Statement From Dr. Ben Carson: Call it Racism

For the past few days I have taken my fair share of heat for referring to the incident in Charleston, S.C., as racism. It was an act of pure hatred of nothing more than the color of a person's skin. It should not be crouched in the language of mental illness or guns, call this insidious disease what it is, racism.

Monday, USA Today published an opinion piece from Dr. Ben Carson reflecting this:

Not everything is about race in this country. But when it is about race, then it just is. So when a guy who has been depicted wearing a jacket featuring an apartheid-era Rhodesian flag allegedly walks into a historic black church and guns down nine African-American worshipers at a Bible study meeting, common sense leads one to believe his motivations are based in racism. When a survivor of the ordeal reports that the killer shouted before opening fire, "You rape our women and you're taking over our country. And you have to go" — well, that sounds to me a lot like racial hatred.

Beginning Monday, June 29, and all next week, I hope you'll join me for a 'Rolling Forum' a discussion of Race Relations: In America, Montana & Bozeman.