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Unintended Collateral Damage Of Racist Remarks
Jul 29th, 2009 | 21 responses
I normally don’t pay much attention when high-profile conservatives such as Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin label President Obama a racist for sparking the national debate over the black Harvard professor arrested by Cambridge police. That is, until I read a story that made me wonder if there really is a cause and effect between what people as Beck and Malkin propagate and the nuts out there who carry this diatribe to extremes.
The story was written by a friend, San Diego Union-Tribune reporter David Hasemayer, about a La Mesa, Calif., man who was convicted yesterday of making threats against Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. What struck me was the defense offered by Walter Bagdasarian, 47. He said he was drunk on wine at the time of his online rants and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Writes Hasemayer:
In a racially laced diatribe last October, Bagdasarian said the country would fall apart during an Obama presidency and suggested assassination. His Internet bulletin-board postings and e-mails included racial slurs, profanity and references to a high-powered rifle often used by military snipers, court records show.
Now, Beck and Malkin had nothing to do with Bagdasarian’s conduct nor did they imply the president ought to be shot. But similar, more inflammatory diatribes were commonly floating throughout the Internet. Such nonsense is sick minds are reinforced by racist comments coming from Mt. Olympus the likes of which are the Becks, Malkins and Rush Limbaughs.
Writes Hasemayer:
On the day Obama won the election, Bagdasarian wrote an e-mail under the heading “And so it begins.”
“Pistol .?.?. plink plink plink. When you use a 50 cal on a (racial epithet) car, you get this,” the message said. It contained a link to a YouTube video showing a junked car exploding after a propane tank in the vehicle was shot with a .50-caliber rifle.
When agents searched Bagdasarian’s home, they found six guns — three pistols and three rifles.
U.S. District Judge Marilyn Huff debunked Bagdasarian’s drunken defense, and found him guilty on two counts of making threats against a major candidate for president of the United States. He will be sentenced Oct. 26 where he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Now let’s review what Beck said on the Fox morning show Tuesday. In a discussion about Obama claiming Cambridge police “acted stupidly” for arresting Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., Beck said Obama exposed himself as a person with “a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture.” Later: “I’m not saying he doesn’t like white people,” Beck said. “He has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist.”
Meanwhile, Malkin appeared on this morning’s Today Show. She called Obama a racial opportunist while promoting her book citing corruption in the Obama administration.
Folks, playing the race card is getting out of hand. That goes for all parties, including Professor Gates who yelled during his confrontation with police: “Is this the way you treat a black man in America?”
It offends law-abiding citizens such as the neighbor, as a gesture of goodwill for her friend, who made the 911 call in the Gates case and later was lambasted in the media for remarks police said she made but she didn’t as tapes of the call proved.
Lucia Whalen, at a press conference today, said that the only words she exchanged with Sergeant Crowley in person were, “I was the 911 caller. “She said that he responded, “Stay right there.”
Whalen, 40, her voice cracking, said she was deeply hurt by the reaction to the incident on July 16. She said she and her family had been the target of threats, which led her to speak out.
“When I was called a racist, I was the target of scorn and ridicule because of things I never said,” she told the reporters. She added, “The criticism hurt me as a person but also hurt the community of Cambridge.”
I would hope Whalen’s words would weigh heavily on Gates, Obama, Beck, Malkin, Limbaugh, and, yes, even the cops, before they start throwing around Molotov cocktails with highly sensitive racial overtones as if they were pieces of confetti tossed from a high-rise during a parade.
Words from people of higher authority have consequences. Just ask Walter Bagdasarian whose only excuse was he was drunk. What’s the excuse for those other parties to this farce?
21 Responses to “Unintended Collateral Damage Of Racist Remarks”
“Folks, playing the race card is getting out of hand.”
That is an understatement, though we can also note (though it might be dishonestly called “arrogance” or some other false term) that it has (as has been the case here) been exploited for political purposes (be it merely ideologically or to boost public and emotional support for the Democrats while they fight for things like their health care initiative).
