When the townsfolk demand I resign
For a statement I’ve owned up as mine
For my honest opinions
Of Hussein and his minions
That I uttered out loud
(I’m not sorry—I’m proud!
See, the man makes me sick
So I turn him off quick
Cos he’s all that I see
when I turn on TV)
I respectfully, strongly, decline
I’m not racist—he met my criteria!
For Benghazi, for health care, for Syria!
The list is much bigger,
So, yes, he’s a n****r
It’s not that he’s black
So call off your attack!
I’ve said all I will say—
Take those cameras away
Why, you media leech—
It’s my right to free speech
It’s what separates US from Siberia!
All this fuss, when it’s only a word!
“F*****g n****r”, she claims that she heard
Yes, some people abuse it,
But no, how I use it
It isn’t his skin
But the content within
And each time I use it
I carefully choose it
And the trivial fact
All my targets are black?
Me? Racist? The thought is absurd!
A few days ago, NPR’s Code Switch blog made the argument that racism is “part of the mix” when it comes to hatred of Obama. As predictable as mayflies, commenters swarmed both to support and to deny the assertion (protip: never read the comments!).
Now, news out of New Hampshire (video at link, well worth watching)–a Wolfeboro police commissioner, Robert Copeland, accused of calling Obama a “f*****g n****r”, admits it (in writing), saying “For this, I do not apologize — he meets and exceeds my criteria for such.” (Sarah Palermo’s article at the Concord Monitor has the most thorough version of the backstory I have seen so far.)
Remember how politicians fled from Cliven Bundy when he talked about “the Negro”? Yeah, not so much in Wolfeboro, so far. Though a hundred or so citizens showed up to protest, fellow commissioners defended Copeland. From the Concord Monitor:
Copeland and another commissioner, Ron Goodgame, did not return calls seeking comment last night. But commission Chairman Joseph Balboni said he has no plans to ask Copeland to resign.
“I think it’s crazy. Bob is a very nice person, and he’s been very generous to the town of Wolfeboro,” Balboni said.
“He’s worked with a lot of blacks in his life. . . . He said some harsh words about Mr. Obama, and here we are. This woman, she’s blowing it all out of proportion.”
(note–even his defenders know this is a racial slur; “meets and exceeds my criteria for such” is a thin attempt to pretend it is not.)
And don’t get me started on the comments (protip: NEVER READ THE COMMENTS!!!), expecially at the WMUR story and at the Union MisLeader (the Monitor comments, unbelievably, are about how well-written Palermo’s story is). “Free Speech!” “Mark Twain used the word!” “‘N****r’ isn’t racist any more, because reasons”, “Bush got called things too!”, “thought police!”… but also, “I call that N-word an N-word all the time”, birther tropes, and more.
Copeland unapologetically admitted his words, and for some reason seems to think that the fact that he is not covering up somehow makes it all right. We ought to be filled with admiration for someone who stands up for what he believes like Copeland does.
No, not “admiration”, so much as “disgust”.
***Update***
The story has now hit CNN. So, while there is no additional information in the story, we now have a much larger population of commenters. You can guess the result, and you’d be right. (once again, protip: NEVER READ THE COMMENTS!!!)
During the formative years of the Tea Party, which coincidentally was right after Obama was elected the first time, this one acquaintance, who went kind of off the deep right-wing end during that election cycle, would send me these spam emails like this:
“We should inundate the White House with emails demanding that he stop desecrating his office and keep his feet off of our furniture.”
“Desecrating” not only the Resolute Desk, but his entire OFFICE! Horrors! I feel an extreme attack of the vapors coming on!!
And notice how it’s *OUR* White House, not *HIS*? We, the WHITE people of the United States – go ahead, fill in the rest. That’s patriotism!!
Example: http://www.teaparty.org/does-seeing-president-obamas-foot-on-the-oval-office-desk-make-your-blood-boil-28018/
There are pictures of (white) Presidents Ford and GW Bush with THEIR feet on the desk, but it’s only a problem when OBAMA is doing it. And the repeated references to “manners” and to OUR WHITE HOUSE are troublesome – it’s that word “White”. He’s uppity – THAT’s the problem. We all know about uppity n******s.
And THERE it is!! The sour grapes are sour! Yes, it was a big mistake, because now, them black folks will think they’ve got some right or something to think THEY can participate in society and politics in a meaningful way! How crazy is THAT?? At least they acknowledge that he’s a “man” O_O
No, it’s not YOUR desk, stupid! You aren’t even allowed into the room – remember??
* – various places around the blogosphere
Of COURSE President Obama meets the n****r criteria – he’s got dark skin, don’t he? He’s colored, ain’t he?
And who said MidEastern norms and taboos about feet and footwear wouldn’t come in handy someday??
“Why do we need to change it because some Black man in our White House doesn’t want Free Speech! God Bless Everyone! Amen!”
‘Nuff said?
“Mark Twain used the word!”
Deliberately putting it in Jim’s mouth to show how one of the noblest characters in a book is mistreated for no reason. I sure wish Twain could return from the dead long enough to comment on the topic; it’d be a literary reaming of the finest sort.
There ought to be a flow chart: “Can I use this word?”
“are you Mark Twain?” Yes? ok
No? stfu.
But. Michelle Malkin said there is no racism in America! Oh, and that, by the way, liberals are the racists!