Reports of racially motivated incidents at the Air Force Academy and near a university campus in Manhattan, Kansas were found to be fakes after thorough investigation.
That leads me to make several elephant-in-the-room observations.
First: the media love stories of race so much that they sprint to unfurl the “breaking news” banner before knowing the facts. It seems facts don’t matter, or more precisely, facts are inconvenient if they can use the story as a political bludgeon to smear all conservatives and Republicans as racists.
{mosads}The process works like this: First, liberal media outlets instantly parachute in to cover the story from the scene. Live coverage and interviews play on emotions, since the facts are murky at best. Anchors earnestly remind viewers “race is an explosive issue in America.”
These “news” reports are followed by coverage of race hustlers calling for a “national discussion on race.” Provocateurs demand that all white Americans engage in self-flagellation, confess to false accusations of harboring racist feelings and admit that America is racist to the core.
Like Pavlov’s dogs, many Republican politicians begin rushing to the nearest camera to flaunt their racial sensitivity. Should they not do this soon enough, the left will spin their delay into indisputable evidence of the politicians’ acceptance of racism.
This is what the liberal media did to President Trump following the melee in Charlottesville. They convicted him as a supporter of white supremacy simply for having the wisdom to wait until facts emerged. They declared his statement too little too late.
After a black cadet at the Air Force Academy’s preparatory school made the accusation that someone had written racist words on the dorms of other black cadets, the entire Academy came under a cloud of suspicion by school superintendent Lt. Gen. Salveria.
He assembled all cadets and made them record him on their cell phones as he made the ritual display of racial sensitivity at a highly public news conference.
This was too good an opportunity for Superintendent Silveria to miss: He could exercise the reflex for racial ‘wokeness’ rather than exercising the discipline to wait until the investigation was complete.
Now that the facts are in and the incident has been discovered to be a hoax, it will be interesting to see if he calls a follow up news conference, gathers all cadets and makes them record his apology for having rushed to judgment in indicting them as racist.
I wouldn’t hold my breath.
In the case of the (fake) racist graffiti incident in Manhattan, Kansas, an entire town came under a cloud of suspicion. It caused everyone to suspect their neighbor wrote those derogatory words on the accuser’s automobile.
One false police report damaged the psyche, image and morale of an entire city and its residents.
Yet, after two local law enforcement agencies with assistance from the FBI determined the incident a hoax, they decided criminal charges “would not be in the best interests of the citizens of Manhattan,” the Kansas City Star reports. This is insane.
The hell it wouldn’t be in their best interest! It would allow the people of Manhattan to feel vindicated after being painted as racists.
How did the law enforcement agencies arrive at that conclusion? The director of the county police himself stated the false police report “had a decidedly negative impact on the community.
And when did the FBI begin allowing itself to be lied to? (Don’t answer that, James Comey.) Do we allow false accusers to commit a criminal act and escape accountability? Not prosecuting a crime encourages others to commit similar offenses.
Identity politics and a culture of victimhood have caused these pathological behaviors. Everyone is encouraged to feel aggrieved (everyone except white males). If no feeling exists, fantasize and make one up.
We can be sure of one thing: The stories of fraud will not get anywhere near the coverage that the initial accusations did. That is sad. These race-hate instigators should be plastered all over TV just like Dylan Roof was.
But since the facts don’t advance the narrative that America is irredeemably racist, liberal media will take a pass.
The facts tell me that systemic racism in America is so rare today that some feel it necessary to make up stories to keep the lie about it alive.
Racism in America is on life support at best. That is a good sign.
David Clarke (@SheriffClarke) is a spokesman for America First Action, a PAC dedicated to supporting President Trump. He served as the sheriff of Milwaukee County from 2002-17.