From the email of Montana’s U.S. District Chief Judge Richard Cebull, a federal judge (h/t reader J):
“Normally I don’t send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine.
“A little boy said to his mother; ‘Mommy, how come I’m black and you’re white?’ ” the e-mail joke reads. “His mother replied, ‘Don’t even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you’re lucky you don’t bark!’ “
Cebull admitted Wednesday to sending the e-mail to seven recipients, including his personal e-mail address. The judge acknowledged that the content of the e-mail was racist, but said he does not consider himself racist. He said the e-mail was intended to be a private communication.
Liberals can’t take a joke blah blah blah.
This douchebag should resign immediately.
Trentrunner
Just so we’re clear, this Federal judge is calling the President’s dead mother a miscegenating slutty dogfucker.
Alright, then.
Martin
You know who else didn’t consider himself a racist?
Trentrunner
And not that we care about this so much, but that email is also misogynistically sexist as all fuck.
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
History is going to remember this presidency as a time when race relations regressed about 15 steps back because half the country had a full-on racial freakout. Just…fucking depressing how normalized this shit continues to be now.
Justin
“Hope this touches your heart like it did mine”? What the fuck does that mean?
Scott Alloway
Private message or not, it still says, “I have no sense of honor. I am what I am.” There is no such thing as a private message which is distinct from one’s public persona. You say it, privately or not, you own it.
Cluttered Mind
I love how the first thing any wingnut caught doing this says is always “I am not a racist”. Kind of like how Larry Craig’s first response to what he got caught doing was “I am not gay”. Sure, we believe you, right.
4tehlulz
Look just because I dress in a white sheet and burn crosses doesn’t automatically make me a racist.
Abstruse
How dare “they” play the “race card” like this!? That was a private correspondence sent to his ole’ buddies!
gnomedad
Freedom of speech, also, too.
Trentrunner
@The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik: I actually think Obama’s election merely lanced the long-swelling boil of racism. The vile suppuration that oozes out is rancid, to be sure, but that boil had building for a few centuries. It had to be lanced. It’s just disgusting to be around when it happens. But we’ll be better for it.
Eventually.
trixie larue
Oh, crap. This “joke” is going to show up in my email from the father-in-law. I am so sick of this shit.
Omnes Omnibus
I have met a number of federal judges over the time I have been practicing law. The vast majority, no matter who appointed them, have been bright, talented people who understood the law and took their responsibility as judges seriously. A few have been two-bit political hacks. One guess where this guy probably fits.
mai naem
Hope every black person who’s been in front of this judge(lawyer/defendant/witness whatever) appeals on race based grounds.
Linda Featheringill
The judge seemed to defend his actions as “anything is okay as long as it’s against Barack Obama”.
Which actually may have been an honest statement about his motives.
Sigh.
jl
That little ‘joke’ may be a lot of things and it may be a 4 or a 7 or an 8 out of 10 on the offensiveness scale. But ‘touching’ is not one of its defining characteristics. You have to be touched in the head to think that is touching. That very odd opinion of the judge may be an attempt to create a preemptive pretense that he is just a little odd in his judgment (is all, really, so don’t go picking on the poor oddball)
ifwhen the dumb joke becomes public.And speaking of pretense. Ain’t it odd that Brooks and this Doug Mataconis person, and the Erickson dude wrote basically the same stuff within days?
My cynical side thinks it is not odd at all, they get the memo of day from the GOP brass, IMHO.
So, no Brooks, Erickson, Mataconis are not soul searching and have not made ‘breakthroughs’, they are obeying the order of the day.
Bad, disingenuous (euphemism alert) people, all of these reactionaries.
Egg Berry
One would think a trip through his judicial decisions might shed some light on that claim.
Linda Featheringill
How did the email become public? Did one of the recipients publish it?
Corner Store Operator
@Linda Featheringill:
I love that he uses this argument because the email is not “anti-Obama” at all unless he is saying the fact that Obama is mixed race is a bad thing (which of course he is).
amorphous
@trixie larue: You know you can tell people to stop forwarding that shit.
eemom
@Omnes Omnibus:
And yet, all it takes is one fucktard like this to generate 8,000 BJ posts about how the entire federal judiciary is in the pocket of the Koch brothers.
