Milwaukee Mob Attacks: Beatings, Looting (Video)

UPDATE, July 7, 2011: Response to Riverwest attack not Police Department's 'finest hour,' Flynn says
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It's taken a while for the police and the media to fully report on what happened in Milwaukee on the night of July 3rd and into the early morning hours of the 4th, but finally we're learning the extent of the crime and disorder.

At first, there was a definite effort to downplay the size of the mob and its thuggery.

Jeff Wagner writes:

Early in the morning of July 4th, a gang of approximately 50 teenagers looted a convenience store at the corner of North Avenue and Humboldt. Shortly afterwards, the mob attacked groups of people hanging out at Reservoir Park after the July 3rd fireworks.

A surveillance video shows the convenience store being looted. Televised interviews with victims of the attacks in the park confirm the wildings. Residents in the area say that the mob has been running around the Riverwest neighborhood for weeks.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary however, the Milwaukee Police Department says that reports of a "mob" are not accurate! Huh?

Chief Flynn seems to be saying: "Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes and ears"? In this case, with all due respect to Chief Flynn, I think I'll believe the photographic evidence and eyewitness accounts.

Reality eventually has forced officials to acknowledge the truth.

A mob went on a criminal rampage in Riverwest. Innocent people were victimized.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Shaina Perry remembers the punch to her face, blood streaming from a cut over her eye, her backpack with her asthma inhaler, debit card and cell phone stolen and then the laughter.

"They just said 'Oh, white girl bleeds a lot," said Perry, 22, who was attacked at Kilbourn Reservoir Park over the 4th of July holiday weekend.

Though Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn noted Tuesday that crime is color blind, he called the Sunday night looting of a convenience store near the park and beatings of a group of people who had gone to the park disturbing, outrageous and barbaric.

Police would not go quite as far as others in connecting the events; Flynn said several youths "might" be involved in both.

"We're not going to let any group of individuals terrorize or bully any of our neighborhoods," said Flynn.

Perry was among several who were injured by a mob they said beat and robbed them and threw full beer bottles while making racial taunts. The injured were white; the attackers were African-American.

Store video of the BP station at E. North Ave. and N. Humboldt Blvd. shows the business being ransacked. A clerk at BP confirmed to the Journal Sentinel that he was busy waiting on customers when one or two people held the door open to let others rush in and steal snacks and candy.

Not far away, a group of 20 to 25 friends from Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood had gathered at the park shortly before midnight to watch some fireworks set off by a neighbor. In interviews with 11 people who said they were attacked or witnessed the attack, a larger group of youths appeared in another section of the park around midnight and were joined by more young people running up the park's stairs.

At some point the group of friends and the group of youths intersected; those interviewed said the attack appeared to be unprovoked.

"I saw people dancing and I figured they were just having a good time," said Jessica Bublitz, 28, who lives in Riverwest.

Minutes later Bublitz saw a male friend hit in the temple and fall down. Her fiancée told her to run to safety. James Zajackowski, 28, said things suddenly turned chaotic.

"Within 30 seconds to a minute, bottles were flying and people started getting punched. I was in shock. I thought 'Really? Is this really happening?' I was on the ground, people were trying to get into my pockets, I could feel their hands but I held on to my cell phone and my wallet," said Zajackowski, a census worker.

Emily Mowrer, 27, was not hurt but saw her friends beaten and punched and full beer bottles thrown at them. Her boyfriend was punched. She saw Perry lying down with blood on her face, not moving. She called 911 on her cell phone.

"I saw some of my friends on the ground getting beat pretty severely. They got away with one of my friend's bikes. Some people had their wallets stolen," said Mowrer, who owns a house with her boyfriend in Riverwest. "It didn't seem like it was a mugging - it seemed like an attack. Like they weren't after anything - just violence."

Good Lord!

Racial slurs?

Whites were beaten by blacks in totally unprovoked assaults.

"They just said 'Oh, white girl bleeds a lot.'"

These are hate crimes.

Calling Al Sharpton... Calling Jesse Jackson...

Crickets.

The police should not have misled the public as they originally did.

The public deserves to know the truth.

Perry needed three stitches to close a cut above her eye. She said she saw a friend getting kicked and when she walked up to ask what was happening a man punched her in the face.

"I heard laughing as they were beating everybody up. They were eating chips like it was a picnic," said Perry, a restaurant cashier. "All I remember is seeing bright lights (after the punch), then my backpack was gone and blood was spurting out of my head."

A police spokeswoman on Monday said police received no reports of mobs of people committing crimes in the Riverwest area other than the reports of two armed robberies.

At the Tuesday press conference, Flynn attempted to defuse reports that mobs of youth were running through the Riverwest neighborhood attacking citizens. However, he did admit that those responsible for the BP store looting and attacks at Kilbourn Reservoir Park had mob-like characteristics.

"Clearly we had mob-like behavior in the incidents involving the robberies at Reservoir Park as well as the ransacking of the BP station….Certainly we had elements of mob-like behavior that challenged us on July 3," said Flynn.

This wasn't "mob-like behavior." It was mob behavior.

Thugs terrorized innocents. There was a racial element in the attacks.

This is very troubling:

Most of the 11 people who told the Journal Sentinel they were attacked or witnessed the attacks on their friends said that police did not take their complaints seriously. They each said police responded to the scene very quickly and tended to the injured but officers did not take statements from them and told them to leave the area.

"You've got 20 plus people giving eyewitness accounts. I'm very surprised that they said it wasn't a mob," said Mowrer.

Lange said he told a police officer about the beatings but noticed the officer didn't write anything down or note his name. Bublitz tried to tell an officer that her three-speed bicycle had been stolen and that one of her friends was hurt but said the officer told her he was looking for evidence.

"About 20 of us stayed to give statements and make sure everyone was accounted for. The police wouldn't listen to us, they wouldn't take our names or statements. They told us to leave. It was completely infuriating," Bublitz said.

The police want cooperation from the public.

When victims are treated like this by officers, the police aren't doing what's necessary to build a good relationship with the community. They aren't doing their jobs, protecting the public.

I would have been horrified if I or a family member or a friend had been beaten and robbed and the crimes were dismissed by the police.

If the accounts by victims are accurate, the behavior of the police must be considered inexcusable, a dereliction of duty.

There are a number of issues that need to be addressed here.

---The thugs need to be apprehended and punished. At present, they are in control. Order must be restored.

---City officials must reassure the public that they will be protected and this criminal activity will not be tolerated.

---The police need to explain what the attempt to downplay the thugs' crimes was about.

---The police need to explain why they didn't take the victims' complaints seriously.

Here's raw video of Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn's news conference on the chaos, the rash of robberies and beatings, that took place after the July 3rd fireworks.

 

FOX 6 News has posted still photos of people from the Riverwest BP surveillance video here.

Help Milwaukee Police identify the people in these photos taken from gas station surveillance cameras. This gas station was looted by a mob of teenagers on July 3rd in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood. If you see someone you know, police want you to contact them at 414-933-4444. [These are people of interest NOT suspects]

I really hope decent people identify the individuals in these photos and contact police to give them the information they need to bring the thugs involved in the crimes to justice.

More video, from FOX 6 News:

 

 

Did the police try to cover up what happened because city officials didn't want to scare away visitors to Milwaukee?

Was there concern that reports of such random and such extreme lawlessness would hurt Summerfest and other events in the city?

