From: Nancy Franke
Seymour
There’s no apology here. Nor, should there be one if our state representative does not sincerely believe he should. It would be meaningless and not true to his words and actions. And, this is the problem.
No one can judge Representative Jim Lucas’ heart, but his public actions are most certainly up for scrutiny. When you hold public office, you are held to a higher standard. It’s the same for those in education, law enforcement, and other positions of authority.
It’s not a surprise. The news which made headlines not just across our state, but across the country was simply amplifying a pattern of behavior characteristic of the person who sits in the Indiana State Representative District 69’s seat at the Statehouse.
It’s not just a picture. The latest action on the part of Jim Lucas is that he not just took a circulated picture of third-world children dancing on a dirt road, but that he posted a phrase to the picture which most certainly had racist undertones. That combination clearly made it a racist meme.
It’s not just a one-time slip. The latest posting by Jim Lucas follows a pattern of postings over the years which are misogynistic or racist in nature. He continues to go through the “post a meme to stir controversy – take down his page when it hits the fan – repeat” cycle time and again.
His constituents believe he would learn a lesson from his gaffes, yet he demonstrates his ignorance time and again.
It’s not unreasonable. The Speaker of the House had to do more than just a slap on the hand. Removing said representative from two committees and demotion of vice chair of a third committee is justified. In fact, some…no, many would say it was a cushioned set of sanctions.
It’s not reflective of District 69. Or, is it? Lucas said he owns this. Yet, as our representative, those outside our district see Jim as a reflection of who we are. Within a few days, vocal advocates of Jim Lucas directed the rest of us to just sweep this under the rug (once, again), justify his arrogance, and continue his derogatory actions in the name of political bullying instead of the irrational embarrassment it really is.
Martin Luther King, Jr. captured it best. “The ultimate measure of a person is not where one stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where one stands in times of challenge and controversy.” He shared these words in 1963, challenging citizens who found themselves in a place of complacency. And, now, almost 60 years later, we find ourselves in the same complacent position.
Do we sit back within our safe bubble, afraid of challenging the hearts and minds of each other? Are we more concerned with doing what is politically popular with the mindset of the ignorant few from our district or are we going to be more concerned with doing what is morally and conscientiously right?
