Prom Season in Taylor County

Let me first start out by saying, that I like Bill O'Reilly. I think his books are right on and most of the time he has all the facts and makes an intelligent albeit strident representation of the facts. Let's face it, the guy is entertaining and knowledgeable.

He has also started some moral crusades on the right side and sometimes the wrong side of an issue. But we are in the same business and moral outrage is what we do for a living. Bill O'Reilly should be morally outraged about the White-Only prom in Taylor County. His outrage, however, is being directed at the wrong person.

He has decided to single out Governor Sonny Perdue, the first Republican governor of Georgia in over 100 years. I have had a criticism or two of the Governor in the last few weeks and maybe even hours, but the private prom in Taylor County is not one of them.

I think that Bill is confusing his outrage over the lack of leadership on the state flag flap in Georgia with the private prom issue in Taylor County, Georgia. O'Reilly knows what it is to be called a racist and that is the underlying theme of this "event." Neither Governor Perdue nor Bill O'Reilly is a racist. Perdue has taken children into his home, regardless of their color, as foster children and been active in that endeavor and Mr. O'Reilly earned his stripes as a high school teacher in Miami. They have paid their dues in the race arena.

It is hard to imagine as an Atlanta girl who went through integration in 1972 and had to deal with having a "White Band" and a "Black Band" at our high school prom, that over 30 years later, there is ANY area of the country that would practice separate proms. The breakdown is not with the Governor of Georgia, it is with the parents of those children that wanted a separate event.

Governor Perdue is correct in not commenting on this. This is a private party given in a private situation. The legitimate prom, although Taylor County High School stopped sponsoring proms years ago, is integrated and planned by the class officers of the school. The real prom is open to everyone although neither is sponsored by the school.

As a parent, it is my responsibility to set a better example for my children. It is my responsibility to put aside my petty ideas or stereotypes and put forth the best of what this world has to offer for my children. The parents that allowed their children to plan a white only party and call it a prom are failing as parents.

As an observer and sometime expert on Georgia politics, the Governor is not the villain here. The flag flap is fair game but the so-called white prom in Taylor County is a joke and shouldn't be given any consideration. If we call attention to anything, it ought to be the young people and their parents in Taylor County that did the right thing. Ignore the
terrible example that the parents and children set by furthering this antiquated idea.

The best part of the South is about gentility and graciousness in every situation. We know how to make it work and have a good time. We deal with race more openly and directly than any part of the county because we've had to do it. The students of Taylor County know the right thing to do, now let's expect them to do it.

Martha Zoller is the host of a daily political talk show on WDUN AM 550 in Gainesville, Georgia. She is a panelist on Fox 5 Atlanta's The Georgia Gang and can be seen regularly on The Fox News Channel and CNN. Let he know what you think about this and other opinions listed here by contacting her via email at [email protected].