I want to know why the public was kept in the dark about the attacks. It was an utterly irresponsible decision.

Who made the decision to mislead?
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UPDATE: Flynn defends police response to Riverwest beatings

Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn dismissed accusations Wednesday that police tried to cover up or minimize the looting of a BP store near Reservoir Park and several beatings associated with robberies in the city's Riverwest neighborhood Sunday.

Police simply weren't fully informed when they responded to media inquiries Monday about the incidents, which led police to deny mob-like activity, he said.

"We were wrong," Flynn told reporters Wednesday. "There were reports that were filed that night… There was not an intent to do anything nefarious… I had the data. I didn't have the details. Nobody had reported it as a separate report."

Flynn said he and others in the department looked Monday at an online log of police activity in the neighborhood near the park. The log indicated there were three robberies but didn't include a mention of the beatings or mob-like behavior.

"Our initial reaction was 'OK, we had a series of robberies. We don't have any reports of mob-like activity.'" Flynn said.

...The full police reports include details about other crimes that happened at the time of the robberies, Flynn said. Once he and others read that information, they passed it along to the media, he said.

"It wasn't an attempt to downplay or minimize or deny the concern about what we ultimately learned," Flynn said.

Police Capt. Patrick Mitchell said Wednesday that police have reports from five victims in the incidents.

Flynn added Wednesday that the first priority for police at the scene of the beating Sunday had not been to make arrests, but to disperse the crowd and tend to victims.

"The priority is moving people along and treating the wounded," he said.

Making arrests would have taken much-needed police officers off the streets and away from the areas where they were needed, he said.

Nearly a dozen readers complained to the Journal Sentinel that officers didn't take reports, or took incomplete reports, from them after beatings. Flynn indicated the officers were outnumbered and didn't have time to get every detail from each person who approached them. He encouraged people who have additional details to contact district 5 at 935-7253.

"It's certainly plausible we missed victims," he said. "We have competing priorities. I'd love to have the details."

Flynn said he understands some victims might have been frustrated, but said officers did take reports of the robberies.

"I understand the frustration of some people who were involved . . . The situation wasn't as smooth and as calm as every victim might have liked," he said in an interview Wednesday on WTMJ-AM (620). "I do know by the end of that evening we made three separate robbery arrests. We did follow proper protocol in terms of having the reports done and the investigation commenced that night."

The chief said more witnesses had come forward since media published photos and video of the looting of the BP station.

OK.

So, Flynn says there wasn't any cover-up, nothing nefarious about the department's initial denial of the "mob" activity.

It was just incompetence apparently.

That's reassuring, isn't it?

Regarding the racial component:

[Flynn] also said it was important to challenge commentary in some blogs and reader comments on news stories that emphasize the race of the victims and suspects.

"We can't allow this activity to divide this community because ultimately, it's this community standing together that will identify these individuals and ultimately bring them to justice."

Facts are facts.

Yesterday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:

Perry was among several who were injured by a mob they said beat and robbed them and threw full beer bottles while making racial taunts. The injured were white; the attackers were African-American.

"The injured were white; the attackers were African-American."

Today, that sentence has been slightly altered:

"The injured people were white; the attackers were African-American, witnesses said."

So the facts become a little diluted. "Witnesses" claim the attackers were African-American.

The Journal Sentinel is no longer declaring that to be the case.

It should be noted that the racial element wasn't something conjured up by bloggers or commenters on online news articles, at least in the case of the Journal Sentinel.

That media outlet put out the racial information in a very clear manner in yesterday's report. There were no qualifiers.

Victims were white. Attackers were black. Period.

The Journal Sentinel should take responsibility for the information it relays to the public.

Flynn should acknowledge that the media cited the racial component.

(Flynn does admit that JSOnline brought up race in its reporting. Listen to Flynn address the matter, 620 WTMJ.)

I don't understand why stating someone's race divides the community.

There are responsible, law-abiding people and there are thugs.

Their skin color isn't the issue. Public safety is the issue.

However, let's not apply a double standard. If, as victims report, there were racial taunts during the beatings, it's wrong to dismiss that.

It certainly wouldn't be dismissed if the victims were black and the attackers were white.

Let's deal with the reality of the situation and not soften the hard facts.

We have to know the truth to solve the problem.

Obama's Win and Race

During the coverage of the Iowa caucuses last night, there was a common thread. Reporters, commentators, and pundits played up the angle that Barack Obama's win was historic.

That's true enough; but the suggestion that it was a stunning turn events, that it's surprising that whites in Iowa didn't hesitate to support black Obama because of his race, is insulting.

WASHINGTON -- Democrat Barack Obama has put to rest the question of whether a black presidential candidate can win in white America.

His victory in 95 percent white Iowa proved that he could appeal across racial lines and even draw women away from Hillary Rodham Clinton despite her push for them to make her the first female president. Next he'll try to build on his record in New Hampshire, which is 96 percent white.

Obama did not appeal so openly to make history as the first black to occupy the Oval Office; he rarely mentioned that he was black.

"You've got to have hope if you are a black man named Obama running for the presidency of the United States of America," Obama said during a late-night campaign stop two days before the caucus. It was one of his rare mentions of what he had to overcome.

Obama's candidacy has been dogged by questions about whether he'd be electable against a Republican. Pressed on that during a campaign stop in New Hampshire over the summer, Obama said his race would be an asset because it would bring blacks to the polls in record numbers and give the Democrats victories in Southern states that have been voting Republican for decades.

"I'm probably the only candidate who, having won the nomination, can actually redraw the political map," Obama said at the time. "I guarantee you African-American turnout, if I'm the nominee, goes up 30 percent around the country, minimum. Young people's percentage of the vote goes up 25-30 percent. So we're in a position to put states in play that haven't been in play since LBJ."

Lyndon Baines Johnson ran for president in 1964 and won in a landslide. But since then the South has turned into a Republican stronghold.

Obama's prediction about black voter turnout can't be tested in Iowa or New Hampshire, but young voters did come to the polls in larger numbers.

...Rev. Jesse Jackson took note that "this is the 40th year since the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Tonight he would proud of Barack, proud of Iowa and proud of America."

Democratic consultant Jamal Simmons said Obama's victory "proves that America is changing when it comes to race and politics."

"Winning in Iowa is not winning the nomination, but is very significant," Simmons said. "Tonight Barack Obama has made it more true that every black child in America can do whatever they want to if they work hard for it — really."

What's with this time warp stuff?

Americans voting for black candidates is not a new phenomenon.

No one should be surprised that Iowans aren't racist. Iowa Dems chose the candidate they liked. That's as it should be. This wasn't a battle of the races.

I think it's kind of weird that political observers commend Iowans for ignoring Obama's race while Obama himself claims that he can redraw the political map because of his race.

Obama says, "I guarantee you African-American turnout, if I'm the nominee, goes up 30 percent around the country, minimum."

So, Obama promises that more blacks will turn out to vote simply because they'll want to vote for a black man.

He believes the color of his skin can bring the Dems success in the 2008 election? That's incredibly superficial. It's racist.

If Iowans rejected Obama solely because of his race, that would have rightly been considered wrong.

Shouldn't it be considered wrong to support Obama solely because of his race?

Is Obama running to be a black president or to be an American president?
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More.

A More Nuanced Look at the Jena Six

Associated Press writer Todd Lewan offers a fair and balanced report on the Jena Six.

It defuses the emotions fueling the protests of the National Day of Action this past week with facts.

