Evolution and New Orleans

I believe the reason why the majority of Americans believe in Intelligent Design or Creationism and refuse to believe in Evolution can be summed up in one simple observation.

To believe in Evolution, you have to accept that man started from little black people in Africa. What a frightening thought. No way, don't you know they aren't civilized. Black people descended from apes, God made white man in his own image. Seriously. No, really.

My father forced me to attend Sunday school and church every Sunday morning starting from age 6 until I left home at 18. I started with the Southern Baptists in Spokane, WA. I remember standing on our corner waiting for some strange people to pick me up, sitting on the front pew with my little legs sticking straight out, and having the preacher yell and scream about sin, fire and brimstone. He would rage, turn people, say we were going to hell and he always pointed at me. The little pigtailed, eyeglass wearing and only black person in the congregation. Every week.

I have studied with black congregations, Lutheran, Epispocpalians, Jehovah's Witness, Mormons, and any other church my dad could find that was on or near the base we were stationed. I belonged to youth groups, bible studies, etc. I've read the Bible cover to cover.

At the same time, I was attending normal school in the 60's and early 70's. Reading, writing, arithmetic (different from mathematics), and those pesky word problems. You know, the ones you had to think through, not memorize answers? Anyway, two concurrent paths leading to one individual with an attitude problem. They taught me to think critically and I quickly came to the conclusion that I didn't want to be black and I didn't want to be female.

Well guess what? I am a short, well endowed, black female with what I am told is an extremely high IQ. Bred for success. If I could sing, dance, act or play tennis I would have it made. My talents don't lie in that direction. I am an observer, a thinker who likes the big picture as well as the little details.

America doesn't like me or people like me. Until I was 12, the only black people I ever saw were my dad and brothers. Mom is a grey eyed blond German he married in 1954 and loved until the day he died, July 4, 1991. As a young adult I had a heated discussion with a black couple on whether Americans discriminated against me because I was black and I maintained it was because I was female.

I apologize. Twenty-five years have passed and I admit that you were right and I was wrong. Really wrong. Painfully wrong.

For a supposedly smart person it sure took me a long time to see the light.

Thank God I don't live in New Orleans or Mississippi where the only light their seeing is the one as you take your last breath.

God bless America, where we can respond to an uexpected 8.6 earthquake on the other side of the world, but we can't (I think it's won't) help our own citizens from a disaster with advance warning. Shameful.

The world is laughing at us.