A Tale of Two Cities

Two stories on the evening news highlighted the danger of ignoring history.  The first was a story about an African American U.S. Park Ranger by the name of Spirit Trickey-Rowan who leads tours at the Little Rock Central Historical landmark. On September 24, 1957 Spirit's mom, Minnijean Brown was one of nine students escorted by troops from 101st Airborne past angry mobs and a defiant governor into the building, fulfilling a court order to desegregate the school.

The second story came out of Nashville Tennessee, home to the national tea party convention.  Addressing delegates Grand Wizard Tom Tancreto declared that Obama was elected because "...we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country." A reference to a practice used in the old south to keep black folks from voting. 

Maybe I shouldn't get too upset.  Slap a science question or two on that test and watch the democrats pick up 98 seats in the senate. But I have to remind myself about a failed Austrian painter who was initially  looked upon as clown but went on to become chancellor of Germany.