JENA, La. -- It's got all the elements of a Delta blues ballad from the days of Jim Crow: hangman's nooses dangling from a shade tree; a mysterious fire in the night; swift deliberations by a condemning, all-white jury.

And drawn by this story, which evokes the worst of a nightmarish past, they came by the thousands this past week to Jena, La. — to demand justice, to show strength, to beat back the forces of racism as did their parents and grandparents.

But there are many in Jena who say the tale of the "Jena Six" — the black teenagers who were charged with attempted murder and conspiracy for attacking a white classmate at Jena High School last December — is not as simple as all that.

Black and white, they say that in its repeated retelling — enhanced by omissions and alterations of fact — the story has taken on a life of its own. It has transformed a school-yard stomping into an international cause celebre, and those accused of participating in it into what one major Southern daily came to describe as "latter-day Scottsboro Boys."

And they say that while their town's race relations are not unblemished, this is not the cauldron of bigotry that has been depicted.

To Ben Reid, 61, who set down roots in Jena in 1957 and lived here throughout the civil rights era, "this whole thing ain't no downright, racial affair."

Reid, who is black, presently serves on the LaSalle Parish council. He reads the papers. He hears the talk outside of church on Sundays about how the Jena Six business is dividing his hometown down racial lines.

He doesn't buy it.

"You have good people here and bad people here, on both sides. This thing has been blown out of proportion. What we ought to do is sit down and talk this thing out, 'cause once all is said and done and you media folks leave, we're the ones who're going to have to live here."

Todd Lewan explains that the story of the Jena Six is not as black and white as the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and the lib media would have you believe.

Consider:

_The so-called "white tree" at Jena High, often reported to be the domain of only white students, was nothing of the sort, according to teachers and school administrators; students of all races, they say, congregated under it at one time or another.

_Two nooses — not three — were found dangling from the tree. Beyond being offensive to blacks, the nooses were cut down because black and white students "were playing with them, pulling on them, jump-swinging from them, and putting their heads through them," according to a black teacher who witnessed the scene.

_There was no connection between the September noose incident and December attack, according to Donald Washington, an attorney for the U.S. Justice Department in western Louisiana, who investigated claims that these events might be race-related hate crimes.

_The three youths accused of hanging the nooses were not suspended for just three days — they were isolated at an alternative school for about a month, and then given an in-school suspension for two weeks.

_The six-member jury that convicted Bell was, indeed, all white. However, only one in 10 people in LaSalle Parish is African American, and though black residents were selected randomly by computer and summoned for jury selection, none showed up.

The protesters and the media have not emphasized these points.

Most townsfolk, [Billy Wayne Fowler, a white school-board member,] says, interpreted the events of last year pretty much the same way — that a small minority of troublemakers, both black and white, got out of hand, and that the responses from authorities weren't always on the mark.

The boys who hung the nooses "probably should have been expelled," Fowler says, and the murder charges brought against the black teenagers were "too harsh, too severe."

Tommy Farris, 27, an oil driller, and his wife, Nikki, 29, a registered nurse, concur — to a point. "Those boys should have expelled," says Nikki, who is white. "It was no innocent prank. I think those boys knew what they were starting by hanging those nooses from a tree."

Tommy, who is black, agrees. But free the Jena Six?

"That's not going to happen," he says, adding that he thinks the black teenagers are being given a fair chance to defend themselves against the charges.

Johnny Wilkinson, 44, a platform officer on an oil rig, and his wife, Karen, a 47-year-old director of nurses at the local hospital, are, like many couples in town, wrestling with that question of fairness.

The noose hanging was wrong, say the Wilkinsons, who are white, and the boys who did it should have been more severely punished.

Still, "They knocked that boy out cold and were stomping on him," Johnny says. "They might have killed him. I believe punishment would have been measured the same way if it had been the opposite way around and six whites had attacked a black kid."

I agree with these residents of Jena. All involved deserve to be held accountable for their actions. They all are entitled to equal and appropriate treatment under the law.

I think it's wrong to distort facts to fit an agenda, and that's what seems to be happening in this case.

The "Free the Jena Six" movement became a circus, a carnival with funhouse mirrors.

That's unfortunate. Such distortions do a disservice to the real racial struggles of the past and the present.

Liberty and justice for all. Not liberty and justice for whites. Not liberty and justice for blacks.

Liberty and justice for all.

Sean Penn and Hugo Chavez

American radical Lefties and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad adore Hugo Chavez. They're drawn to him like a magnet or like a moth to a flame.

They absolutely love the guy. I think they love him because they love socialism. They're kindred spirits.

Also, they love the way Chavez rips Bush. Ahmadinejad pals around with Chavez because he relates to his hatred for the American president. I think he follows that Arabian proverb -- The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Here's Hugo with some of his buddies:


Danny Glover and Hugo are joined at the hip. (Where might their other hands be?)


Hugo considers Jesse Jackson to be a representative of the American government. Jesse thinks he is.


Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo feel the love.


Cindy Sheehan and Hugo get cozy.


Hugo and Harry Belafonte sing "The Banana Boat Song."

Chavez can add a new friend to his list of rich and famous (or washed up and irrelevant) allies -- diplomat/ journalist/ activist Sean Penn.

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has praised Sean Penn for his critical stance against the war in Iraq, saying the two chatted by phone and soon plan to meet in person.

(Note: They met at Miraflores Palace in Caracas on Thursday, August 2.)

Chavez said Penn traveled to Venezuela this week wanting to learn more about the situation in the country and walked around some of Caracas' poor barrios on his own.

"Welcome to Venezuela, Mr. Penn. What drives him is consciousness, the search for new paths," Chavez said Wednesday in a televised speech. "He's one of the greatest opponents of the Iraq invasion."

Chavez read aloud from a recent open letter by Penn to President Bush in which the actor condemned the Iraq war and called for Bush to be impeached, saying the president along with Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are "villainously and criminally obscene people."

The socialist president, who shares those views, said he and Penn talked by phone — "with my bad English but we understood each other more or less."

Isn't that sweet?

There are no language barriers when it comes to speaking the language of hate for Bush, Cheney, and Rice.

Look at the pictures above. I think Chavez needs to work with a stylist. All those red shirts are so boring. I'm sure he wears red for the symbolic reason but he really should try something more flattering. Perhaps some earth tones, or at least a softer shade of red.

I wouldn't say that Penn is doing an impression of Hanoi Jane cavorting with the enemy, but it's not good to hang out with Chavez.

Chavez is an idiot. He acts like a child. He's like a schoolyard bully, with his name-calling and taunts.

Some examples:

"You are a donkey, Mr. Bush. You're an alcoholic Mr. Danger, or rather, you're a drunkard."

"The U.S. empire is defeated in Iraq, they just don't want to admit it. Mr. Donkey thought they were going to be received as heroes."

"The imperialist, genocidal, fascist attitude of the U.S. president has no limits. I think Hitler would be like a suckling baby next to George W. Bush."

Very nice.

Like it or not, Bush was elected President of the United States. He is the duly elected leader of the country.

As an American, (and as far as I know Penn still is an American), it's a mistake for him to legitimize someone like Chavez.

Going to Venezuela to denounce his own government in such a public fashion and with such fanfare is disgraceful.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Hollywood star Sean Penn applauded President Hugo Chavez as the Venezuelan leader lambasted the Bush administration and demanded an end to war in Iraq.


