It goes without saying that James von Brunn, the animal who killed Holocaust Museum Security Guard Stephen Johns in cold blood because of his contempt for Jews and Blacks, was an absolutely hideous human being. VonBrunn ran a website proclaiming for all the world his racism and has acted upon it in the past. Stephen Johns, on the other hand, was a hero, putting himself in harm's way to prevent the tragedy from becoming much worse.
As we all know, there are no laws --- yet --- against jackassery. And speaking of such, James Taranto draws calls attention to our old friend, The Reverend Jeremiah Wright:
...[A]s the Daily Press of Newport News, Va., reports:Wright told the Daily Press that he has not spoken to his former church member since [Barack] Obama became president, and he implied that the White House won't allow Obama to talk to him.
"Them Jews ain't going to let him talk to me," Wright said. "I told my baby daughter that he'll talk to me in five years when he's a lame duck, or in eight years when he's out of office. . . .
"They will not let him to talk to somebody who calls a spade what it is. . . . I said from the beginning: He's a politician; I'm a pastor. He's got to do what politicians do."
Eighty-eight-year-old James von Brunn also did not care for "them Jews," as the Washington Post reports: "Von Brunn's writings condemning 'Negroes' and Jews were prolific." Reviewing a tract he wrote that was available online until yesterday, we noticed that he tends to spell the word JEW in majuscules and use it as an adjective as well as a noun, a practice straight out of the Anti-Semitic Manual of Style.
One has to wonder: will Bonnie Erbe conclude, as she did last week, that this type of speech should be outlawed? That Reverend Wright's historical documented anti-semitic speech is the kind of hateful speech that incites violence? From Erbe's last column:
This type of speech ought to be against the law. Anyone who issues statements containing such language ought to be prosecuted as an accessory to murder, as well as for partaking in domestic terrorism. What, after all, is the difference between Terry’s statement and releases issued by the Taliban calling on Muslims to kill westerners? There is none.
Free speech is one thing. Speech that beckons to the unbalanced to commit the ultimate crime is something entirely different.
My guess is that while liberals like Erbe have been making a big show of painting all pro-lifers as "haters", they will now be twisting themselves into knots defending that old eccentric anti-semitic "uncle" of Obama's, Jeremiah Wright.
UPDATE: If NBC is any indication, the spinning is already in full gear. Wright "misspoke" as was a victim of "poor timing":
In a classic case of horrible timing, the most embarrassing skeleton in Barack Obama's closet popped back into the news on Wednesday -- the same day as the fatal attack on the DC Holocaust Memorial Museum.
In a classic case of horrible timing, the most embarrassing skeleton in Barack Obama's closet popped back into the news on Wednesday -- the same day as the fatal attack on the DC Holocaust Memorial Museum.
(...)
Even worse, Wright uttered these comments at the 95th annual Hampton University Ministers' Conference -- a place for supposed spiritual reflection and discussion. Wright apologized today, saying in a statement that he "misspoke."
"I apologize to the Jewish community and all others who were offended by the way in which I framed my comments," the Reverend said.
Wright's history of earlier racist and anti-American speech either "inspired" or "forced" (depending on one's partisan and charitable perspective) Obama's historic speech on race. While the Philadelphia-delivered speech didn't win him the Pennsylvania primary, it was well-received enough to calm the concerns of many middle-of-the-road white voters. In the carefully nuanced address, Obama denounced Wright's comments.
0 comments:
Post a Comment