Sandy Gholston
Eugene “Bull” Connor would have been proud of some of the language being used by Tea Party protesters fighting against health care reform.
Tea Party protesters, using racist and homophobic language to attack men like Rep. John Lewis (pictured) and Rep. Barney Frank (among others), went on an attack that was regretfully reminiscent of the Jim Crow era in the United States of America (a chapter many in this country thought was long gone). Rep. Lewis was called a “nigger” by members of the crowd while Rep. Frank was called a “faggot” by Tea Party protesters. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver was spat on by a protester. Sadly, this was 2010 and not 1910. This was not 1957 when the Little Rock Nine were attacked as they did their part to desegregate Little Rock Central High School (where they were viciously confronted by racist protesters). This was 2010 with a distinguished civil rights leader like Rep. Lewis treated in a way that was a chilling and painful reminder of the hatred of the Jim Crow era.
Here is an excerpt from a Huffington Post story:
A staffer for Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told reporters that Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) had been spat on by a protestor. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a hero of the civil rights movement, was called a ‘ni–er.’ And Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) was called a “faggot,” as protestors shouted at him with deliberately lisp-y screams. Frank, approached in the halls after the president’s speech, shrugged off the incident.
But Clyburn was downright incredulous, saying he had not witnessed such treatment since he was leading civil rights protests in South Carolina in the 1960s.
“It was absolutely shocking to me,” Clyburn said, in response to a question from the Huffington Post. “Last Monday, this past Monday, I stayed home to meet on the campus of Claflin University where fifty years ago as of last Monday… I led the first demonstrations in South Carolina, the sit ins… And quite frankly I heard some things today I have not heard since that day. I heard people saying things that I have not heard since March 15, 1960 when I was marching to try and get off the back of the bus.”
This is sadly indicative of the hatred coming from some on the far right who have simply come unhinged since the election of President Obama, the first black man to be elected president of the United States of America.
Rep. Lewis had this to say about the racial slurs he was subjected to after leaving a health care reform meeting on Capitol Hill.
Civil rights icon and veteran Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, said anti-health care bill protesters Saturday repeatedly yelled the “N” word at him as he left a heath care meeting and walked to the Capitol.
“I haven’t seen heard anything like this in more than 40 years, maybe 45.” Lewis said. “Since the march from Selma to Montgomery really.”
“Yeah, but it’s okay,” Lewis added. “I’ve faced this before. So, it reminded me of the 60′s. There’s a lot of downright hate and anger and people are just being downright mean.”
Rep. Lewis truly is a civil rights icon who has fought for justice before and will continue the fight. I doubt it was accidental that these Tea Party people went after him knowing what he represents as far as civil rights. That is what makes it all the more disturbing.
It’s a shame more conservatives (some have been forced to) are not stepping forward to condemn these kinds of racist attacks.
UPDATE: For those of you who wonder why I am always so critical of RNC Chairman Michael Steele, this is a good example. Appearing on Meet the Press, Steele referred to protesters who made racist and homophobic statements as: “a handful of people who just got stupid.” That is disgracefully inadequate on the part of Michael Steele, but I doubt it is the first time he has been thought of as inadequate.
I know it would be racist for me to call Steele an “uncle”…
If he were a real man, he would loudly, strongly, condemn these people. Not just because he’s an African-American, but because he’s an American!
You democrats do know that $100,000 was offered for any video or audio to back up these assertions.
None were forthcoming.
What we have is another hysterical effort by democrats.
This diverts attention since democrats are not able to actually discuss and debate their agenda.
The democrat agenda is simple – take from the productive and give to democrats.
How about if Andrew Breitbart offers $100,000 for anyone who can show video proof that George Washington was president of the United States. Since there is no video then that must mean Washington was not president.
yeah, I would love to have sex with animals!!! rawrrrrr!!!
