DeSANTIS - Proves His Racism and Belief in Conspiracy Theory

"DeSantis defends blocking African American studies course in Florida schools" PBS NewsHour 1/23/2023

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended his administration's decision to block a course on African American studies from the state's public schools.  He said teaching Black history is required in Florida schools, but the Advanced Placement course amounted to ‘indoctrination.’  The fight is just the latest in the ongoing identity and culture war in Florida that has become a hallmark of DeSantis' agenda.

TRUMP TALK - The Racist

IMHO:  It is likely Trump actually believes that he's not racist, but his offhand remarks throughout his life says different. Trump IS a racist.

"On MLK Day, U.S. grapples with furor over Trump’s words" PBS NewsHour 1/15/2018

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  This year's memorials honoring Martin Luther King Jr. came amid the ongoing furor over President Trump's alleged comments and his views on race.  While the President released a video commemorating the civil rights hero, his derogatory words reported last week about African and Haitian immigrants hang in the air, as partisan acrimony threatens hope of a DACA deal.  Judy Woodruff reports.

"Jelani Cobb: ‘It’s impossible to avoid the conclusion that Donald Trump is racist’" PBS NewsHour 1/15/2018

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  President Trump's recent reported use of vulgar language to describe some immigrants has prompted backlash from both the right and left.  It also raises questions about his own personal history on issues of race, and how his perspective affects the nation.  Judy Woodruff gets reaction and analysis from Peter Wehner of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker.

Peter Wehner, lifelong Republican: Yes, I do believe that he used these words.  I don’t think there is much question about it.

Republicans like Lindsey Graham have confirmed that he used it.  And this is all part of a piece with him.  This is the latest link in a long, malicious chain for Donald Trump, a chain that’s connected by racist sentiments toward Mexicans, toward Muslims, and toward African-Americans.

In terms of what it says about him and how I interpret it as a lifelong Republican, it’s extremely painful, it’s revealing.  And what it says about Donald Trump and about Trump supporters is that they are racist or that they find great appeal in racist sentiments and expressions of racial division.

You know, Donald Trump is appealing to the worst instincts of America and, unfortunately, his supporters are responding to it.

OPINION - Shields and Brooks 8/26/2016

"Shields and Brooks on the alt-right and a general lack of trust in Clinton" PBS NewsHour 8/26/2016

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  In the presidential election arena this week, the two major-party candidates called each other racists, and questions arose over Donald Trump's support among alt-right enthusiasts.  As for Hillary Clinton, she seems to be focusing on casting herself as the lesser-of-two-evils option.  For analysis, we turn to syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks.

ROOTS OF VIOLENCE - Dylann Roof

"Finding the roots of Dylann Roof’s radical violence" PBS NewsHour 6/22/2015

Transcript of podcast corrected to match actual text presented in video.

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The mass shooting in Charleston isn’t just an isolated event, but can be seen as part of a troubled history of racial hatred and violence in the United States.  What makes someone embrace racist ideology and what can be done to stop it?  Gwen Ifill talks with Richard Cohen of the Southern Poverty Law Center, former FBI special agent Gregg McCrary and Paul Butler of Georgetown University Law Center.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  While lawmakers moved to quell the Confederate Flag controversy, a debate continued about the roots of the Charleston attacks.  Were they motivated by racial animus or individual alienation?

In an unusually blunt contribution to the discussion, President Obama weighed in Friday during a podcast that was posted online today.  In the interview with comedian Marc Maron, he was asked to comment on the roots of racism and, in making his point, employed a racial epithet.

We are not editing that portion of the president’s remarks.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:  It is incontrovertible that race relations have improved significantly during my lifetime and yours, and that opportunities have opened up, and that attitudes have changed.

MARC MARON, Podcast Host:  Yeah.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:  That is a fact.

What is also true is that the legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination, in almost every institution of our lives, you know, that casts a long shadow.  And that’s still part of our DNA that’s — that’s passed on.  Uh, it, we’re not cured of it.

MARC MARON:  Racism.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:  Racism, we are not cured of.

MARC MARON:  Clearly.

And it’s not just a matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public.  That’s not the measure of whether racism still exists or not.  It’s not just a matter of overt discrimination.  We have — societies don’t overnight completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior.

