One old coot on the Channel 4 video said he had no problem with it. The first commenter after the article, who goes by the name "Hostage", wrote, "I think its [sic] great !"
Too late, though. Funny how that Internet thingy works, isn't it? Once you show your ass on a social network, like Sarah Palin recently displayed hers, said ass is virtually cast in stone.
Readers might remember how the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro was the recipient of some good old fashioned southern hospitality in the past. Understandably, they were more than a little offended by West's post and issued a statement, which said in part:
This does not only incite hatred but also violence against law-abiding citizens of our great country. Mr. West obviously lacks in wisdom and judgment and, therefore, cannot be trusted as commissioner.The Center also called on Coffee County Mayor David Pennington to fire the commissioner:
"I seen the post," Pennington said. "My answer to that is, you know, what a commissioner does on his off time - as long as he's not in a full commission meeting - you know, I have no control over what a commissioner does."Of course, if someone had posted a similar image with the message "How to wink at West", the mayor might have an entirely different viewpoint.
West replaced the above image with the following statement. If you can interpret it, you are far better a person than I am.
"Isn't a shame how some think all apples in a barrel are bad if they find one? oh by the way, this is not me in this picture."If most readers think Tennesseans don't know how to "speak English", they would be right.
WSMV Channel 4
UPDATE from The Tennessean. By reading the comments perhaps folks will gain a little insight into how morons like Barry West and Stacey Campfield get elected to public office in this state.
Oh, great. I am now trying to get the image of Mr. West's ass, cast in stone, out of my mind.
ReplyDeleteIf something similar titled "How to wink at a Christian", posted by a government official in an Islamic country, came to the attention of the wingnutosphere, they'd be screaming their heads off.
Maybe Mr. West's evident poor command of English let him down? If he'd title it "How to wink at a jihadist", no one could seriously object.
Apparently, this thing has gone viral which doesn't really surprise me all that much. The last I heard, West refuses to apologize. Just as well because it would be less than honest.
Deletewell, gosh darn ...... them there poly-ticians in Tennysee gotz some real good cents they be using to gofferment up this here fine country.
ReplyDeleteYah sho got that 'un rite!
DeleteYour task: compare and contrast the following:
ReplyDeleteWhen someone Republicans approve of say something on the Internet:
The Center also called on Coffee County Mayor David Pennington to fire the commissioner:
"I seen the post," Pennington said. "My answer to that is, you know, what a commissioner does on his off time - as long as he's not in a full commission meeting - you know, I have no control over what a commissioner does."
When someone Republicans don't like say something on the Internet:
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A state police spokesman says authorities determined a University of Rhode Island history professor committed no criminal act when he wrote on Twitter that he wanted to see the National Rifle Association president's head "on a stick."
Lt. Brian Casilli tells The Associated Press that police met with Erik Loomis on Monday night about a tweet that said he wanted to see NRA President Wayne LaPierre's head on a stick. Loomis made the comment following the school shooting in Connecticut. http://www.necn.com/12/19/12/URI-prof-cites-threats-for-head-on-a-sti/landing.html?&apID=a4cf1a2d68a34703a37b2f9848af83c1
The cops in Tennessee aren't in the habit of paying visits to racists who advocate killing Muslims. That's almost better than coon hunting, if you get my meaning. Wink, wink.
DeleteFunny how when a county commissioner advocates pointing weapons at people due to their religion, it's just a big joke - but criticizing the NRA's position on gun control brings a visit from the police:
ReplyDeleteLt. Brian Casilli tells The Associated Press that police met with Erik Loomis on Monday night about a tweet that said he wanted to see NRA President Wayne LaPierre's head on a stick. Loomis made the comment following the school shooting in Connecticut.
http://www.necn.com/12/19/12/URI-prof-cites-threats-for-head-on-a-sti/landing.html?&apID=a4cf1a2d68a34703a37b2f9848af83c1
IOKIYAR!
Leslie, I posted about his asshat a couple of days ago, and still wonder what would have been the response had he advised on how to wink at a Jew instead of a Muslim. I think the religious right, all worried about the End of Times, would have had this guy ridden out of town on a rail by sunset.
ReplyDeleteFunny how we pick and choose what's an acceptable prejudice and what's just wrong...
I'd like to think jerks like this guy and Stacey Campfield are the rare exceptions, but the more I look around the more I'm convinced the gene pool needs a lot more chlorine around here.
(heavy sigh...) Great post, and congrats on the Crooks and Liars link!
Thanks, neighbor. I did read your well worded post. Great minds think alike. I just wish there were more of us in this neck of the woods as it gets a little chilly out.
DeleteWest and "Hostage" are primitives — dense, backward, two-dimensional thinkers much like the tribal denizens of Earth a million years ago. Their attitude (or philosophy, if you prefer) can be summed up this way: "You're either like me and you like me, or you're not like me, you're bad and I hate you."
ReplyDeleteNow, if someone is so bad as to deserve nothing but one's hatred, it's OK to point a gun at that person. It can even be OK to pull the trigger. It's certainly OK to post it as a bit of primitive, two-dimensional humor on a public official's Web site. It can also be OK to set off a bomb at a church and kill four little girls, as happened in Alabama back in the 1960's, or to blow up a federal building, killing innocent men, women and children by the dozens, as happened in Oklahoma City the 1990's.
We got a primitive, two-dimensional thinker for president in 2001. In his first months in office, George W. Bush made it clear he intended to advance the interests of, and please, those who contributed to and otherwise supported his campaign, and had voted for him. Bush had no intention of trying to be president of all the people. Why should he, when doing so would alienate the primitives who helped him get elected? For all Bush was dense and intellectually shallow, he knew his kind of people: the "it's us against them" crowd of bigots, bullies and backward types. His primitive, intellectually shallow mind divined the presidency and our democracy this way: "I won the election, so that means I'm the decider. For four years I get to decide. Anybody who doesn't like what I decide can go sit on a tack for four years and then vote for someone else to replace me. In the meantime, I'm going to dance with the ones what brung me, and to hell with the rest."
You can see the next generation of primitives on many a playground across the land. They're the bullies who pick on kids who aren't like them and/or who don't like them. Most learn this from parents, but I tend to think there's a genetic predisposition at work as well. What percentage is nature and what percentage is nurture I don't know. I do think there's more than bad parental and peer examples at work for this primitive, tribal mindset to persist so broadly for millions of years.
It does sound like we're regressing rather than evolving into a more compassionate and intelligent species, doesn't it? I'm intrigued with your last paragraph and think you may have a point about the genetic predisposition. I think recent studies comparing the differences between the structure of the brains in liberals and conservatives - and that of people who are aggressive - validates this line of thought.
DeleteGlad to hear from you, btw. A fellow named Terrell has left a few inquiries about you. See http://parsleyspics.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-nation-at-war-with-itself.html
Leslie,
ReplyDeleteWest is despicable, and Pennington is a cowardly enabler. Regrettably, it appears that we are indeed regressing and are poised to enter a new political Dark Ages. There are far too many fools in office today, and they unfortunately seem to be running the show. We progressives must continue to keep our lonely lamps of reason brightly and continually lit, or all will be lost...