Playing the race card in Georgia

But he says he's not a racist! Look at his NAACP membership card from 2005, not the mannequin in the KKK costume!

I just have to say that it couldn't have been easy for that reporter to walk into that restaurant, let alone do the interview. Kudos to her, and I hope she's OK.

Finally, because they're just the words I choose to use: Fuck you, Patrick Lanzo.

UPDATE (8:40 am 10/15/09): YouTube took the original video down due to TOS violations. Don't know what happened. I've replaced it this morning, but if there's no video embedded above, here's a direct link to the video on CBSAtlanta.com so you can see this moron in all his glory.

"Post-Racial" America? Yeah, right

I marvel at the people who say things like, "I'm not racist, but ..." and then they go on to say something racist. Never have these human compost heaps been more bold or more loathsome than they've been this past year, though, since the election of America's first African-American president. The racists apparently are acting out in large part because they're just so overwhelmed and aghast at the idea of a Scary Black Man in the White House.

Some good news for those of us fighting against the racist onslaught came through this week as Veterans' Day parade organizers in Homestead, Fla., finally came to their senses and voted not to permit the hate group Sons of Confederate Veterans to display the Confederate flag at this year's parade. (Blast Off! covered this story a couple of weeks ago and drew some, um, colorful comments.) However, on the very same day as the Homestead decision, the outrageous racist beating of a Georgia woman before the eyes of her 7-year-old daughter reminded us that we have far to go.

It certainly seems that the racist roaches aren't scattering when you turn on the lights quite like they used to. But it doesn't always have to be a public display of a symbol of hate or a highly-publicized attack ... no, sometimes the racism is more subtle.

Blogger and doctoral student Roxane Gay reveals some of the more endemic racism she encounters in her humorous yet poignant piece FUNNY WOMEN #2: A Play About Post-Racial America in Seven Acts. The subtitle explains: "Seven Things White People Have Really Said to Me Since November 4, 2008." It's the kind of thing you read and think, "I can't believe people actually said that." Yet they did ... and they do.

A sample:

ACT FOUR

Scene: While watching the inauguration live in the student union, a white colleague I’m sitting with turns to me.

COLLEAGUE: Do you know Elizabeth Alexander?

ME: Why do you ask?

COLLEAGUE: You’re both black writers.

ME: That’s true. We do all know each other.

[...]

ACT SIX

Scene: January 2009, a few days after the inauguration. A grimy auto repair shop. The mechanic and I are engaged in idle, polite chatter while he processes my credit card transaction.

MECHANIC: No offense, but there was just no way I could vote for a colored man even though I hated the other guy. I just can’t see respecting a colored man like that, taking orders from him or nothing like that. Again, no offense.

ME: What year is this?

Wow. I don't know whether the people Ms. Gay encountered and quoted are openly, unapologetically racist -- other than, obviously, the mechanic in "Act Six" -- but this is the kind of subtle, routine racism that happens thousands of times every single day in America. I don't know why people -- that is, white people -- aren't more sensitive to this stuff, except that we don't see it directed at us on a regular basis or, more to the point, I guess many of us just don't care.

But we should. And it shouldn't take a heinous, headline-making assault to make that happen.

Broward School District: completely tone-deaf

I'm the first to admit that I'm a little anal-retentive when it comes to editing. I carefully scrutinize everything I write to seek out typos, misspellings, or misused words, and I easily get into arguments about word usage (as I recently did about using the term "south Florida" instead of "South Florida," based on my belief that, as used here, "south" is an adjective describing "Florida" and "South Florida" is not a state of its own ... well, maybe culturally, but you know what I mean).

This made me a very good law review editor in law school, but sometimes not the best person with whom to engage in a conversation or correspondence.

Anyway, I do tend to spot errors very easily -- I liken it to John Nash (as played by Russell Crowe) in A Beautiful Mind, where the coded letters fairly jumped off the page at him -- and I tend to get a little aggravated when obvious errors are allowed to make it to publication. That's why I'm especially aghast at the Broward County (Fla.) School District, whose 2009-2010 students' code of conduct book included a form that contained the racially-charged (and horribly anachronistic) word "Negro."

Schools are supposed to collect student information by race and ethnicity using new categories from the state Department of Education, said Broward Schools Superintendent James Notter. The district created its form using categories and descriptions from the state Department of Education.

The Department of Education, in turn, got its wording from the federal Office of Management and Budget, said Education Department spokesman Tom Butler.

The state has since changed its wording to eliminate "Negro" as an acceptable term, he said.

Last week, the Broward district sent out a memo and copies of new forms for students to take to their parents but not before upsetting some parents and students such as Jake Edri, 15, of Sunrise, a sophomore in Deerfield Beach High's communications broadcast arts magnet program.

Edri noticed the word when he read through his code of conduct book last week. He was shocked at the description next to "Black or African American," especially since other categories didn't include additional terms.

"For white, it doesn't use Caucasian," Edri said.

Blast Off! tips its bloggy hat to young Jake Edri for demonstrating the initiative to bring this to the attention of the district and others. And shame on Broward County, the state, and the federal government, each of whom (according to the article) seems to be passing blame on to the next, for allowing this to get out to the students.

Sure, it's just a word ... but it has a very particular -- and offensive -- meaning to many, especially in the South. And it's embarrassing that we should have to deal with this sort of thing in 2009. If Broward County needs a proofreader, though, I'm available ....

