Apparently the gentleman above, Arkansas Rep. Jon Hubbard, has written a delightfully racist book called “Letters to the Editor: Confessions of a Frustrated Conservative.”
As we all know letters written to the editor of various newspapers are a typically the forum where conservatives are at their MOST articulate and reasonable (cough, cough) so of course it makes sense to take those angry diatribes and put them into a book.
And lawsy this book certainly does NOT disappoint!
Here are some excerpts courtesy of the Arkansas Times:
Slavery was good for black people:
“… the institution of slavery that the black race has long believed to be an abomination upon its people may actually have been a blessing in disguise. The blacks who could endure those conditions and circumstances would someday be rewarded with citizenship in the greatest nation ever established upon the face of the Earth.” (Pages 183-89)
Yeah black people! We saved you from a life of freedom and happiness, by dragging you over here to work on our plantations so that you could eventually be Americans. Stop being so damn ungrateful!
If you think slavery was bad, you should have seen Africa:
African Americans must “understand that even while in the throes of slavery, their lives as Americans are likely much better than they ever would have enjoyed living in sub-Saharan Africa.”
“Knowing what we know today about life on the African continent, would an existence spent in slavery have been any crueler than a life spent in sub-Saharan Africa?” (Pages 93 and 189)
For sure, we have cable television and wi-fi. Do African people have cable television and wi-fi?
They do? Oh.
Well yeah but were they subjected to segregation and repressed by powerful white people?
Oh they were? Okay so what is the difference again?
Oh yeah, Americans paid for them to be ripped from their homeland and shipped over the ocean to be treated like animals in a country completely foreign to them. And then they have had to suffer withering racism in the decades since they were set "free"from their chains, and NOW they are accused of being ungrateful to their white masters for having subjected them to all of that.
Black people are ignorant:
“Wouldn’t life for blacks in America today be more enjoyable and successful if they would only learn to appreciate the value of a good education?” (Page 184)
I wonder if he means the good education that southern whites fought long and hard to keep the black children from accessing, which eventually forced President Eisenhower to send in the Arkansas National Guard to escort black children into classrooms, past the mobs of white people spitting at them and calling them "niggers," so that they could finally benefit from the kind of education that had been previously ONLY available to white Arkansas students?
Is THAT the education that the black folk of America should now value?
You know I don't know WHY we keep thinking that Southern Republicans are simply racists. Clearly they are UBER racists!
But the truly sad thing is that there are people who will read this and agree with its argument 100%. Racism in this country is clearly not dead, in fact it may currently be enjoying the kind of resurgence that gives David Duke and Newt Gingrich wet dreams.
By the way there is MUCH more to find objectionable about this book besides it KKK inspired argument about the benefits of slavery, and you can read those for yourself by clicking the Arkansas Times link.
I was born and raised in Arkansas, which is a beautiful part of America. But I simply can't understand about 60% of my state's residents and their virulent racism. I used to think that when old guys like this died off, maybe the racism would, too, but now I'm afraid that this hatred of anyone not a lilly white christian is being passed down. There are simply too many people who would rather watch American Idol than read a newspaper. Wish I knew what the solution was.
ReplyDeleteDon't give up hope yet. My grandmother was horrified- to the point of a week-long crying fit- when her first born married an Irish woman (Gran was from Italy). Four generations later her descendant include Asian, Native, Indian and African American children who think it's no big deal. Her great grandchildren have traveled the world and have friends from every culture, people she wouldn't have given the time of day.
DeleteI too thought Ark. was beautiful and the parks are beyond awesome. maybe I could live there because I don't have kids to get through school, but dang there were some weirdos around too.
ReplyDeleteDouble wide heaven with a catfish pond for everyone...weird.
I say we shackle this asshole and his entire family, send them all to separate parts of the US and make them work for black Americans without pay. If blacks should be grateful for slavery, don't you think whites would too? Yea, I thought so.
ReplyDeleteOf course I'm being snarky, but really, for God's sake what happened to these white, inbred, racist Southerners. I know they are not all like this, but damn they have a shitload of them down there. I'm white, but I swear some of these people look like toothless mutants and think they are the "great race". Very, very sad.
All I'm saying is that very soon whites will be a minority..then maybe we should reconsider slavery......
ReplyDeleteLittle Rabbit
Little Rabbit, that's what they are afraid of! LOL!
DeleteOT: Everyone needs to read this article by Matt T @RollingStone
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/greed-and-debt-the-true-story-of-mitt-romney-and-bain-capital-20120829?page=3
G -
ReplyDeletePlease check out these two guys: Charlie Fuqua an Arkansas Legistature candidate who advocates banishing all muslims from the US and death penalties for rebellious children. Seriously.
