Can We Talk?

Attorney General Eric Holder made some waves yesterday.

Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot in things racial, we have always been, and we, I believe, continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," Holder said at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. "Though race-related issues continue to occupy a significant portion of our political discussion, and though there remain many unresolved racial issues in this nation, we, average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about things racial.

1) There's a pretty good argument we've got too much discussion of race in America--that it's been going on at high volumes for decades. Even Holder admits we talk about it a lot, but apparently it's never enough.

2) Perhaps the real problem is the quality of discussion. Maybe the trouble is a lot of people who say they want this discussion actually want to give a lecture.

3) One of the things that might be muting a serious discussion is, for want of a better term, political correctness, that stymies an open give and take.

4) My main point (feel free to ignore the others) is what's it his business? The long arm of the law may reach far, but, unless Holder has some plans I don't know about, this is a personal issue that the AG would be best to keep his nose out of.

PS He also said this:

We have made a lot of progress. The fact that we have an African-American attorney general, an African-American president, I think, is extremely significant.

Even if you agree with this point, it's a lot better if made by someone who isn't one of these two guys.