Democracy in Action, Part 2

Democracy in Action, Part 2

April 16, 2007

The timing could not be better, as a follow-up and great example of what I spoke of in Democracy in Action. The airwaves, this past week have been inundated with the remarks of radio personality Don Imus. As of this writing, Mr Imus has been effectively fired for his comments made about the mostly black Rutgers women’s basketball team.

Before going further, let me put it bluntly: Don Imus’ remarks were inappropriate, unethical, unprofessional, uncalled for and certainly reflect on him as an individual.

With that said, enter stage left, the usual team of Sharpton and Jackson — as in Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson — who assumed, uninvited, the role of mouth-piece for the Rutgers women’s basketball team. The faces of these two blacks appeared on every mainstream media source, spewing forth the racist anti-white rhetoric they are well-known for, doing nothing more than making the situation worse. Of course, and as usual, the amount of money pouring into the deep pockets of these two provides the motive for the race-baiting that constantly spews forth from their mouths.

But they have their agenda and the mainstream media is only too glad to accommodate them.

And there-in lays the problem.

I sent the following e-mail to MSNBC on Friday morning, April 13, 2007:

To: viewerservices@msnbc.com

Subject: The Don Imus Debacle

Isn’t it ironic that Don Imus can make inappropriate racist remarks and it becomes nation-wide news, but when a college professor at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene Idaho makes inappropriate racist remarks, it’s freedom of speech.

What’s the difference?

What Imus said was a white man making remarks about blacks. In our politically correct society of today, that’s not allowed.

What the NIC professor said was “"Republicans should be executed. I believe in the death penalty. I love it. I think we should use it every day. First we line up everyone who can't think and right behind them, anyone who's ever voted Republican."

That remark was made well over two months ago and that NIC professor still has her job. Not only that, but what she said has received very little attention or air time. No huge outcry of racism. No top of the news hour reporting by MSNBC or any other mainstream media source. Just a blip on the radar screen of bigotry.

Why no coverage of the NIC professors bigoted remarks? The NIC professors comments were made by a white obviously alluding to what are considered conservative white Christians. In our politically correct society of today, if you are white, conservative, Christian you are fair game for every bigot out there who wants to take a poke at you, with the blessing and cooperation of mainstream media.

Now tell me, what’s the difference between what Don Imus said and what this NIC professor said? At least Don Imus didn’t incite a room full of impressionable young minds to kill someone.

So, tell me, which was worse?

If MSNBC got all bent out of shape about Don Imus, why didn’t MSNBC get all bent out of shape about this NIC professor’s comments? Isn’t hate speech hate speech no matter who says it about whom, or is it only hate speech if said by a white about a black?

That is certainly the appearance given. And when you allow blacks to slur whites or whites to slur whites or blacks to slur blacks with not a word said, but a debacle of this magnitude becomes the front page story, top of the hour, top of the news when it is white on black, then what you are promoting is class warfare.

And I have to wonder if that isn’t your intention which means you — all of you, Katie Couric included — are just as big a bunch of bigots as you portray Imus to be.

And please don’t respond with “We just report the news” because that would be a lie, pure and simple. You decide what becomes news and anyone with even half a brain knows that. MSNBC chose to make this into a big deal.

Sincerely,

Lynn M Stuter

MSNBC has not responded which really says it all.

[As a point of clarification here, I do realize that Katie Couric is now with CBS. When I used “you”, I was including the whole of mainstream media, including Katie Couric, the only female anchor.]

On April 11, 2007, the Attorney General of North Carolina pronounced the three Duke lacrosse players innocent of all charges brought against them by Prosecuting Attorney Mike Niphong in the alleged rape and assault of a black “exotic dancer” — allegations made over a year ago that have turned the lives of three young men upside down and inside out; have caused them and their families a great deal of heart-ache and stress not to mention the expense of having to defend themselves against trumped-up charges brought by a rogue prosecutor intent on promoting his political career at their expense.

At the time of the arrest of these three young men, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were johnny-on-the-spot, spewing forth their usual racist rhetoric before the witting and willing microphones of mainstream media. Yet, since these three young players were pronounced innocent of all charges, we have not seen Sharpton and Jackson so quick to appear before the same microphones to apologize for the aspersions they so readily and quickly cast upon these three young men in the name of their fellow black woman.

I demand, and every American should demand, that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson apologize to these three young men, on the air, before the same microphones from the same mainstream media sources that gave them an audience for their racist rhetoric when the three young men were arrested and falsely accused.

That they have not already done so makes a statement in and of itself.

Note: Following the publishing of this article, an individual forwarded to me copies of interviews in which Sharpton was asked if he intended to apologize for the aspersions he cast upon the three Duke lacrosse players. Sharpton’s response was to the effect that he had been mislead as though that excused his jumping to conclusions from the outset.