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As you all know, Keith Bardwell is still smarting for being called a racist for refusing to marry an interracial couple. He strenuously denied that he was racist, saying the fact he lets negroes use the bathroom in his house is proof positive of his open heart. And so he also refuses to step down, even after being called to do so by Governor Bobby Jindal and Sen. Mary Landrieu. Notably, Republican Senator David Vitter apparently didn’t release a statement to USA Today.
Keith Bardwell’s comments to reporters follows calls for his ouster by Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal and Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu.
“Everybody hates me,” he tells reporters. “Really. I don’t know why. I treat people, I figure, equal. I have one problem with mixed marriages and that is the offspring.”
Asked if he is “racist,” Bardwell replies: “Absolutely not.
“My definition of a racist is to hate black people, or treat black people different that anybody else,” he says.
Perhaps he has a different dictionary than we do.
Moving right along to another case of denial, this time anti-Semitism, we feature famed Irish tenor Ronan Tynan, who is well-known for singing at Yankee games. He seems to have a very narrow view about what kind of “Jew humor” isn’t offensive.
Tynan, famous for belting out “God Bless America” at Yankee games, ran into a friend of his, a real estate broker, while he was showing apartments in his building to a pediatrician named Gabrielle Gold-von Simson.
“Don’t worry, they are not Red Sox fans,” the broker reportedly said. “I don’t care about that, as long as they are not Jewish,” Tynan replied.
That line might – might – have been funny if delivered as schtick by the likes of Jackie Mason, Mel Brooks or Larry David. But Dr. Gold-von Simson, distinctly unamused, complained to her broker and reported the exchange to WNBC-TV.
The Yankees cancelled Tynan’s scheduled Friday appearance at the American League playoffs.
“I’m not anti-Semitic and I have never been in my life,” Tynan protested, calling the incident “something misfortunate, I was too stupid with my mouth.”
Hmm. You mean the signals from his brain got scrambled on the way to his KKK tongue and mouth? How come that doesn’t happen when he goes to sing “God Bless America”? He apologized, btw, and it was accepted by Dr. Gold-von Simson.
I guess we can put these two on the shelf with the teabagger who said he can’t be racist because he helped out black Boy Scouts once or because they gave mouth-to-mouth to a black NBA player 20 years ago.
26 Comments
conscience clause The justice of the peace used the same language as pharmacists who want to exercise a ‘conscience clause’ over whether women can buy contraceptives.
It’s for the sake of the children, they know best.
No question the LA Justice is racist to his coreI noticed the Political Cesspool within this month had a story calling mixing white blood with black blood “racial genocide” for whites. Their hatred for inter racial pairing FAR OUT WEIGHS their hatred for Black individuals. Not that they don’t hate Blacks and other non whites, but they hate whites who breed with non whites MORE.
The tenor I’d want to know more about any other examples he may have made of anti semetic “jokes”.
Perhaps he thought something said by a Jewish comic, could be equally amusing from a goy. There are so many Jewish comics, some people equate comedy with Jewish comics.
If the tenor has said equally offensive cr*p then I’d say he’s an anti semite, otherwise he may just be generally stupid, and feels overly familar with Jewish humor.
I have noticed a rise in the level of anti semitismMost noticably at breibart tv against Olympia Snowe….who btw is Greek Orthodox
The 21% Column of InsanityCurrently on CNN’s front page:
Like some bad horror film…
In the absence of other evidence, Tynan deserves the benefit of the doubt. But there’s pass for Dr. KKK. With apologies to the good people who can be found everywhere, sometimes I wonder if Lincoln didn’t make a mistake forcing the Southern States to stay in the Union, and continue to urge my Southern-based friends to relocate from the breeding ground for perpetual prejudice. Is there a group in TexASS still hoping to secede? Let ‘em.
Events over the last few months have revealed that what we thought was healed for most was for many only scabbed over, and ugly, demented, even evil toxins are pouring out again eating through the social fabric like so much Alien acid blood. The election of a man of color as President, the attempts to move beyond the rancid leftover insanities of the John Birch Society, the rise in demands for LGBT equality, have awakened a mindless mob that pretty words and positive thinking alone will never quiet. We underestimate them to our peril.