GWEN IFILL:  The President’s comments spurred a lively online debate that ranged from cause to effect.

Among the questions being asked:  Was this attack a form of domestic terrorism?

For our discussion, I’m joined by Gregg McCrary, a former FBI profiler who has specialized in tracking and understanding violent predators, Paul Butler, a professor of law at Georgetown University who teaches about race relations, and Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

RACISM IN AMERICA - Biases in the Millennial Generation

"How the biases in the back of your mind affect how you feel about race" PBS NewsHour 3/30/2015

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Americans born in the Millennial generation are more likely to say they're not racist and less likely to use racist expressions.  But subconscious prejudices still persist.  Hari Sreenivasan visits a psychology lab at New York University, where researchers test subjects’ instinct and decision-making to learn more about these implicit biases.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Research shows that millennials, young people between 18 and 35, as we mentioned a few minutes ago, compared to their parents, are more racially diverse and more accepting of other races.

Many were surprised and frankly upset by the University of Oklahoma students who were caught making racist chants on video.

Well, Hari Sreenivasan wanted to learn more about racial bias among millennials, and he brings us a story about his visit to a research lab focused on race.

His report is another installment in our series Race Today.

JONATHAN MENTOR:  I believe that there is less racism in this particular generation.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):   Many millennials were shocked this month by the blatant racism shown in this viral video from the fraternity at the University of Oklahoma coming from people their own age.

SUMMER ANNE:  In no way, shape or form should that video represent my generation as a whole.  Part of my generation by no means is racist, by no means houses prejudices at — and at least, if they do, you know, carry stereotypes with them, are intelligent enough not to voice them to anybody.

Implicit Association Test

RACISM - University of Oklahoma

"Racist video by University of Oklahoma frat prompts protest, apologies and expulsions" PBS NewsHour 3/11/2015

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Now, the continuing fallout at the University of Oklahoma after members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity were caught on camera singing racist epithets.

The video came out Saturday, and action was taken within 48 hours.  But the university, the national fraternity, and others are still the focus of many concerns.

It’s the chant that sparked outrage across the nation.

STUDENTS:  There will never be a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) SAE.  You can hang them from a tree, but they will never sign with me.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  The 10-second video triggered protests, and was quickly condemned by university president David Boren.

DAVID BOREN, President, University of Oklahoma:  This has broken my heart, that this could happen on our campus.  We have such a strong community. People respect each other.  This is not representative of our students.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  On Monday, the university closed its chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and members were forced to move out of the house by last night.

QUESTION:  Are you embarrassed?

STUDENT:  Extremely.  Can I say anything else?

STUDENT:  I’m very embarrassed.

QUESTION:  Do you have a place to go?

STUDENT:  Yes.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  Yesterday, two students who led the chant were expelled, but not officially identified.  Apologies quickly followed.

Nineteen-year-old Parker Rice of Dallas, Texas, said in a statement:  “I am deeply sorry for what I did.  This is a devastating lesson and I am seeking guidance on how I can learn from this.”

And the parents of 20-year-old Levi Pettit said, in their own statement, “He made a horrible mistake and will live with the consequences forever.”

The University of Oklahoma has indicated more people could face punishment after officials finish their investigation.

NORTH DAKOTA - Local Town's White Supremacists Crazy

"Tiny N.D. town fights against white supremacist" by Blake Nicholson, USA Today 8/30/2013

LEITH, N.D. (AP) — In a tree-fringed grassy lot with a lone picnic bench in the tiny North Dakota farming town of Leith, Craig Cobb sees the perfect venue for a white power music festival.

Across a gravel intersection between two abandoned buildings, he envisions a park — perhaps with a swimming pool — dedicated to a neo-Nazi and white supremacist activist.  He pictures the town decorated with fluttering flags and banners bearing the swastika — the symbol of Nazism.

"They would have to be approved by the town council, of course," Cobb said, gazing out over Leith's sparse downtown from his overgrown, weed-infested front yard.

Cobb, 61, a self-described white supremacist, has purchased about a dozen lots in the community about 60 miles southwest of Bismarck.  Over the past year he has invited fellow white supremacists to move there and help him to transform the town of 16 people into a white enclave.  No one has come.

