"Lucky You Don't Bark Like A Dog" . . . OMG, Really?

"...so this Chief U.S. District Court Judge walks into a bar..."  


No, I guess this isn't the right time for a joke.  I'm sure you've heard, but in case you haven't, here's the story:  Richard Cebull, the Chief District Court Judge from Montana in the 9th U.S. District, wrote an email passing along a joke to several friends, stating that he hoped that "it touches your heart as it does mine".  

The joke he sent could be considered the mother of all "your momma" jokes, and it was aimed at the President of the United States.  Now, Jay Leno, David Letterman and the rest of the late-night posse tell jokes about sitting Presidents several nights per week, so jokes are no big deal overall.  This one, however, was not only supremely disrespectful, but it was racist in the extreme, implying that the President's sharing of canine DNA might just be a matter of chance.  

Wow, that's funny!  

No, it's not.  

Since taking office, President Obama has met with a pitched opposition dedicated to eradicating the "error" of his election.  "Birther" movements come, and go, and come again, and go again, and come back some more.  The disrespect aimed at this President has been constant, and unprecedented.  Was Richard Nixon ever catcalled a "liar" when addressing Congress?  Was Jimmy Carter, a President with a limited number of admirers during his tenure, ever treated so rudely?  What American President has been compared to Adolf Hitler as frequently?  What President has experienced a state Governor in his face on an airport tarmac, complete with wagging finger?  We all sense that there is a racist basis for this, but through clever subterfuge, the opposition has used more innocuous terms, such as "socialist".  The fact is, the racist core of this nation decided on Inauguration Day that a black President was a contradiction in terms.  In response this core lost its collective mind and set out to delegitimize the President in any and every way possible, every day of his administration.

Make no mistake, this is not simply a matter of opposition to a sitting President.  The rancorous tone of the opposition, the disrespect, indicates a wholesale rejection of (as Bill Maher puts it) "President Blackie McBlackMan".  

Reports released recently by the Southern Poverty Law Center indicate that there has been a steady growth in racist hate groups and militias since the election of President Obama. 

The stakes here are the highest imaginable.  We cannot afford to give racism any breathing room.  Those who practice or encourage racism must receive consequences at the hands of the more enlightened majority of this nation.  I am not, do not, will not ever advocate violence as a solution, passionately as I feel about this issue.  The high road it high-cost, because the cheap-and-easy ways of dealing with our problems must remain off the table.  Racism can and will be fought with humanity.  

What Do We Do About Judge Cebull?  I've done a little research on this.  U.S. District Court Judges are appointed for life, and can only be removed by impeachment.  This means:

• A committee within the U.S. House of Representatives must determine whether Articles of Impeachment should be filed.
• If filed, the charges contained in the Articles are debated by the House of Representatives, and at the conclusion, the House votes whether or not to impeach.  A simple majority is sufficient.
• If the House votes for impeachment, the Senate effectively hold the trial, and as a body deliberates and delivers a verdict.
• If found guilty, the accused official is automatically removed from office.

Realistically, the likelihood of Judge Cebull's being ejected by impeachment are close to nil.  However, Judge Cebull can no longer effectively function in the capacity of his office.  

The mission statement on the website of the U.S. District Court of the District of Montana reads, 

The mission of the United States District Court for the District of Montana is to support, defend and preserve the Constitution of the United States by providing an impartial forum for the just resolution of disputes. We act so as to protect individual rights and freedoms, preserve judicial independence and promote public trust in the Judiciary of the United States of America.

Does anyone doubt that this Judge can no longer fulfill his responsibilities?  Let us all encourage Judge Cebull to step down from his post, and allow a truly impartial judge take his place.   While the District of Montana website does not publish an e-mail address for the Chief Judge, his phone number is (406) 247-4490.

(Un)American Graffiti  

I promised in my last post that I would discuss my thoughts on combating racist graffiti.  An idea came to me as I was waiting for my train one morning.  I noticed some racist graffiti scratched into one of the posters on the platform, and I was struck with the impression that it was written by someone of high school age or younger.  As I've stated previously, I feel we all have a moral duty to respond to racism whenever we find it.  I cannot condone fighting vandalism with more vandalism, however, so I came up with the idea of applying a sticker.

I priced regular stickers online, and felt that they were prohibitively expensive.  Then I found a site which produces custom Post-Its, in pads of 100 sheets.  For about $3 plus shipping you could carry a pad of these in your bag or backpack, and be ready to grab the attention of graffiti writers and everyone else, any time you find an inappropriate message.  Sticker by sticker, we can change attitudes and change the world.

Tell me what you think!