Commitment Issues

I wonder what changed in the last several months, aside from Obama's inauguration, that suddenly has everyone declaring Afghanistan unworthy of our nation's time and effort. American support for the Iraq War has decreased significantly since mid-2003, but our involvement in Afghanistan has always been more popular (though not always more important).

Doing only a quick look at Gallup poll numbers, it seems to me that the war in Afghanistan is suffering less from a lack of coherent strategy than from general war fatigue.

The fact that Afghans hope we continue to work with them should not be taken lightly, and I think we have an overwhelming moral obligation to stay in both Iraq and Afghanistan until the job is done. I'll outline what that means to me another day... that post definitely requires more research and time.

Time Travel Exists!

It must, because tonight feels like it's straight out of 1955. This stuff still happens. I'm always surprised by things like this, and then I think about them for more than 5 minutes, and the surprise is reluctantly replaced by a sense of resignation.

The fact that Keith Bardwell managed to say "I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," and not have his brain explode is both amazing and a little disappointing. The most aggravating thing about this is that the only reason he'll get in trouble is for ignoring his responsibilities as a justice of the peace. There are private racists who espouse far more dangerous rhetoric in their homes and among friends, but never carry it into the public arena. In your face, First Amendment. Hopefully, Keith Bardwell will suffer consequences and be removed from office immediately.

For context, here are the parts where he's quoted or referenced in the AP article:

“I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."

Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said.

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

"There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," Bardwell said. "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it."

If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.

"I try to treat everyone equally," he said.

"I've been a justice of the peace for 34 years and I don't think I've mistreated anybody," Bardwell said. "I've made some mistakes, but you have too. I didn't tell this couple they couldn't get married. I just told them I wouldn't do it."

I added the bold formatting to the quotes because I think those portions add up to something very important (but also fairly obvious) about the way Americans discuss race: he obviously believes that he's doing the right thing. Since Americans associate the term racist with burning crosses and hooded thugs, anything less than a lynching isn't racism, and therefore Bardwell or those who hold similar ideas aren't racists. To Bardwell (and many others), the incompatibility of black and white people in a romantic context is a simple fact of life that can bring all kinds of trouble to those foolish enough to get involved in an interracial relationship (in Lousiana). After all, he's just trying prevent the suffering of biracial children.

By attributing his actions to observation and discussion with an unknown audience (how much variety of opinion can there be in Tangipahoa Parish?), Bardwell shows that this is clearly a personal (or local) ideal that somehow managed to trump the basic consitutional rights of American citizens that went to him for assistance.

It is still rare that blacks and whites are involved in interracial marriages, but that doesn't mean that Bardwell's points have any merit.