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Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

Texas Justice

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Oct 30 2009, 4:15 PM ET Comment

Rod Dreher offers up some, even if Rick Perry can't:

This is not only a problem for Rick Perry. We live in a democracy. It's on all of us. If Texas really did kill an innocent man, that's a terrible tragedy. But if Texas and its governor lack the courage to face the truth and deal squarely with it, the tragic act will be magnified by deep and lasting disgrace, and we will all stand condemned by our collective moral cowardice

The whole piece is pretty great, and I urge everyone to read it. I picked out this part because I think that the responsibilities of citizenship need to emphasized. It is a weak to lambaste crooked politicians, while doing nothing to rid ourselves of them. It is demagoguery to blame Washington (or Austin) and pretend as though you have zero say in who gets to live there. Take back your name.


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