[...] Unintended Collateral Damage Of Racist Remarks | The Moderate Voice [...]
Last Friday, Glenn Beck said Obama's health care plan was “stealth reparations“:
“Words from people of higher authority have consequences.”
Even if he didn't state clearly he was wrong, and he didn't apologize to us all, and he claimed he was “surprised” by the obvious public negative reaction to what he said and did, Obama knows this.
* * *
“Beck said Obama exposed himself as a person with 'a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture.' Later: 'I’m not saying he doesn’t like white people,' Beck said. 'He has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist.'”
In large part, the lefties have nobody to blame but themselves for fueling guys like Beck, but these guys have also learned their lesson from Ann Coulter, who marketed herself (not primarily with her looks, but) through deliberate controversy.
What to do with them and their counterparts on the Left?
Well, back in the early-mid 1990s, a friend of mine and I thought a brawl on C-SPAN (in Congress) would be overdue, and do well on the air, but there's something better we can do with the loudest of the political chatterers and the politicians who follow in their ways. We need Washington Public Cage-Fighting.
Palin and Joe the Plumber – manufactured outrage and resentment over all the scariness and humiliation of not winning an election. Under Bush the exaggerated and poor criticism was rightly labeled BDS, but reusing the “X Derangement syndrome” label is a bit boring. It could be called WASPbuzzing or something.
“We need Washington Public Cage-Fighting.”
DLS — That's friggin awesome.
That is an understatement, though we can also note (though it might be dishonestly called “arrogance” or some other false term) that it has (as has been the case here) been exploited for political purposes
Race has *always* been used for political purposes in this country. See Nixon's, and then Reagan's, Southern Strategy for only one very well-known example of that in modern times.
Kathy, I agree. See also most any Southern Campaign from after Reconstruction to about the 1980s. But let's not forget Sharpton in 2004, Jackson in 1984, Cynthia McKinney at any time, Maxine Waters again, at any time. It doesn't matter which side, if race is involved, the result is sure to be sickening.
You have to remember that Obama condoned what Gates did. He believed that Gates racial slurs were justified. You did not hear Obama come out publicly to say the way Gates spoke to the officer was wrong. When Gates saw a “white” cop, he saw red. Obama's reaction on the other hand was borderline. Obama and Gates both need counseling but nether are man enough to admit it. Of course the first step is admitting that you need help.
The question is, are we as a society supposed to have sympathy for Gates because he's an old school racist?
Do we have to continue to make excuses for the Al Sharpton's of the world by sacrificing the integrity of our institutions?
Lets just hope that when Gates faces the court the judge will order him to take counseling on race relations. Fat chance.
400+ years of racism and you expect the first black President not to feel a little put out? C'mon people the White Rage needs to stop. For what we did to these people we deserve some karmic payback. Not saying we're responsible- but ask a German how they feel about the Holocaust and I bet they'll turn red with shame.
“…..reinforced by racist comments coming from ………. the Becks, Malkins and Rush Limbaughs.”
Just for the record, Jerry, how about giving us an example of something one of these people said that you consider “racist”?
I’m sure you’re not one of those liberals who assume that anyone on the right is racist, right?
“But…but…..they’re like George Bush! They don’t like black people!”
Please, tell me you’re not as ignorant as your article makes you out to be.
Can we at least acknowledge that racial profiling is a problem in this country??? Colin Powell has a balanced view,imo, of this incident. Powell would never play the race card, yet remembers this type of thing happening to him many times. One time he was at Reagan Airport, and the police would not believe he was there to meet the President. He believes that Gates should have kept his cool around the police, but that African Americans DO experience profiling in America on a regular basis.
We have a friend who was stopped just because he was black and driving a nice car and the police thought he stole it- I dont' think we can judge this unless we have experienced it ourselves. But, I agree with Powell that an aggressive response towards police is foolish.
