Who You Callin’ a N***a?!
Sorry about the blunt headline, but I had something that I had to get off of my chest this morning.
Now you might be thinking that I encountered racism this weekend and am writing about it. Not really. I’m going back, once again, to Thursday night’s Washington Township Board meeting. In addition to a nearly 70-percent raise, board member Joe Simpson, who happens to be black, dropped the n-word against RTV 6 photographer, Eldon Wheeler. My colleague Norm Cox blogged about the exchange…
…my photographer, Eldon Wheeler, attempted to place a microphone on the table. Simpson angrily told him he couldn’t do it, because there wouldn’t be enough room for his papers. Actually, there was plenty of room, to say nothing of Simpson’s apparent ignorance of things like Open Meetings laws and the media’s right to record the board’s sessions. But Eldon complied peaceably and moved the mike away from Simpson.
When the meeting was over Eldon went up to pick up his equipment and asked Simpson what his problem was with having a microphone at the table. Simpson then started yelling at him, saying, among other things, “You can’t talk to me that way!” It finally escalated to the point where Simpson screamed, “You might as well just called me a n*****!” At that point, Simpson started moving forward threateningly. Fortunately, the table was between them and two board members grabbed Simpson to restrain him. Trustee Frank Short came over to separate everyone and things somewhat calmed down.
I would like to say that I could not believe that Simpson would drop the n-word. I would like to say that, but there’s no way I’m going to. Simpson is typical of African-Americans who get caught doing something they know is wrong and have no explanation for and so they retreat behind the shield of racism while trying to use it as a sword for an attack.
I can honestly say knowing Eldon, that the n-word would be the last word in his vocabulary, if at all. He’s an old-school television photographer who is a professional. And for Simpson to drop the n-word to deflect from his own shameless and ignorant behavior is ridiculous. Which ironically is one of the definitions associated with the n-word.
I would say that Simpson should apologize for his words, but that’s asking too much. He is typical of an outdated racial mindset that wants to be treated as equals but when they get called on the carpet for their actions, hide behind racism. You can’t have it both ways, Joe. Using the n-word to draw attention away from your narcissistic-inspired 70-pay raise isn’t doing anybody any good, least of all yourself.
Now if I was mean and spiteful, I would post your unlisted private cell number here so people and voters of Washington Township could call you and express their outrage. But I won’t. I’ll let them voice their opinions here in this forum and other places.
To post your unlisted number would be acting like a n***a, and my parents raised me better than that.
November 23rd, 2008 at 10:06 am
Abdul you are a credit to your profession, your race and our community. I honestly don’t care a thing about Washington Township as I don’t live there, (the raise is stupid) but public officials should show respect to everyone and in this case they did not. Your ability to look beyond the real issue in this one case is indicative of the way you work. Admirable.
November 23rd, 2008 at 12:31 pm
To: #1
I 100% agree with you and Abdul. I would also add that we should not expect apologies because that word is just like the N word to some. I have noticed an increasing amount of militant behavior from people who must feel the ‘yes we can’ slogan gives them carte blanche reactionary language to trample on the rights of others.
November 23rd, 2008 at 12:40 pm
The behavior of the township board throughout this week has been despicable. The board members, including my own representative, voted to give themselves a pay raise, despite outrage from the public, as displayed in the heavy attendance at the meeting. Their refusal to cooperate with the media or allow the public to comment is the worst of all. Not one of the board members who voted for this was willing to comment to the media. If you voted for it, you better be able to speak for yourself. That is your duty as a public official. You are supposed to represent me and you have done anything but. I will make sure you are voted out of office in the next election, even if that means running against you.
November 23rd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
We often hear that race relations in the U.S. can only improve as we become a more inclusive and accepting society. I would add that it is a requirement that those in the minority find a way to love themselves, to be confident in who they are, so that they do not need to run behind the curtain of racism. “They” should by now be aware that as society continues to move along, clinging to outdated defense strategies only defines “their” weakness. Almost no individual achieves success without the self confidence to overcome the certainty of challenge. So, Mr. Simpson, grow up, and come out from behind your mama’s skirt.
November 23rd, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Well said. It’s days like these that give us reason to do away with the township overlords.
*sigh*
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I just dn’t get it. This is not typical of Simpson. Evidently all his buttons were pushed.
Is the reporting correct? Did the camera person not provoke Simpson?
None of this makes any sense.
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:13 pm
The Washington township board is a joke. They alone are a good reason to get rid of township government.
November 23rd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
TA,
I know the camera man personally. He’s the last person to provoke anyone. Joe is the bad in this one.
