Montana U.S. District Judge Circulates Racist Email About Pres. Obama

A member of the high court.  A person who's sole responsibility is to ensure "justice for all".  A Montana U.S. District Judge has admitted to circulating a racist email (as a "joke") about President Barack Obama.

How does this happen in this day and age?  In this age of supposed enlightenment when the country has elected a person of color to the highest office on the planet?

(image is licensed under Wikimedia creative commons license)

 

It is a topic, that those who fear to be labeled as racist say no longer needs to be addressed.  It DOES, however, bear repeating as loudly and as often as possible until racism (covert and overt) is eradicated.

We will examine the judge's "joke" and other recent examples of bigotry, racism, and fear-mongering hatred.

WARNING: This topic may make you uncomfortable.  Turn back now!!

Richard Cebull is the Chief U.S. District Judge for Montana, and according to an article in The Great Falls Tribune, this past February (2012) from his official courthouse email address, the following forwarded email was sent:

(Subject line: "A Mom's Memory")

"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."

(here's the "joke" that followed)

"A little boy said to his mother; 'Mommy, how come I'm black and you're white?' His mother replied, 'Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't bark!'"

Now, if you find that funny at all, you are a racist.  That doesn't make you a horrible, evil person - just someone who is afraid.  Cebull admits to sending this email to friends, stating it was not intended to be made public (paraphrase).  He goes on to say,

"I didn't send it as racist, although that's what it is.  I sent it out because it's anti-Obama."

He admits the racist nature of it, but denies that's why he sent it to his buddies.  Let me say again that this is a U.S. District Judge.  A member of the high court.  A person who's sole responsibility is to ensure "justice for all".

But this is not an isolated case!  On the contrary, this is the norm and not the exception.  

For example, the controversial Arizona Sheriff, Joe Arpaio just concluded his investigation into President Obama's birth certificate's authenticity, stating its a forgery.  Money that the tax-payers of Maricopa County have been forced to pay for, about an issue that has long-since been settled!

No other president or vice-president have ever been held to such scrutiny.  And regardless of what people like "Sheriff Joe" say, it is about race.  Case and point, a comment left on ThinkProgress.org about "Sheriff Joe's" investigation (it really shows that people will use any excuse to hide their racism):

"Because this is the first president that has blocked all access to his records -- why is it no one...NO ONE remembers him from ANY of the schools he supposedly attended here? Why is it his social security no. does not E-verify??? It's not just the forged birth certificate, or the forged selective service record, or the false soc. sec. no....it's a conglomeration.

It's been really stinking to high heaven for a long time, but stupid folks like you keep spraying perfume all over it -- it's still rotten as putrid fish --you can't make it go away by crying foul! The truth is the truth. You either embrace it or hide from it. You're hiding from it."

 

I see people on Facebook hide behind semi-anonymity tout their racist views.  You may want to read my recent post about Facebook.  Click the Facebook logo below to read it.

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And recently, I lost someone I had considered a friend - not a close friend, mind you, but an acquaintance I had had drinks with.  Our discussion was about his hypocrisy (working at Cat making a great wage, thanks to the union)...then turned into a discussion about people in front of him at the grocery store who were "irresponsible and had multiple children and multiple carts of food that his taxes paid for" and were "living beyond their means" (like people who receive welfare live high on the hog?).  I explained that total Fed Revenue for one year is $5.2 trillion while Food Stamp expenditures equal $52 million per year, divided by 350 million Americans equals $.15 per American per year.  He then tried to convince me that the Democratic Party supports the disparity in abortion among blacks, but let his "true self" show when he said the following:

"It changes things that they put a barely African American in the White House"

When I replied that I am bi-racial too and called him a racist bigot, he replied,

"You, of course, can't be (because) you're part white".

This person and I no longer speak.  In fact, I threatened him with physical violence (because he continued to text me when I insisted he stop and never text me again).

 

Look - if you are not white (non-ethnic, look white, pass as white, accepted as white) then you have probably heard the phrase, "I'm not a racist" uttered in an attempt to convince you that person isn't racist (more likely to convince themselves they aren't racist).  And while many of you may not be racist or think you're not racist, I am convinced that when you hear people who are experts (news, clergy, government, law enforcement) make it institutionally acceptable to be racist (covertly or overtly) especially within the confines of your own peer group.  

Racism, is of course, no stranger to Central Illinois.  After all, Pekin High School teams were known at one time as the "Chinks".  A Pekin roller-skating rink was known as as the "Chink Rink".  And a popular Central Illinois Urban Legend states there was a sign on the bridge that crosses the Illinois River into Pekin that "advised blacks to not be in Pekin after dark".

Next time you read something or post something or say something, really ask yourself if its racially insensitive or motivated.  Careful!!  You may not like the answer.