Carter Wrenn posted on July 14, 2010 17:36
The Right Honorable (and Colorful) Reverend William Barber (head of the local NAACP) has laid the political birch-wood to the Italians on the School Board again; the Reverend Barber, who’s been holding demonstrations and protests lampooning the Italians, climbed up on his soap-box at his latest protest and announced the Italians are taking Raleigh back to the 1950’s and the age of segregated water fountains.
That so inspired the Reverend Barber’s friend Reverend Mendez that he hopped up and said he agreed with Barber and it was clear what the demonstrators were fighting was something just plumb “extremely evil.”
Reverend Mendez didn’t bother to explain why the Italians are extremely evil (as opposed to just wrong-headed) except to say they are ‘divisive’ – which is how the School Board must feel about Reverend Barber.
Next the prospect of battling the evil Italians got Reverend Barber’s aide-de-camp Reverend Chip Gateward (who last week called Italian School Board Chairman Ron Margiotta a “white racist”) so worked up he stood up waving a sign showing black and white water fountains and waxed eloquent saying there’s no way, no how, he’s sitting still while the Italian turn back the clock to the days of Jim Crow.
Finally the Reverend Michael Hunn – speaking on behalf of 50,000 Episcopalians – got up and explained how the story of the Good Samaritan and virtues of the ‘diversity’ (the former School Board’s policy that leads to busing which the Italians are ending) are the same.
Why that’s so wasn’t clear either.
As I get older I’m thinking a lot of politics is just plain social. An excuse for folks to get together. And that the brouhaha between the Reverends and the Italians is a good example. Of course, both sides wrap themselves up in ideology and talk about sacred causes and how they’re battling to save their version of Western Civilization – and, no doubt that is one reason folks are holding demonstrations. But I’m beginning to think the greater reason may be they simply enjoy getting together. At least, one thing is clear: The three Reverends are having the time of their lives demonstrating and protesting and calling their enemies evil.