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THE BALI. IS
NOW IN THE
PALESTINIAN
COURT.

Don't Misapply Racism

A

t a gathering of political extremists in
Cleveland during the hot summer of 1936,
Father Charles Coughlin gave one of his
most demagogic speeches.
The anti-Semitic priest from Royal Oak referred to
the president as "Franklin Double-Crossing
Roosevelt" and called him "a great liar and betrayer."
The crowd gasped and the Cleveland Plain Dealer,
no great friend of FDR, editorialized that Father
Coughlin had "exceeded the limits on free speech."
But his words sound almost mild today. We have
become accustomed to the steady coarsening of politi-
cal rhetoric — accusing a president of being a racist is
now accepted as fair and reasonable commentary. We
like to believe that in the face of great disas-
ters Americans forget the differences that
divide us and concentrate on the things that
bring us together.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, tens of thou-
sands of individuals performed selfless acts of great
kindness and decency. But among the political classes,
unfortunately, it continues to be venom as usual.
The feeble Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) response to the disaster in New
Orleans is a perfectly legitimate weapon with which
to bash the Bush administration. Its performance
was appallingly inept.
Many figures in politics, the news media and
show business — including the Wayne County
Board of Commissioners — insist, however, that the
slow federal response was caused by the fact that the

Dry Bones

president doesn't care about poor, black peo-
ple.
In the face of these declarations, it isn't
surprising that a survey by the Pew Research
Center indicated two-thirds of black people
nationwide thought the government would
have acted faster if the victims had been
white.
That is a serious charge. If it were true
that Bush temporized because of who was at
risk, it should be grounds for impeachment.
That would be an unforgivable offense.
The same Pew survey showed, however,
that three out of four white Americans felt
that race played no part in the fed-
eral response. Moreover, both
groups thought that state and local
governments bore high degrees of
culpability, too. Were they also racist?
Racial politics is an ugly business — and
charges of this kind, on the part of any
minority group, should be made only after
due consideration and with clear evidence. It
is certainly easy to sympathize with the
anger and despair felt by people abandoned
to their fate in the floodwaters. But to
ascribe the worst possible motive to this fail-
ure solves nothing.
It should also be pointed out that a defining
moment in Bill Clinton's career was when he dis-
tanced himself from a rap artist who made similar
claims of malign indifference about all conservatives.
It was a big reason Clinton won critical swing votes
in his first presidential campaign.

I'M CONCERNED
ABOUT WHERE THE
MORTARS, MISSILES
AND

NATE-MONGERING
TERRORIST GANGS
ARE.

EDIT ORIAL

E-mail your opinion in a letter to the editor of no
more than 150 words to: letters@thejewishnews.com

www.drybonesproject.com

Just as the fox ate the gingerbread man because he
could not help being a fox, so FEMA could not
help being clumsy and feckless when dealing with a
situation far beyond its experience. Large federal
agencies trip over their own red tape all the time.
They can't help it.
But that is a long way from racism.

❑

Cleveland Rocks

W

aking up in another town can do strange
things to your perspective. It's a lot differ-
ent than rolling out of bed amid all the old
familiar problems of home.
I had occasion to stay in Cleveland, for example, a
couple times in the last few months. I used to go there
as a baseball writer in the late 1960s, look around and
tell myself: 'As bad as things are in Detroit, we're bet-
ter than this."
I don't say that now I walked around and, frankly, I
was envious.
There was rapid transit to the eastern sub-
urbs and airport. Retail activity in two
enclosed downtown malls. One of these
malls was located in the commuter railroad
station and adjoined a classic hotel which
had been restored rather than torn down.
The baseball stadium is the one that should have
been built here, with great sight lines and friendly
dimensions.
A clearly defined entertainment district lies along
the riverfront in the Flats. Old warehouses have been

It is a place that also has lost more than half
converted to loft apartments on the western
its population since 1950, when it was the
edge of the business district and have created
sixth biggest city in America, right behind
the demand for new shops and restaurants.
Detroit. It isn't even the biggest city in Ohio
The Rock and Roll Museum and neighbor-
anymore. That title now belongs to
ing Science Center are big tourist attractions
Columbus.
in the heart of downtown.
Much of what I was seeing and admiring
It all seemed too wonderful for words.
was a facade. Drive a block or two away and
Detroit's downtown has changed beyond
what remains is a city in its ruin.
recognition in the last 10 years, but it is still a
GEO RGE
Again the comparison with Detroit was
long way from this.
CAN TOR
inescapable.
We have a resurgent downtown
My hotel was in the University Circle area,
Colu mnist
that
is
as
safe
as any big city in America. But it
which corresponds to our Cultural
only
has
pushed
back the night.
Center. It is filled with splendid muse-
Maybe this is the best that the aging central cities of
ums and parks and adjoins the Cleveland
the Rust Belt can hope for. Maybe Chicago, which
Clinic and Case-Western Reserve campus.
keeps restoring itself by constantly developing out-
This was impressive, too.
ward from its core, is the rare exception and not the
But then I started reading the paper and listening to
model.
the radio. I learned that in a recent survey, Cleveland
I haven't stayed in a downtown Detroit hotel in 25
came in dead last among big cities in average income
years.
But I remember waking up there, looking out
of its residents.
my window at the river and Hart Plaza, and feeling
Its school system is fully as wretched as Detroit's
rather good about things.
and those who can are fleeing it. The city itself is try-
Maybe I need to go check in again. E
ing to deal with a budget that slips relentlessly into
the red.

REA Uri
Cif ICE

George Cantor's e-mail address is gcantor614@aolcom.

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