I am too old for this life.
handy
Oh, well in that case!
dr. bloor
“A bit touching?” WTF?
jl
@Egg Berry: At least he knew it was racist. Now the guy needs some guidance about which sentiments are ‘touching’ and which are not. And maybe a few lessons on ‘jackass’, and how not to act like one, as well.
Omnes Omnibus
@eemom: You have been, shall we say, testy lately.
There are, as I said, a number of federal judges who are two-bit political hacks. They get the press because quiet professionalism almost never does.
cathyx
All the racists I know would never consider themselves racist. It’s part of the definition.
PhoenixRising
@handy: Can he be impeached on the grounds of utter fucking cluelessness?
1) there ain’t no such thing as a private email. Once you send it, it’s not yours anymore.
2) would he accept that standard of care in a case before him? “yur honor, I wasn’t incompetently defending that Injun, just cause I forwarded a racist joke–that joke was private, no bearing on my work!”
Good gawd.
Cargo
But by supporting affirmative action, liberals are the real racists. So I hear.
jl
@PhoenixRising: Cluelessness? I don’t think so. What is a hapless sap crossed with a weasel? That is more like it. This guy knew what was up, and tried to set up some excuses if he got called out for it.
As a commenter said above: ‘touching’ WTF?
JPL
So this guy is suppose to interpret the Constitution? Wouldn’t you love to go before him. I’m sure he’ll give the country club set a break, anyone else not so much.
Omnes Omnibus
W appointee.
PIGL
@eemom: get over yourself. Nobody said nuffink like what you said they said. What pissibly could have been your point?
Warren Terra
@Linda Featheringill:
My assumption is that the six good ole boys he sent it to were totally simpatico and didn’t rat him out (though if one did, good on him), but there are a couple of obvious possible leak points: most likely, one of the recipients forwarded it to more friends and family, and one of them (or someone further down the line) recognized the judge’s name in the forwarding history and leaked it. Or one of the recipients may merge their work and personal email, and have a PA who handles both and has a soul.
Frank
So I am assuming that any African-American who are unlucky enough to have him as a judge would have a good case for an appeal…
Soonergrunt
@Linda Featheringill: It eventually made its way to the local newspaper, and like most email chains, the all of the original forwards were on it. The Judge, when asked about this by the paper said something to the effect that he was surprised his friends didn’t remove his identifying information before forwarding it.
SRW1
“Hope it touches your heart like it did mine.”
Private communication or not, buddy, that self-indictment leaves seppuku as the only honorable response.
JPL
@Frank: That’s what I think but he did say he is not a racist. He just supports racist emails so there’s that.
eemom
@Omnes Omnibus:
being an overt racist, and also stupid enough to send an e-mail like that, is a layer or two of magnitude beyond being a two-bit political hack.
Anne Laurie
@Justin:
It’s a crappy attempt at /snark. All the quasi-inspirational “cancer baby kisses a puppy from heaven” emails start with a version of that as a “Yes, of course no sane person reads these mawkish forwards, but this is special” disclaimers.
aimai
The comment thread on the linked article is priceless including the guy who spams it with explanations that the remark “can’t be racist” because humans are “all one race” and it is merely “libelous” towards the president’s mother so the real racists are, obviously, people who accused the judge of being a racist. He maintains t his in the face of other posters who point out that the judge himself admits the email was racist. Also, another titfortatter over there instantly goes on the offense (ahh, the best defense!) and attacks Sotomayor for his imaginary wingnut factoid belief that she said she would make a better judge than a white judge. So, ipso facto Isaidso she must resign first.
aimai
xian
http://www.illdoctrine.com/2008/07/how_to_tell_people_they_sound.html
eemom
@PIGL:
Have another +.
Omnes Omnibus
@PIGL: She is referring to past instances where something has entered the judicial process and many here, front pagers included, have instantly decided that any decision by the judge will be politically motivated. Assertions to the contrary by legal professions tend to be pooh-poohed. She, however, is not diplomatically inclined, so her phrasing can be a bit harsh at times.
@efgoldman: Absent an impeachable offense, there isn’t much anyone can do. Lifetime appointments have many upsides, but they also mean that we are stuck with the mistakes for a long time.
