Letters to the Editor
Xanthro
Published Letters: 522 Editor's Choice: 47
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The least segregated places I've ever lived have been in the South?
[Read the article: Replaying GOP racism]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The you haven’t lived in the South that these adds are designed to appeal to, nor do you likely hold the types of racist beliefs these adds are designed to inflame.
There is always the blatant racism, such as Vidor Texas’ having a city sponsored sign on the city limits stating, “Niggers don’t let the sun fall on your back”. This type of racism is repulsive to many people, but it is not the only type of racism. There is also the type of racism I’ve experience my own relatives engage in. Example, at the Houston airport, my Aunt was mortified at something in the restaurant, she told me to turn around and look at that disgusting display. I could see nothing. Finally after badgering and pointing out the table, and my inability to see anything wrong, she blurted out, “There’s a black man and a white women eating together!”
Much like I could not see anything wrong or out of the normal for any two people to be eating together, some people don’t see the racist elements in these ads. They believe that more innocent reasons exist for exactly why Willie Horton was used, or a white women was used in the recent ad. That’s because the ads aren’t meant to appeal to them, it’s the power of using code words. It allows an appeal to racism when more blatant forms would turn off more voters than it would motivate.
The element of Black man raping white women, and rape in this context has always included consensual intercourse, has been a dominate theme in anti-Black racism since Reconstruction. Read Charles Carroll’s “The Negro Beast” which claims that Blacks and especially Mulatto are the rapist of their times, and are like apes unable to control their sexual urges.
A major subtext of this type of belief is that Black Male sexual power is so strong that White Women can’t be trusted around Black Men. That Black Men will steal all the white women. Even in modern popular culture this is a current theme. In the Movie “Soul Man” the main character, whom a rich white girl is interested in believing him to be black, is imagined by her father jumping on the dining room table and asking “Where the white women at!!”
In the Tennessee ad, a young white girl was not chosen because she represents some stereotype of a playboy bunny, but to represent someone’s daughter or sister unable to resist black libido, any more that Willie Horton’s skin was darkened in ads so that the print contrast would be enhanced.
There are still many people who believe in this type of racism, that the uncontrolled or powerful black male will take all the white women, and the anti Ford ad is meant to appeal to these people, without the alienation that would occur in a more directly racist ad.
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Partial Birth Abortion
[Read the article: Tackling "partial birth" abortion]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]But the usual alternative to intact dilation and extraction, or so-called partial-birth abortion, is "disarticulated" dilation and extraction, in which the fetus is taken apart before it's removed from the uterus.
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I've posted about this before; the alternative to the so named Partial Birth Abortion is fetal dismemberment. These types of abortions are almost always preformed because testing has discovered the fetus has a life ending disability. Usually, the lack a brain, and death is certain within a few hours to at most a few days of birth.
These are parents who wanted a child, who after making arrangements, and sometimes even picking names, painting rooms, buying clothes and having a baby shower and presented with the painful reality that they child is not viable.
Some choose to carry the child to term, which has its complications, both physical and emotional. Others cannot bear the burden of carrying that which is doomed for another two months. Their choices are C-Section, induced labor, fetal dismemberment, or the so called partial birth abortion. The later is easiest on the women's heath, and leaves the fetus intact and normal looking for the parents to greave.
The anti-abortion groups want to take an already traumatic event and make it even more painful by advocating that a wanted fetus is torn into tiny pieces and removed.
Why anyone who supports a women’s right to chose would back down from being against fetal dismemberment is beyond my comprehension.
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Senate likely out of reach
[Read the article: Can the Dems still take the Senate?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Vir. will be a recount no matter who is ahead at the end of the night.
Montana will go Democrat.
Mo. is a toss up, without a huge turnout in Kansas City, the Democrats are not going to take it, we should know later tonight who will be the winner here, but it's not looking good.
Right now, it's looking like a 50/50 split if you include Vir. in the Democratic column.
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Sarcasm
[Read the article: Have you heard my rape joke?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Women generally prefer that you jam your penis into their vaginas as quickly as possible during sex, ideally before it is wet at all, so they can really feel it. They will express their appreciation for this by saying, 'ow.'"
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How can anyone read the above and not immediately come to the conclusion that it's sarcasm? It's not humorous by any means, but the intente is obvious.