It’s a lie, never happened, there were dozens of cameras filming from every possible angle, the three I saw online, showed them from the time they exited the building, to the end of their hoping like all Hell to provoke a response. They deliberately waded into the thickest part of the crowd with their staff holding up their cells to record what they alleged, and they never used that media to prove anything.
The CBC is the hardest leftwing progressive group in the Congress, did any leftwinger think they were doing this to say Hi?
When it never happened as they’d hoped, with zero proof but the word of men whored out to the DNC… they made the charge anyway, and the democrats grabbed it like Jackson the bloody shirt, all to smear your political opposition. An utterly contemptible act so cynical in it’s dishonesty and playing to bigoted liberal stereotypes, of course the black democrat base believes it,.. they’ve gotten nothing but used by the democrats for 50 years, and have crumbling neighborhoods, failing schools and out of control single mom epidemic and the destruction of the black American family in every urban enclave the democrats control….
But at least your leadership is getting rich..
The issues that Black America has with poverty and education will never change, till you hold your own party accountable for screwing you..
But, no… you snap too like a bunch of trained soldiers whenever somebody in your leadership lies to you and claims.. hey! That republican just called me the N word!..
When are you going to learn how badly you’re being played?
When will them not having a shred of proof matter? The party of Jim Crowe was the democrats, the party which used the Klan as it’s enforcement arm, the democrats,. the party which voted over 60% for the 64 Civil Rights Act?
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“House Debate and Passage
The House of Representatives debated the bill for nine days and rejected nearly one hundred amendments designed to weaken the bill before passing H.R .7152 on February 10, 1964. Of the 420 members who voted, 290 supported the civil rights bill and 130 opposed it. Republicans favored the bill 138 to 34; Democrats supported it 152-96. It is interesting to note that Democrats from northern states voted overwhelmingly for the bill, 141 to 4, while Democrats from southern states voted overwhelmingly against the bill, 92 to 11. A bipartisan coalition of Republicans and northern Democrats was the key to the bill’s success. This same arrangement would prove crucial later to the Senate’s approval of the bill.”
______________________________________________________
http://www.congresslink.org/print_basics_histmats_civilrights64text.htm
So when the GOP was even more loyal to your community, than the democrats ever were…
Why does the CBC and ever other black leader knife us in the back for it? We get called every foul thing in the book, when the ignorant white trash you really have problems with… vote democrat too. I live in a red county, and the only bigots I know are all democrats,..
I’m just amazed that leftwingers were able to so indoctrinate the democrat party, that real history gets ignored for cynical race baiting.
The Tea Party is the grassroots conservatives reclaiming the party from the same stale establishment types who ruined yours too. Limited government, and individual responsibility is a very real founding principle, we have no grudge against a classic liberal, if you can still find one.
You call them blue dogs, we call them conservative democrats.
They used to run the democrat party when JFK was one, but the progressives came along, and destroyed whatever unity was there to be had. We didn’t move right, your party jumped off the left cliff, dragging the rest of you with it.. I have local democrats as friends, even married one, and yes, she’s a blue dog, and far more liberal than any member of your current leadership, Pelosi, Reid, Obama..
She has an open, inquiring mind. What a liberal, a classic liberal was once.
The democrats now, are so run by the corrupt Chicago machine politics, the radical chic’ fringe, you have zero credibility to call us far far right. My views haven’t changed since 75, the democrats from JFK to Obama?
Might as well as have moved to another country.
You could trust the democrats to keep their word once upon a time, could go to sleep knowing their values were generally, yours.. not now, now, we have to wonder if old allies will get betrayed, in a goodwill gesture to tyrants that will gain us nothing. If the man tries again to sell out Israel,.. we’ll have alot more independents voting GOP in 2012.
I know none of this will make a dent, but if a word of it makes you uneasy about a truth forgotten, a betrayal excused,.. then you’ll think about what else have they lied to you about.
To say it didn’t happen because it wasn’t caught on video is ridiculous. We don’t have Abraham Lincoln’s assassination on video, but we know it happened.