More hate in Florida ... but this time, there's a difference

Perhaps you've read about the noxious hate speech in Gainesville, where radical Christianists have been encouraging their children to wear anti-Islam T-shirts to school and ranting about how they have a "right" to do this because it's merely an exercise of free speech. Well, there's plenty of hate to go around here in Florida, but you may be surprised to learn that this time, it appears to be against a Christian group. And you may be even more surprised to learn that this time, I'm on the Christian group's side.

This latest incident arises out of a controversy in Wakulla County, just south of Tallahassee, where a major road recently was renamed to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One former county commissioner and his wife, who apparently opposed the renaming, have hung a skeletal effigy in their yard and linked it to a current county commissioner, a member of the Wakulla Christian Coalition. And the Coalition was one of the driving forces behind the renaming.

Former Wakulla County commissioner Brian Langston and his wife, Laurie, who hung the decoration, call it a political statement. Jenny Jones, chair of the Wakulla Christian Coalition, says it borders on a hate crime. Coalition members mailed letters of complaint Aug. 19 to Wakulla Sheriff David Harvey, Department of Education Inspector General Ed Gordon, and Attorney General Bill McCollum.

Laurie Langston says her family has even received hate mail over the incident.

"To me, it is about like looking out my window and seeing a noose hanging in a tree," Jones said. The coalition recently successfully lobbied to get Lower Bridge Road renamed to Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Road.

The road was renamed earlier this month, but proponents overcame a number of hurdles to achieve their goal, including the stealing of signs honoring King. It appears, however, that the Langstons won't let the controversy go.

Now, I'm not going to come right out and accuse the Langstons of racism. Indeed, the object of their scorn, county commissioner Howard Kessler, is white. But the effigy (shown at right), coupled with the outcry over the renaming as shown in the comments to the above-linked articles, at least suggests that the Langstons and many of those opposed to the renaming have, um, less than honorable motives in doing so.

But this is pretty much par for the course in north Florida. Just as most people in these parts can't stand having a black president, they can't stand honoring another black man. But in this instance, whether it's a political statement or racism or something else altogether ... well, you make the call.

Tea Party II: Predictably, racism and hate carry the day

One word to describe the latest Teabaggers' Ball here in Pensacola: FAIL.

This wasn't an event so much as a sign-waving exercise in political masturbation. Scheduled for noon until 2:00 pm at a major intersection in the north part of town, it wasn't anything like the first "tea party," back on April 15. For one thing, they didn't have an open mic like last time ...

Instead, what it amounted to was about 30 people or so with nothing better to do on the Memorial Day holiday than stand on a street corner and wave signs. Oh, not just any signs: racist, hateful signs. I guess these friendless loners just need to be with their own kind ... mostly older, all white, and uniformly ignorant.

Anyway, remember how they said these tea parties were nonpartisan events intended to protest government spending? And I asked the logical question, well, if they were protesting government spending, why did they start protesting only when Barack Obama became president, rather than when Drunky McStagger was raising spending to unprecedented levels? My conclusion was that they actually were protesting the fact that a black man -- indeed, this black man -- is president. Indeed, today's event was no different.

(click on images for larger versions)

Here's a look at the massive pathetic crowd gathering of protestors loser teabaggers who showed up in Pensacola today. Other than a handful sitting or standing near their vehicles, parked off to the right in this picture, this was it.

This guy made a point of concealing his face with his handheld sign as I went to photograph the "Axis of Evil" sign. Originally, I just wanted to photograph that one, but since he was so obvious about hiding his identity, I went for the whole vignette.

Somewhere in Pensacola, an illiterate dumbshit woman can't spell "ITS." And, no, that's not the least bit racist, is it? This sign is totally appropriate for a nonpartisan protest against government spending. Totally.

Another sampling of signs. Again, it's totally appropriate and justifiable at a nonpartisan protest against government spending to have a sign demanding to see a "birth certificate" (at left). Nope, they're not racist, obsessive Obama-haters. Not at all.

I cordially invite all the teabaggers to just come right out and admit that these protests are directed against President Obama and, in particular, the fact that he is not white. These admissions can start with John W. Baker, who gave me his business card calling himself "Tea Party Organizer" for an organization called "Pensacola Patriots" and invited me to join them at the next tea party on July 4. (No, he didn't know who I was, although he suggested I "save [my] film" and check out the pictures on their website. Guess he's never heard of digital cameras ...)

Which reminds me: what's truly sad is that these losers chose Memorial Day, of all days, to conduct a ridiculous, illogical, meaningless protest against the government that some of them fought -- and some of their loved ones, I expect, died -- to preserve. Way to shit all over their memories, teabaggers. And they call themselves "patriots" ... which is laughable.

Today's Daily Schadenfreude: Jordan Berry

We're going west for today's Daily Schadenfreude, out to the Lone Star State ...

You've probably never heard of Jordan Berry. I hadn't myself until a few minutes ago. But it turns out Mr. Berry is the spokesperson for Texas state Rep. Betty Brown, a Republican (of course) who thinks that Asians ought to change their names so they are "easier for Americans to deal with." And now he is trying to come up with ways to defend Rep. Brown's bigotry and xenophobia. Good luck with that ...

Brown spokesman Jordan Berry said Brown was not making a racially motivated comment but was trying to resolve an identification problem.

Ramey Ko, a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans, told the committee that people of Chinese, Japanese and Korean descent often have problems voting and with forms of identification because there may be a difference in their legal transliterated name and a common English name used on their driver's license.

"Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it's a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?" Brown asked, the newspaper reported.