November 23rd, 2008 at 6:20 pm
What is a shame is that old Joe Simpson will likely get to keep his position, when no one seems to disagree that he’s not worthy of that job and certainly is not a public servant, rather he’s there to leach from the taxpayer.
November 23rd, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Does provocation justify it, Think Again? Perhaps you’re not as adept at judging one’s character as you would have us believe. Don’t worry. In today’s political climate, one’s character is of no value. Seeing how the Dems have elected a race-baiter to the highest office in the land, this clown Simpson will surely move up the ranks in the party . Hell, he’ll probably be the Dems’ candidate for mayor in 2010.
November 23rd, 2008 at 7:27 pm
T.A. I would vote for what Abdul has said; “Simpson is typical of African-Americans who get caught doing something they know is wrong and have no explanation for and so they retreat behind the shield of racism while trying to use it as a sword for an attack”. His predominate personality may be as you have experienced it, but it appears that when challenged, his backup personality is ugly.
November 23rd, 2008 at 7:31 pm
TA,
Eldon did nothing to provoke Joe. Joe was being a jerk and got caught. I have his cell phone number if you want to call him.
November 23rd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
To Think Again, I do not know anything about Mr. Simpson, except that he has been on the Washington Twp board for many years. I can tell you this, if there is an issue he does not like, he will rudely cut you off in a public meeting. If he is questioned about increasing property taxes and how the township should cut expenses, he will tell you to sell your house and move out of Marion County. Perhaps there is another side to Mr. Simpson, but I have not seen it in any board meeting.
November 23rd, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Thanks, Abdul. I have it. I’ll call him.
Taxpayer, yes, there IS another side. And it’s not a defense, but: he was in the minority far longer than he’s been in the majority. Republicans did a worse job, if that’s possible. I’ve attended several of their meetings over the years. He usually reacts well with taxpayers in attendance.
None of this was necessary.
November 23rd, 2008 at 9:20 pm
lol @ Abdul’s description of the Simpson outburst! I was thinking much along the same lines when I first heard of this.
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I’ve been to a few township meetings (not Washington) and for the most part these are petty people trying to be petty dictators.
November 23rd, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Given their predatory posture & hostility to the public interest; the only thing, that members of this board should do “without comment,” is resign.
November 24th, 2008 at 3:04 am
Get a grip, folks.
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The only person that dropped the N-bomb was Simpson. Quoting from the piece:
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Simpson screamed, “You might as well just called me a n*****!”
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“You MIGHT AS WELL…” is not the same as Abdul’s headliner, “Who You Callin’ a N***a?!”
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Yes, the WTB is despicable. Yes, they need to be removed. You should begin petitioning your General ASSembly rep to get something into law about a recall or impeachment — or both!!
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The PEOPLE have power in a recall; we would need to depend upon yet another government body for impeachment.
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I hearby lodge my vote of NO CONFIDENCE in the Washington Township Board, and wish the members of said board be subjected to Ostracism.
November 24th, 2008 at 3:19 am
The above posts are very germain to this subject, but there must be more. These people and their actions are merely a microcosim of the rot that exists at the local, state and federal legislatures. Can we stop this with term limits ?? I don’t know. Maybe we should require every citizen to sign up for community service amd be responsible to his neighbors, who should communicate their feelings and thoughts on a timely basis to said representative and respect his judgement. Somehow we must get back to truely honest government.
November 24th, 2008 at 4:07 am
I’ve stated that the WTB violated both the 1st Amendment to the federal Constitution, and Article 1, Section 31 of the Indiana Constitution, when they forbade We the People from speaking at the travesty vote of 20 November 2008.
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On air, I stated the above to Abdul. Abdul opined that our Constitution was more complicated than that. Hmmmm…..
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Article 1 Section 31: “No law shall restrain any of the inhabitants of the State from assembling together in a peaceable manner, to consult for their common good; nor from instructing their representatives; nor from applying to the General Assembly for redress of grievances.”
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Article 1 Section 37: “There shall be neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude, within the State, otherwise than for the punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.”
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(As an aside, a portion of the above text concerning slavery and involuntary servitude was taken from the last sentence in Article 8 of the original 1816 Indiana Constitution.)
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Both of the above sections are pretty clear to me. So, if the Constitutional command that “There shall be neither slavery..” is clear, then why isn’t the Constitutional command that “NO LAW shall restrain any of the inhabitants of the State from…instructing their representatives” equally clear???
