"You've Got to Be Carefully Taught"

If Darwin had travelled to Tennessee instead of the Galápagos Islands, he never would have come up with his theory of evolution.

Federal agents disrupt skinhead plot to assassinate Obama, kill 88 black people

Two white supremacists allegedly plotted to go on a national killing spree, shooting and decapitating black people and ultimately targeting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, federal authorities said Monday.

In all, the two men whom officials described as neo-Nazi skinheads planned to kill 88 people — 14 by beheading, according to documents unsealed in U.S. District Court in Jackson, Tenn. The numbers 88 and 14 are symbolic in the white supremacist community.

The spree, which initially targeted an unidentified predominantly African-American school, was to end with the two men driving toward Obama, "shooting at him from the windows," the documents show.

"Both individuals stated they would dress in all-white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt," the court complaint states. "Both individuals further stated they knew they would and were willing to die during this attempt."

Coming from East Tennessee, I know people just like this. My grandfather was an extremely prejudiced man, as is my father to a lesser extent. But neither of them passed on their hate. They understood that their feelings towards people of color were wrong and they urged us not to share those feelings. But even with their prejudices, they would never have attacked another person simply because of the color of their skin.

It saddens me that this kind of hatred is still being passed on. You've Got to Be Carefully Taught.

If you don't know that song, listen to Mandy sing it. You'll be surprised at how true and cutting a song from a musical can be.