Looks like the Obama campaign isn't interested in new tones and dialogue about race -- as witnessed by the bum's rush given to one of its delegates over a trivial matter.

An Illinois delegate for Democratic Sen. Barack Obama resigned after using the word "monkeys" to describe black children playing in a tree, the Obama campaign said Tuesday.

Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski, a trustee in the Chicago suburb of Carpentersville, was issued a $75 ticket for disorderly conduct after neighbors complained to police. She says the word wasn't meant racially and she will fight the ticket.

"Given the incident, Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski is stepping down as a delegate and will be replaced," said Obama spokeswoman Amy Brundage.

The incident occurred Saturday, when two children were playing in a tree next door to Ramirez-Sliwinski's house.

She said the parents were outside supervising the children, but she went over and told them to get out of the tree because she was concerned about the boys' safety and because the small magnolia tree was being damaged.

The father of one of the boys told her it was none of her business, she told the Chicago Tribune, and "I calmly said the tree is not there for them to be climbing in there like monkeys."

The mother of one boy called police.

Cmdr. Michael Kilbourne said Tuesday a ticket was issued because the ordinance bans conduct that disturbs or alarms people. One of the boys told police he was scared by her comment and a mother said she was disturbed, he said.

Now, let's make a couple of points.

1) It wasn't any of Ramirez-Sliwinski's business what was going on in the neighbor's yard -- especially with the parents there.

2) One the parent -- who presumably owns the tree -- said they didn't have a problem with the kids playing there, Ramirez-Sliwinski should have backed off.

3) If Ramirez-Sliwinski was concerned about the safety of the children, she should have called the police and let them sort it out.

That said, the reaction of the parents -- and the cops -- was absurd.

Disorderly conduct? For saying "monkey" in a context where it clearly didn't have a racial context? Just because a racial grievance-monger didn't like it? You have got to be kidding!

And after all the talk of a "new tone" and "discussion" on race, the Obama campaign didn't waste any time in caving in to those who follow the old paradigm -- that a shout of "racism" by a black person is a scarlet letter that cannot be removed, and that common sense cannot be allowed to enter into the analysis of the events leading to the claim or the motives of those making it.

Nice speech, Senator -- too bad your own campaign won't even try to live up to it.

Posted by: Greg at 10:34 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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In response to the profane, racist rant of one of its players – even though he is black.

A Jacksonville, Fla., television station has obtained documents detailing Jaguars cornerback Brian WilliamsÂ’ racist rant to police the night he was arrested in September 2006 on suspicion of DUI, News 4 Jax reported.

The police officer involved wrote in a report that Williams called him "Honky mother (expletive)," and said, "I (expletive) your momma ... I (expletive) your wife twice." Williams allegedly went on to say he would do something to the officerÂ’s daughter, News 4 Jax reported.

Williams apologized for his actions after the initial arrest, but recently withdrew the guilty plea he submitted after the 2006 incident.

That withdrawal allowed the arresting officerÂ’s notes to be made public. The officer said at the time of the arrest he did not know Williams had recently signed a multimillion dollar deal with the Jaguars, News 4 Jax reported.

Now I have to ask this question – had this racist rant come from a white player towards a black cop, would it have been swept under the rug like this? Wouldn’t we have quickly seen leaked police reports on the arrest, complete with the slurs and profanity, as well as any video of the incident?

Could we be looking at one more double standard here on race relations that we need to dialogue about?

This goes along pretty well with one of the points from John HawkinsÂ’ superb column today on race and racism.

Blacks are, on average, more racist than whites: As we've seen in the Democratic primary this year, black Americans are much more likely to vote for a person based on his skin color than white Americans. Also, most black Americans tend to think it's ok to belong to race-based organizations like the NAACP, while white Americans hold race-based groups like the KKK in disdain. Moreover, percentage wise, there are pretty clearly a lot more black Americans who dislike white Americans based on their skin color than vice-versa. Maybe that's understandable given the shameful treatment black Americans once had to endure in this country, but it's still the truth -- and don't even get me started on black Americans actually defending criminal scum like O.J. Simpson, Mike Tyson, and the L.A. rioters because they're black.

Now in defense of the NAACP, its Jacksonville chapter president did condemn Williams’ language as divisive and harmful. But I can’t help but wonder whether a similarly despicable rant from a white player would have produced the same measured response – or a nuclear meltdown with demands for sensitivity training for the entire NFL and race-based kickbacks to black organizations and minority contractors with the appropriate political patrons.

In the end, though, I hope that the best punishment in this case comes from those of us who are NFL ticket holders. We need to make life very uncomfortable for this racist scumbag – with boos, jeers, and general expressions of contempt. He’ll get that from me when the Jags play here in Houston this fall.

Posted by: Greg at 10:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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IÂ’m glad to see the arrests made, but I wonder if you notice what is missing here.

Four men in Orlando were charged with a hate crime after they pummeled a 62-year-old woman and her two mentally-challenged companions at a public park after they didn't pay a "fee" for being white, police said.

Investigators said the victims were walking into a Kaley Park when they were confronted by Christopher Colbert, Erick Golden, Willie Pritts and Antoniette Boone.

Police said the victims were told that since they are white, they had to pay a fee to be in the park.

What donÂ’t you see? How about marches and speeches led by outraged foes of racism? I guess that they just canÂ’t muster the outrage necessary to protest when the victims are white and the perps are black.

But rest assured that if the races were reversed, they would be there extorting a little something out of the public coffers.

And I’m curious – why hasn’t the media been all over this one nationally? After all, it would be a great case to use in a dialogue on race and racism, don’t you think?

Posted by: Greg at 12:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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