@eemom: A valid point. I still say he is probably a two-bit political hack as well.
pseudonymous in nc
@Linda Featheringill:
I presume that one of the recipients forwarded it to his entire address book, as that’s how wingnut emails propagate, somewhat like E. coli.
mai naem
Judge Cebull’s Chambers Main (406) 247-4490 Call the mofo. Let him know he needs to resign for the good of the country.
feral1
Everyone one should post the USA Today story to their Facebook account. This is blatant and disgusting enough to go viral and do some real damage to the judge and wingnuts in general.
pseudonymous in nc
Also too, the longer Obama’s judicial nominees don’t get hearings, the more likely it is that Bush-era fucknuts will get seniority and promotions. This is the Federalist Society’s long game: a farm team of Judge KKKbulls.
JPL
I didn’t even understand the email at first. The judge is a sick animal who barks.
Martin
@efgoldman:
From my understanding, not unless he broke a law. But Congress can impeach him. For what, I’m not sure, but they’ve never really worried about such details before. Besides, I’m pretty sure slightly less than half of the Senate and slightly more than half of the House send similar emails, so they’re gonna have his ‘not a racist’ back.
pseudonymous in nc
@feral1:
It’s certainly a good thing to do if you’re in the mood to prune your friends list based on their responses.
JPL
@feral1: I sent it to wingnut folks who said it’s not the racism, it’s the other thing that they can’t explain..
Anya
@Martin: David Duke?
Gian
private communication on his taxpayer-funded government email account. targeted at a political figure that he doesn’t like.
what else has this hack used his government email account for? has he tried say raising money or soliciting votes for any republican or (was george wallace the american independant?)
Does he get back issues of ron paul newsletters on his taxpayer funded government email?
Is there some sort of rule about using taxpayer funded government email for politics?
pseudonymous in nc
FWIW, I have read wingnut chain emails that have Fox News contributors in the forwarding chain. Not as blatantly racist emails as that one, but not far off.
scav
Hits the crazy slut button at the same time as the racism one, while only copping to the latter — first must still official party doctrine. This guy’s a solid basester, s 27%+++. What is it that lot has about dogs? Invite them to parties, put them on roofs,
Omnes Omnibus
@Gian: Even if the answer to those questions is yes, impeaching a judge happens just like impeaching a president. The House ain’t gonna start the process. Not this House, not over this.
lamh35
This is what I posted to my Facebook page:
Ok, people let me tell you now, if you receive a forwarded email and you would feel uncomfortable sending the email to your minority friends but you forward it on to your friends and family who are not “ethnic” or minority, then guess what, I’m sorry but I’m gonna consider you a racist….TRUST!
Mike in NC
Someone once famously said “Judge not, lest you be judged”, but go fuck yourself, judge.
ChrisNYC
And this is just the type of person — a FEDERAL JUDGE! education! prestige! power! — that David Brooks insists will pull the hoi polloi up from their holes of depravity and immorality. Role models, every last one of ’em.
feral1
@pseudonymous in nc
That’s not a problem.
Gravenstone
@Justin: Perhaps he’s asking someone to touch his heart, as they rip it from his rendered chest.
jrg
I’m not racist, I just think Obama’s mother was a slut because she she had a mixed-race child?
What’s wrong with these people? Do they seriously think other people will not believe they are sick and racist when stuff like this gets out?
The email forwarding nugget Soonergrunt pointed out is pretty amazing, too. It seems a lot of these folks are completely lost in the modern world. They’d be worthy of pity if they weren’t so contemptible.
JordanRules
@lamh35: Well said.
Suffern ACE
The joke is very offensive, and in another time Obama would probably need to issue a challenge and meet him at dawn. But barring that, these impeachment calls seem a bit too right winger. He’s not a member of the other two branches and investigations and impeachments should be rare. I don’t think they should be wasted on such little peicks.
Omnes Omnibus
@efgoldman: I don’t actually know about that process. Chief judges, however, do not have authority to assign cases in federal court. Case assignments are more or less random. Rotation system. Chief Judge means you handle admin shit, which is why some judge never want the position.
cmorenc
Even aside from whether successful impeachment of Judge Cebull would be politically possible, given the current makeup of the US House and Senate, it’s doubtful there are adequate legal grounds, because it’s difficult to frame the particular facts as a requisite “high crime or misdemeanor”.