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The Constitution of 1851 was written to be understood by the common man of that time. After all, the common man of 1851 voted to ratify the Constitution. This is distinct from the original 1816 Constitution, which was NOT presented to the electorate for ratification.
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Lawyers and politicians would have us believe that Constitutions are ‘complicated’, thus we need THEIR guidance to decipher the simple words employed within OUR organic law.
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I for one grow weary of being labeled ‘The Great Unwashed’ by lawyers and politicians.
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Article 1-31 extends its reach to ALL branches of government. Township government is a creature of the General ASSembly. If the General ASSembly is forbidden from creating a law that collides with our Constitution, then local government is also forbidden from creating such.
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Somehow, we have lost the power to eject incompetent government employees as needed. We are currently forced to await an election cycle. This is an affront to We the People (PEOPLE is now lower-case ‘people’ as of 1984).
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We need to force our General ASSembly to create laws that return to We the PEOPLE the power to ‘impeach or remove from office’ government employees who usurp our Constitution, and the will of We the PEOPLE.
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It’s — Just — That — Simple
November 24th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
If a group of civics class students were to write a summary of democracy in action based on a fieldtrip to this meeting, what would be the title of their paper?
N Word alive and well!
Racism in Washington Township?
Closed meeting within an Open meeting!
Board Bully steams after Board Meeting!
Good government or Good Grief?
Why Townships Fail
Renegade Board hijacks will of People!
“N***as, Nonsense, & No Comment”!
Race Card Players at local meeting.
Local minority decries We the People
Local Board adopts ‘Don’t ask; Don’t tell’
Black is beautiful except when in your face!
White guys can’t jump quick enough!
Township Board shows new motto: ‘Thugs are us’!
‘Me’ first politics shrouds WT Board!
November 24th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
That is typical. Now calling someone the N word is not needed. A black guy can say “you just (insert action) and that is like calling me a N”. I am glad Abdul sees this right, it is truly absurd. Simpson is a fool. And no, that is not like calling him a N, it is just calling him a fool.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Just a comment here as I was reading this story. What if Joe Simpson had rally said the N’ word. It would have been all over the newspaper and every show that airs. I hear more racism coming from the far left and the news media then anyplace else today.
November 24th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Why is Frank Short walking clean from all of this?
November 24th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
The Simpson family, as in good friends with the Bayh and O’BAnnon families.
November 24th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Silent Bob, I, too, am good friends with the Bayh and O’Bannon families. Proudly.
Wash: you ask a tough but good question. Frank got a raise. Remember: Frank always has a way out. Every single time.
David–racism coming from the far left and news media? Are you serious? Or did the two martooni lunch kick in?
Robert, I actually read your entire post. God love lithium.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Ha, TA, think for the first time. Racism comes from the far left ALL THE TIME. Open your eyes, man. The ones who preach tolerance are the most intolerant. Are you somehow not aware of the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons of the world? Did you somehow manage to miss all the NBC/MSNBC “news coverage” of the election? Race was a HUGE factor, as was the post-election coverage from the media. The constantly over-mentioned “historic” nature of the election is the best example (although Abdul is guilty here as well). If these people had truly gotten past race, it wouldn’t have been an issue. When people think of Obama as an American, and not an African-American, then those people will have actualized the words of the great Dr. King: “…not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
November 25th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Good luck. I’m somewhat optimistic that President Obama will help us leave some racial foolishness behind, but I fear only upon looking back upon his Presidency historically. I see the fourth estate staying tanked, fearing accusations akin to the WT board’s Mr. Simpson like a cattle prod. The pendulum looks to be swinging back far and Alaska ticket prices low with no easy fruit to pick like Governor Palin.
November 25th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Hmmm . . . Kenyan Ambassador Admits Obama Was Born in Kenya
By Debbie Schlussel
My friends Mark Fellhauer, Mike Wolters, and Mike Clark of Detroit’s “Mike in the Morning” show on WRIF-FM spoke with the Kenyan Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Ogego and got him to admit, matter-of-factly, that Barack Hussein Obama was, indeed, born in Kenya. He also says they plan to mark his birthplace there. This is not a fake call. These guys don’t do those. (The interview is almost 20 minutes, but the admission starts at 12:30 into the interview.) You can compare Ogego’s voice with this video of a speech he made to verify that it is, indeed, him.
Kenyan Ambassador to U.S. Peter Ogego: Yup, Obama Was Born in Kenya
Although I listen to their show most mornings, thanks to KFAQ Tulsa morning radio host Pat Campbell (on whose show I frequently appear, including this morning) for the alert. Thanks also to Bob McCarty, who also sent the tip and wrote about it.
