Paula Deen

There was a black guy and a white guy.

They were debating over whether God was white or black.
The white guy said that there was only one way to find out and that is to
pray.
So they go up on a hill and they pray, and pray, and pray.
Finally they hear a voice say, “I am that I am.”
The white guy jumps up, and says, “Aha, I told you he was white.”
The black guy jumps up and says, “What do you mean? That didn’t prove
anything.”
“Yes it did. Because if he was black he would’ve said I is what I is.”

If the last line of this old joke sounds familiar, it's because it was said by Paula Deen during her Today Show interview in which she was defending herself against accusations of racism.  Apparently, a quoting a racist joke seemed the best way to make her point.
Huh.
As a conservative Christian,  most of the folks in my immediate circle have come to Paula's defense about one little word said "25 years ago."  Guess what?  I've never said ni**er.  Ever.  You know why?  Because I don't curse and that word is the highest form of cursing.  It sickens me.  Only 25 years ago?  Sorry Paula, 25 years ago, we all knew better.  You only said ni**er 25 years ago if you were a raving bigot. 
Right around 25 years ago, I was telling people that if they used that word, or "colored" in reference to people of color, I would minimize their exposure to my children.  Kids can say lots of unpleasant things as they test boundaries but had either of my boys used the word ni**er, it would've earned them a slap across the face.  Thankfully, that was never needed.
I read Ms. Deen's transcript, wherein she talks about having used the word ni**er to describe a man who held up a bank at which she worked and she "wasn't feelin' very favorable toward him."  So I guess, that explains it?  Not in my world it doesn't.  In my world, that word has to be a part of your vocabulary for it to come out of your mouth.  Out of the fullness of our hearts, our mouths speak (Matthew 12:34.) 
Let me share a personal experience, a few years ago my son was attacked and seriously injured by an African American young man.  I never referred to his attacker as a ni**er.  Not when I was on the phone with him and he was unable to string a sentence together.  Not when we were in the emergency room and he fell apart.  Not when he kept asking me where his truck was and we were driving in it.  Not when I realized he had no memory of his grandfather's funeral.  Not for the entire three weeks it took him to be able to work again. 
Her deposition shared her love of the old South and the experience of black servants serving white people in a beautiful setting.  That isn't a beautiful setting in my mind, it's the picture of cruelty beyond my comprehension.  It's like saying one loves images of the country side through which rail cars filled with Jews were traveling during World War II.  Not, it's more sickening, because it is a part of American history.
In the transcript, Ms. Deen states that all the men she knows use the word ni**er.  I say she knows the wrong men, in fact, I'd say she knows very few real men.
Are all of these corporations wrong for dropping Ms. Deen?  I guess we all have our own opinions and we want to call upon forgiveness and grace.  Of course, criminals who apologize still pay a penalty, do they not?  And her penalty is an interruption in her multi million dollar business. 
If you want a glimpse into Paula Deen's heart, read her autobiography where she describes herself as "a bawdy lady?  F**k yeah!"  Does that f-word offend you?  She talks about a years long affair with a married man.  She's not a nice lady.  She's not a sweet old Southern grandma. 
She's a nasty, immoral and apparently, racist woman.
By the way, she repeats her self-description as a "f**king bawdy lady" in her deposition. 
I think she's made it quite clear where her heart is.  Forgive her?  Sure.  I didn't need her to ask.  But that doesn't mean she will have my support in the form of my money.  Someday, maybe Ms. Deen will share the testimony of repenting before Christ for all of the deeds, attitudes and words that have grieved Him.  When that day comes, I might just become a follower.
A final thought, since Paula Deen so loves images of the old south...

Rhett Butler to Scarlett O'Hara:

"You're like the thief who isn't the least bit sorry he stole but is terribly terribly sorry he's going to jail."