A rational person looking at the status of blacks in the United States would note the great strides made since the Civil Rights Movement, starting with the integration of the Armed Forces by President Truman.  We have laws banning discrimination in employment, housing, education, and other areas.  We have laws and court cases mandating preferences for blacks.  To be called a "racist" today is the ultimate sin and charge, especially for politicians. But even though the black unemployment rate is high, the burning issue now is not jobs for blacks or safety in cities like Chicago, but whether we should remove statues of Confederate soldiers from public areas.  Being a resident of a Northern city with no Confederate statues, I never gave this issue much thought. If I were black and saw a statue of a Confederate soldier, I would question honoring soldiers who fought for the states in rebellion against the Union over the issue of slavery.  But I...(Read Full Post)