Also Larry Mauch an Ark. lawmaker who defends slavery. Here is where I get confused as his story is much like the one you wrote on Hubbard although Hubbard was mentioned in one of the articles I read. Let us know what you find out. Thanks.
Pat Padrnos
I read about these two on HuffPo.
I will not give them my clicks, Uncle Gryphen ~ i'll take your word for it.
ReplyDeleteThis is NO SHIT: Charles Fuqua, also a Rep in Arkansas, says that rebellious children should be executed.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/charlie-fuqua-arkansas-candidate-death-penalty-rebellious-children_n_1948490.html
That's why his name is "Fuckwad" lol!
DeleteTweeted out. To baldy herself asked for comments.
He wants to kill your kids if they don't sit down and shutup!
Lets here the outrage...4,3,2,1?
Bwhahahahahahaaaa only if a DEM said it!!!
this book and the pos that wrote it are beyond disqusting - I have no words to describe what I'm feeling right now. And I'm a white person.
ReplyDeleteIf it was the other way around, how would the author of this book feel if an African American enslaved him and then waited for him to thank him?
Yeah, I thought so.
Once again we see the "fruits" of the Christian Taliban manifested in hateful and insane rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteThis idiot actually "thinks my views are fairly well-accepted by most people??" !!!
So: Slavery was good (the bible does mention that slaves should be obedient)
Women should be silent (the bible says females should shut up)
Let's kick the Islamic people out of the country ( I guess that one falls under "Love your
neighbor
Parents should kill their kids if they are "rebellious" (this one is from an old testament verse)
The OLD testament also says things like:
stone adulterers
don't eat shellfish
make sure you don't wear any clothes with mixed fabrics.
How far will the Christian Taliban Teaparty Evangelicals go to convince us of their insanity?
Public execution for those not attending the "right church?"
Stuff like that in the Old Testament is why we have the New Testament. Christians are not supposed to rely on the Old Testament; the basic teachings are in the New Testament: things like "love thy neighbor" and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." And so on. And, of course, remember the Beatitudes. So many right wing fake Christians only read the Old Testament.
DeleteBeaglemom
Things are getting messier for all the rightwingnuts who assume that they HAVE to get behind and truly support EVERY SINGLE ONE of the crazy people suddenly coming out of the Republican woodwork.
ReplyDeleteFirst it was the magic vagina jerk, then an ever increasing list of conspiracy theory whackos, and just this last few days, a slew of radicals, who fear science, logic, facts, and the rest of the things one would rightfully assume elected leaders should uphold.
Yet, even the smarter folks I know, who continue to lean far right, do not seem to find this revelation of just what a gang of complete idiots got elected in 2010, enough to step back and reassess their positions.
I swear, that Fox channel has turned half the country into POD PEOPLE, with all that hatred and blatant racist propaganda, blaring into the airwaves 24/7.
It's not just the south. There are rednecks and racists in every state. I happen to grow up in Montgomery, AL and as a child lived one block from Luther's march to Selma. My parents made us kids stay in the house that day & we couldn't go out & play. Anyway, I posted on the ARK newpaper site.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't stereotype all of the state based on the loonies who get publicity, these people and their ilk disgust me, and they're everywhere in every state.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, it DOES follow the neo con party line, the birthers, Limbaughs, Breitbarts, O' Keefe's and most of Fox News's staff.
How anyone can be black and Republican neo cons is beyond me. I suppose that's why the majority at the convention were white, and that Romney had to ship in his own "blah" folks when he addressed the NAACP.
What bothers me is how other real conservatives can stand silent because the last time I checked, the only race that matters to Democrats is the Human Race.
I am a AA female and I was raised to love and respect everyone no matter of their income level or race.. I work in healthcare and if I thought the way some of these people think I would give a damn bout my patients that don't look like me.. I say here it is in 2012 and we still have bigots, and rednecks out here.. But as the bible say "the first shall be last and the last shall be first"" The American government have done injustices to all people of color all around the globe and the time will come when we things their ancestors did will come back on everyone, even the innocent... Read your bible .. THE TRUTH is their and it is unraveling now...
ReplyDeleteWe all know that the weak are weak because of moral failings, and the powerful are powerful because of moral superiority. But the way things are going now, the powerful are losing their authority, so some big immoral babies can have their way, and do as they please. Animal rights activists want to tell people how to treat their pets. Social workers are putting limits on Childbearing. Everything is going downhill for the powerful.
ReplyDelete