I don’t know about ch’all, but I’ve been following the whole Trent Lott debacle with real curiosity. of course, I’ve been doing this by watching TV, as my hard drive got FRIED like Ted Bundy a few days ago and I lost all my files. All my music files, documents, photos, projects… EVERYTHING. All because I didn’t back ANY of my important files and “works in progress” up.

There was a power outage and it turns out I have a defective surge protector so the hard drive was toast. I feel like the world is caving in, my (computer) has betrayed me and i don’t have any back-up. In short, i feel a lot like Trent Lott probably feels. For those of you living under a rock, Senator Lott (from that great state called Mississippi) made a boo-boo at a dinner party for an out-going senator who is (i am not making this up) 100 years old. And if you ever have laughed at American politics, now you know why; we have 100-year-old decrepit, senile geriatrics writing and voting on our behalf.

Now, where as I made a foolish mistake in not taking the time out to back-up files on a disc, Lott made the mistake of making an offensive, racially insensitive remark about how much better the country would be if the 100-year-old guy has become president in 1948. Now, if this sounds like a joke it’s because it was MEANT as a joke, just not a joke for everyone. But if you’re a backwards country red-neck, this joke was a knee slapper, a real hooter! Of course, if you are not a red-neck (or a paid-up member of the Klu Klux Klan) then you probably found the remarks stupid, ill-timed, and just plain idiotic.

Now, for you computer users out there, you know how important it is to back files up, cause ANYTHING can happen. And ANYTHING did happen the other day..and i was without the computer for a week and I (as I said) lost everything…EVERYTHING..and I was depressed and cranky and sad. But I can put my computer life back together again, it just may take time. Trent Lott may not be so lucky and my question I pose to everyone is this; should people be judged by their actions or their words? To me, just because you say something offensive (especially if you didn’t mean it), does that make you a bad person or even a racist (as some people suggest?)

I mean, if you want to make a case (for or) against someone in congress, simply go to the government’s website and VIEW THEIR VOTING RECORD. Don’t like the way they vote? DON’T VOTE FOR EM! It’s that simple. I think to tear down Trent Lott’s life simply because he offended you is un-American. Those Senators voted him Senate leader. If they want to vote him out, that’s their right. But please don’t expect me to believe he may be replaced because he has racist views, meets with racist organizations, consistently votes AGAINST Civil Rights legistlation and has been a nemesis of blacks in america. If that were true, you’d have to replace Attorney general, JOHN ASHCROFT, as well as 60% of the House of Representatives and 50% of the Senate.

Politicians who are slow to denounce bigotry is nothing new and it includes Democrats AND republicans, so why throw the book at Senator Lott? He made a mistake. He apologized. He went on B.E.T, fer cryin’ out loud! He begged for mercy. He did everything short of frying chicken at “Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.” It’s too late for me hardrive but it ain’t too late for Trent Lott. he’s heard it from all sides and it appears the guy has learned a thing or two about how segregation REALLY affected people and how much damage it STILL does to this day. No one mentions that every city in America is segregated to this day. Name me one that isn’t and I’ll give you $5.

So, forgive me in my stupidity in not backing up my stuff. I feel awful and a lot of hard work has gone to waste, all because i didn’t think. Trent, on the other hand, has it a lot worse. Because he could lose everything that he’s worked all his life to build up, simply from having a big mouth. Most politicians have the good sense NOT to say what they really mean. Trent Lott, on the other hand, is just ignorant. But does he deserve to be treated like a pariah by his hypocritical peers in Governement-many who feel and vote JUST LIKE HIM-simply because he made a mistake (actually a few mistakes, over the years)? Take a closer look and you just may see that the Senators who want to oust Trent Lott are using this STORY as a smoke screen to get rid of a guy they feel is in the way of their own personal agenda. At the expense of race relations in America. Now THAT’S what I call dealing the race card from the bottom of the deck.

Mike Randle