Hugo gives Sean Penn some pointers.

Chavez met privately with Penn for two hours Thursday, praising the actor as "brave" for urging Americans to impeach President Bush.

"In the name of the peoples of the world, President Bush, withdraw the troops from Iraq. Enough already with so much genocide," Chavez said before an auditorium packed with his red-clad supporters.

Penn sat near the front, at times applauding and nodding in agreement. He is the latest in a series of celebrities who have visited Caracas, including actor Danny Glover and singer Harry Belafonte.

Chavez said he and Penn discussed the question of "why the (U.S.) empire attacks Chavez so much," saying Venezuela's oil wealth is a key reason.

He also said Washington is "afraid that the people of the United States will learn the real truth" about the situation in Venezuela, citing his social programs for the poor.

"If the people of the United States, those millions and millions of poor people ... if that nation realizes what is truly happening here, there would be a revolution in the United States," Chavez said, eliciting applause from Penn.

Some possible explanations for Penn's behavior:

1. Penn is too stupid to realize that he's being exploited by Chavez.

2. Penn is stupid enough to allow himself to be used by Chavez, earning himself the nickname "Caracas Sean."

3. Penn is suffering from full-blown Bush Derangement Syndrome.

(As defined by Charles Krauthammer -- Bush Derangement Syndrome is the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency -- nay -- the very existence of George W. Bush.

4. Penn is simply a media whore, like so many of Hugo's other buddies and Hugo himself.

Alone, Penn is nothing more than an irrelevant nut.

The thing is he's not alone. He is representative of many like-minded nuts out there working to weaken the country.

Penn is serving his ego, but he's doing a disservice to the United States.



Hugo flips the bird.

Racist, Threatening Signs at UWM

Will Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton be swooping in to Milwaukee soon?

No.

Although there's an obvious racial element to this story, the intended victims are white.

WITI-TV, MILWAUKEE -- Threatening signs left at UW-Milwaukee bus stops have students and administrators concerned.

The signs threaten white, female UWM students saying "if you disrespect a black man on the number 30 bus you will get hurt and killed like Joe Munz." Munz is the UW-Milwaukee student robbed and killed last fall while delivering subs for Jimmy Johns.

UWM Administrator Tom Luljak says the signs were discovered sunday at three bus stops and removed immediately by campus police. He says several campus officers have been assigned to investigate the threats. Luljak tells Fox 6, "We are determined to find out what's behind it. Because in this day and age, certainly post Virginia Tech, we don't take anything lightly that would suggest that there could be a threat against our students."

Campus police are said to have several leads.

I wonder if Michael McGee the elder was spotted in the area.

The flyers sound like his work.

After all, he promised to get "naughty." McGee Jr. is still behind bars. Plus, he was forced to appear in court at his bail hearing yesterday wearing a jailhouse orange jumpsuit rather than civilian clothes.

I do feel sorry for the family and friends of Joe Munz. They've suffered such a horrible loss. For some jerk or jerks to use his name in a threat like this has to add to their pain.



This is certain: If the signs threatened to kill black women rather than white women, the national media would be all over this story.

Local race-baiter Eugene Kane would be drooling. He might be interviewing some imaginary miscreants again and publishing their words.

If black women were targeted, the signs might also be used by thugs as an excuse to pull innocent Milwaukee motorists from their cars and beat them Marcus Chisolm-style.

But since it's white women being threatened, this isn't a really big deal.

Racism: Abusers, Victims, and Apologies

Racism has been front and center as the nation debated issues of free speech and censorship, exploitation and empowerment, victimhood and responsibility.

There was so much finger-pointing. There were so many accusations, so many apologies, accepted and refused.

As the dust begins to settle a bit from the Don Imus controversy and the total exoneration of the Duke lacrosse players, it should be clear to everyone paying attention that some people have a vested interest in defining America as a racist, hostile place.

They promote victimhood. If you're not white, you're a victim. If you are white, you should feel guilty either for being an oppressor or for sharing the same skin color as the oppressors.

In The Washington Post today, Joe R. Hicks explains how destructive the victimhood mentality is, using Imus and the Duke case to illustrate his point.

Hicks writes:

What remains of the once-proud civil rights movement justifies its existence by contending -- despite widespread progress -- that black people continue to live marginalized and victimized lives. This oft-repeated theme was the base for the ugly stew that was the reaction to Imus's slur, and it was the operating theme for Nifong as he set about attempting to ruin the lives of three innocent men.

...The pattern of racial opportunism was well established by the time Imus offered his unsolicited comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team -- a team that recently competed in the NCAA championship game.

...Predictably -- like vultures awaiting the latest roadkill -- civil rights leaders began to clamor for Imus to be fired. To hell with sorry! The National Association of Black Journalists (I hate to be a pest, but shouldn't a group representing journalists take an objective stance?), along with Jackson, Sharpton and other black figures, turned aside Imus's repeated apologies. Protests were organized nationwide, often in front of CBS and NBC offices, and Imus took the risky step of appearing on Sharpton's radio show to ask forgiveness again, all for naught.

There is something surreal about someone like Imus prostrating himself before the likes of Jackson and Sharpton to save his job. The widespread assumption in corporate America is that these civil rights figures are "leaders" of the nation's black population. In reality, they have assumed this role through self-appointment and self-promotion.

...So, we are confronted with the specter of individuals who have little in the way of moral credibility, and have themselves made bigoted public comments (Jackson called New York "Hymietown" and Sharpton referred to Jews as "diamond merchants"), now presenting themselves as arbiters of public morality and good taste in broadcasting.

...This is more than just a double standard; it is an agenda of racial opportunism that promotes the view that blacks are powerless victims of white racism. In this view, blacks are always in need of government intervention to save them from white hostility.

This is the view that Nifong exploited in his narrow quest for political survival.

...As he prepared to run for reelection as Durham County district attorney last year, his victory was no sure thing. What elevated him from the pack of contenders was his aggressive stand on a developing case that was tailor-made for his purpose. An "exotic dancer" had said that she was raped after performing at a party thrown by members of the Duke lacrosse team. Because she is black and the three young men ultimately charged are white, the case soon became one of "racial justice." That, at least, was the view of the Durham County black community, which Nifong and the civil rights establishment soon exploited.

...[G]uilt for this attempted railroading must also be borne by the "progressive" political elements within the Duke University community who called for a full-speed-ahead prosecution -- damn the evidence.

...This strategy worked; he was reelected.

Hicks concludes that nothing constructive comes from playing the race card.

He believes that "figures such as Jackson and Sharpton, among others of their ilk, are dinosaurs fighting only to maintain a patina of relevance."

As comedian Bill Cosby has observed: "There are people that want you to remain in a hole, and they rejoice in your hopelessness because they have jobs mismanaging you. However, your job is not becoming victims. We have to rise up and fight on all levels to succeed."

Contrast Hicks' call to reject the racial opportunists and their promotion of perpetual victimhood with Eugene Kane's rationalization of the abuse of the three Duke lacrosse players.

Kane writes:

Walter Farrell, former professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has been a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for several years. In a phone conversation last week, he compared the dynamics surrounding the Duke rape case to his memories of Milwaukee.

Farrell, who lives in neighboring Chapel Hill, said he felt the case was an example of both class and race issues in the Durham community coming to a head.

"Blacks have no power (in Durham), similar to what's happening in Milwaukee," he said. "The only thing they do have impact on is elections."

