A story has been circulating around about the pro-tem mayor of Atwater, California. Gary Frago (R) has gained his fifteen minutes of fame by being outed for a set of racist e-mails he sent out about the Obamas. If you have not read this story yet, please visit Electronic Village and check out the post. (link)
Gary has got jokes. They are openly racist and he didn't find them to be offensive. Now that his story is the news, Gary would like to apologize. He has had an aha! moment. At age 63, he didn't realize that the content of the e-mails lacked sensitivity towards African Americans. At least this is what he would like for us to believe. I am not buying it!
I am real tired of this particular trend. While people are up in arms over Pat Buchanan's remarks, at least he has the mental balls to stand up and say what is on his mind. It is the people like Gary that really make me angry! Because they are okay with being an undercover racist. But when they get called out for it-then they want to add insult to the injury by claiming that they didn't know. It would seem that there is a portion of the GOP that is stuck on stupid. Especially when it comes to the subject of racism.
I cannot help but wonder if they were all living in caves during the Jim Crow Era and The Civil Rights Movement? Because there is just no-way that any American over the age of 50 can claim that they don't know what is considered racist. Having a Can't Remember Shyt Moment isn't going to work in this particular case.
All I want to say to Gary Frago is this:
We recognize that you are sorry. That was obvious by the content of your e-mails about Barack and Michelle Obama. Only a small minded individual would think those jokes were funny and not offensive. Until your story reached the public eye, you really didn't have a problem with the content of those e-mails. You didn't mind sending them-you just mind that we know about them.
Now you want to apologize. You'd like us to believe that you lacked the level of awareness about the offensive nature of the content. Really? If this was honestly true then the jokes would not have struck you as funny. Or were you acting on the assumption that the people you sent the e-mails to would be smart enough to catch the joke? Or are they equally unaware of the racist nature of the jokes?
What would old school racist like Strom Thurmond and George Wallace think about you? Those good old boys were never intimidated when confronted about their attitudes. They said what they meant and meant what they said. Now here you come along trying to act like it is 1959 without the mental balls to hold your position.
Instead of being sorry Gary, why not try to be yourself? Just admit that you are a racist. Confession is good for the soul. It would be sooo refreshing to hear someone like you admit what is true. It is obvious that you feel your base would support this admission. (Minus the person who sent the e-mails to the paper.) When you sent the e-mails you were pretty sure that the people who received them would be okay with the content. Or are they just like you? Too afraid to be known for their beliefs or just too content to remain undercover.
So, what will it be Gary? Will you continue to hide behind the lame excuse of ignorance? Or will you step up and be the man that you honestly are?
I suspect that you'll end up being just another political eunuch of the GOP.
4 comments:
As I have stated previously, it is a good time for these good ol' boys to lead, yet the choose to follow.
I keep hearing that they are simply playing to their base. They are performing for the racists back home. And I understand these racists back home are perhaps threatened by the changes of late. But if the leaders would stand up and embrace that change, then their base would too. But they choose to continue their racists rants. In fact, it is a minority within their base who are appalled and who attempt to call them on it.
But little by little, their facade is crumbling. Little by little they find themselves on the outside looking in. And instead of recognizing their problem, the choose to lash out.
You are so right, Twin about Thurmond and Wallace. They NEVER would have apologized when confronted. In some strange kind of way you have to appreciate that. At least they were being honest with how they felt.
I am so tired of these folks saying ish like "I didn't know", "I didn't mean to offend anybody", "it was just a joke". Been hearing this kind of crap for far too long!
Is it "Fargo" or "Frago"? I'm not going to bother to look up the correct spelling and that should be a sign to what's-his-face that he is insignificant. And perhaps that's what scares him. He knows he's insignificant.
I'm not for them hiding themselves either, Deborah. Let me see you, white sheet and all.
He's an idiot too. "Reformed and paralyzed" Wallace would have known not to be caught saying that on tape or in a letter.
If Thurmond had said it, he would have done it on camera, bared his teeth, and let the rest of the old-school racists know he was still standing with them. And let's not leave out Jesse Helms.
It's only been in the last few years that folks have started expecting apologies from Dems or Republicans for this crap, and the GOP only recently started pressuring their racists to apologize from what I can see. Before that they liked being associated with the stand for white as right crowd. It brought in the vote and kept them in power.
"another political eunuch" Hah! Excellent.
At some point and time these undercover racists will be brought to justice with more than just a slap on the wrist because it's obvious that they cause a lot of damage to those they target.
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