Still, the community is mobilizing to fight out of fear that Cobb could succeed, and the mayor has vowed to do whatever it takes to ensure Cobb's dream remains just that.

Last week, while news of Cobb's plan was being splashed across the front pages of The Bismarck Tribune and The Forum, about two dozen people — mostly residents of Leith and concerned friends from neighboring towns — showed up for an impromptu meeting in nearby Carson.

"We all share kind of the same concerns that people living in the community of Leith have — just the unknown," said Kathy Hoff, who lives just south of the town and attended the meeting.

Cobb spends his days in his ramshackle two-story home with no running water, posting online comments advocating for white supremacists to join his settlement.

"I only need 17 people," he said with a chuckle.  "You have to have a majority to win an election.  If we get 22 we've got a landslide."

Cobb's neighbors across a back alley are Sherrill Harper, who is white, and her husband Bobby, who is black.  Bobby Harper, a 52-year-old welder, said he has spoken to Cobb only once, and that Cobb's plans don't bother him much.

"The most extreme thing you can do is hate another man because of the color of his skin, (but) I don't think we should get too excited," he said.  "I believe right will prevail."

Officials are considering enforcing health codes and ordinances relating to the upkeep of Cobb's run-down property.  A proposal to disband Leith's government and turn over control to the county is even on the table.

"He would still own his property," said Mayor Ryan Schock, a 38-year-old farmer and lifelong Leith resident.  "But … he can't control the city if there's no city government."

No decisions have been made, but the six-member town council that usually convenes once a month might call a special meeting to discuss the matter soon, Schock said.

Ryan Lenz, a writer with the Alabama-based civil rights nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center, said his organization has long tracked Cobb, who is wanted in Canada for willfully promoting hatred in Vancouver in 2010 via a blog.

"It's a pipe dream for white nationalists to have an entire area in which their neighbors are Aryan," Lenz said.

That's hard to achieve, Lenz said, but Cobb has made strides because he has gobbled up land — even transferring some to Tom Metzger, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and founder of the White Aryan Resistance.

That doesn't mean he's any closer to enacting his plan.  Metzger said he likes Cobb but that declared plans for white enclaves never work and that he will not be joining Cobb in Leith.

"I think it's better just to have people move in quietly, have a job, operate a regular daily life and get along with their neighbors," he said.  "I wouldn't go into a town pushing my weight around."

Cobb, a native of Missouri, fled prosecution in Canada and chased the promise of high-paying jobs in the booming western North Dakota oil fields.  He said he was fired from a job because of a dispute with a co-worker and that he lost a job with a Fargo-based paving company after media coverage of his settlement plans.

Canadian authorities have not approached the U.S. to extradite Cobb.  Cpl. Normandie Levas of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the white supremacist can't be extradited because the charge against him in Canada doesn't exist under U.S. law.

Deputy North Dakota Attorney General Tom Trenbeath said authorities are aware of Cobb, and the Grant County Sheriff's Office has increased patrols in the area.  But Cobb hasn't broken any laws there, and Schock acknowledges that he has a right to live in Leith, no matter his views.

Cobb's comments and writings indicate he believes in a superior white race, distrusts both Jews and Christians, and questions the intelligence of women.  He declines to talk about his upbringing and gives no indication as to why he adopted his supremacist platform.

In an interview outside his house, he was calm, cheerful and even jovial, making comments that raised questions about whether he believes his plan could succeed — or if he's just seeking publicity.

"If I'm the only one in Leith forever, white consciousness has already been raised," he said.

OPINION - GOP Conspiracy Theories and Racism

The Rachel Maddow Show
MSNBC 5/8/2013

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

OPINION - The Political Weather Show and More

The Rachel Maddow Show
MSNBC 3/1/2013

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

FLORIDA - Zimmerman Apologizes at Bond Hearing

"Zimmerman's bond set at $150,000; he apologizes to Trayvon Martin's parents" by Becky Bratu, MSNBC 4/20/2012

A Florida judge set bail Friday at $150,000 for the release of George Zimmerman, who apologized on the stand to Trayvon Martin’s parents for the loss of their child.

“I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman, who was wearing a suit and had chains that wrapped around his waist and connected to handcuffs, said that at the time of the shooting he did not know how old Martin was or whether he was armed. He also said he previously had asked police and his attorneys to tell Martin’s family that he was sorry.

