ICRCM John Swaine: The Pot Calling The Kettle Black

Yes, it's a worn out cliché and in this instance there is little doubt that some of the players on both sides have taken on racist overtones but in the case of John Swaine, CFO of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, e-mailing the National Association of Black Journalists to proclaim a "National Black Treasure Under Attack”... Well, knowing the history of Greensboro for the last 57 years the cliché is the most apt description I know.

That said, there is little good that can be said for the way Mayor Vaughan has handled the situation, insisting on 100% transparency for the ICRCM while at the same time refusing to require the same of non profits run by Greensboro's rich, white, politically connected elites. Yeah, John Swaine played the race card but Greensboro Mayor Nancy Barakat Vaughan stacked the cards and dealt from the bottom of the deck.

That's not to say I approve of Mr Swaine's words or deeds but desperate times call for desperate measures and when the political elites think themselves above the law the rest of us are forced to reinvent the game. As for what Mr Swaine wrote about Councilman Zack Matheny:

"It is my feeling that one councilman member, Zack Matheny, want to get to congress by holding down and disregarding the betterment of his black community members."

Hell, is there anyone who doesn't believe that to be true?

It's Mr Swaine's hope the National Association of Black Journalists can push this issue into the national spotlight. This old white dude hopes so too as doing so will force the Greensboro City Council's lack of transparency into the national spotlight as well.