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During a recent interview Michael Moore compared people going through foreclosure to victims of rape.
I need to type it again because maybe then I'll believe it: a man compared people in a situation by choice - as no one held a gun to their head and forced them to agree to loan terms they may be unable to fulfill in hard times; people who purchased more house than they could afford; people who purchased second and third homes; people who had to downsize because of the economy - to women who were raped, forced to spread their legs against their will.
I'm going to take a safe guess and say that Michael Moore doesn't know a victim of rape or has never known physical violation. I have two friends who are survivors of rape and in my family we have dealt with a similar violation. The two are so not the same and I found Moore's analogy so appallingly offensive that my vision took on a red cast, such was my fury. That Moore would compare something replaceable and temporary, like a home, a material thing, to the soul which is cracked in a moment of sexual violence, to a woman's virginity, to the sanctity of her sexuality, demonstrates a lack of respect for women, a lack of understanding, willful ignorance in this era of information.
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Chris Matthews lost the thrill up his leg earlier last week and fantasized about the murder of Rush Limbaugh:
You guys see Live and Let Die, the great Bond film with Yaphet Kotto as the bad guy, Mr. Big? In the end they jam a big CO2 pellet in his face and he blew up. I have to tell you, Rush Limbaugh is looking more and more like Mr. Big, and at some point somebodys going to jam a CO2 pellet into his head and hes going to explode like a giant blimp. That day may come. Not yet. But well be there to watch. I think hes Mr. Big, I think Yaphet Kotto. Are you watching, Rush?
I've heard nothing from anyone condemning such speech, except from some conservative bloggers.
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Janeane Garofalo made the remark several months ago that black Americans who didn't support Obama have "Stockholm Syndrome." Naturally, that didn't sit too well with all the black conservatives I know.
Again, crickets.
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Joe Biden was in town Thursday to fundraise for area Democrats. He was captured on tape during the election making aprejudiced remark about people from India and 7-11.
More crickets.
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Rush Limbaugh, known for being a bombastic conservative, had false quotes attributed to him and had the meaning of his past statements (when not completely fabricated) distorted out of context by people who have NEVER listened to his show and people who could never, EVER give an air date, an audio recording, or any other citation beyond hearsay to support the serious charge of racism. His comment on Donovan McNabb, whether you agree of his assessment of McNabb's ability (which I sort of disagree) or not, it was a comment on the often-times racist way sports news covers black and white athletes in sports, period. His comment on gangs and basketball was in reference to midnight basketball, a program that was devised in many cities, including St. Louis, to curb gang violence. In my hometown city here of St. Louis it became a scandal which involved then-mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr.'s administration that disenfranchised many children.
Limbaugh a racist? A man whose talented producer is black? A man who asks popular black broadcaster Walt Williams ("black by popular demand!") to sub for him and speak to his millions of listeners? Do I think Limbaugh is racist? No. He's conservative and I do think he pisses people off and I think it's easier and more efficient for people now days to try to neutralize a political or ideological threat by smearing them as a racist instead of simply debating the issues. But conservative does not equal racist.
Dislike a person for their views, fine. But don't fabricate reasons to dislike them. Don't put my city at risk of losing a losing (I know, sigh, they should be grateful to have ANY interest from ANY buyers right now) franchise, costing jobs in a time when we can least afford the loss, and risking revenue for St. Louis over a political hitjob because you dislike the politics of one in the group of