She later told Ko: "Can't you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that's easier for Americans to deal with?"

Democratic Chairman Boyd Richie said Republicans are trying to suppress votes with a partisan identification bill and said Brown "is adding insult to injury with her disrespectful comments."

Berry said Democrats are trying to blow Brown's comments out of proportion because polls show most voters support requiring identification for voting.

"They want this to just be about race," Berry said.

Jordan, you astonishingly ignorant douchebag: suggesting someone change their name for racial/ethnic reasons is a long way from "requiring identification for voting." But apparently those distinctions don't matter much to you, as I see you've been engaging in shady dealings on Rep. Brown's behalf for quite some time.

But while I point and laugh at you and your patron for your stupidity, let me add that it's obvious that you two deserve each other. So, maybe it's not so much schadenfreude I'm feeling as much as pity ... because making fun of your Neanderthal attitudes is almost too easy.

Still, Jordan Berry, you can pat yourself on the back once again (I'm sure you've done it before), because today's Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you!

Florida: where hate is great

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Florida ranks third, behind only the more populous California and Texas, among all states in the number of hate groups based here. More significant, though, is the increase in hate groups since 2000 -- 56 such organizations now call Florida home (as of 2008), compared with 39 eight years earlier. That's a rise of more than 43%.

The tanking economy, heated immigration debate and the election of the country's first black president likely pushed up the number of groups, the [SPLC] report said.

[...]

"We are in a worrying situation right now," said Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Groups have succeeded in recruiting new members who feel threatened by a black president and the rising tide of immigration, Potok said.

"All of these things together are clearly making a significant number of white people … feel that somehow their country is being stolen from them," Potok said. A "cultural conflict" in Florida has spawned the large number of hate groups, Potok said. Extremists in Central and North Florida look with horror at the number of Jews and Latinos in South Florida.

Having moved recently (if temporarily, perhaps) from south to north Florida, I've seen such differences firsthand. Few here look askance at displaying the Confederate flag, and the racial and ethnic divide seems to me to be far more pronounced in the Panhandle than in south Florida.

Nevertheless, as I've noted here before, perhaps the leading white supremacist website, Stormfront, is based down south, in Palm Beach County. And its operator, Don Black, makes no apologies for his racist views:

Don Black, founder of the white separatist group Stormfront in West Palm Beach, said he's tired of seeing his group labeled as a hate group. He advocates for non-violent separation of races within the United States, he said.

"We are proud of our own heritage and culture just like every other race has the right to be," said Black, who claims more than 100,000 members worldwide. "Do you want America to become like Mexico or Haiti?"

No, not all hate groups are white supremacist organizations. But the fact that Stormfront is headquartered in Florida, and the fact that it continually tries to justify its racist stance with a thoroughly disingenuous "white heritage" argument, ought to embarrass every Floridian -- at least those of us with a conscience.

Today's Daily Schadenfreude: the Palm Beach County Republican Party

Poor Republicans. They just can't catch a break, can they?

Not here in Palm Beach County, it seems. Remember the fight about white supremacist -- oops, I mean "white person who is concerned about discrimination against white people" -- Derek Black being elected to the Palm Beach County Republican Executive Committee (REC)? Well, apparently young Derek isn't going to go away quietly, much to the chagrin of local GOP chair Sid Dinerstein (right, with glasses, speaking to Black).

On a night when new committee members were sworn in, Black showed up at the meeting in a dark suit and tie with his long reddish hair flowing from beneath a black hat. One committee member suggested before the meeting that he remove the hat. Black didn't.

The son of former Klan Grand Wizard Don Black and a "close family friend" of former Klan Grand Wizard David Duke, Derek Black approached ... Dinerstein while Dinerstein was giving a television interview before the meeting and began debating the party's enforcement of the oath requirement.

He also challenged Dinerstein once the meeting began.

"Are you saying the party's rules override elections?" Black asked. After that, Black remained seated while new committee members stood up to be sworn in and Dinerstein was reelected without opposition as party chairman.

About an hour later, as party members plowed through procedural votes, Black stood up in front of the meeting and began addressing the crowd of about 200, but his words were inaudible to most because he did not have a microphone. "You need to sit down or leave," Dinerstein told Black. Black opted for the latter.
Black later returned to the meeting and apologized for the disruption and said he planned to be involved in the party in the future.

To be fair (yeah, I know -- Republicans fair?!), they decided not to seat a total of ten elected REC members, including Black, who had failed to sign the oath in time.

It's fun to watch the fireworks, though, as the local Republican leadership implodes. I mean, consider the irony: they have no problem using code words, shrouding their usual racism in lies and obfuscation while all the time voting and setting policies that blatantly discriminate against minority groups. Yet, when someone who at least is open about his racist opinions tries to join forces with the political party that most closely is aligned with his views, the party shuns him. Go figure ...

In the meantime, though, while we wait to see what will happen next in this entertaining saga, I'm pleased to congratulate the Palm Beach County GOP, because today's Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you!

A British view of Florida politics

As I mentioned the other day on Twitter, I will be appearing on national television in the UK next week, talking from Miami about blogs and their impact on the American election this year. I am trying to get details and, as soon as I can, I'll share them here. Not sure whether the broadcast will be live, but if so, it'll be 3:00 pm Monday afternoon Eastern time (9:00 7:00 pm in the UK) -- all I know at the moment is that time, which is when I'm supposed to be in the studio in Miami Beach, and the fact that it's going to air on Sky News in the UK. (Sorry I can't be more specific than that right now -- if I knew more, I'd tell you!) Hopefully you'll be able to see it here in the USA and elsewhere ...

