When is a racial slur a racial slur?
Last week, talk show host Dave Lenihan of KTRS (St. Louis) was fired shortly after making the following on-air-comments about Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State for the United States of America, and the prospects of her becoming the next Commissioner of the National Football League:
"She's been chancellor of Stanford. She's got the patent resume of somebody that has serious skill. She loves football. She's African-American, which would kind of be a big coon (he meant "coup"). Oh my God. I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that. I didn't mean that. It was just a slip of the tongue. She's definitely got all the attributes to be commissioner. I'm really sorry about that."
Soon after the comments, the phone lines lit up and soon after that, the station announced Mr. Lenihan was fired.
There are reports that the local NAACP chapter president called the station and after learning of the firing, commended the station for its swift action.
Contrast the above with the following March, 2001 comments of one of my favorite whipping boys, the Dean of Democrats, the "conscience of the Senate", the only Senator to vote against the U.S. Supreme Court nominations of Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, a man that filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for over 13 hours, ex-Ku Klux Klan member, Sen. Robert Byrd:
"There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time. I'm going to use that word. We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much."
The apology, if you can call it that, came in the form of a press statement and not at a microphone:
"I apologize for the characterization I used on this program. The phrase dates back to my boyhood and has no place in today's society. As for my language, I had no intention of casting aspersions on anyone of another race. In my attempt to articulate strongly held feelings, I may have offended people."
Of course, I think Mr. Lenihan's slip-of-the-tongue is offensive, but I also recognize he apologized immediately. Also, if you read the whole text of his comments, he was praising Dr. Rice before and after the comment. He was championing her for the NFL post.
And, naturally, I think ex-Klansman Byrd's comments are more offensive. Yet, practically no one in the liberal media gave a second look to his comments. Ironically, ex-Klanman Byrd opposed Dr. Rice as Secretary of State. The vote in the Senate in January, 2005 was 85 - 13. Sen. Byrd was a very loud "no". Hmmm. Racial slurs and a voting and legislative history that suggests a racist. The "Dean of Democrats"; the Democrats must be so proud.
Just as a footnote, my U.S. Senators, Edward Kennedy and the Great Equivocator, John F. Kerry, also voted against the first African-American woman to be U.S. Secretary of State.
The agenda-pushers and race-baiters are still in control. Those wanting an honest race-relations conversation are not.
Apparently, a racial slur is most definitely not a racial slur when a "prominent" Democrat says it; I refuse to accept that as the standard. I wish the president of the local chapter of the NAACP in St. Louis felt the same way; I wish any Democrat in the Senate felt the same: I wish that any liberal media outlet felt the same; what a shame none does.
Last week, talk show host Dave Lenihan of KTRS (St. Louis) was fired shortly after making the following on-air-comments about Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State for the United States of America, and the prospects of her becoming the next Commissioner of the National Football League:
"She's been chancellor of Stanford. She's got the patent resume of somebody that has serious skill. She loves football. She's African-American, which would kind of be a big coon (he meant "coup"). Oh my God. I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that. I didn't mean that. It was just a slip of the tongue. She's definitely got all the attributes to be commissioner. I'm really sorry about that."
Soon after the comments, the phone lines lit up and soon after that, the station announced Mr. Lenihan was fired.
There are reports that the local NAACP chapter president called the station and after learning of the firing, commended the station for its swift action.
Contrast the above with the following March, 2001 comments of one of my favorite whipping boys, the Dean of Democrats, the "conscience of the Senate", the only Senator to vote against the U.S. Supreme Court nominations of Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, a man that filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for over 13 hours, ex-Ku Klux Klan member, Sen. Robert Byrd:
"There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time. I'm going to use that word. We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much."
The apology, if you can call it that, came in the form of a press statement and not at a microphone:
"I apologize for the characterization I used on this program. The phrase dates back to my boyhood and has no place in today's society. As for my language, I had no intention of casting aspersions on anyone of another race. In my attempt to articulate strongly held feelings, I may have offended people."
Of course, I think Mr. Lenihan's slip-of-the-tongue is offensive, but I also recognize he apologized immediately. Also, if you read the whole text of his comments, he was praising Dr. Rice before and after the comment. He was championing her for the NFL post.
And, naturally, I think ex-Klansman Byrd's comments are more offensive. Yet, practically no one in the liberal media gave a second look to his comments. Ironically, ex-Klanman Byrd opposed Dr. Rice as Secretary of State. The vote in the Senate in January, 2005 was 85 - 13. Sen. Byrd was a very loud "no". Hmmm. Racial slurs and a voting and legislative history that suggests a racist. The "Dean of Democrats"; the Democrats must be so proud.
Just as a footnote, my U.S. Senators, Edward Kennedy and the Great Equivocator, John F. Kerry, also voted against the first African-American woman to be U.S. Secretary of State.
The agenda-pushers and race-baiters are still in control. Those wanting an honest race-relations conversation are not.
Apparently, a racial slur is most definitely not a racial slur when a "prominent" Democrat says it; I refuse to accept that as the standard. I wish the president of the local chapter of the NAACP in St. Louis felt the same way; I wish any Democrat in the Senate felt the same: I wish that any liberal media outlet felt the same; what a shame none does.
posted by Zack at 6:17 PM
2 Comments:
I guess Dave Lenihan can now join the ranks of Trent Lott, Lee Trevino and Jimmy-the-Greek who were all absolutely skewered for their respective "racial" remarks. It's appalling that ex-Klansman Byrd gets a free pass on his unforgivable history and public comments. Can it really be that a stricter standard is applied to a radio personality,pro-golfer,and sports commentator than it is to a sitting U.S. Senator??
Right of Center draws attention to Sen. Trent Lott.
At the birthday party for 100 year old Sen. Strom Thurmond, Sen. Lott said, "I want to say this about my state: when Strom Thurmond ran for President, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years (google: lott thurmond)."
After the race-baiters and agenda-pushers took the stage and feigned outrage, Sen. Lott issued the following apology.
"A poor choice of words conveyed to some (no, just to the agenda-pushers) the impression that I embraced the discarded policies of the past. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I apologize to anyone who was offended by my statement."
House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, a race-baiter and an agenda-pusher, said, "He can apologize all he wants, it doesn't remove the sentiment that escaped his mouth that day."
Sen. Lott was trying to say nice words about an old man on his 100 year-old birthday and it cost him his job as Senate Majority Leader.
Does anyoe doubt that if I googled my butt off I'd find plenty of people saying nice things about Klansman Sen. Robert Byrd and Klansman and darling liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Hugo Black?
The many nice words that will be spoken when Sen. Byrd retires or dies will not be considered adoration for his beliefs as a Klansman. And, I'll allow that many of those many words should not be. Many will simply be nice words for an old man.
Oh, but if he were a Republican . . . .
Post a Comment
<< Home