It's bad enough when you are associated with reprehensible actions of others
you don't even know. What do you do when you are judged by actions of those
you know? Recently Barack Obama had to address his affiliation with a couple
of controversial preachers who had a unique and/or forceful way of expressing
themselves, to say the least. He hasn't been alone in having to answer for
the statements made by associates that have drawn outrage and opprobrium, but
it's obvious he's a lightning rod for criticism.

So what are we to do; keep projecting responsibility on each other every time
a member of a particular ethnic group bugs out? And in fact, if the behavior
is not physically threatening to anyone or psychologically abusive, wouldn't
it be more praiseworthy to stick with that person and try to influence them in
a more positive direction? I would tend to thank those in that effort versus
their dropping the scorned, as seems to be the generally accepted course.

McCain has recently had to declare his disagreement with his former
economics advisor's opinions of Americans as "whiners". Well that's good enough
for me! I'll be sure to watch what else he says/supports and compare it to past
actions _he_ has taken to judge where he's coming from. (And he did say much of
the current economic mess is "psychological". I don't know about him, but my
fantasies are _much_ better than this!)

As Jill Scott sang: "You ain't no saint, we all are sinners, but you put your
good foot down and make your soul a winner." Put up with what you can 'til you
"caint take no mo'!" And I'll try to remember that we're all individuals;
innocent until proven guilty.