That's important because the local district attorney, Mike Nifong, was the man who filed charges against the lacrosse players. He's also the guy now being accused of being a rogue prosecutor who pandered to the black community in Durham by bringing charges even as questions about the case lingered.

"It was very politicized," said Farrell, who noted Nifong was in the midst of a contested race for district attorney. "When he got the case, he violated a lot of procedures. He didn't turn over all the evidence."

Farrell said Jackson and Sharpton did come to Durham to show support for the accuser, but he placed most of the blame on Nifong.

"The guy went against the political leadership down here," Farrell said. "The legal community was behind his opponent, so he catered to the black vote."

Farrell said the context of the case had been distorted with mishandling by all parties. Although the three players were exonerated, he noted that other nagging issues remained, included reports of athletes using the N-word during the party and a threatening e-mail about the stripper party that had been largely ignored.

Farrell also questioned the swift resolution of the case.

"If the accuser lied under oath to the grand jury, why isn't she being charged?" he said.

Farrell and Kane buy into the blacks as victims mindset.

The rich and powerful whites are guilty of abuse, whether it's a prosecutor bent on winning an election or college guys at fault for having a stripper at a party and allegedly using racial slurs.

The point is this: "Blacks have no power."

Kane even attempts to throw doubt on the players' innocence.

At no time does he suggest that the stripper, Crystal Gail Mangum, bears any personal responsibility whatsoever for falsely crying RAPE.

That's a major omission.

In fact, he blames the students, a classic example of blaming the victim.

...The Duke lacrosse players might be innocent of rape, but a team that throws a party with strippers and sex toys can't be totally absolved of bad behavior or poor decision-making.

In many ways, they put themselves in a bad situation by attending the party.

If Mangum had been raped at the party, would Kane blame her for putting herself in a bad situation by working as a stripper?

No way.

In order of culpability from the powers that be, I think apologies should come from Nifong, the Durham criminal justice system, the media that rushed to judgment and from Duke University itself, which canceled the lacrosse team's season and suspended the players without due process. (A statement from Nifong did include an apology to the three Duke athletes.)

If the accuser's story was suspect from the beginning, that should have been addressed by the initial investigation.

It might feel better for some to blame Jesse and Al - or all black people - because they're still angry about the way Imus blew it. But, like Farrell, I think the most of the blame in the Duke case should be directed at the powerful forces in that community who dictated what happened to the students. And like it or not, questions still remain.

"I still think something happened," Farrell said. "But in the end it got so contaminated, it's hard to tell what the truth is."

There is no question that Nifong is at fault for groundlessly bringing charges of rape against Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann, and David Evans.

Equally groundless is the notion that the stripper Mangum is guiltless, and Sharpton and Jackson have a positive impact on the African American community and the country in general.

Nonetheless, Kane, Farrell, and the proponents of victimhood still want to believe that the three white students were the victimizers rather than the victims of an out of control prosecutor, a lying and possibly mentally ill woman, and a black community eager to assume the role of being helplessly and hopelessly abused by white America.

Tonight on 60 Minutes, North Carolina Attorney General Roy A. Cooper speaks out. Finnerty, Seligmann, and Evans also speak for the first time since all charges against them were dropped.

Cooper blasts Nifong.

He says contradictions in the accuser’s earlier statements clearly indicated that an attack never occurred, but neither Nifong nor his staff challenged her. "We don’t think that any of these tough questions were asked of her," says Cooper. What’s more, says Cooper, the accuser’s story continued to change as his investigators talked to her. "We started out knowing we had a problem…and the way it turned out, it was much worse than we thought." Cooper’s team also thought she was possibly inebriated. "Our investigative team who was to meet her that day believed that she was under the influence of something."

Among the new stories the accuser told was a fantastic account of the rape in which she contradicts the account she gave Nifong that led to him dropping rape charges back in December. "She was suspended in mid air and was being assaulted by all three of them in the bathroom," Cooper recalls the accuser saying. "And I’ve been in that bathroom and it was very difficult for me to see how that could have occurred." Cooper’s investigators were shocked by the situation. "A number of them said to me, 'I've never seen anything like this.' It was amazing how she could continue to tell different stories."

...Cooper says he used the word "innocent" to describe the three young men "because it wasn't a situation where it was just insufficient evidence… because what had gone on for so long was a tragedy. It should never have happened."

Why is it that Sharpton and Jackson and Kane and Farrell won't admit the reality that these white students were victimized by race baiting opportunists?

Could it be because they're race baiting opportunists?

It's shameful.

Imus: CBS Blinks

OUR LONG NATIONAL NIGHTMARE IS OVER!

Don Imus is off the air.

NBC and CBS didn't just give Imus the axe; they put him through the wood chipper.

It didn't take long for both networks to fold under pressure from their liberal brethren.

(Before I continue, I have to qualify my comments.

I think Imus' remark about the women of the Rutgers basketball team was racist, offensive, inappropriate, ugly, wrong, etc. I'm not excusing his behavior in any way. I'm not in Imus' corner.)

Imus was fired for what he said. That's the prerogative of his employers. I have no problem with that.

However, I am uncomfortable with the circus of his dismissal.

This has really been a bizarre episode, a made-for-TV, 24 hour news cycle, runaway train.

From The New York Times:

CBS brought a weeklong confrontation over a racial and sexual insult by the radio host Don Imus to an end yesterday when it canceled the “Imus in the Morning” program, effective immediately.

The move came a day after the cable television network MSNBC, a General Electric unit that has simulcast Mr. Imus’s radio program for the last 10 years, removed the show from its morning lineup. The two moves, taken together, mean that Mr. Imus, who has been broadcasting the program for more than 30 years, no longer has a home on either national radio or television.

It is possible, though, that he could re-emerge on satellite radio.

Mr. Imus received the news at home in a telephone call. Many of his listeners learned of it during the afternoon radio show “Mike and the Mad Dog,” which announced it on WFAN, the CBS-owned New York station that also carried Mr. Imus’s program.

How dramatic!

Imus was at home when the dreaded phone call came.

The Times can do better than that. We need more details.

What was Imus wearing when he heard the news?

The CBS chief executive, Leslie Moonves, met yesterday afternoon with the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, leaders in what became a national movement to remove Mr. Imus from the air in the wake of his comments disparaging members of the Rutgers women’s basketball team. On April 4, Mr. Imus referred on the air to the Rutgers athletes as “nappy-headed hos.”

Both CBS and MSNBC had been under pressure from black leaders and women’s groups, then advertisers began abandoning the Imus program and its networks this week, pulling out the financial underpinnings from the show.

In a statement, Mr. Moonves said: “Those who have spoken with us the last few days represent people of good will from all segments of our society — all races, economic groups, men and women alike. In our meetings with concerned groups, there has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society.”

He went on to say, “That consideration has weighed most heavily on our minds as we made our decision, as have the many e-mails, phone calls and personal discussions we have had with our colleagues across the CBS Corporation and our many other constituencies.”

What the best-dressed disgruntled radio personalities are wearing

Les Moonves really is a joke.

His statement is such a load!

Since when did CBS start caring about "the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society"?

It's been a relatively recent development, like within the last 48 hours.

I don't like the way these network executives are betraying Imus.

They promoted him. They profited from him. They used him to push their on-air personalities.

Same goes for all the elected officials that suddenly have decided that Imus is unfit to be in their presence.

Moonves' comments on the effect of racist language on young people are so hypocritical.

