Matt Cameron's recent column, "Stained banner," is filled with factual inaccuracies and paradoxical statements. In an attempt to expose the what he sees as the racism of many of Virginia's white citizens, Cameron claims that "a professional class of white Virginians," who live in the affluent northern Virginia counties of Loudon, Fairfax and Arlington, "consistently engage in practices that favor their own ethnic group at the expense of blacks." He specifically cites what he sees as the reluctance of these wealthy whites to support higher taxes on themselves to fund welfare programs for poor blacks. It's ironic that the three counties which Cameron singled out for their racism are all Democratic strongholds where President Obama won by large majorities. So, apparently, these wealthy whites of northern Virginia, despite their support for a black presidential candidate who promised to end their Bush-era tax cuts, are still somehow racist and unwilling to have their taxes raised. Seen in this light, Cameron's views of the people of northern Virginia are clearly flawed.
George Pisano\nCLAS II