America needs a thicker skin

America needs a thicker skin

2 How many times did I hear this from my father during my childhood years?

They call it “Political Correction.” I call it “Political Corruption.” It’s a behavior that reeks of stupidity and adds fuel and unrest to a society which has far more serious problems to deal with. When someone utters a few improper words or remarks there are always those ready to scream bloody murder even though the remarks were not directed at them.

What are we coming to when someone makes a few off-the-cuffs remarks 15 years ago, offers a sincere public apology and still suffers the near loss of a successful business?

Back in the days when duels were fought over disagreements and insults, there was a thing called honor. I failed to see any honor when people who have no contact with someone will want to snip away at their characters. Perhaps if duels were again allowed most of the mouthy troublemakers would be inclined to mind their own business. Misstated words can penetrate the skin and cause discomfort, however wouldn’t we be a happier society if someone would bring forth a medicine that would grow us a thicker skin?

Leon J. White, Columbiana

Obama avoids racial reconciliation

As the FIRst African- American president, President Barack H. Obama in 2008 ran on building a post-racial reconciliation. Five years into his presidency, Obama has been missing in action, slow to act and speak out as president regarding racial reconciliation. Disparities and inequalities in economic and social areas in the black community get worse and widen in America under Obama’s slow, silent and cautious presidency.

Where is the moral guidance and leadership that I voted for in 2008 and 2012? Past American moral leaders on racial reconciliation included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, FDR, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, JFK and LBJ.

By always being cautious in his presidency regarding racial disparities and racial reconciliation, by not leading and guiding the American people (black and white, Democrat and Republican, and male and female) morally, President Obama has created a bad precedent for future American presidents as it relates to racial disparities in American society.

Willie James Richards, Youngstown