https://redstate.com/erick/2011/10/03/black-is-back-and-the-south-is-guilty-till-proven-innocent/feed/Conservative News & Politicsen-usFri, 12 Jun 2026 00:17:26 -0400<![CDATA[I read that the Washington Post has already put more words on its front page about Rick Perry and Schrodingers Rock — a ginormous boulder with a racial slur on it that some people see, some people don&#8217;t see, and no one seems to be able to take a picture of the damn thing — than the Washington Post ever did about Jeremiah Wright.I mentioned that on TV last night and everyone still wants to just talk about Rick Perry. But the story really is not about Rick Perry as a racist, though the media would have you believe that. It was, to be sure, a hit job on Rick Perry, but the story really is about a cultural divide too.Few of those who have reported on it seem to have any idea of how a hunting lease works or why the Perry family just didn&#8217;t find some other land in Paint Creek to hunt on. To those asking about the latter, you have no idea how popular hunting leases are or how high the demand is. For perspective, the Perry family was only allowed to hunt on 2% of the total acreage of the land in question — land they did not own, control, or manage.But the larger issue is that reporters believe Southerns still have to prove, not their guilt, but their innocence when it comes to racism. Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times was on John King USA with Donna Brazile and me last night. Zeleny pointed out that there may be other stuff about growing up in West Texas that could compound this insensitivity issue for Rick Perry. (Hat tip to the always gracious Donna Brazile who started her remarks up front that Perry is no racist. She thinks he does need to address the issue and I do agree with her completely on that. The media won&#8217;t let it go until he does)Yep.]]>Mon, 03 Oct 2011 23:09:33 -0400<![CDATA[Erick Erickson]]>https://redstate.com/erick/2011/10/03/black-is-back-and-the-south-is-guilty-till-proven-innocent-n40648