Resolution requesting that national NOW officers address the racism underlying right wing extremists’ opposition to health care reform.

At our September 14th chapter meeting, Phila NOW and Bucks County NOW passed a resolution requesting that national NOW officers address the racism underlying right wing extremists’ opposition to health care reform.

Although some of our members have concerns about some of President Obama’s policies, we are all appalled by the implicit and at times frighteningly explicit racism of right wing extremists’ opposition to health care reform. Our members want the national organization to take a strong stand and to encourage chapters and individual members to raise their voices in protest.

We are also very upset that although some journalists (e.g. Maureen Dowd, Barbara Ehrenreich, and Joan Walsh) have been quite vocal, for the most part, our elected officials have been silent.

Yes, the right wing extremists have a constitutionally protected right to racist speech but the majority of Americans who abhor these ugly appeals to racial fears have a moral obligation to speak out against this poison.

Last night I asked our members to forward links to articles by journalists who have forthrightly addressed this issue and that I would include these references with our resolution. Special thank to Caryn Hunt and Lauren Townsend for forwarding many of the following links:


http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/09/15/race/?source=newsletter


http://www.salon.com/opinion/walsh/politics/2009/09/14/obama/


http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/is-it-because-hes-black/


http://www.openleft.com/diary/15084/on-racism-death-threats-the-blindness-of-those-who-will-not-see

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27120.html


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/opinion/13dowd.html?_r=1


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/opinion/13ehrenreich.html?em


http://www.theroot.com/views/president-get-used-it


http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2009/09/bill_moyers_on_obamas_moment.html


http://www.salon.com/opinion/walsh/politics/2009/09/04/obama_back_to_school_speech/?source=newsletter


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/opinion/23rich.html?_r=2


http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/26/hate.groups.report/