The mere mention of racism cited by Beck and Malkin are documented in the article with links to their actual statements. I may have erred by omission by throwing Limbaugh into the group on the assumption his racist comments have been well documented in my posts and others in the past and therefore redundant to repeat them in this forum followed closely by political junkies.
As a columnist I try to avoid psychobabble but will succumb to that temptation here. I have a hunch why Gates went ballistic when the cops showed up at his door. He had been gone for weeks on a trip to China and was obviously tired and suffering from jet lag when he returned to find himself locked out of his house. He was still fuming and spewed his wrath on the first cop knocking on his door.The fact the cop was white had nothing to do with it except in Gates' agitated mind that transferred his personal frustration to an instinctive reflex of blaming someone else for his embarrassing predictament. As we learned later, the black sergeant who arrived later on the scene said had he been the first cop the situation might have been defused and likely would not have arrested the professor.
“The mere mention of racism cited by Beck and Malkin are documented in the article with links to their actual statements.”
Beck and Malkin mentioned “racism”, therefore they are racists?
Are you out of your mind? What kind of ridiculous statement is that? Maybe in your warped liberal mind racist comments by these people are “well documented”, but not in reality.
I can’t tell you how glad I am you’re shoveling your manure outside instead of in newsprint.
“Please, tell me you’re not as ignorant as your article makes you out to be.” – jwest
What are you, like 12 years old or something? Try growing up. . . at least a little.
Spence,
No, it’s not time to have a civil debate with a jerk that throws out the charge of racism as cavalierly as Remmers does.
Is this how you think articles should flow? Let’s make unproven allegations based on our prejudices as if they are undisputed facts in order to bolster our point. I’m certain you wouldn’t mind if I start each comment with the assumption that even though all Democrats aren’t child molesters, if you’re a child molester it’s a safe bet you’re a Democrat.
Don’t defend this idiot. He’s trying to make his pathetic life seem tolerable by projecting his hates on people he has never listened to or read.
Rush has been saying racist things like “Take that bone out of your nose and call me back” and “Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?” for decades now.
Michelle Malkin is pretty legendary in her racism. Maybe it's that book she wrote called “In Defense of Internment: The Case for 'Racial Profiling' in World War II and the War on Terror,” that gaver her such a reputation.
Just sayin'.
“Rush has been saying racist things like “Take that bone out of your nose and call me back”
Roro,
Are you sure this isn’t an urban legend? I’ve been listening to Rush for 20 years and have never heard him utter anything even remotely racist.
That’s not to say he doesn’t make fun of liberals or race-baiting extortionists like Jesse Jackson. There are still some leftists around who think his famous “Barack The Magic Negro” parody was something he said as opposed to quoting a liberal black author in the LA Times.
There is a difference between someone who is racist and someone who can make a $100 million each year showing the ridiculous tendencies of guilt-ridden liberals and their struggle to treat all people equally.
Yes, jwest, I am sure this is not an urban legend. At least according to snopes. And while I believe both that you've been listening to Rush for 20 years and that you've never heard him saying anything that sounded racist to you, you say the same thing about Pat Buchanan. My ability to take you seriously about race is pretty much dead, and the comment was more for other readers who may be following along. Also: making fun of a liberal black author using the contruct of the “Magic Negro” to make a larger point about race in the country, while at the same time being a white bloviating wind-bag with a history of being a racist, is in fact racist. I don't expect you to understand.
Roro,
I’m certain you’re one of those unique people who can find racism just about everywhere.
Well, you’ve caught us. We might as well admit as a group that we hate black and brown, and yellow, and red, and…….I’m sure there’s some of them thar furenors out there somewhere that we hate too.
Rush, Pat and I will just sit here on this bridge, picking our banjos and noses, waiting for the next Klan meeting.
Gosh, you liberals are too smart for us.
“I’m certain you’re one of those unique people who can find racism just about everywhere”
I just call 'em as I see 'em, man.