His comments were the most robust to date about the incident, which set off a wave of protests and an examination of race relations in the country. Zimmerman, whose father is white and mother is Hispanic, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Martin, who was black.

Following the hearing, Natalie Jackson, an attorney for the Martin family, said Zimmerman's apology was "insulting to the family."

"This is the most unmeaningful apology we've ever seen in our entire lives," Jackson said, according to an Orlando Sentinel reporter.

Judge Kenneth R. Lester, Jr. said Zimmerman would not be released immediately and that he would be monitored electronically via GPS. The terms of the bond include a curfew and no alcohol or guns. Also, Zimmerman must be in touch with authorities every three days. The judge wouldn’t rule on whether Zimmerman would be allowed to leave the state.

Zimmerman’s attorney had asked for a $15,000 bond, citing his client’s family’s modest financial holdings. The prosecution said Zimmerman should not be granted a bond, but if he is, it should be for $1 million.

Speaking publicly for the first time since her husband shot the unarmed teenager in February, Zimmerman’s wife of almost five years, Shellie Nicole Zimmerman, said her husband poses no danger to the community.

“Absolutely he is not a violent person,” Shellie Zimmerman said. She spoke to the court by phone because she said she has received hate mail and is concerned for her safety. She did not report the mail to the police, she admitted upon cross-examination by Prosecutor Bernie De La Rionda.

Zimmerman, who is a nursing student four weeks shy of graduation, said she would “absolutely” ensure that her husband would be present in court for his trial if he were to be released on bail. She added that her husband has been living in hiding since the shooting.

She was among a handful of witnesses testifying at the hearing, including Zimmerman’s mother and father and an investigator for the state attorney’s office, who was one of the signatories of the probable-cause affidavit that accused Zimmerman of “profiling” Martin.

Dale Gilbreath, the investigator, said he couldn't remember who came up with the use of the word "profiling" in the document.

Gilbreath added that Zimmerman had two lacerations on his head, which could have been caused by impact with cement.

Zimmerman claims self-defense in the shooting. ABC News says it has obtained an exclusive photo of the back of Zimmerman's head, which appears bloody and may help substantiate his claims.

Zimmerman’s father, Robert, echoed his daughter-in-law’s testimony, saying his son is “absolutely not violent.”

“I’ve never known him to be violent at all unless he was provoked, and then he would turn the other cheek,” Robert told the court. “He’s been honest his whole life.”

The defendant’s father, a former court magistrate, added his son has always been interested in criminal justice.

Zimmerman’s mother’s testimony painted the portrait of a man concerned with the community he lived in, who was “protective” of people and children. Gladys Zimmerman testified that the Sanford mayor had recognized her son for his efforts in mobilizing the community in the case of a homeless man who had been beaten. She also added that her son mentored two African-American children in Orlando and visited them often despite her objection that they lived in a “dangerous” area.

On Thursday night, Zimmerman reached out to ask to speak to Martin’s parents, but they rejected that request, another attorney for the family, Benjamin Crump, told NBC Miami.

The family did not want to talk with Zimmerman because they felt he had never publicly apologized for what happened to their son and they thought it was inappropriate to do so at the 11th hour before his bond hearing, according to Crump.

AMERICA - Trayvon Martin Case, Racial Relations

"How Trayvon Martin Case Could Affect 'Stand Your Ground' Laws Across U.S." PBS Newshour 4/9/2012

Excerpt

GWEN IFILL (Newshour): There will be no grand jury to investigate the February shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. A jury had been expected to convene tomorrow to decide whether to bring charges against the shooter, George Zimmerman. But, for now, the investigation remains unresolved. The outcome could cast a spotlight on laws already on the books around the country.

The dispute over the killing of Trayvon Martin has sparked a national debate about race, justice, and when it is reasonable to act in self-defense. In declining to impanel a grand jury to look into the case, state attorney Angela Corey will now tackle those issues herself.

"The decision should not be considered a factor in the final determination of the case," the prosecutor said in a written statement. "At this time, the investigation continues and there will be no further comment from this office."