Suddenly, he's developed a social conscience?

I don't think so.

The CBS decision came hours before Mr. Imus and the Rutgers basketball team met at the New Jersey governor’s mansion in Princeton. The Rutgers group at the meeting included some parents, university adminstrators, and the Rev. DeForest Soaries of the First Baptist Church in Somerset, N.J., where the Rutgers head coach, C. Vivian Stringer, is a parishioner.

At 10:50 p.m., after three hours, Mr. Imus left without commenting. The Rutgers group stayed about an hour longer. Ms. Stringer spoke for the group before leaving.

“It was a very productive meeting,” she said. “Players, coaches, parents, administrators, the pastor, and Mr. Imus were able to really dialogue. I’m extremely proud of our 10 young basketball players.”

Asked if Mr. Imus apologized, Ms. Stringer declined to answer. “We’ve said as much as we can say tonight.”

Good grief.

What is this? The Camp David Accords?

Was Jimmy Carter at the meeting? Does anyone know?

Again, Imus said something extremely offensive. He certainly should apologize and be held accountable. If his employers think firing him is a proper response, fine. Whatever.

I just think this incident has ballooned into an absolute farce.

I think it's frightening that NBC and CBS are willing to kowtow to the likes of anti-Semitic Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

When did they become the arbiters of decency?

I'm not too comfortable with Sharpton and Jackson being able to snap their fingers and get networks and their sponsors to buckle.

I'm reminded of all the libs who demonized John Ashcroft as the worst threat to our civil liberties since George III.

Are Sharpton and Jackson guardians of our civil liberties?

I don't see them in that role.

Let me say again, I'm totally against the degrading discourse of Imus.

But, I'm also against punishment meted out unfairly.

Clean up the airwaves. That's fine with me.

Step one would be targeting the radio stations and cable stations that give air time to "artists" that use racist and sexist lyrics in their songs and imagery in their videos.

I know that's been said frequently the past couple of days, but it's a valid point.

If we're taking out the trash, let's take out ALL the trash.

Something else that bothers me about the Imus incident is what some with the Rutgers team are saying.

Thursday, Oprah Winfrey had the team as her guests.

I didn't see the show. That's right. I don't watch Oprah. And I didn't watch or listen to Imus.

I did read this quote from basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer in a report mentioning the team's Oprah appearance:

"Not only did he steal our dreams, he hurt our character of Rutgers University, our state, and all who have been associated," Stringer said on the show.

Really?

Imus stole their dreams?

How can that be?

I honestly don't get it.

I understand how painful his words would have been. They were cruel and degrading and hateful.

I do not accept the premise that Imus did irreparable damage to the players, Rutgers University, the state of New Jersey, and everyone associated.

More than anything else, Imus' racist remark was SELF-destructive.

Time to get a grip.

Send Lawyers, Guns, and Jesse Jackson

This is not a good day for Cynthia McKinney.

WASHINGTON -- Capitol Hill police on Monday asked a federal prosecutor to approve an arrest warrant for Rep. Cynthia McKinney for her role in a scuffle with a police officer last week, the prosecutor's office confirmed.

Capitol Police had no immediate comment so it's not yet known whether the intent is to file felony or misdemeanor assault charges against McKinney, a DeKalb County Democrat.

...Also Monday, black preachers, elected officials and activists in Atlanta cited McKinney's recent run-in with Capitol police as an example of racial profiling and called what happened to her disrespectful.

Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta, along with members of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, announced their continued support for the sixth-term congresswoman at a morning meeting.

Supporters say the incident has been blown out of proportion and politicized. Her treatment, they added, was excessive and shows that black elected officials aren't immune to problems of double standards and racial profiling other African-Americans face.

"Racial profiling is a well thought out and planned attack on black political leaders," state Rep. Alberta Abdul-Salaam said Monday. "It's going from the gold dome down to the White House. It's happening and it's wrong."

RACIAL PROFILING?

Rep. Alberta Abdul-Salaam is accusing the police force that protects her of being engaged in a calculated effort to assault the rights of Americans.

Let's be honest. That's nuts.

The issue is McKinney refused to follow the security process and assaulted an officer. She considers herself above the law.

The Capitol Police have the punching incident on tape.

I'm sure that they carefully examined the tape and thoroughly investigated the altercation before going to the federal prosecutor to request an arrest warrant.

They wouldn't pursue the matter if there wasn't clear evidence that McKinney acted inappropriately.

It was less than two months ago when the Capitol Police backed down and apologized to Cindy Sheehan for removing her from the Capitol building during President Bush's State of the Union address. Clearly, the police charged with securing the nation's Capitol do not want to be perceived as trigger happy.

That leads me to conclude that there is irrefutable proof that McKinney was at fault.

Perhaps McKinney is finally going to be held accountable for her habit of striking officers.

I certainly don't expect much from McKinney, but it's very unfortunate that she has been successful in assembling a band of willing accomplices to promote excusing the inexcusable.

It's a shame that McKinney switched gears from her original apologetic position for the incident to a rabid attack on the Capitol Police.

It's a disgrace.

McKinney crying wolf here diminishes every legitimate claim of racism and sexism.

Her behavior is not befitting a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

If an arrest warrant is issued, I look forward to McKinney's mug shot.

I wonder if she would smile the way Tom DeLay did.

Louis Farrakhan and Pat Robertson

At a Charlotte, North Carolina, event to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Louis Farrakhan revealed the truth about the flooding in New Orleans.

It wasn't the result of a lack of federal funding to shore up the levees. It wasn't the evil Bush administration's failure to sign the Kyoto Protocol or to insist on mandatory CO2 caps.

FARRAKHAN SUGGESTS THAT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION PLANTED BOMBS TO BLOW HOLES IN THE LEVEES IN ORDER TO TARGET POOR BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS FOR DESTRUCTION.

Captainsquartersblog.com quotes Farrakhan:

"I heard from a very reliable source who saw a 25 foot deep crater under the levee breach. It may have been blown up to destroy the black part of town and keep the white part dry."

Remember when the press and the Dems demanded that the White House distance itself from Pat Robertson's remarks about assassinating Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez?

Where is the press clamoring for the Democrats to apologize for Farrakhan's comments?

Jesse Jackson ran down to Venezuela to address its National Assembly and condemned the U.S. government for Robertson's idiotic statement.

He called for President Bush to give "a swift rejection" of Robertson's idea.

"It must be unequivocally clear that such a heinous act is not desirable nor designed nor planned. We must use power to reduce tensions, reduce the rhetoric of our threats," Jackson said.

Jackson went on, "It was such a repugnant, immoral, illegal statement."

Although I had a problem with Jesse Jackson issuing orders to the President, and particularly because he was on foreign soil at the time, I agreed with Jackson's condemnation of Robertson's comments.

I found Robertson's statement calling for the assassination of Hugo Chavez to be repugnant and immoral. However, I did not find it necessary for Bush to answer for the ramblings of Robertson.

But, since Jackson believes that the administration is responsible for the remarks of a private citizen, I would assume that Jackson also believes the Democrats should be held accountable for Farrakhan's offensive statements.

Surely, Jackson must see the need for the Democratic Party to be unequivocally clear in its rejection of Farrakhan's comments.

Democrats must be held responsible for what Farrakhan said. The press should demand that they explain where they stand on his suggestion that the U.S. government could be behind such a heinous act as intentionally blowing up the levees to damage black areas of New Orleans.

