March 24, 2008 5:59 AM

Congratulations...you just set race relations back about...oh, 30 years

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

(apologies to Keith Olbermann)

Charles Laws

A Texas local Fox News affiliate reports that “Mustang Ridge City Council member Charles Laws referred to a proposed immigrant detention center as a ‚Äö√Ñ√≤holding pen for wetbacks’ on the March 12 meeting agenda.” Asked about his comments, Laws explained: “I’m 74 years old, and that’s what we called them when I was growing up. I don’t care about political crap.” But Laws later back-tracked, saying “I wasn’t thinking.” A city councilman from nearby Austin is leading a campaign to have Laws removed.

From the Department of Clueless Dickweeds comes the story of Charles Laws: ignorant, aggressively bigot…and built to stay way. Oh…and he’s from Texas, which makes this sorry saga about as thoroughly stereotypical and hypocritical as humanly possible, eh?

I realize that Laws is from a different planet generation, and that he grew up in a time and place when that sort of ignorance and prejudice was de riguer. I’ll buy that as a reason, but not as an excuse. Ignorance and prejudice are learned behaviors…and if you can learn them, you can certainly unlearn them. Yes, it may involve unlearning many years of training, preconceived notions, and reaction, but Laws has a brain, no? Perhaps it about time he used it. There’s nothing in this day and age that can possibly justify and/or excuse Laws’ insulting racism and arrogance. If he can’t bring himself to change his attitude towards an ethnic group that before long will be the majority in Texas, then he deserves to- indeed, must- be removed from office. Some of those “wetbacks” might just be some of his constituents, and they certainly don’t deserve to be treated with such casual, offhanded disregard. Yes, there was a time when America was the land of the free and home of the White (and people like Laws no doubt still think it is). That time has long since come and gone- particularly in Texas, where the Caucasian majority will soon have to deal with the reality of being a minority.

If Charles Laws cannot, or simply refuses to, deal with the realities of today, he deserves to- and should- be removed from office. Texas deserves better…and Lord knows that Texas’ Hispanic residents certainly do.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on March 24, 2008 5:59 AM.

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