NEVERTHELESS, WHAT CAN LIKELY BE SUCCESSFULLY DONE IS TO BRING MONTANA STATE BAR DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS AGAINST JUDGE CEBULL, who is almost certainly a member of that state’s bar. It’s very likely that the Montana State Bar has rules, such as these regarding “Standards of Professional Courtesy and Ethics Between the Judiciary and Attorneys”:
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
@aimai:
God, that ‘racism doesn’t exist anymore so the only racists are the ones calling people racist’ argument is just….GUH. ‘Color-blind’ bullshit that just ends up as justification for turning a blind eye to serious issues.
We’ll never become post-racial until we become post-racism. Race as a social and cultural construct will not be going away soon, but we can actively reject it as a means of division. Unfortunately, asshats like this and the commentors you cite are why ‘color-blind’ just ends up equaling ‘racism-blind’ or worse, racism-projecting.
amk
amurikkka sure has overcome its prenatal, inherent racism by electing Obama. Oh boy, that’s a big relief.
suzanne
Wow. Racist, sexist, AND completely unfunny. This douche sounds like a charmer.
Well, now we know who’s first up against the wall.
Looking for the bright spot.
aimai
@Suffern ACE:
He’s not a member of the “other two branches” what does that mean? He’s a member of the third branch of government and judges can be impeached like any other official. Depends on the law of the state and federal law. If this constitutes an impeachable offense he should be impeached. At the very least his life should be made a misery and a mockery for the unbelievable sexism and hostility towards women that it indicates as well as its disgusting racism.
aimai
Karen
Here’s another example of classiness:
Obama Go To Hell Ad on Metro Train
Metro says they can’t remove it. Sure they can’t.
cmorenc
@Suffern ACE:
But there’s nothing stopping the Montana State Bar from pursuing disciplinary proceedings against Judge Cebull, who is certainly a member thereof. They couldn’t seek his removal from office for the alleged act, which can only be done by impeachment or resignation, but they could formally reprimand him or temporarily suspend his bar membership, because making racist remarks certainly overtly undermines trust and respect for the justice system for minorities appearing before him.
Karen
Why am I in moderation? That’s what the ad says, not me. Cripes!
Emperor of Ice Cream
Publicly censor and shame him. We need to return some honor to the public square. If you don’t see how wrong this is on multiple levels ….
eemom
@Omnes Omnibus:
Iz not??
: (
Omnes Omnibus
@aimai: This is, while disgusting, probably a censurable rather than impeachable offense. Practically speaking, neither is going to happen. As a result, I can only suggest that your misery and mockery option be moved forward.
@eemom: I tried to phrase it diplomatically.
mark
he should be impeached for presiding over cases involving women defendants.
And minority defendants.
And mixed-raced defendants.
Hell, and dog lovers. Was this Vick’s judge?
scav
One could even say his mamma didn’t raise a boy with manners, sense or judgement. “Could say”, of course, if I has into feeling up hearts or weird stuff like that.
Abstruse
I has a sad. My Facebook post of this has devolved to me being called a racist.
It seems I’m the racist because this email doesn’t equate being balled by a dog to being balled by a black dude, I said that, it’s all in MY mind, he just called her a whore you see.
Suffern ACE
@cmorenc-I don’t get what the 20 inch screen thing means.
eemom
The state bar taking action is definitely your best bet. At least if it’s a sane state bar — I know nothing about Montana’s.
And that is a process people can actually influence, by flooding it with complaints. They are required to take those seriously.
As for impeachment, please don’t waste your pixels.
Tehanu
Resigning’s too good for him. If I’d only gone ahead and taken out those incorporation papers for my tumbrels/tar & feathers/torches business…
gex
@mai naem: Heh. This.
Mike in NC
I’m reading a book called “K Blows Top” about the 1959 US tour by Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. You know what? This country is every bit as fucked up now as it was way back in ’59, or possibly more so. Say hello to President Santorum.
eemom
@efgoldman:
No, but they absolutely have authority to sanction and even disbar the dude.
That would be interesting — a federal judge who’s been disbarred.
rdale
Years ago I was in eastern Montana, and the wind was howling; I thought I’d been in the wind in Wyoming but this was up a whole level from that. When I asked one guy how he stood it, he shrugged and said “eh, it keeps the ni**ers out.” Haven’t been back since.