Do the Dems buy into Farrakhan's theory?

In Venezuela, Jackson said, "We must use power to reduce tensions."

OK, let's hear it.

Let's hear black leaders, in the public and private sectors, condemn Farrahkan for his theory that the Bush administration wanted to cause flooding to make blacks in New Orleans suffer.

Since Bush and Rumsfeld and the Republican Party had to apologize and distance themselves from Robertson, I think it's consistent to expect apologies from the Democrats for Farrakhan's hateful, race-baiting theory.

Jackson should follow his own advice when it comes to reducing tensions and get in front of a camera and condemn Farrahkan, unequivocally.

He should, but he won't.

Jesse Rides Again!

Jesse Jackson addresses Venezuela's National Assembly.

Just when I think there is no stunt that Jesse Jackson could pull that would surprise me, he takes it up a notch and manages to amaze.

THE GUY WENT TO VENEZUELA TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR HUGO CHAVEZ!

Jackson addressed the Venezuelan National Assembly on Sunday. What is Jackson doing???

The BBC calls Jackson's visit a "propaganda coup" for Chavez.

Rev Jackson urged US authorities to take action against Mr Robertson's statements.

"We must choose a civilized policy of rational conversation," he told reporters during his three-day visit to speak at a ceremony.

Rev Jackson later met and shook hands with Mr Chavez during the Venezuelan leader's weekly radio and television programme, the Associated Press reports.

Mr Jackson's visit is a propaganda coup for the Venezuelan president, says the BBC's Justin Webb in Caracas.

Mr Chavez is likely to use the reverend's presence to demand that the White House apologise for Mr Robertson's remarks, our correspondent adds.

I still contend that the White House is not responsible for Robertson's stupid comments.

Donald Rumsfeld or Condoleezza Rice didn't recommend that Chavez be assassinated. The administration has made it clear that political assassination is against the law and is not U.S. policy.

Why should the White House apologize for something as ludicrous as Robertson's statements?

The administration has repeatedly made its position known. Case closed, right?

Wrong.

So, why is Jackson down in Venezuela acting as if he's an American government official and brokering an accord between the countries?

The way I see it--Jesse Jackson is addicted to media attention, much like John McCain. It's a sickness.

No doubt, Jackson was desperate for some press. He probably figured that if he went down to Crawford, Cindy Sheehan would overshadow him, so that was crossed off his list. Venezuela was open. Yeah, that's the ticket. Next thing you know, Jackson is addressing the Venezuelan National Assembly, useful idiot-style.

Unbelievable.

Naturally, Aljazeera picked up on this story.


Hugo Chavez and Jesse Jackson

Addressing the Venezuelan National Assembly on Sunday, Jackson called for the US Justice Department to investigate the statement by famous evangelist Pat Robertson, who last Monday said of Chavez: "I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it."

Jackson, on a three-day visit to Venezuela to meet Chavez, politicians and community leaders, also called on US President George Bush to express "a swift rejection" of Robertson's statement.

"It must be unequivocally clear that such a heinous act is not desirable nor designed nor planned. We must use power to reduce tensions, reduce the rhetoric of our threats," Jackson said.

"It was such a repugnant, immoral, illegal statement," he said.

...US officials last week distanced themselves from Robertson's comments.

This is completely insane!

Robertson is a fool. Not surprisingly, he said something ridiculous.

He is not a member of the Bush administration. He is not an elected official. He does not make U.S. policy. He's the host of the 700 Club.

An appropriate reaction would be for his sponsors to pull their ads, resulting in the cancellation of the program. Robertson would lose his forum.

What does Jackson expect to accomplish by going to Venezuela and talking to Chavez? I guess he didn't think that organizing one of his trademark boycotts would get noticed in this summer of Cindy.

This is just another in a line of recent non-scandal scandals, created by the media, special interest groups, and PR firms.

Robertson is accountable for his words. The Bush administration is not responsible for what Robertson says.

The liberal media once again expose the double standard they employ.

For example, at the time of Bill Clinton's "troubles," Alec Balwin made some incredibly reckless remarks. During a 1998 appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Baldwin said that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde should be stoned to death and his family killed.

Baldwin ranted:

"If we were living in another country, what we, all of us together, would go down to Washington and stone Henry Hyde to death, stone him to death, stone him to death! Then we would go to their house and we'd kill the family, kill the children."

I don't recall Jackson demanding that the Clinton administration apologize for Baldwin's "repugnant, immoral, illegal statement."

It's absolutely crazy for Jackson to be supporting Fidel Castro's buddy, Hugo Chavez. It's even crazier for him to suggest that the U.S. Justice Department should investigate Robertson's comments.

I have an idea. Jesse Jackson and Jimmy Carter should plan a trip together--Dictator Tour '05. They could join forces to undermine the Bush administration.

Rev. Jesse L. (Liar?) Jackson

Is there anyone out there that can honestly defend the NAACP as a nonpartisan organization?

At its national convention in Milwaukee this week, speakers have served up some of the most partisan and outright loony remarks that the Left has to offer.

On Tuesday, Jesse Jackson addressed the gathering.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, his outrageous rhetoric repeatedly brought the audience to its feet and was greeted with thunderous applause.

In his trademark poetic style, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. blew into Milwaukee Tuesday warning NAACP attendees of the "chilly winds" of social injustices that are creeping up to turn back civil rights gains made over the last 40 years.

"We meet today in the face of unusually chilly winds when 20 senators wrapped in faith symbols and moral values, wearing Jesus clothes, cannot show contrition by voting to apologize for the Senate's historic failure to oppose lynching," said Jackson, during a surprise visit to the convention.

"It is a chilly wind when the head of another country - Vicente Fox - can make a demeaning statement about Americans, and then seek to justify demeaning racial stereotypes and caricatures in the postage stamp," Jackson said...

"There is this urban chill of first-class jails for profit and second-class schools, marked by a jail drug culture that is destroying families and taking away voters," he told attendees.

...Jackson also paid homage to Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon Johnson. "Under their leadership, and the tremendous legal work of the NAACP and Thurgood Marshall, the laws of Jim Crow - a creature of the Supreme Court in 1896 - came tumbling down."

But, he said, the gains King and Johnson achieved more than 40 years ago are now under attack.

"The glorious vision of the war on poverty has shifted to a war of choice in Iraq and a war on the poor," Jackson said. "The war in Iraq is costing lives, money and honor. We are shooting ourselves into global isolation, built upon lies and deception. A war without moral foundation can have no good outcome. Yet, our sons and daughters, for whom we have such love and such high regard, are caught up in this madness."

..."Will the court follow the tradition of the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education Court and strike down racial segregation and inequality and uphold civil rights, or will it turn its back?" asked Jackson. "That is why we must do everything in our power to fight for an independent, fair Supreme Court that upholds the constitution, and prevent Bush from stacking our courts with right wing ideologues who define the laws of our lands for the next 40 years."

Something that the Journal Sentinel apparently deemed just too ridiculous to report was this statement delivered by Jackson:

"We won the last two elections, but we lost the count."

Jesse Jackson is one of the highest profile African-American leaders in this country; yet he chooses to use his position to spew lies and spread fear.

Hey! Rev. Jackson! I don't know what "chilly winds" you're talking about.

NO ONE INTENDS TO TURN BACK THE CLOCK ON CIVIL RIGHTS. THE GAINS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING AND LYNDON JOHNSON ARE NOT UNDER ATTACK.

