The Maine Wire
  • News
  • Commentary
  • The Blog
  • About
  • Support the Maine Wire
  • Store
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending News
  • Bangor Pit Bull Fatally Shot After Allegedly Charging at Child; Owner Faces Charges
  • Is This the New Democratic Party in Maine?
  • Midcoast Maine Paper Jettisons Managing Editor, Five Additional Staffers In “Financial Decision”
  • JD Vance Reveals Immigration Fraud Investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar
  • Democrat Drama: CD2 Candidates Team Up to Demand Baldacci Disavow Out-of-State Donor PAC Following National Dems Endorsement
  • Janet’s Late Pingree Endorsement Did No Favors For Hannah – Who Latest Polls Show Losing Big-time To The Shah Of Maine
  • LePage Says Maine Fraud Problem Is “Even Worse Than I Thought” After JD Vance Visit
  • Madison Man Charged with Drug Trafficking after Vehicle Search
Facebook Twitter Instagram
The Maine Wire
Thursday, May 21
  • News
  • Commentary
  • The Blog
  • About
  • Support the Maine Wire
  • Store
The Maine Wire
Home » News » Commentary » Systemic Racism
Commentary

Systemic Racism

Jonathan ReismanBy Jonathan ReismanMay 4, 2026Updated:May 4, 20263 Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Reddit
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating based on race.”
— Chief Justice John Roberts, 2007

The Supreme Court weighed in on the constitutionality of gerrymandering based on race, and the race hustlers in the Democratic Party and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Gestapo got a lecture that shattered their social justice gender and racial oppression world view: Two wrongs don’t make a right. Racial discrimination is wrong, and using it as a reparations tool to somehow correct for past discrimination doesn’t make discrimination morally or legally OK.

Race based decision making is unconstitutional, and the motives behind it are irrelevant. Affirmative Action and it’s 21 st Century mutant cousin DEI are unconstitutional racial discrimination, and it is going to stop. This has sent the antisemitic, anti-capitalist, anti-American (think Graham Platner) left into a rage. Nothing aggravates a bully more than being called out and exposed as a hypocritical fraud.

I was in elementary school in Philadelphia in the mid 60’s when the Voting Rights Act passed and school integration, racial gerrymandering and affirmative action reparation efforts ensued. I remember several slightly older Black students coming to our classroom and explaining integration efforts and the bad consequences of discrimination.

I was in agreement with them till the end, when they explained how affirmative action and racial preferences would henceforth be used to redress the situation. Even at age 10 or 11, I knew this was wrong. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Some 30 years later I ran for Congress against incumbent Rep. John Baldacci (no one else was interested in challenging the Governor to be) on the same conviction.

Almost 30 years after that electoral drubbing, the systemic racism of affirmative action and DEI is finally going to be excised, unless Mr. Platner and his antisemitic progressive posse succeed.

School integration efforts across the nation often involved bussing, which was very divisive and controversial. In Philadelphia, my parents enrolled both my sister and I in three years in two integration programs. A cadre of white mostly Jewish students from our neighborhood enrolled in an almost all black junior high school (I took the subway and bus) in exchange for completing grades 6, 7 and 8 in two years.

It was not exactly integration (the white Jewish kids didn’t assimilate or mix much), and there was not a lot of cross-cultural mixing, but it was better than the segregation that resulted from our racially homogenous neighborhoods. I got beat up and robbed a few times, but emerged relatively unscathed and prepared both academically and socially for a more diverse American experience.

Chief Justice Roberts is right. The way to stop racial discrimination is to stop doing it. It’s just hard for the race hustlers and bullies to give up their bigoted ways.

Previous ArticleJanet Failed Because Of Her Incompetence, Not Because She Is Old
Next Article Lewiston Police Recover Multiple Firearms During Weekend Enforcement Efforts After Violent Assault Investigation
Jonathan Reisman

Jon Reisman is an economist and policy analyst who retired from the University of Maine at Machias after 38 years. He resides on Cathance Lake in Cooper, where he is a Selectman and a Statler and Waldorf intern. Mr. Reisman’s views are his own. All columns are reprinted with permission of the Machias Valley News Observer.

Latest News

Bangor Pit Bull Fatally Shot After Allegedly Charging at Child; Owner Faces Charges

May 20, 2026

Is This the New Democratic Party in Maine?

May 20, 2026

JD Vance Reveals Immigration Fraud Investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar

May 20, 2026
5 1 vote
Article Rating
Subscribe
Login
Notify of
guest

guest

3 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Lowell Morse
Lowell Morse
15 days ago

I don’t think John has opened a can of coke in a while. It was last seen on Clarence’s desk.

0
Delia Jones
Delia Jones
13 days ago

Unfortunately, the Trump ad insist ration has used anti DEI policies to bring back racial discrimination. Pete Hegseth stopped four proposed military promotions recommended by high ranking officers. Two of those recommendations were for Black officers and two were for women. Sexism and racism seems to be allowed, even encouraged, by the government now.

-1
Rooster
Rooster
12 days ago

@ Delia, do you have proof that the denied promotions were racially motivated? Or were they merit based, something foreign to progressives. So racially discrimination against white folks is ok in your world? DEI is racist, plain and simple.

0
Recent News

Bangor Pit Bull Fatally Shot After Allegedly Charging at Child; Owner Faces Charges

May 20, 2026

Is This the New Democratic Party in Maine?

May 20, 2026

Midcoast Maine Paper Jettisons Managing Editor, Five Additional Staffers In “Financial Decision”

May 20, 2026

JD Vance Reveals Immigration Fraud Investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar

May 20, 2026

Democrat Drama: CD2 Candidates Team Up to Demand Baldacci Disavow Out-of-State Donor PAC Following National Dems Endorsement

May 20, 2026
Newsletter

News

  • News
  • Campaigns & Elections
  • Opinion & Commentary
  • Media Watch
  • Education
  • Media

Maine Wire

  • About the Maine Wire
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Commentary
  • Complaints
  • Maine Policy Institute

Resources

  • Maine Legislature
  • Legislation Finder
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Maine Wire TV

Facebook Twitter Instagram Steam RSS
  • Post Office Box 7829, Portland, Maine 04112

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

wpDiscuz