Nancy Irving
Racists never consider themselves to be racists, just like assh*les never consider themselves to be assh*les.
scav
@Abstruse: Ask them all for their parents’ emails so you can forward the joke as an example of uncontroversial discussion of mothers’ behavior.
some guy
let’s take a minute to think about what the wingnuts have descended to….a United States Judge calling the deceased mother of the President of the United States “A Misceganist, But Not a Dog Fucker.”
does it get worse?
women who use birth control=sluts
food stamp recipients= leeches
unemployed=lazy
POTUS= Ni#clang#
god, how I hate these ignorant fuckers and the BoBos and Frothy Erickson’s who enabled them
Omnes Omnibus
@Mike in NC:
Complete bullshit. Sorry, it is.
gex
Oh, and once again, I find myself appalled, but not surprised, by the conservative obsession with animal fucking.
Seriously here’s how it goes.
Gays: We would like to be able to get married.
Conservatives” WHY DO YOU SICKOS WANT TO FUCK ANIMALS?????
I don’t get it. Why are they always thinking about animal fucking?
scav
Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 13, 2012.
Might be a good day to put up a few full page ads or web posts bringing up his view on same.
Mark S.
Yikes, is the site fucked up for anybody else? I hope this isn’t the new format or something.
Mark S.
@Mark S.:
And just like that, it’s normal again. That was weird.
amk
@some guy:
This
Omnes Omnibus
@gex: For them, if the strict rules that they have known since they were young are relaxed even for an instant, all hell would break loose. They have no internal governor and can’t imagine that other do. I ahve had people ask me how I can possibly behave morally if I don’t believe that eternal damnation dogs me ever day of my life. My response is that I just try not to be an asshole – I don’t always succeed, but that is my goal. Confuses them, it does.
Davis X. Machina
@Omnes Omnibus:
I think that’s called ‘the categorical imperative’.
Sounds cooler that way.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mark S.: The mobile site went wonky on me earlier today. I had to do a comment on my phone to solve the problem just like back when the mobile version was first introduced.
amk
@Mark S.: yeah, it self-corrected on me too.
Is this cole’s hint, hint to ‘pay up, you free-loading mofos’ ?
gex
@Omnes Omnibus: There’s that. But there’s also the disturbing knowledge that very often people who freak out about gay guys are guys who get bone rs thinking about gay guys. I have to conclude there’s a nontrivial amount of actual bestiality fans in the group.
Omnes Omnibus
@Davis X. Machina: When I went to law school, plain English was all the rage.
@gex: As much as I would like to do so, I can’t really argue with your reasoning.
Martin
@Omnes Omnibus:
I’ve had huge, drawn out arguments with people that insisted it wasn’t possible – that because I didn’t believe that I’d burn in hellfire for every misdeed, that I must be a completely amoral person. It’s really pretty stunning. No wonder they’re so authoritarian driven.
gex
@Omnes Omnibus: That was before the main thrust of the profession was crafting EULAs that were broken just by accepting them but fool consumers anyhow.
ETA: :-P
Citizen_X
Abstruse @ 82:
How the hell do they figure that? The joke doesn’t even make sense otherwise. “Hur hur, Obama’s mom was such a deranged freak she’d fuck dogs. Or even n***ers!”
dww44
@jl: I read the “touching” as being used as sarcasm. Sarcasm that adds to and reinforces the blatant racism. I’ve received enough of these forwards from conservative relatives and friends that I’ve seen all the ploys they use.
And, I do believe you’ve hit on a truth here.
Citizen_X
And there it is again: dogs! Heh heh.
Sorry.
danielx
1. How did this idiot get to be a Federal judge in the first place? Any Federal judge who sends an email like this is an idiot by definition.
2. How long will he remain a Federal judge? It might be impossible to outright fire him; I can’t recall the grounds for suspending a Federal judge. I don’t think being a complete douche waffle counts. But I’d bet that Eric Holder can probably come up with something truly imaginative, like maybe detailing this shithead to deal with nothing but speeding and drunk driving offenses at Malmstrom AFB.
Omnes Omnibus
@Citizen_X: Wow, the little beasties just hound one, don’t they?
