Recently, Dr. Arnold Smith shared his perspective on the stake of the North Central Mississippi Regional Cancer Center in honest elections (guest column, Nov. 29).
I applaud him for his significant investment, through the Cancer Center, in “preserving the freedoms guaranteed to us by the U.S. Constitution.” I must admit, I got the point of the “landslide victory” in the paper. That was impressive. But, whether he realizes it or not, that investment had an even greater impact than influencing the outcome of the race for state representative of state House District 32 or the election contest between Anjuan Brown and Preston Ratliff.
Dr. Smith proposed, “The price of freedom is constant vigilance.” I agree. I would also submit that the vigilance must not only be constant, it must be deliberate and in depth.
Single-handedly, Dr. Smith erased the stigma of divisiveness that has pervaded the political landscape in Greenwood and Leflore County. Until the 2011 election, any contribution from a white man to the campaign of a black man had one end result: The black man was labeled, from that point on, as an “Uncle Tom” and characterized as having a “plantation mentality.” After all, how could a black man be anything but an “Uncle Tom” if he was financed by a white man? How could he do anything more than say exactly what he was told to say, or do exactly as he was instructed to do by the person controlling the purse strings?
That Dr. Smith gave so generously of his resources (openly endorsing in advertising the campaign and campaign challenge of two black men who are public officials) in the name of preserving constitutional freedoms, eradicating corruption and ensuring justice is noble; that he could give so generously of his resources without the beneficiaries of those resources being demeaned, mocked, criticized or portrayed as “sell-outs” is even more noble. I would urge, however, that he should not stop with the financial investment. Now that the door is open, he should continue to involve himself in the struggle to preserve and protect citizens’ rights — not just the right to fair and honest elections, but the right to fair and honest opportunities.
He could begin with the politics of the two gentlemen he has taken under his proverbial “wings.” As a member of the local branch of the NAACP, Dr. Smith should challenge the removal of a woman whose membership was discontinued because she exercised her right to free speech by disagreeing with a position taken by the organization’s president. He should attend the meetings of the Greenwood Voters League and listen to Rep. Willie Perkins’ true views and opinions about white people. It’s important that he sees his hard-earned money at work. I would definitely be interested in the article Dr. Smith writes after that encounter.
In the interest of democracy, he should encourage Rep. Perkins to change his stance on voter ID. Obviously, this will cut out a great deal of fraud at the polls. Additionally, he should ask the supervisor he has so adamantly fought to protect to use his First Amendment freedoms to explain to the 200 people who will lose their jobs in January at Delta Correctional Facility how they will find new jobs.
From his op-ed column, I detect that Dr. Smith is a conspiracy buff. Perhaps he could extend his interest in politics to discovering who it is that shoots into the home of one particular politician. This dangerous act, which occurs every four years, needs to be brought to an end — hopefully before the next election.
Frankly, in my opinion, if there is anything the Anjuan Brown campaign is guilty of it is playing the game better than the ones who invented it. It is no wonder that more candidates choose to run as independents. The Democratic primary is a hoax.
Because he has the vast resources of the Cancer Center at his disposal, it is my hope that Dr. Smith can come up with treatments that will help stop the spread of the cancer of character assassination and racially divisive politics that have so pervasively infected our politics in Greenwood and Leflore County.
Think about it.
• Troy D. Brown Sr. is a contractor with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He was an unsuccessful candidate for House District 32 in the Nov. 8 election.
