Montana Judge and Obama's mother

[Stephen Fox]

It would be interesting to explore the race pilgrimage of Paul Pressler as analogous to this Mormon contemporary and the discussion that has exploded there.
Maybe someone will want to link and explore the Montana Judge, though I do not know him to be either Mormon or Baptist

http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispa ... ntroversy/

[Haruo]

Personally, I found the Montana judge's email to be extremely offensive and suggestive of moral if not mental illness on his part, but not necessarily racist. The racial content was entirely secondary to the suggestion that what he forwarded ought to be heartwarming. Granted, Montana is not part of the civilized world, but even savages usually have better grounds for feeling heartwarmed. I did not hear what his source was, and thought that would be worth knowing.

When I find myself on the other side of a political fence from someone, it does not occur to me that I ought to denigrate that person's mother's sexual behavior. That a federal judge would find such behavior heartwarming strikes me as utterly indefensible.

[Haruo]

Further comments on the judge might go better in Politics forum; I'm going to copy my comments above thither.

[Dave Roberts]

One more case of our country's bad taste.

[Bruce Gourley]

[Haruo]

I just said that to see if I could get you and Cathy riled up. I retract it. Montana is civilized, at least much of it. The parts where people live.

It is not particularly known for its racial diversity involving Blacks, however. Indians, another story. But I really don't see the judge's forward as particularly racist, just as extremely unbecoming a judge, and not too cool in an adult of any profession.

[Cathy]

I did note your comment in regard to Montana, Haruo, and almost cancelled my Washington state springbreak visit!

Tea Party and anti Obama rhetoric has been, dare I say, pretty beastly. I think that anyone who would send an email of this type has some explaining to do. No one of color would want him as their judge and should be able to ask for that change and expect the request to be honored.

Can you be other than racist if you resort to racist attack or you find a racist joke appealing and want to forward it? But who can read the heart?

I'm a little sensitive to racist opinions as we have had an influx of racists into the Flathead over the last couple of years. Pioneer Little Europe is one of the more organized efforts to encourage like minded racists and right wing nuts to move in this direction. I can assure you the local population isn't happy about it. But there is really very little one can do. It is a free country. Even in Montana.