That’s What I Said: The Onion on the Cordoba House Debate

So, I read The Onion pretty regularly, and try to share some of its greatest hits as much as I can. There’s nothing quite like the crazy, farcical writing that’s their stock in trade. Today, as I chomped down on an unholy, salt-laden protein-fest that was supposed to be good for me, I came across:

Gentries explained that it “didn’t take long” to find out as much about the tenets of Islam as he needed to. He said he knew Muslims stoned their women for committing adultery, trained for terrorist attacks at fundamentalist madrassas, and believed in jihad, which Gentries described as the thing they used to justify killing infidels.

Grinds My Gears: The Cordoba House “Debate”

Sometimes, I hate people. I’ve been trying to stay out of this Cordoba House madness in the hope that by not feeding it in some way on my little blog, the shit would go away. But of course that isn’t the case, and shit’s starting to get real out here. In my opinion, all this anti-Islam furor is a better anti-American terrorist recruitment tool than anything bin Laden ever came up with.

So with that, America, I must enumerate what grinds my gears about this whole Cordoba House mess.

Justice Department May Intervene in Oscar Grant Case

The Grant case isn’t over yet. Some comfort (small and cold, though it may be) may be on the way. The Justice Department may be ready to intervene. Highly unlikely, considering the justice department’s record of making grand declarations, and then doing nothing once the news cycle ends. Still, I feel like if Eric Holder had his way, things would actually happen. On a multitude of fronts.

 The article also shares some other news — some good, some bad. The good?

Federal officials planned to begin their civil rights investigation after the conclusion of the state case against Mehserle, who faces sentencing Aug. 6.

Involuntary manslaughter convictions call for two to four years in prison. But since the jury also found Mehserle used a gun during the crime, the judge could tack on an additional three to 10 years — an option Oakland officials hope would quell additional unrest in the city.

The bad? Probation is still a possibility, though a distant one.

To appeal to the judge to consider the gun enhancement at the August 6 sentencing, write to:

Judge Robert J. Perry
Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center
210 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

You can also call (213) 974-5394. Regardless of the misleading voicemail, this is for Perry’s court.

The Oscar Grant Verdict: A Few Thoughts

Noah Berger/AP

Last week, Johannes Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Oakland native Oscar Grant in the early hours of Jan 1, 2009. He was found not guilty of voluntary manslaughter and second-degree murder charges. Involuntary manslaughter convictions carry a sentence of two to four years.

I’m surprised he was found guilty of anything. And that makes me angry. Or rather, I should be angry, but I’m so used to these injustices that I can’t muster up the rage. So I’ll just say a few things:

Cops Try to Deport Suspect to Mexico. Suspect an American Citizen

So, police in Illinois arrested a man on suspicion of grand theft auto and attempted to send him “back to Mexico.” The only problem? Dude’s American. They refused to believe him, even after he provided a birth certificate showing he was born in the US colony of Puerto Rico. Hey, if it’s good enough for the president…

Seriously, Arizona. Bad idea.

READ MORE AT GAWKER 

The Black Guy Did It: Police Edition

Art by Poster Boy

When my friend Lina tipped me off to the case of a shooting incident involving a Philadelphia cop, she did so in an email simply titled “asshole.” For a second, I was like “well, fuck you, Lina.” But I read on, all the same.

It turns out Sergeant Robert Ralston, a white guy, shot himself and blamed it on a black assailant. An age-old tale, not worth getting the pulse up over, no? But let’s go over the details again. This isn’t like the recent case of Conrad “The Player” Zdzierak, or even the eons-old practice of white ladies crying rape at the hands of black men. In those cases, there was at least a utilitarian point to the racial Red Herring. Zdzierak would be absolutely ineligible as a suspect the instant he ditched the mask, and the white ladies had to explain their unladylike sexuality somehow — victimhood was more acceptable than sexual agency in women of that era.

Susan Smith wanted her kids out of the way so she could land a rich husband. Even Ashley Todd could argue she really just wanted her guy to win. And Lindsay? Well, she’s just fucking Lindsay.

Police Brutality Weekly: “Mexican” Trio Distract Cops, Enabling Other Suspects to Escape

Last week, a group of riot-squad officers responded to a call stating that a group of Latino males had carried out a robbery outside a Seattle area club. As they patrolled the area in search of the perpetrators, they found a group that matched the description of the suspects.

The officers rounded up the suspicious individuals, made them lie face-down on the asphalt, and in response to what must have been the threat of severe harm from one prostrate perpetrator, stomped on his head, hand, and legs.

Grinds My Gears: The Reaction to Harvard Law’s Amateur Eugenicist

You know what really grinds my gears? Racist assholes. You know what grinds my gears even more? Racist-asshole apologists and deniers. I swear to you, these days, it’s worse to call someone a racist than to actually do something racist. But I digress.

So, the other day, it was revealed that some chick at Harvard Law made a few interesting comments about the comparative intellectual capacities of blacks and whites. 

Anti-Intellectualism: An African American Problem

Originally posted at Racialicious in Aug 2008

They are proud of their ignorance.

They equate getting an education to “acting white.”

Inner-city students have to decide between being smart and being “cool.”

I’m sure you’ve read at least one of the above statements at some point over the course of the last five years. Like the “down low” frenzy of yesteryear, it’s the pummeled dead horse du jour of African-American narratives.

Black Face, Carte Blanche: The Racism Behind The Boondocks

Originally posted at Mixed Media Watch in Aug 2006

Separated At Birth?: Huey Freeman & Aaron McGruder

“I am one those red-blooded, flag-waving white Republicans you’ve heard about,” says one of Cartoon Network’s trademark teaser letters in its Adult Swim time slot. “I think The Boondocks is totally irresponsible viewing… and I love it!”

While Adult Swim likely aired those comments in their usual tongue-in-cheek manner, there is definitely an argument to be made for this show’s appeal to racists— not to suggest that “red-blooded, flag-waving white Republican” is in any way synonymous with “racist.”

Born of creator Aaron McGruder’s controversial 6-year-old comic strip, the animated show is one of this fall’s early successes on the network. Its ratings are proof of the marketing power implicit in the word “controversial”—a promotional buzzword often used in describing the original form’s handling of racial issues through the eyes of the 10-year-old protagonist, Huey Freeman.