Letters to the Editor
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Just because you know someone doesn't mean that person is a friend.
I live in a small North Texas town. I think I am on safe ground in saying that a significant percentage of people would not vote for a woman and a significant percentage would not vote for a black person of either (any) sex.
These are realities. I have had women tell me that a woman shouldn't aspire to the presidency. I have heard black people called "those people." At a place I shopped for a gift just yesterday, the sales clerk told me with no prompting whatsoever that the world was going to hell and that Obama was a Muslim. If I spent my time arguing with some of the people I encounter, couldn't get the slightest transaction accomplished.
Day before yesterday, I went to the bookstore and asked the clerk if she had a copy of The Turner Diaries. (I am doing some research on white supremacy.) She told me that they often had it but that the book tended to sell quickly. Then she told me that her brother is in prison for conspiracy because he is a white supremist. Apparently, she thought because I had asked for the book it was safe to open up. Turns out she has know lots of white supremists -- Aryan Nation types. I am going to go back to the store and visit with her. What a source! But kind of creepy, huh?