Anyway, while doing research for the interview, I have found it interesting -- instructive, even -- to see how the British view our election. I think the British system is curious at best, but I have no doubt they feel the same about ours (Electoral College? Are you kidding me?). Anyway, even better, Sky has a correspondent in Florida -- Miami, specifically -- who is examining the impact of race and heritage on the presidential election here.

Racism is notoriously widespread in regions away from the traditionally Republican state's major cities, such as the Panhandle in the north.

A seventh-grade school teacher there was recently suspended for writing on a blackboard that Obama's "Change" slogan stood for "Come Help A N***** Get Elected".

How many times do I have to say it? Republicans. Aren't. Funny. Many of them, however, are moronic brownshirt fucks.

Anyway, the article continues:

Miguel Saabedra is president of the Vigilia Mambisa organisation for Cuban exiles which staged a street demonstration in the area of the capital known as Little Havana to show support for John McCain.

He and others at the event repeatedly linked Mr Obama with fundamentalist Islam - a charge that has been levelled against him since the primaries, despite the fact he has been a practising Christian for decades - and accused him of being a closet Communist.

"Obama wants to talk to Castro, he wants to talk to (Venezualan president Hugo) Chavez, he wants to talk to Iran," he told Sky News. "These people don't want to talk to us!

"It's not because he is black, if Condoleezza Rice was running for president, or Colin Powell, that would be good. I support black people. I have good friends who are black."

Yes! It's the classic "I have friends who are black" explanation! You can always count on a racist to bring that one up. Nice going, Mr. Saabedra -- you get a free month's subscription to Stormfront for that talking point!

Another demonstrator outside the Versailles restaurant, a focal point for the Cuban American community, waved a placard at passing motorists with a crudely-drawn picture of Mr Obama wearing what looked like a beard, robes and turban below the word "Evil".

Many passing cars tooted their horns in approval and several slowed down to shout encouragement - although one or two drove past shouting abuse and pro-Obama slogans.

For many Cuban Americans like Laura Vianello, the Democratic party still have not been forgiven for President John F Kennedy's failure to properly back up the Cuban expats who tried to topple the Castro regime in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.

So that's what this is all about? Something that happened nearly half a century ago?! No, the world hasn't changed at all in that time, no, sirree ...

Jeebus. I mean, I empathize with the Cuban-American community, really I do, but holy fuck, get over it already! In many cases, you're generations removed from the Bay of Pigs, and you're following a drastically altered Republican Party today -- indeed, I question whether or not Barry Goldwater, the de facto leader of the GOP back in Kennedy's day, would even recognize his party's current incarnation.

[Vianello] lost three uncles in the invasion, a memorial to which stands prominently in the street in Little Havana.

"Most Cubans here in Miami are Republican by tradition. You could put the Devil up there as a candidate and we would vote for him," she said.

Well, you pretty much did that in 2000 and 2004, Ms. Vianello, and sure enough, you voted for him. And you're going to do it again this year. Heckuva job, Laura. But enjoy President Obama ... check back with me in 2012 and let's see which party has been more responsive to Cuban and Cuban-American interests.

My money's on the Democrats. But then, I'm just a dirty fucking hippie ...

UPDATE (11:10 am 10/27/08): As commenter pseudonymous in NC reminds me, I went the wrong way on the clock adjustment in the UK when I calculated it above. They are on Daylight Time now, which means their clocks went back over the weekend, while we've got a week to go here in the States. So 3pm here actually is 7pm in the UK. Thanks, pseud.

Republicans and racism: together forever and never to part

Don't worry, this isn't a Rickroll ... think of it more as a "Ratroll." I need to take you away from Denver just for a moment to share with you more Racist Fun With Republicans back home in America's Glans™.

Our old West Palm Beach friend Don Black of Stormfront.org is in the news again ... but this time it's via the reflected glory of his son Derek's election as a Republican committeeman in Palm Beach County:

Derek Black couldn't be reached Wednesday. But he's also known in this country's white supremacist crowd.

In 2001, Derek was just 12 when USA Today highlighted his work at creating a children's page on stormfront.org. That page included white supremacist songs, bulletin boards and anti-Martin Luther King bedtime stories. Don Black, the story pointed out, keeps a photo of his son in a Confederate uniform on his desk. The teenage boy, who sports flaming red hair, is currently listed as a radio commentator on his dad's site.
Derek Black quietly campaigned, visiting many of the district's historic homes. Residents on his block include a single lesbian on one side, and a gay couple on the other. One of the two men is black.

"His mom (Chloe) took him around, introducing him to everyone," said one resident who asked that her name not be used. Chloe Black, by the way, is none other than the former wife of [David] Duke, maybe the best known white supremacist of the past 30 years. He ran for several public offices in Louisiana, at times coming close to getting elected. He ran both as a Republican and a Democrat.

Naturally the Republicans would love this kid. He's evidently picked up all the old habits of his dad -- you know, racism, neo-Nazism, douchebaggery -- no doubt tempered by an ignorance that only youth can provide.

The local Republican Party leaders, while publicly expressing caution over young Derek's victory, nevertheless are taking great strides not to distance themselves from his family's demonstrated racist viewpoints:

"I assume he qualified to run for the seat and he was elected," said local GOP boss Sid Dinerstein. "Anybody in this country can join a party and run for a position on that party. He is entitled to be seated if he acts according to our constitution."

