Georgia Time Warp

In Georgia, four high school student's approached Georgia Governor Nathan Deal to ask him to endorse their proposition to integrate their high school prom.  Rather than be shocked that there is a school in his state that still has a segregated prom and attempt to rectify the situation, he brushed the students off.  He said such an endorsement would amount to a "publicity stunt."

While it may be a publicity stunt, or could easily be one, you endorse this integrated prom, Governor.  This is a no brainer.  Brown vs. Board of Education was 60 years ago and we still have stuff like this going on?  You should be angry that this is happening at all but you should be angrier that it is happening in your state.  Some high school students came and asked for your endorsement probably because they thought you could help their cause.  Really, they served to you a beautiful campaign issue on a silver platter.  You could have been the governor that helped stamp out the last remnants of segregation in your state but instead you have brushed it off as unimportant.

This makes one believe or at least suspect that you don't care if the prom remains segregated.  Worse, it might make one wonder if you think there should be more segregation.  Comments like this, while perhaps having good intentions, are not helping:

We’ve come a long way in the state of Georgia. We don’t need things like this being divisive. We think we have put most of those issues behind us. None of us condone things that would send the wrong message about where we are with regard to race relations. But by the same token, I think that people understand that some of these are just local issues and private issues, and not something that the state government needs to have its finger involved in.

Integration wouldn't have happened in the first place without government intervention.  It's foolish to hide behind that now.  You support things like his because they are the right thing to do, Governor.  I'm sure you'll get the segregationist vote in the next election.  Congratulations.