The Justice of the Peace..…has the mannerisms of many Southern gay white men I have met, especially those from rural areas.
That’s probably why Jindal wants him to resign.
where’s media outrage for usEveryone is rightously outraged when this Louisiana InJustice of the Peace refuses to conduct a wedding ceremony for two people he decided would be a mixed race marriage, but when tyrannical theocRATS rule at the ballot box against marriage equality for same-sex couples, there is no mainstream media outrage.
SNL Weekend Update had a good one“Says he’s not a racist, just doesn’t believe in mixing the races that way. Tip to racists: don’t follow up your denials of being racist, with the definition.”
I couldn’t agree more, planetspinzBobby Jindal is outraged – outraged! – that this would happen in his state, yet he celebrates the denial of same-sex marriage.
The national media seems to be in a state of pure shock. The attitude seems to be: how could THIS happen in America in the 21st century?!?!? But not once have I heard one of the major media outlets mention that in 45 of 50 states and all the territories, gay and lesbian couples are denied marriage licenses EVERYDAY.
I really wish people would make the connection. And that is this – if you find the conduct of this justice of the peace to be appalling, but if you would vote against same-sex marriage at the ballot box, how do you merge the two? How do your beliefs coincide? I really wish someone could explain that one to me.
I really think this would be a good opportunity for a national discussion on marriage and just how much it has EVOLVED throughout the years and how it will continue to EVOLVE. That would drive the fundies nuts, as it would force people to focus on the civil rights aspect of marriage and not the biblical definitions (seeing how contradictory the Bible is on just about everything).
One thing that gets ignored in the debate over same-sex marriage (and the fact that there is even a debate in the country that bills itself as the world’s pre-eminent democracy and the “beacon of freedom”) was just how much marriage rights became part of the Civil Rights Movement. Again, though, the fundies wouldn’t dare want us to go there.
In the end, though, the jackass should be kicked out of office. Because I am denied marriage rights EVERYDAY in the State of Georgia (yes, even here in Atlanta), I know what it feels like to be told “no” by a representative of MY government.
And that is NOT the American way.
WTF?He’s worried about the biracial children? Why, it’s not like they can’t grow up to be the POTUS?
Of course he’s racistWe live in a country where fucking pharmacists can decided whether to fill a woman’s prescription based on whether or not he approves of her having sex, and anyone’s surprised that a Justice of the Peace has no problem with black people as long as they don’t try to weaken the purity of white blood (whatever that is?)?
When are we going to stop allowing hateful, judgemental assholes to get away with everything because their personal Jesus tells them it’s okay to destroy others?
Make that: “there’s NO pass for Dr. KKK….”
Bardwell did more than just violate his oath of office.He committed a hate crime. He tried to circumvent the law and reimpose Jim Crow era laws.
He’s not fit to be part of the judicial system. He won’t change and there absolutely no point in trying to force him to act human. Obviously he’s not up to it.
He should be fired and lose his pension. Then he should be indicted. Then he should be sued and his assets confiscated to compensate his victims.
Exactly the same standard should be applied to another bigot named Obama for his hate crimes emboldening and galvanizing the bigot vote with “gawd’s in the mix”.
Walking GShepard in park today. Passed ..while mom with double..stroller. 3y/o girl 1 1/2 y/o boy.. Gorgeously biracial! Mixed race people can be very much more good looking than the single races. … e.g. Polynesian, white, Chinese/Japanese blends of the Sandwich Islands!No need for talk, just fire the B****, or charge him since he is an elected official and then impeach him. You can tell he isn't mixed race…..UGGGGLY!
It would be interesting to hear the reasons for the No votesWhen news about Bardwell first broke, the AP quoted him as saying: “I didn’t tell this couple they couldn’t get married. I just told them I wouldn’t do it.”
His argument is a classic conservative argument: leave me alone to my conscience, just go elsewhere.