Kenyan Ambassador Admits Obama’s Birth In Kenya?
Detroit radio talk show host Mark Fellhauer and his colleagues on WFIR’s “Mike In The Morning” believe they got Kenyan Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Ogego to matter-of-factly admit to Barack Obama’s birth in Kenya as his paternal step-grandmother Sarah Obama has claimed. Ogego tells them that plans are underway to mark Obama’s birthplace in Kenya. You can listen to their light-hearted interview with the Ambassador by clicking here. After listening to the complete interview, I’m not thoroughly convinced that Ogego fully understood the drift of the suggestive question by Fellhauer, but Fellhauer sees it differently.
Hat tip to Debbie Schlussel.
UPDATE: A Bush White House press spokesperson, Tony Fratto, declined to answer questions about Obama’s birth certificate and ended the press briefing after the question was posed. Here’s the exchange:
Q Thank you, Tony. Two questions. There’s been extensive media coverage of where the two Obama daughters will attend school. And my question: The White House believes that they should be able to attend the school their parents select without criticism because it’s private rather than public, don’t you?
MR. FRATTO: I think we support all parents making that decision.
Q Good. The CEO of WorldNetDaily has called on the President-elect to release a birth certificate listing the hospital and names of parents. The White House believes that this would fully satisfy the constitutional requirement, don’t you?
MR. FRATTO: I don’t think I have anything to say on that, Lester, and I think we’re going to end it right there.
Thank you.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Avoids Question About Obama Birth Certificate
In a press briefing this morning, Deputy White House Press Secretary Tony Fratto ended the briefing by overtly avoiding a question regarding President-elect Barack Obama’s birth certificate and demands made by the CEO of WorldNetDaily that a long-form document be released.
From the transcript (video also available at the link HERE):
And Lester, and then we’re done. Q: Thank you, Tony. Two questions. There’s been extensive media coverage of where the two Obama daughters will attend school. And my question: The White House believes that they should be able to attend the school their parents select without criticism because it’s private rather than public, don’t you? MR. FRATTO: I think we support all parents making that decision. Q: Good. The CEO of WorldNetDaily has called on the President-elect to release a birth certificate listing the hospital and names of parents. The White House believes that this would fully satisfy the constitutional requirement, don’t you? MR. FRATTO: I don’t think I have anything to say on that, Lester, and I think we’re going to end it right there. Thank you.
The question, it seems, came from Lester Kinsolving, a journalist known over the past few decades for his off-the-wall questions while working as a member of the White House press corps. Still, with the recent news that the Kenyan Ambassador “confirmed” to a radio host that Obama was born in Kenya (personally, their questioning left much to be desired, and reminded me of the classic deposition question, “So, when did you stop beating your wife,” in that it was designed to catch the guy off-guard), it seems that the story is gaining some traction.
November 25th, 2008 at 6:42 am
“Robert, I actually read your entire post. God love lithium.” — Think Again, Post 25
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Clearly, TA care nothing for our Constitution. Rather than offer constructive commentary (Uh, Robert, you are wrong, and here’s why…), (s)he speaks of lithium.
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Typical of the liberal…can’t attack the position? Well, let’s attack the person!!
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So, TA…where am I incorrect in my post #19 ??
November 25th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Well, Robert, you might wanna start with the mindset of the Indiana Constitution and its authors. When you clear your mind and let that soak in, get back to us.
Again, not a liberal here, and labels won’t do your argument much good.
November 27th, 2008 at 3:22 am
“…mindset of the Indiana Constitution and its authors.” — Think Again, Post 30
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Hmmm…”mindset of the Indiana Constitution”. As an inanimate object, I wasn’t aware the Indiana Constitution risen to the level of self-awareness.
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As for the mindset of the “authors”; what ‘evils’ do you lay at their feet? By extension, what evils are you laying at the feet of the voters that ratified the Constitution?
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Your drive-by statement again offered nothing, and really said nothing.
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Labels are good. They are descriptive. They let one know what they are dealing with.
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Labels tell us the difference between hair spray and bug spray; the difference between a tube of bath tub caulk and a tube of tooth paste.
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No Constitution is ‘perfect’, but it IS the supreme law. Don’t like a provision of the Constitution? Simply amend it, but don’t ignore it.
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Politicians, lawyers and their minions spend a lot of time thinking about ways to ‘get-around’ the Constitution. Every time they do this, they violate their oath to same.
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When you can offer something other than vague mutterings such as your drive-by at #30, get back to me.