Martin, who was black, was on his way to a convenience store in a mostly white gated community when George Zimmerman, who is white, shot and killed him after a disputed altercation. Martin, who was carrying only candy and a soft drink, was discovered by police lying face down in the grass. Zimmerman was briefly taken into custody, but has not been arrested.

Law enforcement officials have cited a state law that ties their hands when a citizen says he is acting in self-defense. More than two dozen states have similar laws dubbed "Stand Your Ground," which allows deadly force in certain circumstances. Florida's law passed by bipartisan majorities in 2005, but some lawmakers have said it was never intended to prevent investigations.

COMMENTS:

• The State Attorney General does have the right to the decision not to take the case to a Gran Jury.

But IMHO is was a big mistake for her and the state because it does bring into question that the case CAN be handled in an objective or unprejudiced (non-racial) way. A Gran Jury would allow more people to decide, therefore heighten the objectivity on this case.


• Nationally, this has highlighted, or brought to the front, the issue of race-relations in America. The perceptions of Americans on justice and race.

This is good. We ALL need to review our own behavior when it comes to how we interact with ANY 'other' race. "Other race" = a race you do not identify with. How does a "white person" interact with blacks/Hispanic/Asian/Jews, or a "Hispanic" interact with blacks/whites/Asian/Jews, etc.


• The bottom line, being different (in any context) is NOT necessarily evil or dangerous. We need to stop being afraid of difference.

OPINION - Unofficial Republican "Primaries" 2011

"The “Great White Hope” Republican primary" by Dennis G., Balloon Juice 4/27/2011

In the run for the White House there are always the “Primaries” before the first official Caucuses and Primaries. There is the “Money Primary”, the “DC Beltway Insider Primary”, the “Press Primary”, etc., etc.

The different Parties also have unofficial “Primaries” to build support with key voting blocks. In 2008 Democratic candidates worked hard to win the Netroots, Unions, Environmentalists and the various other groups that make up the “Base” of the Party. Now it is the Republican’s turn.

At this stage in the election cycle, announce, unannounced and poser Republican candidates are trying to win the traditional “unofficial GOP Primaries” by pandering to Right-wing Christians, Glibertain fan boys, deep pocketed Oligarchs, TeaBaggers and the like. And ever since the Neo-Confederates began to take over the Republican Party in the 1960s all GOP Presidential candidates have also taken part in a shadow Primary to appeal to white supremacists. Mostly this GOP “Whites Only” primary has been conducted with codes words, plausible deniability and dirty tricks in the shadows of American politics. Not anymore.

Since a black man was elected President in 2008 the active catering to racism, white fear and appeals to white supremacy have moved more and more into the open. Republicans of almost every stripe has become trapped in cycles of more and more extreme rhetoric. From time to time the racism and fear just explodes. It was a major factor in the 2010 midterms and proved to be the most effective organizing tool the Modern Conservative movement had in their bag of tricks. White anxiety and the fear of a brown planet has led many a fool to join the Tea Party and vote Republican. It has also attracted many grifters to exploit these very gullible people.

And that brings us to Donald Trump.

He may or may not be a racist, but that hardly matters. He is a grifter who uses racism for profit. He exploits the fear of a brown planet and whites becoming a powerless minority. To save the white race, Trump offers himself up as “The Great White Hope”. It is a powerful appeal to fear, racism and the desire for control.

More than any other recent Republican candidate (or pretend Republican candidate), The Donald has brought the racism of the GOP’s “Whites Only” pre-primary into the light of day. It is stunning to watch folks try to push it back into the shadows, but Trump will not let it go. He is forcing the rest of the Republican Party to actively compete with him in a “The Great White Hope” primary. He is pushing the effort to win the support of white racists into the open and making appeals to racism a Republican litmus test.

Trump has added a new unofficial “Primary” on the road to the Republican Presidential Nomination: The “Who can save us from that uppity nigger” primary.

He should be condemned, but it will not happen. Instead he will laugh all the way to the bank. And on the way the rest of Wingnutopia will embrace this racist bullshit even more.

It has been ugly, but it will get worse.

So it goes.

Cheers

First, an apology for the use of the "N" word, but that's not mine. Having said that, it is appropriate in this context.

I too see that the much of the opposition to President Obama, since his nomination, has been actually racist. There are still people in America who do not like a black man as President, or a woman for that matter.