It is an argument invoked when pharmacists want to deny giving contraception, such as Plan B. It is also invoked by county officials and justices of the peace on why they should be able to refuse to perform gay marriage or even refuse to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.
I wonder how many of the 21% who voted “No” didn’t really support his position against interracial marriage. Instead, they were supporting his “right” to pick and choose who he provided public services to. I’m thinking that a lot of the “No” votes came from people who were willing to tolerate Bardwell’s racist attitude in order to preserve their conservative tactic.
I don’t give a flyingfuck if people are one race, multiracial, gay, lesbian, transgender, from here, from iceland, baptist, catholic… I care about one thing. Can they raise their children in love and not hate? That should be the only litmus test for raising a family.
Not to mention, since when are government officials in charge of deciding who can be a good… oh yeah. Forgot my place there for a second.
Let’s VOTE!!!
We’re a democracy….LET’S VOTE!! That’s right folks. I think the good folks of Louisiana should VOTE on this very important, moral issue. I wouldn’t support it, of course, because some of my best friends are inter-racial couples. Lets see what happens…and do whatever the majority says is best. And while we’re in that sacred voting booth with the curtains drawn let’s broaden the issues to include other civil rights. I’m sure the majority will ALWAYS do the RIGHT THING!!!
He has a point!After all, Keith Bardwell’s parents were apparently both white and look at what a goddam ADONIS he is. He is the brilliant and beautiful outcome of careful breeding of racially pure human stock.
Honestly, have you ever beheld a more magnificent specimen of a man?
Why do they think she’s Jewish anyway?
cuz they are stupid and hatefulThey also aren’t too hot at fact checking, fact-free is what they do best.
Please, ditch the “biracial = beautiful” trope…Ok, SOME mixed folk are attractive. Most of that is that humans respond to both novelty and moderation of features, and the genetic combinations of two physically different phenotypes can sometimes fit both criteria. However, overwhelmingly, society tells mixed people this when they have 1 white parent/half-white ancestry. Shocking.
But lots of mixed people are NOT gorgous by conventional standards, we don’t all look alike, and it’s kind of annoying for anyone multiethnic/biracial to be a) exoticized, and/or, alternately, 2) looked at w/ a critical eye of ‘gee, why AREN’T you as attractive as XYZ person?’
Seriously, does anyone go up to a white person and think, “Oh, look, a white person! They’re so gorgeous, like Brad Pitt/Tom Cruise/Scarlett Johanson/Megan Fox”
The only reason people tend to lump mixed people together is lack of broad familiarity, and association with celebrities who are often famous for their appearance, regardless of talent.
No One Cares What Bardwell Thinks or FeelsAll that matters is, what Keith Bardwell did was illegal.
In 1967, the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Loving v. Virginia that anti-miscegenation laws are unconstitutional.
Bardwell cannot overrule a United States Supreme Court decision.
The legal principle of stare decisis holds:
“Maintain what has been decided and do not alter that which has been established”
Judges are obliged to obey the precedents established by prior decisions.
One reasonIt’s her nose… to the bigots large nose and pale skin = Jewish.
Furthermore, what makes you believe bigots think, onthesea?
Reaction could help reduce denials of marriage licenses to gay couplesRemembering that the ban on denying interracial marriage licenses was a product of the Civil Rights Movement could lead people to think that denying gay couples marriage licenses is a similar civil rights issue. Just as the civil rights of interracial marriages trumped the freedom of speech rights of officials back then, so should it now with gay marriage.
I wrote a diary about this today–check it out.
I seriously do not think that line of logic would workThe anti same-gender marriage crowd would counter how we are riding on the coattails of a truly discriminated class (People Of Color). The fundy haters would then claim we do not deserve any equality because we are all powerful rich white gay men…
O_o
Dena
They’re idiotsmy last ex was ethnically Jewish (but his family had been Catholic for generations) and frankly looked Hispanic. One of my lusting crushes from years ago was a practicing Jewish guy with a button nose, blue eyes, and lots of curly blond hair who was a tall very athletic basketball player. These people are just fucking ignorant.