Omnes Omnibus
@danielx: Holder has no power whatsoever over federal judge. The judiciary is a separate branch and very conscious of that fact.
Ajay
@danielx:
Answer: George W Bush. That moron has exceptional skills in finding the very best of incompetence in any field and then giving them the job they are unfit for. It makes him look good by comparison.
dww44
@jrg: Where/when did I miss this:
FuriousPhil
All I’m going to add is:
How does a professional JUDGE exercise such poor JUDGMENT?
And I’m done.
scav
@Omnes Omnibus: Now that you mention it, it does seem to a cur rather often. Mutt be something in it, no? I’m just suddenly vastly amused by the GoDbotherers also being DoGbotherers. Easily amused.
Karen
Can someone take me out of moderation? I was just speaking about a nasty ad about Obama that is on a Metro train and they refused to take it off.
Steeplejack
I think this—
—was a pathetic attempt at humor. “Look, I set you up for something serious and touching–and then I dropped the joke! Haw-haw-haw! That makes it even funnier.”
khead
.
Shalimar
Possibly time for Judge Cebull’s email to be inundated with lots of “jokes” implying that his real father was black. He isn’t a racist, so I’m sure he will think they are hilarious.
RalfW
Yes. This single-ply asswipe should indeed be forced to resign.
Since we don’t have a Limbburgher/ins-Hannity/O’Really? megaplex, how do we gin up the angry troops?
debit
See, I’m thinking that if she would have kept that aspirin between her knees, that dog would have left her alone.
ETA: This guy should look up Carl Paladino. They could be email buddies.
Choicelady
@Justin: Snark. What do you think it means? It is just snarky. On purpose. To make a point.
Choicelady
@gex: Does give one pause, does it not? It’s right up there with the Westboro Baptists’ obsession with gay sex.
Satanicpanic
Really, what is the wingnut definition of racism? I don’t think they believe in the word.
freelancer
@Satanicpanic:
Racism is when normal people catch wingnuts being racist.
dollared
@FuriousPhil: The CHIEF judge. Sigh.
dollared
@Omnes Omnibus: Not a mistake.
dollared
@eemom: We can dream, but can you imagine the Montana Bar Association even so much as reprimanding the chief judge of the district? They all have to appear in front of him, or have their cases managed by his staff. Especially since so much bidness in Montana is federal business.
moderateindy
I am not a racist, I hate bigots………and Mexicans
Mnemosyne
Okay, I will be the sole person to admit I snickered (yes, I also laugh at dead baby jokes) BUT with the caveat that I skimmed past the “Barack” part at first and didn’t make the connection that it was supposed to be a joke about the president and his mother until I read it a second time. It took a few minutes to make the “sex with black man = sex with dogs” connection in my brain.
trollhattan
It’s okay, you see, he’s not racist, he just hates the president. Nothing to see here, move along. Move along.
Wanker.
asiangrrlMN
@gex: When I came out to my mom as bi, she said (in so many words), “What next, animals?” I wanted to tell her if she was confusing bisexuality with bestiality, she should steer clear of animals. So, yeah. There is that automatic leap from queerness to bestiality. I don’t get it, either.
@Steeplejack: Hey, Steepman! How you be?
As for the judge, racist AND misogynist in one fell swoop. Nicely done, jackhole.
fasteddie9318
@gex:
Because every male religious conservative in this country is one bad day away from being found hanging in a seedy hotel closet in a rubber penguin suit after an erotic asphyxiation attempt with their transvestite rentboy goes horribly awry. And every religious conservative woman is freaking out because their religious conservative husbands don’t seem to be all that in to having sex with them. And they’re all ashamed, so very, very ashamed, and assume everybody else must be the same shameful way, yet lots of people don’t seem to be so ashamed, which makes them angry.
asiangrrlMN
@trollhattan: Yes. I love this reasoning. It’s not as if he couldn’t find eleven-billionty other emails disparaging the president that weren’t racist and/or misogynistic in nature. No. He had to send that particular email. Yeppers. Jackhole.
Elizabelle
@jl:
That’s chilling.
Groucho48
The House won’t impeach him. If anything, he’ll go on the short list of Supreme Court nominees if we have a President Santorum Administration.