Added Dinerstein, who's Jewish: "Hopefully, he left that past behind. He shouldn't forget that this party was formed by abolitionists."

Allen West, a black Republican running for Congress in the south part of the county, says he'll "have a talk" with Black at the first meeting of the local GOP in September.

"If he won't judge me for my character instead of my race, I'll ask to please not support me in any way," West said.

In the meantime, though, Sid and Allen are perfectly okay with hitching their wagon to a racist fucktard. Nice going, Republicans. At least you're consistent.

Buchanan's xenophobic rhetoric thrills "crowd"

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), whose narrow 2006 "victory" over Christine Jennings in Florida's 13th District was made possible by the curious disappearance of some 18,000 votes in Jennings' home county, Sarasota, held a campaign rally in wingnut-ridden Manatee County yesterday, attended by an intimate gathering of around 500. Gov. Crist was expected to be there but was unable to travel due to weather.

According to the article, "Buchanan said it was the biggest crowd he'd seen in Sarasota-Manatee." The article did not indicate how many of the 500 were there because they hoped to see the governor.

Five hundred Bradenton-area wingnuts for Buchanan is a big crowd? Even if they all were there because they wanted to see Buchanan (which I doubt), that's laughable. I recently attended a regular ol' luncheon featuring Buchanan's congressional colleague Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) that drew 300, and it wasn't even a particularly special occasion -- plus they all had to pay for the privilege. Vern, I gotta tell ya, 500 in Wingnut Central seeking a free chance to see the governor isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of your campaign, y'know?

But at least Vern came through with predictable xenophobia and racism, which was like red meat to the modest group in attendance:

Hundreds erupted in applause several occasions [sic], but perhaps most loudly when Buchanan said English should be made the official language of the United States.

Yep, typical Republican: when in doubt, fall back on hating the brown people.

Well, don't worry, Vern. With a rematch coming up in November against Jennings, you'll be back home selling cars again in no time. Unless your henchmen find another way to "misplace" thousands of Democratic ballots ...

(cross-posted at Florida Progressive Coalition Blog)

I'm John McCain, and I approve this nap

Did you see the video from Huggy Bear's appearance in Panama City, Fla., on Friday? Take a look at this, as he attempts (with Gov. Charlie Crist at his side, notably not whispering correct responses to Huggy as Joe Lieberman once did) to answer a question from the audience about Obama's alleged use of the "race card." (He finally begins to answer it on the third camera angle ...)



Okay, I know it's impolite -- even uncivil -- to suggest that maybe, just maybe, Huggy is too old to be president. In other words, no one wants to "play the age card."

Look, folks, we're not talking here about Strom Thurmond or Robert Byrd in the Senate or Thurgood Marshall (whom I once personally saw fall asleep on the bench) on the Supreme Court. We're talking about president of the United States ... the person with the proverbial finger on the button. This is not a position -- at least not anymore -- where one can hide one's mental shortcomings, despite the fact that Reagan and Drunky McStagger did so with varying degrees of success.

I'm sorry, but I believe the presidency requires a certain mental and, yes, even physical vigor that Huggy just doesn't have. Whether that's because of his advanced age or some other physical condition, I don't know, and besides, it's not relevant -- I am sure there are 72-year-olds with energy and mental sharpness out there, just as there are infirm 47-year-olds (happy 47th birthday, Sen. Obama!). Add Huggy's notoriously short temper to his obvious infirmities and it's a real recipe for disaster. Put simply, Huggy Bear is not fit to be president.

One wonders if, when told he was speaking in Panama City, Huggy thought it would be nice to visit his birthplace again ...

Is the McCain campaign racist?

Well, they say they aren't, but security around Huggy Bear has some 'splainin' to do after an incident the other day in Tallahassee Panama City:

Tallahassee Democrat senior writer Stephen Price on Friday was singled out and asked to leave a media area at the Panama City rally of presidential candidate Sen. John McCain.

Price was among at least three other reporters, and the only black reporter, surrounding McCain's campaign bus — Gov. Charlie Crist and his fiancee, Carole Rome, were already aboard — when a member of the Arizona senator's security detail asked the reporter to identify himself. Price had shown his media credentials to enter the area.

Price showed his employee identification as well as his credentials for the Friday event.

"I explained I was with the state press, but the Secret Service man said that didn't matter and that I would have to go," Price said.

When another reporter asked why Price was being removed, she too was led out of the area. Other state reporters remained.

Okay, the campaign says that "access to the senator is tightly controlled," but what reason would they have to kick Price out (and one reporter who stood up for him) and leave the other reporters unmolested?

Huggy Bear campaign advance man Jonathan Block digs the hole deeper:

Block said the area where Price was standing was restricted to members of the traveling national press corps that accompanies McCain on the campaign trail.

"At the end of the day, your reporter was in the wrong place. I do not know why the other reporters were not moved. The rest of the local press should have been moved as well," Block said.

The campaign advance man said there were many reasons that could have prompted Price being asked to move, depending on how visible his press identification was, whether he had a bag and possibly information about McCain's movement, which could have prompted the security person to move people in one area and not in another.

"It's really like a pressure cooker with security," Block said.

Okay, let's assume for the sake of argument that the removal wasn't racist. According to Price, he had all the appropriate identification, and the security people should have and could have said that he did something potentially threatening, or that the area was restricted to national press.

But, either way, the campaign steps on its dick again. Whether it's racism or just hamhanded security, Huggy's campaign continues to show that it's one of the most unfriendly and incompetent in modern times.

