"I Is What I Is"

For those of you who don't know the joke:

A black guy and a white guy are discussing if God is black or white. They argue and talk and finally get on their knees and pray to God to answer their question.

And they prayed and they prayed and suddenly God's voice spoke down from the heavens, "I AM WHAT I AM."

The white guy jumped up in glee and said, "See! I told you God is white!"

And the black man says, "He didn't say if he was black or white!"

And the white guy replied, "If he was black he would have said, "I IS WHAT I IS."

Yes. Paula Deen used a very well known, old, racist punchline as her excuse for being a racist.

I know Paula Deen is a self-made mess and the court of public opinion can be fierce in its punishment. But what I don't understand is how Paula Deen can use the N-word 20 years ago and be roasted alive by the punishing crowd (roast at 350 with sliced carrots and taters and baste with Paula Deen's Butter every 3-5 minutes) but then Senator Jeff Flake's Son can be a total racist, go by the name "N1ggerkiller" online and call Mexicans the "scum of the Earth" and that family totally gets away with it. Jeff Flake came out and said he was real sorry, his son apologized (to whom? The scum of the earth? Faggots? African Americans?) Or just to daddy? What was that apology? "I'm really sorry daddy, you're a Senator now and I know I'm supposed to pretend we're not racist. I'll do better next time at making sure we only talk like that at home."

But Paula's "apology" really comes down to this:. There are some people so steeped in their racist talk and behavior that they cannot see what they are doing is wrong. Their politician's kids go by "N1ggerkiller" and that is OK. Their tv news rants hate and racism all day long and that is OK. They don't want to change. They want to hang out with each other and run the country. They are what they are.

But they don't hold up well to the light. When people finally hear what they are saying the public is quick to shun. Paula Deen is rich and will be just fine. Nobody will care in a few months and she'll go back to her yard parties but I think we need to look at what happened to Paula Deen, how her corporate sponsors have fled in droves. I think we need to look at Rush Limbaugh and how his corporate sponsors have jumped ship like squeaky little rats. Their words of racism and horrible sexism were their own undoing. But why are these entertainers being held to a standard of behavior that the GOP is violating every day? Blatant acts of racism, sexism, classism (which probably isn't a word but I refuse to bend to Miriam Webster) are going on every day by our elected officials.

While the Paula Deens and the Rush Limbaughs crash and burn by their own behavior, perhaps it is our politicians we should be holding up to the light. Their words are the words we should be forcing out into the light. And, as we hold up their words and beliefs for the world to judge, perhaps, finally, we will see their corporate sponsors scurrying away. Their words have already chased off Latinos, Blacks, Gays and other voting blocks. As Paula Deen spirals out of control, shedding sponsors and friends every step of the way, so should it be with every Politician who works hard to undermine the rights of Americans every day.