In Roswell Beacon, Crosshairs Set on Racial and Political Controversy Surrounding Obama's Photo

On May 15, Georgia newspaper the Roswell Beacon published on their cover a photograph of Senator Barack Obama which has come under fierce criticism across the country for a rifle's crosshairs being placed on the Presidential candidate. The article which the photo attempts to illustrate references the potential violent backlash that Obama may come into direct contact with if he is elected by his party as the Democratic candidate for President. Specifically the picture and article coincide with racial undertones that have risen throughout various segments of America's socio-economic stratosphere.

Although Senator Obama has garnished record breaking support throughout many states, deep rooted racial differences have polarized many groups of his would-be Democratic supporters. At the beginning of the Democratic primaries, many people would have thought Hillary Clinton to be the clear winner of the Democrats nomination and to swoop into Washington after subsequently throttling all political competition. Senator Obama saw differently and has gallantly strived to change the political dynamics of what American's have been subjected to for the past eight years under the Bush Administration. 'Change' is the key word in the Obama campaign and unfortunately some journalistic outlets are proving that preconceptions about the differences between African Americans and Whites have not changed at all.

This newspaper's depiction of a potential assassination of a Presidential candidate conjures horrible memories of the Kennedy brother's assassinations. This time around the reasons for the hatred associated with Obama are as deep rooted in their history as the country's existence. Race has continually divided this country in so many ways, including education, housing, the justice system, healthcare, etc. To kill someone based off their skin color may be an idea which many people in this country may reject as evil and barbaric, but rewind forty years to the civil rights movement and African Americans of varying public profiles were being killed with racial hatred as the basic motive. Whether it be the highly publicized torture and lynching of Emmet Till, or the nationally traumatizing assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the social psyche of the relationships between "Black" and "White" America has been constantly tested and strained.

The taste of the picture was decidedly poor. The journalist who pitched the idea, Alan Sverdlik, had an interesting idea of bringing awareness of the public to some white supremacist group's potential intentions for Senator Obama and what steps the police will take against these white supremacist groups. But, to indulge the emotions and imaginations of anyone who would be sympathetic to the causes of a white supremacist group by depicting the assassination of Senator Obama is completely unacceptable and irresponsible. The end result of a picture and article like this will be a further division between races and will be surely pop up again further down the presidential election trail. Race is an issue that must be addressed and spoke about honestly, but to indulge in violent fantasies such as this is an act of pure negligence and malice.