It does raise the question, though: how do you think security for Huggy will be at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally tomorrow?

UPDATE (5:23 pm 8/4/08): As Jennifer reminds me in comments, the incident took place in Panama City, not Tallahassee. I've corrected that above. I knew that -- but I had Tallahassee on the brain, apparently. Apologies.

Scumbag racists in south Florida support ... Obama?

Yep, it's true ... but not for the reasons most people like Obama.

The hate website Stormfront (as before, I'm not sick enough to provide a link -- you want it, go look for it yourself) is based right here in Palm Beach County, and like many other white supremacist organizations, they've seen an increase in interest thanks to Obama's run for the White House.

Tom Prater, Florida spokesman for the white power group Euro and a member of the National Association for the Advancement of White People, says the Illinois senator's success is a boon for his cause.

"I've gotten more calls in the last two months about interest in our organizations than I got in all the years in the past," said Prater, who lives in Jacksonville.

August Kreis, national director of Aryan Nations, another white supremacist and anti-Semitic organization, agrees.

"Obama's done my group a lot of good," said Kreis, who lives in South Carolina and says he keeps a Nazi flag over his mantel. "He's polarizing Americans, black and white.

"Especially in Florida, affiliates have increased recently," Kreis said, although he did not produce membership figures.

As for [Stormfront founder and proprietor Don] Black, he did not respond to repeated phone calls, e-mails and a note left at his [West Palm Beach] home.

A neighbor said Black suffered a stroke early this month and was incapacitated. St. Mary's Medical Center confirmed that he had been a patient there recently and had been released.

Black was quoted in The Washington Post last month as being optimistic about the opportunities offered by Obama's candidacy.

"I get nonstop e-mails and private messages from new people who are mad as hell about the possibility of Obama being elected," Black said. "White people, for a long time, have thought of our government as being for us, and Obama is the best possible evidence that we've lost that. This is scaring a lot of people who maybe never considered themselves racists, and it's bringing them over to our side."

He claimed he is getting 40,000 hits per day on his Web site, an increase from previous years.

There's a lot of reason to be optimistic about Barack Obama being the next president of the United States. But let's not forget the potential impact of racism ... let alone one wild-eyed fanatical racist with a gun.

The deranged whackos certainly are out there:

Some white power leaders say that even before the rise of Obama, they were drawing more interest from certain white members of the public, given the country's immigration crisis.

As for Obama, there is a difference of opinion as to what he means for white supremacists.

"I think if he gets in there, he'll give the Congressional Black Caucus everything it wants, and it marks doom for white people in this country," said Prater of Euro. "I believe Obama's allegiance is to Africa, not to the U.S."

On the other hand, Kreis of Aryan Nations is considering voting for Obama.

"Obama could polarize the nation even more and drive a lot of people our way," he said. "But I'm waiting to see who he chooses as a vice president. If he chooses a Jew, I couldn't back him at all. That would be too much for me."

Yeah, I guess they have a First Amendment right to spew their hatred. I just hope they remain as marginalized as they increasingly have been.

Desperate wingnut compares Obama to Hitler

No, I'm not talking about Sean Hannity (although would that really surprise you?), but some asshat in small-town Ironton, Ohio. He wrote an editorial in the local fish wrap yesterday that would be hilarious if it weren't so depraved.

Basically, he says Barack Obama is the second coming of Hitler. Observe:

I’m throwing the “bogus” flag upon the presidential bid of Marxist-Socialist turned Democrat Senator from Illinois, Barack Hussein Obama.

Somewhere around 75 or so years ago, from out of nowhere a stealth politician arose.

He too sought the nomination for his nation’s highest office; refreshingly different from other politicians of the era. This Austrian born wallpaper hanger’s background is too much like our Illinois lawyer’s. Both reared in single parent households; neither brought much of a resume on the campaign trail. The one hung wallpaper the other hung “present” votes. Neither has an authentic performance record for which the electorate might judge the candidate.

Our lawyer turned Senator keeps some odd company — maybe we should pay more attention to the “community” Mr. Obama keeps as a “Community Activist.” Because the company the paper hanger kept, unfortunately, wasn’t important to the inspired masses of three-quarters of a century ago. This clean and articulate new politician was active in a community of Marx inspired Socialists.

The paper hanger, just as the lawyer, delivered wonderful, inspirational public speeches. Both spoke of the “change” and “hope” their election might bring if people would “believe in” their country. Steeped in a similar class warfare rhetoric; their speeches emphasize the rich were keeping the poor people down.

Meanwhile, energy prices were raging out of control. If the streetcar was late, you’d miss a bank deposit; so now you’ll get more warmth from burning your wheelbarrow full of bank notes than from the coal you’d purchase by the bill’s face value. “Change” would improve the transportation infrastructure.

And in both cases “change” means free health care for everyone, increased equal rights, a retirement income, guaranteed wages, unemployment benefits, free child care, and more gun control. Trains and streetcars would run on time only if their party was elected. The list went on and on. The candidate gave people “hope.” It was the kind of “change” people might “believe in.”

The author of this pathetic, disgusting, racist screed is military veteran Joseph Benning, who currently runs an "agribusiness" with his wife in Lawrence Twp., Ohio.

And the paper conveniently published Benning's e-mail address. Just saying ...

Obama's candidacy is a boon to hate groups

If ya can't beat 'em, slur and slander 'em.

