BREAKING NEWS

As we are going to press, there is breaking news of a horrific shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Details are still unfolding, but initial reports suggest as many as 27 people, including 14 children, may be dead. The evil of such an atrocity is incomprehensible, particularly at the time of year when we celebrate the birth of the Child who was sent to save us from sin. Please be in prayer for the victims, their families and the Newtown community.

Another Vignette From Obama’s America

Putting ideological and policy concerns aside, millions of Americans hoped that the 2008 election of Barack Obama would fulfill the dream of Martin Luther King. Many saw in Obama’s victory the realization that in America an individual would be judged by the content of his or her character rather than just the color of their skin.

But instead of the reconciliation everyone hoped for, racial tensions have been accentuated in many ways. The latest example is Robert Griffin, III — the quarterback of the Washington Redskins. I’m not writing about his talents, which are exceptional. Those who know him say he is a better man than a football player. The most demonstrative thing he does on the football field is not a dance in the end zone. He makes the sign of the cross and points to the heavens.

Griffin was born in Japan, and raised by an intact family. His parents were both Army sergeants, who clearly instilled the value of character into their son. During a recent news conference, Griffin said, “You want to be defined by your work ethic, the person that you are, your character, your personality.” Of his upbringing, he said, “My parents raised me to not ever look at race or color, so it doesn’t have a big part in my self-identity.”

While no man is free of sin, it is very apparent that we are unlikely to see him take a gun and kill a live-in girlfriend (he doesn’t have one — he is engaged) or a teammate because he is driving drunk — just two examples of other NFL players who made headlines in recent weeks. In other words, Robert Griffin, III is exactly the kind of guy that parents would love to see their kids emulate whether they are white or black.

So what does a race-baiter at ESPN see in Griffin? Rob Parker called him a “cornball brother,” a term in the black community that suggests someone is not black enough, and they don’t mean skin tone. When asked to explain what he meant, Parker elaborated, saying:

“My question, which is just a straight-up, honest question, is he a brother or a cornball brother? He’s not really — okay he’s black, he kinda does his thing, but he’s not really down with the cause. He’s not really one of us. He’s kind of black, but he’s not really, like, the guy you want to hang out with … I keep hearing these things ‘We all know he has a white fiancee,’ and there’s all this talk about, ‘He’s a Republican,’ which there’s no information at all. I’m just trying to dig deeper into why he has an issue.”

Obviously, it’s Mr. Parker who has “an issue.”

Do you get it folks? If any community in America is suffering more from the unraveling of the traditional family and the breakdown of values, it is the African-American community. Here is a man who intends to marry a woman before he fathers children with her. But he’s “not black enough” because she’s white. I suspect the fact he’s getting married makes him “not black enough” to racists like Rob Parker.

There are rumors he is a — GASP! — a Republican. This is reminiscent of the attacks on Clarence Thomas, who was not a real black because he was a conservative. Or the attacks on Stacey Dash, who was subjected to extraordinary hatred because endorsed Mitt Romney. Or Clint Tarver, who had his hot dog cart destroyed by union thugs because he dared to serve everybody, including conservatives.

The president, who has interjected himself into racial controversies, should speak up now. President Obama should denounce Parker’s bigotry, and ESPN should fire him.

Rice Withdraws

Yesterday, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice formally withdrew her name from consideration to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. By most accounts, that leaves Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, current chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as the most likely nominee.

I know many conservatives get concerned whenever John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins take center stage. Once again, they seem to be going down the wrong road on immigration, and I will take them to task for that at the appropriate time.

But Senators McCain, Graham and Collins, along with Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, took Susan Rice on over her role in spinning false propaganda regarding the Benghazi attack. And, of course, they were accused of being racists and sexists.

These senators held their ground. They came out of private meetings with Rice saying they had more concerns than ever before. The White House and Senate Democrats got the message. Rice withdrew.

It is worth noting that, in part at least, it was the “centrist” reputations of McCain and Graham that gave them the ability to stop Susan Rice and undermine the efforts by the left and the media to turn this into another issue of race.