Sweet Justice

In 1987, Oprah Winfrey led a protest march into Downtown Cumming, GA. Cumming is the county seat of the infamous Forsyth County...and one of the multitude of southern locations where the 14th Amendment is merely a suggestion. Twenty-five years later, Oprah returned to Forsyth County, and left feeling confident that in the intervening period, the sky had opened up, the sun shown down upon the good people of Cumming, and the Voice of God finally declared that All Persons Are Created Equal. During this latter visit, hands were shaken, asses were kissed, and promises were made...to not be pedjerdist...no more. Funny thing is...the not so secret Klan meetings, at the not so undisclosed location...less than a quarter mile from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office...took place as they always have, before, during, and after both of Oprah's visits. That is...until this Forsyth County Historical Site inadvertently burned down in "an early morning fire...of an undetermined origin." Now...any number of years ago, the authorities wouldn't have had to, or wanted to investigate the matter. The Good Ol' Boys would have just taken retribution on whoever couldn't defend themselves, whether they had anything to do with the fire, or not. Today, the Fellas are a little more reluctant to put anyone in a "Cross Fire"...even in The Land of the Free and the Home of the Former Slave. Rarely would I ever condone acts of civil disobedience which invoke the ceremonial torching of any building...even one which had been the jumping off point for who knows how many acts of terrorism in its own right. However, in this case...I will go on record as saying that wherever domestic terrorists continue to operate with not only virtual impunity, but with the more than tacit approval of local authorities...and where even state officials have turned a blind eye for more than a century and a half...I'm prepared to make an exception to my own hard and fast rejection of arson as a means by which to achieve a legitimate society-enhancing objective. There is simply no place in these United States of America, for state, or even county-sponsored terrorism. I'm not naive enough to suggest that one early morning fire of undetermined origin will end the bigotry which Forsyth County has long been known for, and been equally proud. But...it's a start.