGIA CHAMBER
Why does the Obama administration spend hours talking about Ferguson when we have crises all over the world? Why are we not talking about ISIS and their bloody march across the Middle East? Why is Iran’s nuclear proliferation not worthy of a summit when Ferguson seems to be? What happened to the discussion on amnesty? When are blacks going to see measurable progress in securing jobs? What credentials does Al Sharpton possess that warrant a leadership position at the White House and a chair at the summit? Who is going to look into crimes that are not white on black , but the reverse? We all deserve some answers.
MEL MATUSZAK, DACULA
