Who is the most prevalent racist in the land?

My wife had become an American last Friday and we happily rushed home with her brand new certificate and an application for new voter registration in our county. After all the primaries and elections are just around the corner and she had waited 8 years for her vote in her adopted land.
Other than the obvious questions for residency, birth dates etc.there was a line of open choice questions about our RACE! Whether black,white, Asian/Pacific, Hispanic, White non-Hispanic. Mark only one it said.
The more we looked at this preposterous requirement for " new voter registration" the more perplexed we became.
What, race? Why? Whose business is this? How dare they ask such a question, which is expressively forbidden on a job application, rental form or any other formal request for information.
As one registers to vote government has a right to note my "race"? What purpose does it serve? It cannot be logically explained, so it must be for some sinister purpose.
This kind of heavy-handed directive speaks of pure racism and a potential to abuse that information.
Seems to us, that it is government that is most preoccupied with the race card,whether in various forms of directives,legislative "agendas" or quotas.

Is Christopher Hitchens offended by prayer?

When we found out from Mr.Hitchens that he was struck by cancer some of us responded spontaneously, the only way we could, by offering our thoughts and prayers for his recovery. For those already suffering from the disease and the inevitable side effects of treatment, our understanding and appreciation of what he is going through these days would be even more personal, even more immediate and real.
I was diagnosed with lymphoma in late March and the response from family, friends and even strangers to this day, in terms of prayer and positive encouragement, has been overwhelming and humbling.
As one of the many followers of Christopher Hitchens I have responded on Twitter with offers of prayers when I heard the news. Mr.Hitchens joined some of my sick friends and relatives for whom I spend a few minutes of silent prayer daily. Of course, as everyone who followed his writings and debates I knew full well that he was an ardent atheist. However, that I would be committing a grievous crime by praying for an atheist never occurred to me. Until I have received the first of several, at first mild then increasingly nasty tweets, taking me to task for “inflicting pain on a very sick (atheist) man” with my prayers. The self-appointed atheist zealot who so indignantly lashed into me for “prayers”, a Brazilian woman living in DC, carried on with her hateful tweets for a couple of days,literally tried to deny my right to thought and concern, if it included the notion of prayer.
Prayer is thought dressed in love and concern.
While I strongly believed in my inalienable right to pray for whomever and whatever I choose, a distant and somewhat nagging self-doubt crept into my mind. What if Christopher Hitchens, would find out and indeed resent, even feel hurt by my prayers?
Thankfully, and so timely for me, the Hugh Hewitt Radio Show, just today, aired a superb interview with Mr. Hitchens, where one of the very first questions from Hugh was concerning prayers for an atheist and how would Mr.Hitchens respond. Predictably, decent men are not necessarily defined by their religion or lack thereof.Mr.Hitchens said that he was touched by people offering prayers, even though he was not convinced they would help, but certainly could not hurt.
That was enough for me.

Public housing, food stamps are not enough...

Heard on National Public Radio,around 8.15 A.M., on July 5,2010:

A new "social" experiment is ongoing in New York City. About 50 families are involved with a budget figure, which was not mentioned (financed by taxpayers, of course).The purpose of the ongoing study is to find out how cash, paid directly to families for certain "achievements" in the areas of school attendance,tests/exams, dental/doctor visits, influence results.
In one family a high school teenager was interviewed who proudly stated that he "earned" 3000 dollars in the past 12 months for attending classes, passing exams. When asked about how he spent the money he listed among his purchases an i-pad and "designer" clothes. His mother also joined in the interview and expressed her pride in the teenager. The listeners than were told that the single mom had public housing, welfare checks, food stamps and free medical care for her and the two children.She also added that for each preventive dental/doctor visits she received additional 200/300 dollars per occurrence. Oh yes, there was also a "boyfriend" in the picture, too, presumably the children's father.

What hope or motivation is there for this family to ever get out of the "public assistance" system, which allows, corrupts already the young,as in this family, to expect society to pay for not only shelter,food, medical care, but also for "school attendance" and passing exams?
The moral irresponsibility for the enablers of this perpetual cycle of dependency is unforgivable.