Is it possible that a country can be moving backwards even while its moving forwards? Ten years ago Barack Obama was in the White House, something that I never thought I would ever see in my life time. Many people foolishly thought that the problem of racism in America was no longer an issue.

Today, we know that racism is alive and well, and has never gone away. Obama's successor, Donald Trump, a right wing populist, appeals to racists/White Nationalists. Bigots now feel that they openly express their hatred towards people of colour,because they have a man in the White House who thinks like them. Barbecue Becky is not an aberration, she and thousands like her, have always been on the sidelines. Now they can take centre stage.

One of the sadder aspects of this climate is the systematic efforts designed to suppress the votes of Black or Hispanic voters. This is done in the South, not exclusively, to deny or prevent people of colour from voting. Of course, this affects the Democrats as the majority of Black voters do not vote for the Republicans. We saw this in 2000, when Black voters were wiped off the electoral rolls in Florida, paving the way for the Bush-Gore mess and the recounts.

Fast forward to 2018, and this still happens. How many voters were disenfranchised last year during the mid terms? It is a total disgrace that a developed nation fails to exercise proper democracy. What is even more appalling is that this is not a national scandal. Millions of dollars spent on the Mueller Investigation, there should be a similiar federal investigation into the actions of state officials who deny the vote to those they deem unfit? Why have the media not made a bigger thing of this? Where are all the civil rights groups like the NAACP?

Former President Jimmy Carter often monitors elections in Africa and Latin America to see if they are free and fair. Maybe he needs to turn his attention inward to see how democracy is being denied in his own country. Can you imagine what would happen if White voters were in the minority and were denied the right to vote? This is yet another example of how White Privilege works, it can execute a policy that effects a whole community even it is illegal or unconstitutional.

Those of us who have a strong affection for the United States, can only shake our heads at these backward steps designed to sideline people of colour. Shame.