(And, yes, I shuddered after typing President Santorum.)
Elizabelle
@Karen:
I cannot believe that Metrorail station ad with “Go to hell Barack” is even up. For an hour or two.
Free speech, my ass. It does not belong on public transportation, and never would have appeared during a President Bush or President Reagan administration.
Who approved it, and, if it stands, what else will be allowed to follow?
Jess Sane
I cannot believe that Metrorail station ad with “Go to hell Barack” is even up.
Well, it’s not as if it were something really offensive like “It’s OK to be atheist”.
danielx
damn macbook..
danielx
damn macbook..
Odie Hugh Manatee
@eemom:
Naah, you’re just tired from painting with a broad brush. The fucker you’re using now is a mile wide, no wonder you’re tired.
So this starts an 8,000 post run at BJ and your contribution is post #21?
Get back to me when we hit post 8,000. :p
danielx
@Omnes Omnibus:
Yeah, it comes back to me now. I should have remembered, especially considering how W’s administration danced with rage at some of the decisions that ran against his policies…vaguely recalling a quote about how George Bush is not George III. On the other hand, the Supremes usually end up doing what the government wants in the area of War Powers, but that’s a whole ‘bother discussion.
@Ajay:
Why am I not surprised?
JGabriel
USA Today:
… but said he only felt three-fifths apologetic.
.
JGabriel
USA Today via DougJ @ Top:
… but said he only felt three-fifths apologetic.
.
JGabriel
Sorry about the dupe, don’t know how that happened.
Anyway, following up on that joke, is it possible for us to ridicule the “I’m not a racist, it was a private communication” non-apology out of existence by referring to it, whenever it appears in public from now on, as a three-fifths apology?
.
Keith G
This is a sad and hugely objectionably “joke”. In a better world, a person publicly disseminating this trash would lose their tax payer provided pay check and bennies (In fact, I bet lower level employees would).
I don’t feel that this a direct connection. The judge is a fuckhead who insulted the mother of my president. He may be a bigoted twat and given the geographic stereotypes odds of that are pretty good, but is this insulting attempt at “humor” de facto proof?
gocart mozart
@efgoldman:
Sadly no, impeachment or voluntary resignation is the only avenue.
gocart mozart
@JGabriel:
I like it.
Woodrowfan
many of the comment son the news story are as depressing as the joke.
Bobby Thomson
@asiangrrlMN:
ETA FYWP
Who said he didn’t forward eleventy billion other e-mails?
HeartlandLiberal
Go to this Montana paper and revel in the racism in the comments:
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/richard-cebull-says-he-sent-racist-obama-email/article_63df0eef-dd3a-549c-ba11-4729413d044a.html?mode=comments
Boy, I sure am glad I live in post-racial America. Aren’t you?
Egg Berry
@trollhattan: Isn’t this the Franklin Graham excuse for saying the president isn’t a Christian all over again?
Phil
@efgoldman: Yes, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals does have the authority to remove him as chief judge, or to suspend him with pay.
About 5 years ago, a district judge in the 6th circuit was suspended for a year for assaulting an attorney.
evinfuilt
Time to make “Ow my Balls!” a reality and get this Judge to be the first contestant.
MCA1
The thread of comments at the Billings Gazette article on this is absolutely heartbreaking. I’d estimated a full 40% of the commenters there say one or more of the following:
– that’s not racist
– it’s funny/get a sense of humor, libtard
– you’ve all seen, heard and likely forwarded similar jokes, so who are you to pass judgment?
– if it’s racist, it’s racist toward white people
– not a big deal
– out of control political correctness/persecution complex projections
– Obama’s the real racist
One person, honest to Spaghetti, insisted this made him/her like the judge better, because it shows he’s not an unfeeling robot but a human, and thus better equipped to dispense justice to fellow, fallible, humans.
To summarize: sitting FEDERAL JUDGE endorses and forwards joke intimating that President of the United States’ mother engaged in bestiality, as well as equating bestiality with miscegenation. When found out, he admits it was racist and a stupid idea to forward but it was supposed to be private, as well as insists that the real reason he forwarded it was that he f’ing HATES the President. > 1/3 of people in Billings, Montana think this is no big deal and anyone calling on the judge to resign or be censured is completely overreacting.