That appears to be the methodology of those ubiquitous hate groups who have evolved over the past decade or so from crudely mimeographed newsletters to Internet distribution of their filth. And they're gaining strength from the candidacy of Barack Obama.

"I haven't seen this much anger in a long, long time," said Billy Roper, a 36-year-old who runs a group called White Revolution in Russellville, Ark. "Nothing has awakened normally complacent white Americans more than the prospect of America having an overtly nonwhite president."

Such groups have historically inflated their influence for self-promotion and as an intimidation technique, and they refused to provide exact membership numbers or open their meetings to a reporter. Leaders acknowledged that their numbers remain very small -- "the flat-globe society still has more people than us," Roper said. But experts said their claims reveal more than hyperbole this time.

"The truth is, we're finding an explosion in these kinds of hateful sentiments on the Net, and it's a growing problem," said Deborah Lauter, civil rights director for the Anti-Defamation League, which monitors hate group activity. "There are probably thousands of Web sites that do this now. I couldn't even tell you how many are out there because it's growing so fast."

Neo-Nazi and white power groups acknowledge that they have little ability to derail Obama's candidacy, so instead some have decided to take advantage of its potential. White-power leaders who once feared Obama's campaign have come to regard it as a recruiting tool. The groups now portray his candidacy as a vehicle to disenfranchise whites and polarize America.

In particular, Stormfront.org (no, I'm not stupid enough to link to it), which emanates from my own county, has seen an increase in traffic due to Obama's nomination.

But on a Web site run out of a house in West Palm Beach, Fla., the other side is also fighting.

Don Black spends 16 hours each day on his laptop computer reading hundreds of derogatory Obama comments posted on Stormfront.org, a Web site with the motto "white pride world wide." Black, a former Ku Klux Klan leader, launched the site in 1995 to create a central meeting place for the white power movement. In the wake of Obama's securing enough delegates for the nomination, Stormfront, he says, has begun to fulfill his vision.

A site that drew a few thousand visitors per day in 2002 has expanded into Black's full-time job, attracting more than 40,000 unique users each day who can post on 54 different message boards, he said. Black has enlisted 40 moderators and his 19-year-old son to help run Stormfront.

Posters on Stormfront complain that Obama represents the end of "white rule" and the beginning of "multiculturalism." They fear that he will promote affirmative action, support illegal immigration and help render whites, who make up two-thirds of the U.S. population, "the new minority."

"I get nonstop e-mails and private message from new people who are mad as hell about the possibility of Obama being elected," said Black, a white power activist since the 1970s. "White people, for a long time, have thought of our government as being for us, and Obama is the best possible evidence that we've lost that. This is scaring a lot of people who maybe never considered themselves racists, and it's bringing them over to our side."

With overt racists, as you see all the time with Republicans, there are "white Americans" and "black Americans" and so on ... it's so important for racists and Republicans alike to pigeonhole various peoples and groups into categories. I prefer to think of "Americans" without the adjectives, but then I'm just a DFH ...

Anyway, the racism is only going to get louder and stronger over time. Hold your ears, folks ...

Happy 200th birthday, Jefferson Davis, from the state of Florida

Welcome to Florida: home to the world's largest Confederate flag! How apropos, considering that America's Wang™ is one of only three states to celebrate Jefferson Davis' birthday as a state holiday. Davis was born on June 3, 1808 -- two hundred years ago today.

And so, in light of this momentous anniversary, I'm sure the Florida tourism office, "Visit Florida," is thrilled about the fact that the largest Confederate flag in the world soon will be flying over one of the state's busiest highway interchanges. See what happens when you turn down the Rebel license plate?

The Sons of Confederate Veterans in Tampa plan soon to raise what they claim is the world's largest Confederate flag on a private triangle of land tucked near where Interstates 75 and 4 meet. The flag [picture at right is a photoillustration of the flag as it might appear when erected] measures 50 feet by 30 feet.

John Adams, commander of the organization's Florida division, has spearheaded the flag project, which includes plans for an accompanying memorial park. And he wants to make sure that the only objections the group faces are based on opinion, not the law.

"You're going to hear some complaints about it for sure," Adams said. "But it's a free country as far as I know."

[...]

The flag will be the group's third in the state, but will be not only the largest, but will also fly square in the middle of one of the most highly-trafficked intersections in the state. An estimated 124,000 cars pass by the highway ever day. The two Interstates link the Tampa Bay area to Orlando to the northeast and Miami to the south.

The pole, which will be anchored by a 100,000-pound concrete base, is the tallest the Federal Aviation Administration would allow in that spot. The 1,500-square-foot flag was ordered from a Chinese company after an American flagmaker begged off, citing union objections to making the flag. It will be illuminated by spotlights at night.

Adams said the project, which will cost an estimated $80,000, has been going through approvals with the Hillsborough County government for more than two years. The park that accompanies the flag will feature landscaping and parking as well as plaques detailing the state's historical contributions to the Confederacy. One will even pay tribute to the small group of black soldiers who fought on the Confederacy's behalf, Adams said.

Throughout the permitting process, Adams admits he never revealed to officials that it was the Confederate flag he intended to fly atop the pole. He had no reason to, he said. "The flag is political speech so it's not like they can do anything about it," he said. "You cannot simply discriminate because the message is one you don't like."

Dude's name is John Adams. The irony, it burns.