To suggest that the Republican agenda includes an assault on voting rights is wrong.

To preach the message that African-Americans "won the last two elections, but lost the count" not only implies that the presidency of George W. Bush is illegitimate; but it also assumes that no African-Americans voted for President Bush or support his policies.

It is unfortunate that Jackson used his address to divide and deride rather than to encourage and inspire.

Vicente Fox

I'd say some diversity training is in order.

Last Friday, while addressing a group of Texas businessmen meeting in Puerto Vallarta, Mexican President Vicente Fox said: "There's no doubt that Mexican men and women - full of dignity, willpower and a capacity for work - are doing the work that not even blacks want to do in the United States."

That statement might even make former Ku Klux Klansman Sen. Robert Byrd cringe.

Although Fox was under pressure to apologize for his comments, he repeatedly refused. In spite of firm criticism from the U.S., Fox showed his stubborn side and would not offer any regrets for what he said, claiming he was being misinterpreted.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher called Fox's comments "a very insensitive and inappropriate way to phrase this. We would hope that they would clarify the remarks if they have a chance."

There was no backing down by the Mexican president until later on Monday, after phone calls with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

From AP:

"The president regretted any hurt feelings his statements may have caused," the Foreign Relations Department said in a press statement. "He expressed the great respect he and his administration has for the African-American community in the United States."

Jackson told Fox that he was sure the president had no racist intent, and suggested the two meet to discuss joint strategies between blacks and immigrant groups in the United States, Aguilar said.

Fox agreed to set up a visit to Mexico by Jackson, Sharpton and a group of American black leaders.

Despite Fox's latest comment, many Mexicans - stung by a new U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants - didn't see the remark as offensive. Blackface comedy is still considered funny here and many people hand out nicknames based on skin color.

...The issue reflected Fox's growing frustration with U.S. immigration policy and deteriorating relations between the two nations.

The Mexican government was expected to send a diplomatic letter to the United States on Monday protesting recent measures that include requiring states to verify that people who apply for a driver's license are in the country legally, making it harder for migrants to gain amnesty, and overriding environmental laws to build a barrier along the California border with Mexico.

The measures have been widely criticized in Mexico, where residents increasingly see the United States as adopting anti-migrant policies.
__________________________________

It appears there is a cultural clash here. Apparently, the U.S. and Mexico have very different standards of what is considered racist and what constitutes unacceptable racially charged language.

It's hard to imagine Blackface comedy being performed to appreciative audiences just south of the border.

Jesse Jackson certainly cut Fox a lot of slack. Al Sharpton characterized his conversation with Fox as a "step in the right direction." He said, "If in fact what he expressed to me on the phone was so, then he needs to demonstrate that those statements, one, do not reflect how he feels; and two, he needs to formally apologize."

I assume Jackson and Sharpton are in a forgiving mood due to the obvious cultural differences that complicate this situation. They certainly wouldn't show such patience for an American president or any elected official making comments like Fox, unless that individual was a Democrat or a liberal with lots of money to pour into their coffers.

At least Fox finally agreed to back off from his offensive racial remarks. That much is good. However, the Mexican government's plan to send a diplomatic letter to the U.S., registering complaints about our "anti-migrant" policy, is not good. It's utterly ridiculous.

Illegal aliens are not citizens. If Mexicans wish to become Americans by legal means, nothing is stopping them. For Fox and his government to suggest that we are at fault for not allowing Mexicans to violate our immigration laws is completely backward.

The U.S. must secure its borders. It is vital to our homeland security and to protect the American people from the very real terrorist threat.

If Fox has a problem with that, maybe he should focus his energy on bettering Mexico's economy, instead of whining about the U.S. not doing enough for his people.

NOW the Liberals Begin to Speak Out

Ralph Nader has joined Jesse Jackson and Joe Lieberman in denouncing the slow-motion execution of Terri Schiavo.

WASHINGTON, March 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader and Wesley J. Smith, author of the award winning book "Culture of Death: The Assault on Medical Ethics in America" call upon the Florida Courts, Governor Jeb Bush and concerned citizens to take any legal action available to let Terri Schiavo live.

"A profound injustice is being inflicted on Terri Schiavo," Nader and Smith asserted today. "Worse, this slow death by dehydration is being imposed upon her under the color of law, in proceedings in which every benefit of the doubt-and there are many doubts in this case-has been given to her death, rather than her continued life."

Among the many injustices in this case, Nader and Smith point to the following:

The courts not only are refusing her tube feeding, but have ordered that no attempts be made to provide her water or food by mouth. Terri swallows her own saliva. Spoon feeding is not medical treatment. "This outrageous order proves that the courts are not merely permitting medical treatment to be withheld, it has ordered her to be made dead," Nader and Smith assert.

The medical and rehabilitation experts are split on whether Terri is in a persistent vegetative state or whether Terri can be improved with therapy. There is only one way to know for sure- permit the therapy. That is the only way to resolve all doubts.

The court is imposing process over justice. After the first trial in this case, much evidence has been produced that should allow for a new trial-which was the point of the hasty federal legislation. If this were a death penalty case, this evidence would demand reconsideration. Yet, an innocent disabled woman is receiving less justice.

The federal and state governments are spending billions on what we are told will become miracle medical cures for people with all sorts of degenerative conditions, including brain damage. If this is so, why not permit Terri's parents and siblings who want to care for her do so in the hope that such cures are discovered?

Benefits of doubts should be given to life, not hastened death. This case is rife with doubt. Justice demands that Terri be permitted to live.

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One wonders if it would have made a difference if voices from the left would have spoken sooner.

If only these individuals had come out in Terri's defense so passionately twelve days ago, it's conceivable that state legislation in Florida would have passed.

Had they acknowledged the injustice earlier, would Terri be at the point she is right now?

I'm heartened to hear them condemning this barbarism. Nevertheless, I'm left to question why they have chosen this late stage in Terri's saga to demand justice.

Conscience, perhaps?

Jesse Jackson

Source: Blogs for Terri

Jesse Jackson to Visit Hospice and Meet with Schindlers

On Tuesday morning, March 29, The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., founder and president of the RainbowPUSH Coalition, plans to visit the Woodside Hospice, where Terri lives, located at 6774 102nd Avenue N. (near 66th Street N and 102nd Avenue N) in Pinellas Park, Florida.

Rev. Jackson is responding to an invitation from the Schindler family to come and pray with the family, and if possible visit Terri Schiavo in the hospice.

After meeting and praying with the Schindler family, Rev. Jackson will make a statement to the press.
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Frequently, I have pointed out that Jesse Jackson is very selective with his outrage and gets involved with causes that push a liberal agenda, ignoring other instances of injustice.

I've charged him with self-promotion when he cites grievances, making statements to the media, injecting himself into whatever the case of supposed discrimination or wrongdoing may be for purely personal advancement.

It would follow that I would again complain about another high profile visit by Jackson, in this case to Woodside Hospice.

I won't. Is that because he’s acting in accordance with my beliefs regarding Terri’s situation? No. It’s because this time Jackson is not blindly shilling for the Democrats.

I admire him for honoring the Schindlers' request to visit, particularly because Terri's right to life runs counter to the Democrats' pro-death platform.

It appears that Jackson sees the court-sanctioned crime that is occurring and is not hesitating to speak out against this travesty, even at the risk of alienating his political allies.

I greatly respect him for that.