Of course, Visit Florida also brought us the one-word racial-epithet-cum-tourism-slogan, so maybe they aren't as offended as, you know, the non-racist-fuckwad population, like Hillsborough County's only African-American commissioner, Kevin White:

White fears that drivers who might have planned a stop in Hillsborough County will drive right through when they see the massive flag. "They might have stopped for lodging or to get something to eat," White said. "Now they'll say, 'Maybe I'll just keep driving and get out of this county altogether.'"

Oh, come on, Mr. White -- think of all the mouth-breathing racist dipshits who'll flock to Tampa because of the flag! Think outside the hood, man! The possibilities are endless ...

How about a Rebelland theme park, complete with slave auction? Or maybe a county park, cleverly (if slightly inaccurately) called Nathan Bedford Forest, to honor the Confederate general who later founded the Ku Klux Klan? You could bring back "colored" restrooms! Rename Hillsborough County for David Duke! Embrace the racism! Embracism!

Ouch. That's too much sarcasm for me to handle all at once. I just hope the racist fucks crawl back into the slime from which they slithered.

(h/t Joe Bardi at The Political Whore)

Huggy Bear's America

Just grabbed this screenshot from Huggy Bear's campaign website. Notice anything about the people in the picture? Like, what nearly all of them have in common with each other?

click to embiggen

Old White Guys for McCain! (Women and people of color: you can be in the picture, just don't be particularly prominent or visible ... kthxbai)

We're not a swing state anymore

The other day we learned, without too much surprise, that Hillary Clinton would beat Huggy Bear in Florida, while Barack Obama would fall short, according to one poll.

Now we have another poll, albeit this time from the egregiously right-wing Rasmussen Reports, saying the same thing.

The new poll, which was conducted Thursday and has a 4.5 percent margin of error, shows McCain with a 53-to-38 percent lead over Obama in Florida. If Clinton is the Democratic nominee, the poll shows her edging McCain 45 percent to 44 percent in the state.

[...]

The new poll shows slippage for Obama in Florida. A month ago, Rasmussen showed McCain leading Obama by only four points in a hypothetical presidential matchup and topping Clinton by seven points.

I think it's time to dispel the notion that Florida is a swing state. I've been as convinced as anyone that Florida was going to tip the scales one way or the other in November yet again -- or that it could, anyway -- but it's becoming increasingly clear to me that there are just too many ... um ... social conservatives (I was going to use a more pejorative term, but decided against it) in the rural parts of Florida who will base their vote on skin color before any other factor.

And as it seems more and more likely that Sen. Obama will be the Democratic nominee, it seems that Florida will be red this fall. We'll have to count on other, more sensible (and presumably less racist) states like Ohio and Virginia to turn the tide.

But, in the meantime, let's stop talking about Florida as a swing state. It's not ... at least not anymore.

UPDATE (5:06 pm 4/16/08): I should clarify one point: I'm not accusing Clinton supporters of racism. Indeed, I have not endorsed either candidate; I like both of them fine, but I also have problems with both of them.

I just believe that the difference in the poll numbers between Clinton and Obama when put against Huggy Bear one-on-one shows the influence of racism that is evident in certain parts of Florida. Otherwise, I would expect Florida more closely to resemble other southern states electorally, where Obama is doing or has done better.

I'm less concerned about the poll numbers of Clinton vs. Obama than I am about the numbers with either one of them vs. Huggy Bear. I just don't see any plausible reason other than race why anyone would support Clinton if she's in the race, but would vote for Huggy if she's not.

My point ultimately is just that we're a red state.

Hate blogging, vile and disgusting

I can hardly believe what I've just read.

If you are easily offended -- hell, even if you are not easily offended -- you actually may not want to visit the blog of one of my recent commenters. The level of racist hate is ... well, words escape me. "Appalling," "putrid," and "vomitous" come to mind, but all are insufficient.

The comment is attached to the post earlier today about Rep. Geoff Davis (R-Ky.) calling Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) "boy." Here's the comment -- see what your reaction is:

Calling an adult black male "boy" is acceptable. I encourage people everywhere to resist political correctness.

As for the comment from the Senator [sic] in which he referred to a black as boy - good for him. I do it all the time, too.

By the way I look forward to the day more mainstream people refer to Obama as nigger. I've been doing it since day one of the campaign.

Lyn

I don't know about you, but my first reaction was "parody." Surely no one really could say such a thing, at least not as calmly, as matter-of-factly, as, well, articulately as Lyn did ... right?

Well, judge for yourself. What in the world makes someone think the way this person does? I mean, assuming it's genuine ... and if it's parody, I'd gratefully acknowledge it -- although I'd prefer that the writer be a little more obvious about it. Here's the writer's biography, in toto:

"I am a professional, 40-ish, university graduate with a liberal arts education. My personality and beliefs are conservative. I'm a personal financial consultant. I give advice on investments and money management."

Would you trust your money to a person whose blog states in the header, "I am White. I am Proud. I am AmeriKKKa"?

I keep going over to that blog to select excerpts to share here, but I just can't bring myself to reproduce the raw, despicable hate that permeates every post there. It just makes me ill to think that people like this are out there ... and that she's he's not alone in her his radical racism. What a sad existence she he must have ...

UPDATE (8:37 pm 4/14/08): I've changed the references to Lyn's gender; apparently Lyn is male, according to his Digg page. Unfortunately, he's also a Florida resident, from Pensacola. (h/t theodoric)

UPDATE (8:49 pm 4/14/08): Not to tar all of Pensacola with the same brush, but maybe Lyn is connected somehow to Pensacola Christian College? It would be irresponsible not to speculate ...